Chief Executive Officer

The CEO will serve as the face of Higher Ground USA, responsible for advancing the organization's strategic and operational goals, elevating its strong national reputation, and expanding its capacity to serve more individuals nationwide.

Chief Executive Officer

About Higher Ground USA

Higher Ground USA (HG) empowers individuals of all abilities to discover their potential, expand their boundaries, and realize what can be. Our mission at HG is to enhance the quality of life through therapeutic recreation and education. HG thrives on our five core values:
Passion, Innovation, Service, Teamwork, and Integrity. We look for people who can envision, collaborate, and inspire. Our culture rewards imagination, embraces diversity, and is powered by a shared commitment to changing lives through the outdoors, community, and purposeful connection.

Since 1999, Higher Ground has delivered enriching therapeutic recreation programs for adults, teens, and children with physical and developmental disabilities as well as for veterans and first responders navigating physical and mental health challenges. From single‑day activities to transformative week‑long experiences, our certified therapeutic recreation specialists and program teams serve more than 1,000 participants each year. Our programming strengthens social connectedness, self‑efficacy, emotional regulation, leisure education, and skill progression.

Learn more about Higher Ground USA hergroundusa.org.

Location

This position is based at Higher Ground's headquarters in the heart of Ketchum, Idaho, within the stunning Wood River Valley community. While Higher Ground's leadership is rooted in this remarkable mountain town, its impact extends far beyond it. Programs come to life through dedicated teams operating across Idaho, Arkansas, California, Colorado, and Montana, and are supported by more than 300 committed volunteers nationwide.

The CEO will collaborate closely with staff, volunteers, and partners across all roles and regions, ensuring that every Higher Ground experience reflects excellence, connection, and mission‑driven impact.

Higher Ground USA enters its next chapter from a position of real strength. Its programs are credible, impactful, and deeply trusted, delivered by an exceptional team that is highly engaged, mission‑driven, and unwaveringly committed to participants. Even during a period of leadership transition and organizational evolution over the past year, programs and fundraising met or exceeded goals, partnerships expanded, and community trust remained strong both locally and nationally.

The core work is solid, stakeholders believe wholeheartedly in the mission, and the organization's brand is respected across the field.

As Higher Ground has grown from a grassroots organization into a $5.8M nonprofit with a national footprint, the organization has reached a natural inflection point. This growth creates an opportunity to further strengthen internal systems, fundraising infrastructure, data and metrics, and cross‑team alignment to fully support the quality and scale of the programs. Continued integration across Adaptive and Veteran programming, thoughtful resource alignment, and a more unified fundraising strategy will enhance organizational effectiveness and sustainability, while preserving the deeply human, relational culture that defines Higher Ground.

The Board is aligned around the importance of long‑term sustainability, clear performance expectations, and the development of a strategic plan to guide the organization's next phase of growth. This is an energizing moment for Higher Ground USA, calling for steady, unifying leadership that can bring clarity, strengthen relationships, and position the organization to build on its strong foundation and expand its impact.

The CEO will serve as the face of Higher Ground USA, responsible for advancing the organization's strategic and operational goals, elevating its strong national reputation, and expanding its capacity to serve more individuals nationwide. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CEO will lead a passionate staff of 27 and directly manage the Chief Finance Officer, Chief…