The Compass Board of Directors is pleased to announce the selection of Bethany Rubin Henderson as its next Chief Executive Officer, following an extensive national search led by Good Insight. An award-winning social impact leader, Bethany brings more than two decades of experience establishing and transforming nonprofits. She began her new role on May 16.

“Bethany was a stand-out choice for CEO, bringing both deep understanding of Compass’ mission and a successful record of achievements building the capacity of nonprofits,” says Cathy Bernasek, Compass National Board Chair. “Bethany is a skilled strategist and visionary and as a past Compass client, her unique perspective on the power and opportunity of pro bono strategy consulting will enable us to significantly grow our reach.”

Bethany will lead Compass as it continues to scale its services and expand nationally. She will work in partnership with Compass’ board and employees to harness the power of partnership between nonprofits and corporations to transform communities. 

“As someone who deeply believes in the power of community service, I am thrilled to join Compass at a time of growth, challenge, and opportunity,” said Bethany. “Compass is unique in its ability to match the skills of professionals with the evolving strategic needs of local nonprofits. By expanding and deepening those connections, Compass will make a greater impact on our clients, our volunteers, and the communities that we serve.”

About Bethany Rubin Henderson

Bethany joins Compass following an extensive cross-sector career that spanned the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She brings an impressive record of social entrepreneurship that includes founding, leading, and building the capacity of multiple nonprofits and national social impact networks. 

Bethany most recently served as the Network President of America SCORES, a national network of youth development organizations. There she unified affiliates around a collective strategic vision that positioned the network as an international leader at the intersection of youth sports and arts education. As CEO of DC SCORES, the founding affiliate in the America SCORES network, Bethany led the transformation of a 20-year old nonprofit by expanding revenue by 75%, increasing both the number of students served and school locations, and transitioning from DC’s best-kept youth development secret to the city’s community partner of choice. Previous roles include serving in the Obama Administration, where she helped to lay the groundwork for My Brother’s Keeper as a White House Fellow, and founding City Hall Fellows, a service corps program for local governments. 

Bethany’s leadership achievements have received numerous recognitions, including the Center for Nonprofit Advancement’s Excellence in Chief Executive Leadership (2018) and Washington Business Journal’s Nonprofit Director of the Year (2017). Bethany frequently speaks and publishes about topics related to social entrepreneurship and nonprofit management. She teaches a graduate course on social entrepreneurship as an adjunct faculty member at University of Maryland and is on the faculty of the Sports & Entertainment Impact Collective.  

Bethany earned her JD at Harvard Law School and both her MA and BA at the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Bethany and her husband live just outside Washington, D.C. with their two daughters and an ever-expanding menagerie of pets. 

About Compass

Founded in 2001, Compass connects community-based nonprofits delivering vital services with talented business professionals eager to make a difference. Through skills-based volunteer projects, Compass produces partnerships that have a transformational impact for both nonprofits and volunteers. Since its founding, 4,341 Compass volunteers have conducted 1,077 projects for 725 nonprofit clients across the country, equivalent to millions of dollars in pro bono consulting fees.

About Good Insight

With a mission to connect good causes to great leaders, Good Insight is an executive search firm and governance consultancy serving the social sector. They plan leadership transitions, recruit talented senior executives, and strengthen boards of directors. Based in Washington, DC, Good Insight focuses on leadership searches for small and mid-sized nonprofits with a nationwide reach. To learn more, visit www.good-insight.org.