Special Announcement
Dear Funders, Community Partners, Clients, and Friends of Columbia Housing Center,
I am writing on behalf of the Board of Directors of Columbia Housing Center (CHC) to share an important leadership update.
After careful consideration, the Board determined it was in CHC’s best interest to make a change in the Executive Director role. Carletta Hickman has been named Executive Director, effective September 3, 2026, and will lead CHC moving forward. The Board has full confidence in Carletta’s leadership and remains committed to providing the governance, resources, and support necessary for her and the organization to succeed and continue to serve the community.
Carletta’s appointment represents both continuity and an exciting new chapter for CHC. Since joining the organization in March 2022, she has served our community through housing navigation, renter advocacy and education, landlord engagement, program management, and organizational leadership. Most recently, Carletta guided CHC as Interim Executive Director while continuing to oversee critical programs and maintain trusted relationships with residents, funders, government agencies, landlords, and nonprofit partners.
Throughout her service, Carletta has demonstrated a deep understanding of the housing challenges facing Howard County residents and an unwavering commitment to helping individuals and families access safe, stable, and affordable housing. Her direct connection to the community, knowledge of CHC’s programs, and vision for the organization’s future make her uniquely prepared to lead CHC forward.
Under Carletta’s leadership, CHC will continue strengthening its housing-navigation and renter-support services while expanding education, eviction prevention, landlord partnerships, and community-informed advocacy. This next chapter will also include the launch of the CHC RISE Housing Stability Program, built around four essential principles:
Resilience • Information • Savings • Empowerment
CHC RISE reflects our belief that housing stability requires more than a referral. Residents need timely assistance, reliable information, practical tools, meaningful partnerships, and opportunities to build lasting stability.
We are deeply grateful to our funders, community partners, clients, landlords, volunteers, and supporters for your patience, trust, and continued partnership. Your commitment has helped CHC maintain its services and remain focused on the people and communities we serve.
Please join the Board of Directors in congratulating Carletta and welcoming her into this permanent leadership role. We look forward to working alongside her, and all of you, as Columbia Housing Center enters this promising new chapter.
Together, we will continue helping Howard County residents rise, remain stable, and thrive.
With gratitude,
Alex Meeks
Board Chair
Columbia Housing Center
Carletta Hickman
Executive Director, Columbia Housing Center
The Columbia Housing CenterCarletta Hickman serves as Executive Director of the Columbia Housing Center (CHC), leading its mission to champion and sustain thriving, racially integrated communities in Columbia and throughout Howard County.
Carletta joined CHC in March 2022 as its first Landlord Liaison. She helped establish CHC’s landlord-engagement strategy, strengthened relationships with renters, housing providers, and community partners, and advanced the affirmative marketing of housing opportunities. Her responsibilities grew to include program management, housing advocacy, organizational operations, funder and government relations, financial oversight, and board engagement.
Her four years of institutional knowledge, demonstrated leadership during organizational transitions, trusted community relationships, and firsthand understanding of renters’ needs positioned her to lead CHC into its next chapter. She has become a recognized voice in Howard County’s housing conversation, advocating for stronger case-management collaboration, the preservation and expansion of affordable housing, and growth of the county’s Moderate Income Housing Unit program. Her leadership was recently highlighted by The Business Monthly during its coverage of local efforts to strengthen Howard County’s rental ecosystem.
Before joining CHC, Carletta coordinated complex electronic medical-record implementations for healthcare systems including Mayo Clinic Rochester, Cleveland Clinic, GBMC, and New York City Health + Hospitals. This experience strengthened her ability to manage systems, people, timelines, communications, and competing organizational priorities. She also holds a Case Management Certificate from United Way of Central Maryland and the University of Maryland School of Social Work and has participated in leadership development supporting Black women executive directors and nonprofit leaders, including Lead to Love.
Carletta brings both professional expertise and lived experience to CHC’s mission. Having lived in multicultural communities across Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Dakota, Illinois, and Maryland, she understands the importance of equitable access to housing, stability, and belonging. She considers herself a living example of RISE—turning adversity into purpose and using her experiences to create pathways for others.
Carletta leads with integrity, transparency, compassion, and a commitment to measurable community impact. Her vision is to strengthen CHC’s housing-stability programs, expand renter and landlord education, cultivate sustainable funding, and ensure that CHC remains a trusted voice for integrated communities: immediate relief, stronger renters, and lasting housing stability.
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