Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity CEO Ann Felton Gilliland is often spotted around town. Recently, while attending a National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum event, she heard someone call her name.
“She was a guard at the Cowboy Hall of Fame, and she’s in our second addition, Legacy Estate; we have about 146 houses there,” said Gilliland, adding that she loves bumping into Habitat homeowners throughout the city. “They’re all thriving, and they’re all so excited.”
With Gilliland guiding Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity for the past 36 years, first as a board member and then as CEO, the organization has grown from building two homes a year to 50. Each new home is celebrated with Gilliland handing the new homeowners the keys.
In the past three decades, Habitat has established three neighborhoods with a fourth one, Cornerstone Creek, planned to hold 450 homes plus parks. More than 5,000 volunteers contribute to the Critical Home Repair and homebuilding programs every year, culminating in a thriving community. Gilliland has witnessed the joy and generational impact that homeownership can bring.
“I’ve seen so many of our Habitat kids grow up and go to college or vo-tech training or the military—or just get a good job,” said Gilliland. “If they’re not moving around every year from rental property to rental property, they stay in a stable environment. They make friends in the neighborhood, and their grades go up. It’s a life-changing experience for the whole family when they get into their own home in their own neighborhood.”
Gilliland was recruited to the Habitat board of directors in 1990 by then-chairman Mike Henderson. As a dedicated board member, Gilliland helped raise money for new staff positions, including a much-needed construction manager, and recruited more talented individuals to join the board. Her move to CEO occurred 12 years later.
“My husband died in 2002, and at that time I said, ‘Maybe I’ll get a job,’ and the board looked at me and said, ‘Well, wait just a minute.’ So, that’s when I came on the staff as chairman and CEO,” said Gilliland.
In addition to her commitment to the Habitat board, Gilliland had also previously held leadership positions with Allied Arts, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City Junior League and Oklahoma County Medical Society Auxiliary (now the Alliance). The combined experiences prepared her to step up as Habitat’s CEO.
“I started putting all that [experience] to work, and over the years, we’ve evolved into one of the most outstanding [local Habitat] affiliates in the United States. And it’s not just me; it’s our team,” Gilliland said.
Not only has Gilliland established a great staff, but she has also connected Habitat to millions of dollars. After the tornadoes of 1999 and 2013—when Oklahoma’s housing needs soared—Gilliland pulled in big donors like Steve Case (former CEO for AOL, which had a call center in Oklahoma) and Hobby Lobby. When Stephen Florentz passed away in 2016, he left $2.2 million to Habitat. Gilliland remembered meeting with him and mailing him a donation letter, but his posthumous gift was a surprise. Habitat’s Stephen Florentz Legacy Estates neighborhood was named in his honor.
Gilliland is retiring in December, and she said she is looking forward to more time for traveling, friends and family. She also anticipates more chance encounters with Habitat homeowners; their smiling faces always bring her joy.
“I feel so fortunate that I’ve had the opportunity to be on this journey for the last 36 years and to meet all the wonderful families,” she said. “They have all been such a blessing in my life.”
