NeighborWorks America selects Mutual Housing VP of Community Development Tejal Shah for NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence Program

For Immediate Release  
April 8, 2025 
Contact: Steven Root, 916-453-8400 ext. 227,, [email protected] 
NeighborWorks America selects Mutual Housing VP of Community Development Tejal Shah for NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence Program, in collaboration with Harvard University 
Program offers leaders tools and support to advance the organization’s performance and capacity   

Sacramento, CA —NeighborWorks America is proud to announce that Tejal Shah, Vice President of Community Development at Mutual Housing California in Sacramento is one of 50 leaders selected for the NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence Program, conducted in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

The NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence Program is a 16-month program that equips executives with the skills to advance their organization’s performance. Each participant identifies and clearly defines a specific challenge or opportunity critical to their organization’s success then spends the program addressing that challenge.

"I'm honored and so excited to become a part of this exemplary group of non-profit professionals. My hope is to develop new ways for solving complex problems that impact the affordable housing industry, particularly the much-needed services provided to low-income Mutual Housing residents." said Tejal Shah.

The only comprehensive training of its kind, Achieving Excellence includes three formal sessions at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, as well as executive coaching and structured peer learning. The first session at Harvard University was the week of March 31, with additional sessions planned for October 2025 and April 2026 plus multiple peer group meetings and a graduation.  Between sessions, participants actively work on clearly defined goals critical to their organization’s success and work closely with their executive coach and peer group.

“Never has it been more important to have a program like Achieving Excellence,” said Christina Deady, senior director of leadership and workforce development at NeighborWorks America.  “Addressing housing challenges requires collective effort. This program highlights how NeighborWorks America engages with public and private sector partners to drive investment and innovation in affordable housing organizations that generate measurable economic benefits for families and communities alike.

“Strong, resilient and adaptive nonprofit organizations are essential to the successful development of affordable housing and broader economic development. Achieving Excellence equips leaders with the tools to build stronger organizations, more engaged and results-oriented staff and board members working to achieve even greater impact in their communities.  This not only affects the organizations and communities but also results in a stronger pipeline of energized leaders throughout the nonprofit sector,” said Deady.

Achieving Excellence has graduated more than 500 executive directors, CEOs and other senior leaders since the program began in 2002, with astounding results from each class. Independent evaluations have shown tremendous results for organizations that have participated in this program.

In recent cohorts, 100% of participants indicated either significant or profound improvement in staffing, innovation, overall organizational performance and leadership development of others within the organization.  

For more information about the NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence Program, go to www.neighborworks.org/ae.

About Mutual Housing  
Founded in 1988, Mutual Housing California develops, manages, and supports sustainable affordable housing where residents are partners in advancing equitable communities. More than 3,600 people – nearly half of them children – live in Mutual Housing communities. Mutual Housing is a member of NeighborWorks America, a congressionally chartered nonprofit organization that supports community development nationwide. 

About NeighborWorks America 
For more than 45 years, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corp., a national, nonpartisan nonprofit known as NeighborWorks America, has strived to make every community a place of opportunity. Our network of excellence includes nearly 250 nonprofits in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and on Native lands. NeighborWorks offers grant funding, peer exchange, technical assistance, evaluation tools and access to best-in-class training as the nation's leading trainer of housing and community development professionals. NeighborWorks network organizations provide residents in their communities with affordable homes, owned and rented; financial counseling and coaching; community building through resident engagement; and collaboration in the areas of health, employment and education.