Deidre DeJear will serve as the next president and CEO of Oakridge Neighborhood, the nonprofit housing and human services agency announced Tuesday.

DeJear will start in October. She will assume the position previously held by Teree Caldwell-Johnson, who led the organization for 20 years until she died in March. Kristin Clayton has served as interim CEO and will remain with the organization as vice president of finance and administration.

Oakridge Neighborhood serves families and diverse communities with housing and other support services, aiming to create pathways to personal and economic empowerment. Oakridge is Iowa’s largest affordable housing community, according to a news release.

“This organization holds a special place in my heart, so it is both a privilege and a responsibility to build upon its strong foundation,” DeJear said in a prepared statement. “I look forward to working alongside the dedicated staff, board and community to continue making a meaningful difference in the lives of our residents and ensuring that Oakridge remains a beacon of hope and opportunity. As I step into leadership, I am inspired by Teree Caldwell-Johnson’s enduring legacy and the profound mark her visionary leadership has left on Oakridge and the greater Des Moines community.”

A graduate of Drake University, DeJear is the owner of Caleo Enterprises, an agency working with clients on developing and implementing financial education and small-business development throughout Iowa. Previously, she was the Democratic nominee for Iowa governor in 2022. She started her professional career with Bankers Trust.

DeJear serves on the boards of the city of Des Moines Housing Services, the Directors Council, Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation and as board chair of Healthy Birth Day. Other community involvement includes starting and continuing to support Back 2 School Iowa. The initiative, founded in 2005, provides school supplies to more than 1,500 children annually in addition to support services from various community organizations.

DeJear was recognized by the Business Record as Emerging Woman of Influence in 2019 and a Forty Under 40 in 2018. Other recognitions include the Joanne Zimmerman Activist Award, the Young Women’s Resource Center’s Louise Noun Visionary Award and the Small Business Administration Minority Business Champion of the Year.