VNA is excited to announce that the VNA Board of Directors unanimously appointed Chris Culak, currently serving as Vice President and Chief of Strategy and Development, as the new President and CEO of the organization.  Chris will assume the role effective September 1, 2025, after the retirement of Katherine Krause who has served as CEO since 2013. Katherine Krause announced her retirement in February and since that time, an extensive CEO search was conducted by a board committee, resulting in full approval and appointment of the new CEO in July.

Since coming to VNA 10 years ago as Chief Development Officer, Chris has led the transformation of the development department to become a fundraising powerhouse raising the profile of VNA in our community.  In the past year, he and his team raised more than $10 million in support of VNA programs.  Over time, he has taken on more responsibility including developing the vision and strategic plan for the organization as well as overseeing and expanding VNA’s Meals on Wheels program.

“I am grateful for the Board’s thorough process in choosing the next President and CEO for the Visiting Nurse Association. I am honored, humbled, and blessed to have the opportunity to lead this impactful, relevant organization into the future. Our patients, clients, staff, and supporters deserve my best efforts and grace, and we will all work together to provide care to our community, enhancing health and wellbeing with compassion, dignity and integrity,” says Chris Culak, incoming President and CEO.

“Chris is a tremendous leader and has demonstrated a passion for serving others throughout his career. He is the perfect person to lead this next chapter of VNA’s story; a story with humble beginnings over ninety years ago, to a dynamic institution serving more than 7,500 senior clients, seriously ill patients, and their families across sixteen counties each day. Chris will embody the organization’s core values, carry forward the best of Katherine’s tenure, and continue to expand the mission and reach of VNA,” says Kevin Eden, VNA Board Chairman.

Chris will lead an experienced team to further the many important opportunities in VNA’s future, including VNA establishing the first and only Hospice House in North Texas—a residential facility designed for seriously ill individuals who cannot safely receive hospice care at home due to housing insecurity, lack of caregiver support, or the absence of utilities and basic resources. Continued expansion of clinical services in North Texas, including growth in the pediatric hospice program is underway. Additionally, Chris will continue advocating for government and community support of our Meals on Wheels program to meet the growing need of hungry, homebound senior neighbors.

This summer, 44 young hearts stepped up to make a difference during the 2025 VNA Meals on Wheels Kids Camp!

Throughout June and July, campers ages 8 to 11 rolled up their sleeves and participated in a unique day of service and learning. From delivering hot meals to homebound seniors in Oak Cliff to crafting kindness flowers and learning how to combat loneliness in our community, each camper gained hands-on experience in compassion, service, and empathy.

The smiles were contagious. The conversations were meaningful. And the impact? Truly lasting — both for our senior neighbors and for the next generation of volunteers and philanthropists.

We are especially grateful to Les Dames d’Escoffier Dallas Chapter for sponsoring this year’s camp, along with our volunteer counselors and all those who helped make this program possible.

Thank you for helping us turn one summer day into a lifelong lesson in kindness.

We can’t wait for the 2026 VNA Kids Camp!

One of the most pivotal advancements in VNA’s history is now underway. In response to a critical and unmet need, VNA is developing the first and only Hospice House in North Texas—a residential facility designed for seriously ill individuals who cannot safely receive hospice care at home due to housing insecurity, lack of caregiver support, or the absence of utilities and basic resources.

The Hospice House will offer five private rooms with 24-hour staffing and care provided by the same interdisciplinary hospice team that serves our in-home patients. Room and board will be provided at no cost for the patient, and those without a payor source will not be turned away.

Thanks to the generous support of The Meadows Foundation, VNA will begin renovations on a home in the Wilson Historic District in Dallas with the goal of welcoming our first patients in the winter of 2027. We are currently seeking lead funding partners to support renovations and operational support for the first five years, totaling $5 million. 

Click here to read more! 

The entire VNA staff and board express our heartfelt gratitude for Katherine Krause, CEO for the past 12 years — and 16 years total at VNA. When Katherine started, we were feeding under 4,000 people a day. Today we are feeding nearly 5,400 seniors home-delivered meals — with an additional 1,500 people being served each weekday at senior and partner agencies. That’s a tribute to Katherine’s long and steady leadership and to your faithful giving. Thank you!

During Katherine’s tenure at VNA, the organization saw a 65% increase in meals delivered to food-insecure seniors and more than a 200% growth in patients served through the hospice program. These remarkable milestones reflect the real impact on individuals and families, whether it’s a senior struggling with hunger or a patient navigating serious illness, VNA is committed to meeting senior’s needs during some of life’s most vulnerable moments.

“The VNA Board of Directors would like to congratulate and thank Katherine Krause for fifteen years of dedicated service and for leading the organization for the past twelve years as CEO.  Though Katherine would be the first to say that VNA’s impact is the result of dozens of community partnerships, hundreds of employees, and thousands of volunteers (all true), we want to recognize her leadership in leveraging our collective efforts to have the greatest impact for those we serve,” says Kevin Eden, VNA Board Chairman.

Please join us in thanking Katherine for her dedication to VNA and our community.  Notes of thanks and well wishes for her retirement can be sent to friends@vnatexas.org

© VNATexas.org
1420 W. Mockingbird Ln., Suite 700, Dallas, TX 75247

Established in 1934, the Visiting Nurse Association of Texas (VNA) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization providing care to our community, enhancing health and well-being with compassion, dignity and integrity. VNA is North Texas’ most trusted provider of quality health care services in the home and is the first, most experienced Hospice Care provider in Texas.  VNA offers Meals on Wheels in Dallas County, Supportive Palliative Care, and adult and pediatric Hospice Care in Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Henderson, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Rockwall, Tarrant, Van Zandt, and Wise counties. Visit www.vnatexas.org or call 214-689-0000 for more information. 

Unsubscribe from this newsletter instantly.