Seven Hills Foundation President Retiring After 28 Years

WORCESTER, MA — A nonprofit leader who grew a Worcester-based human services agency into one of the largest institutions of its kind in New England will retire in 2023.

David Jordan in 1995 became president of an organization known then as Worcester Area ARC. He rebranded the nonprofit as the Seven Hills Foundation — an organization that now provides services for children and adults across hundreds of sites in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and abroad.

Jordan will retire at the end of the fiscal year in June 2023, according to the organization. He will remain active with Seven Hills, however, largely to oversee the newly acquired Crotched Mountain School in New Hampshire. Jordan ran the school's foundation before becoming president of Worcester Area ARC.

“Making a difference in the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, those dealing with a mental health condition or substance use disorder, or suffering from the effects of trauma has not only been my life’s work — it is my passion,” Jordan said in a news release. “Seven Hills Foundation is about much more than providing services. It is about creating social justice for people who for generations knew only injustice.”

The foundation works with an estimated 60,000 children and adults facing challenges like a disability, poverty and behavioral health issues. The nonprofit offers services through 15 affiliate nonprofits, including Aspire!, Open Door Arts, You Inc. and the Stetson School.

"Over the past 28 years we have admirably watched Dr. Jordan take a relatively small nonprofit and build it into a large, multi-faceted organization that supports thousands of people in need across a broad national and international geography," Seven Hills Board Chair John Altomare said in a news release. "His desire to care for vulnerable children and adults drove the expansion and diversification of services, responding to the needs of the communities in which we operate."