CHARLOTTE – Community Link has named Tameka Gunn its new president and CEO.
Gunn will take over Jan. 1 for Floyd Davis Jr., who is retiring after 20 years of service to the agency.
Gunn currently serves as vice president and chief operating officer at Community Link. She joined the nonprofit in 2007 as a housing coordinator. Over time she has worked in all of Community Link’s Homeless to Housing services. She was also program director for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which provides free tax preparation for lower-income individuals and families.
“I’m thrilled to assume leadership of Community Link at a critical time for affordable housing in our city and region,” Gunn said. “I hope to build upon the legacy of my mentor, Floyd Davis, with support from our tremendous team of social workers and other staff.”
Gunn’s goals include expanding Community Link’s homeownership programs, collaborating even more with other social service nonprofits in the region, and raising awareness of Community Link in all the counties it serves.
“It’s been our philosophy to promote from within our own staff whenever possible, and the board’s decision to promote Tameka to president and CEO is in keeping with those values,” Davis said. “Tameka understands Community Link’s culture, our systems and our major donor and contractual relationships. She’s in a very strong position to assume the top role.”
Gunn is a leader on housing issues in the region. She is currently vice chair of the Coordinated Entry Oversight Committee for Mecklenburg County. Coordinated Entry connects people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with housing resources.
Gunn discovered her life’s work early in her career.
She taught students with learning disabilities and emotional behavior disorders early in her career in Virginia and Washington D.C.
In 2005, Gunn began working for the Gastonia Housing Authority. She came to realize how difficult it is for most disenfranchised people to stay in housing by gaining meaningful access to social services. Her motivation for this work is all about building family and community. The lives that Community Link has changed continue to inspire her passion for service.
Community Link assists its customers along a spectrum from homeless to homeownership, every step of the way. Its Homeless to Housing program focuses on solutions to get people into safe, decent housing. Customers include veterans, people with disabilities, very-low-income families, and mothers escaping domestic violence with their children. Community Link also offers a relocation service to a safe, supportive location for survivors of domestic violence and others in need.
The agency’s Asset Building program provides classes and counseling services for individuals and families to become – and stay – a homeowner. Additional services include free tax preparation for lower-income individuals and families; foreclosure prevention services; and a home-building program for veterans.
