Meet Dr Chris Townsend

Dr Christopher Townsend

Beginning January 1, 2024, Dr. Christopher Townsend will serve as the Executive Director of Carriage Town Ministries. He is an experienced manager with a demonstrated history of working in the organizational management industry, skilled in nonprofit organizations, social services, case management, conflict resolution, and efficient at building and maintaining client/provider/stakeholder relationships.

He earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice Administration (2013), a M.S. in Psychology (2015), recently a Doctor of Management (2023) from the University of Phoenix, in Phoenix, Arizona.  He worked for the Detroit Rescue Mission as a Case Manager and program manager for over three years and then as a Building Director for four and a half years. He worked two and a half years for the Salvation Army as an Emergency Shelter Program (ESP) Regional Manager working directly with over 30 emergency shelter providers in their region(s) to provide quality services to those experiencing homelessness across the State of Michigan.

Dr. Townsend has been involved in the community, as a student researching homeless programs/solutions and as an advocate for them.  He participated in the local Continuum of Care (CoC) and as a Volunteer Probation Officer. He regularly attends Summit Church in Garden City, MI and actively volunteers on the church’s transportation and evangelism teams, while assisting with various community outreach initiatives. He believes accepting Christ and sustaining a relationship with Him is important for a fruitful life as outlined in Galatians 5 and his relationship with Christ is instrumental in his familial, career, and personal successes. He and his wife have been married for 23 years and have two adult children.

Dr. Townsend states, “God has given me a servant’s heart; therefore, I view any past and future leadership responsibilities through servanthood. I consider it a privilege and honor to assist the underserved in any capacity. However, in the role of Executive Director, I am determined to be fiscally responsible, operate with God’s guidance, be a good steward, be humble, and have integrity when serving Carriage Town Ministries, its staff, and those in need of support in Flint and Genesee County.”