One of the greatest privileges of joining East House has been getting to know the incredible people who bring our mission to life every single day.

Over the past several weeks, I've heard a common theme from employees across the organization: people want to feel heard. That message has stayed with me.

One of my priorities as I begin my journey with East House in this new role is simple: listen before I lead. As I continue my onboarding, I'd like to spend time doing exactly that.

Over the coming months, I'll be visiting our community residences, apartment programs, administrative offices, and other locations across East House as part of a People & Culture Listening Tour. While every program is unique, each one plays an important role in fulfilling our mission, and I want to better understand the experiences of the people who make that mission possible.

During my visits, I'll spend time learning about each program, meeting staff, and observing the incredible work happening across East House.

I'll also be offering Coffee with Erika. This is an opportunity for employees to sign up for a casual, voluntary 30-minute conversation with me. These conversations are not performance meetings, interviews, or audits. They are simply an opportunity to connect, share your experiences, celebrate what's working, discuss opportunities for improvement, and help shape the future of our workplace. They can be virtual or in-person and I will be sharing a link for staff to schedule those in the coming weeks.

Some of the questions we might explore include:

• What do you enjoy most about working at East House?

• What helps you do your best work?

• What challenges do you experience?

• What ideas do you have for improving the employee experience?

• What should we never lose as we continue to grow?

My commitment is to approach these conversations with curiosity, respect, and a genuine desire to learn. I don't expect to have all the answers, and I can't promise that every idea will result in an immediate change. What I can promise is that every conversation matters. I'll listen thoughtfully, look for patterns, learn from your experiences, and use what I hear to help strengthen our culture, support our workforce, and improve the employee experience across East House.

When the Listening Tour is complete, I'll share back what I heard, what we're exploring, and where we have opportunities to grow together. I believe it's important that you know your voice was heard, not just by me, but by our leadership team.

I hope you'll take the opportunity to sign up, grab a cup of coffee, and spend a few minutes talking with me. I genuinely look forward to meeting you, hearing your story, and learning how we can continue making East House an even better place to work.

Watch for upcoming visit schedules and sign-up opportunities in the coming weeks. I can't wait to connect with many of you!

Erika Ivery
Chief People Officer