Victory Programs’ Founder Jonathan Scott Retires

Boston (Wednesday, April 10, 2019) – Victory Programs, Inc. has announced the retirement of its President & CEO, Jonathan D. Scott, after an impressive 43 years with the organization. In recognition of Scott’s vast contributions to Victory Programs and the recovery community, Scott will be honored with the title “Founder & President Emeritus” and the Jonathan Scott Future Victories Fund will be established with the fund’s proceeds to continue to allow Victory Programs to be at the forefront of emerging health crises. The fund will be formally launched at a retirement celebration honoring Scott on May 30 recognizing his career and lifelong commitment to the area’s more vulnerable individuals and families.

“We want to express our deepest gratitude to Jonathan for everything he has done to make Victory Programs what it is today,” shared Victory Programs’ Board of Directors Chair Sara Andrews. “And for the countless lives he has touched in a positive way over more than four decades. He leaves an incredible legacy and a clear mission for all of us to look to as our ‘North Star.’”

“The great honor of leading Victory Programs for four decades,” Scott said, “is knowing so many outstanding individuals who have supported our mission so completely over the years. That collective willpower, dedication, and vision kept our doors open, our programs secure, and our clients safe as they found their way home again.”

The Victory Programs’ Board of Directors will soon launch a national search for a new executive to head the Boston-based human services organization as it opens the next chapter in its programming and services to address the most pressing community health challenges of today, and tomorrow. Sarah Porter, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, is currently serving as interim CEO of Victory Programs until a new executive is announced.

Jonathan Scott Background

Jonathan Scott was an 18-year-old student volunteer from the Boston College PULSE program when he first stepped through the doors of Victory House, a residential program to treat men diagnosed with alcoholism. Little did he know that by crossing that threshold, he was embarking on the longest, most significant journey of his life. Victory House would change Scott, to his very core, and he in turn would change Victory House, building a successful, multi-faceted, umbrella organization from the foundation of a single program.

Scott assumed leadership of Victory House in 1985, just as the AIDS pandemic was starting to hit the second wave of U.S. cities, including Boston. That same year, under Scott’s guidance and direction, Victory House became the first treatment program in Massachusetts to accept clients with a dual diagnosis of HIV/AIDS and substance use disorder, filling a much needed gap in the service landscape of Boston at the time. In 1991, Scott established Victory Programs, Inc. an umbrella organization that included the Mobile AIDS Resource Team, Women’s Hope, and Victory House and operated under an expanded mission. Over nearly a quarter century of Scott’s leadership, Victory Programs opened, merged with, or acquired more than 30 vital programs to address substance use disorder, HIV/AIDS, homelessness, risk of infectious diseases, and more. These programs helped individuals and families address life-altering challenges, stabilize from crisis, and build a new foundation upon which to find their way home.

During his tenure at Victory Programs, Scott served in leadership and founding member roles at the Massachusetts Alcohol and Drug Association, Boston Ryan White Planning Council, Mayor of Boston’s Special Housing Taskforce, Massachusetts Ryan White Planning Council, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Corporation of Massachusetts, Association for Behavioral Healthcare, and on the first board of MassEquality. Scott is active in the community both in Boston, and in Provincetown where he and his family spend significant time. Scott’s family includes husband, Michael McGuill, their son Luis, and their dog Quito.

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About Victory Programs

Victory Programs has more than 40 years of experience opening doors to hope, health and housing for individuals and families in need. Since its inception in 1975, the agency has expanded to 19 health, housing and prevention programs providing shelter and recovery services for up to 2,500 people annually. Victory Programs has a storied history of responding to emerging needs in the community. Throughout its organizational growth, Victory Programs’ commitment to those struggling with homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction and chronic illnesses like HIV/AIDS always remains its top priority. For more information about Victory Programs visit vpi.org or call 617-541-0222.