Boulder Shelter names new CEO

Deborah Swearingen, Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo.
·3 min read

Sep. 20—Boulder Shelter for the Homeless announced on Tuesday that Greg Morris will serve as its next CEO, following a three-month national search process.

Morris most recently served as executive director and co-CEO of HopeWorks, the largest comprehensive homeless service provider in New Mexico. According to a news release from the Boulder Shelter, while there, he led an effort to build the first newly constructed, single-site permanent supportive housing project in the state.

Before working in New Mexico, Morris was executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho and began Charitable Assistance to Community's Homeless, a re-housing nonprofit serving families experiencing homelessness in Idaho.

"The Boulder Shelter's strategic emphasis on moving more people into permanent supportive housing is what drew me to the organization," Morris stated in the release. "Addressing homelessness is one of the biggest civil and human rights challenges of our time, and alongside other critical partners, we need to rise to meet this moment with urgency, compassion and unwavering resolve."

Morris was unanimously recommended after being selected from 43 applicants, eight of whom were interviewed by a search committee made of shelter board members, including Chair Bobby Pelz and board member Bill Rigler. Both said Morris' experience with permanent supportive housing efforts was a big draw since it's a main focus of the Boulder Shelter.

Further, an ability to work with the city as well as organizations including Feet Forward, Bridge House and Homeless Solutions for Boulder County is important for anyone leading the shelter. Pelz said that's something Morris has done well in previous roles and will continue to do well upon his arrival in Boulder.

"He wants to work in union and conjunction with the other organizations that are working to help the homeless here," Pelz said. "From my perspective, that is one of the things that is key for our success."

In Boulder, housing and homelessness can be a divisive topic and it's regularly part of the discussion in Boulder City Council meetings. Rigler said he believes the new CEO will approach the subject with empathy.

"More than anything ... I was just so impressed by the humanity and the compassion that he was bringing to the role and the enthusiasm," Rigler said. "It's hard work. It's challenging. There are lots of different stakeholders, beginning with the clients and extending to the shelter staff and community."

His last job was in New Mexico, but the search committee viewed that as a positive since Morris will bring new insight to the role.

"It's probably not bad for somebody to have a fresh start, coming in and having those fresh perspectives," Rigler said, adding that this is something not always afforded to those who are well-known in the area.

Spencer Downing has been serving as the interim executive director since October 2021 when longtime director Greg Harms stepped down. Morris will take over on Oct. 3 and is planning to conduct a "listening tour" with other homeless service providers, officials and community members, Rigler noted.