Paula Foster is resigning as the executive director of Open Table Nashville after two years with the nonprofit, which conducts outreach work and other services for unhoused people. Her last day is Sept. 23.
“I have been very privileged to be able to lead the organization for the last couple of years,” Foster tells the Scene. She says her job was to help the nonprofit during a period of transition and get them moving in a new director. As the organization maps out its next steps, the timing felt right to her.
“I think it's a perfect time for me to move on and for the agency to be able to figure out where they want to go from here,” says Foster. “I'm very proud of them and very happy to be able to be a part of it.”
An email sent Thursday announced Foster’s resignation to donors and others involved in the nonprofit.
“Paula joined OTN in September of 2020 during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic,” reads the email. “In addition to her strong focus on COVID-19 safety precautions, Paula ensured OTN staff had the necessary resources so that our outreach work could continue in the safest way possible.”
The email also calls Foster instrumental in transitioning The Village at Glencliff into its own nonprofit. The medical-respite community made up of micro-homes was originally an Open Table initiative — the effort to establish it was led by Foster’s predecessor Ingrid McIntyre, who is also an Open Table co-founder. Foster says this transition allowed Open Table to focus more on advocacy and other work.
The advocacy was especially noticeable in recent months, as Open Table helped rally a coalition to speak out against a state law that bans camping on public property.
Foster’s resignation announcement lands the same week that Jay Servais stepped down as interim director of the Homelessness Impact Division. Foster and Servais had clashed earlier this year over the direction of Nashville's efforts to address homelessness at meetings for the Continuum of Care Homelessness Planning Council — an agency made up of outreach workers and other stakeholders in homelessness issues.
Foster has been a social worker since 1986, and for most of her career she has been involved in work related to HIV, mental health, addiction and homelessness. She says she’ll likely continue to work in those areas moving forward.
“Paula served as the executive director of Open Table Nashville during a challenging time of change for us as an organization,” says Lindsey Krinks, a co-founder of Open Table and its director of education and advocacy, in a statement to the Scene. “We're grateful for her time with us and for the undeniable passion and dedication she brings to homeless services and housing justice.
“Paula is an incredible advocate, and we know she'll continue to do excellent work in the community," Krinks continues. "We're also hopeful that this transition will open up new opportunities and growth for OTN. All of us at OTN are wishing Paula our best!”
“Transitions can be hard, but I think this is going to be a very positive experience for everyone,” says Foster, “and I'm just looking forward to seeing what what Open Table can do moving into the future.”
