Community Lifeline Center, a goods and services charity organization based in McKinney, has announced a new leader will help guide the nonprofit’s growth.

Michael Schwerin will begin serving as the group’s new executive director on March 23, according to a news release. Schwerin most recently served as director of development with SPCA of Texas in Dallas, where he helped raise $8 million in annual revenue, the release stated. He also worked with Crossroads Community Services in Dallas and the Greater Denton Arts Council.

Schwerin called Community Lifeline Center “an important part” of the city as Collin County residents have navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years.

“As thousands lost their jobs or struggled to make ends meet, [Community Lifeline Center] stepped in and did what was necessary to help families remain stable,” Schwerin said in the release. “I am honored to become a part of this growing organization and to help [Community Lifeline Center] continue to truly be the lifeline and community center of McKinney and North Collin County.”

Liz Strand Cimini, Community Lifeline Center board president, said Schwerin will help the organization with donor cultivation and stewardship alongside establishing partnerships with other organizations in the community. For instance, Cimini said the Community Lifeline Center will seek to leverage workforce training at Collin College to help benefit clients.


Cimini added that the nonprofit has its sights set on a future beyond the pandemic. Over the past two years, she said Community Lifeline Center has been in “short-term crisis mitigation mode,” focusing on core needs of clients.

Looking forward, Schwerin will assist with community need assessments to help expand beyond those core needs and to uncover potential opportunities for new services, according to Cimini.

“If we're truly successful at what we do, we're going to put ourselves out of business,” Cimini said. “That would be our dream, frankly, so that we enable everyone in our community to be self-sufficient, stable, independent and productive ... members of the community so they don't need our services.”

Call 972-542-0020 or visit www.communitylifeline.org for more information on the organization.