Stephen Weir takes over as new CEO of CHAT

Percy Strickland, founder and CEO of Church Hill Activities and Tutoring (CHAT) has stepped down after 15 years. Executive Director Stephen Weir will be taking the helm of the neighborhood non-profit.

“I passed the mantle of day-to-day leadership to Stephen Weir nearly two years ago,” Strickland said. He has been living out our core values in the community for nearly a decade, engaging with the work in every way possible.

“When my wife and I opened our front door to neighborhood youth more than 15 years ago, we never could have imagined that simple action would grow into the community institution that exists today,” Strickland, Church Hill resident, husband and father of four said. “What started as tutoring and hanging out on our front porch has grown into a holistic and integrated set of programs that serve the youth of Church Hill in so many ways.”

CHAT has served more than 500 young people in the Church Hill community since its founding, and currently serves 150 weekly through their After-School Tutoring Program, Church Hill Academy, Tiny Tykes, and Work Leadership Institute.

The Work Leadership Institute is anticipating opening the Front Porch Cafe on Nine Mile Road in early 2017, a project with Bon Secours.

“For these last 15 years, I was just what we needed, a builder who jumped in to dig the foundation and frame up the walls,” Strickland said. “Now, we need to turn this foundation into an institution that will serve this community with excellence for the next 15 years, and beyond.”

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We’ll miss you, Percy.