The Masonic Home for Children at Oxford (MHCO), the oldest children’s home in North Carolina, whose mission is to provide and promote a safe, nurturing home for children and young adults in need, announced today the selection of its new Chief Executive Officer.
Following a nationwide search, Christopher Allabaugh will lead the organization starting October 1, 2025. There will be a meet and greet reception for Mr. Allabaugh on October 7, 2025 from 5:30-7:30 pm in the Cobb Center.
Founded in 1873 by the Freemasons of North Carolina, MHCO’s mission is to provide a stable environment for children and help them grow into independent and successful adults. The Masons continue to provide essential ongoing support to the home and the children it serves.Allabaugh joins MHCO having most recently served as Associate Vice President of Child and Family Services at the Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina (BCH). In that role, Allabaugh was responsible for operations of child and family related programs and services statewide, including family foster care, children’s residential services, single mother care, and adoptions. Additionally, he had oversight of two major campuses and 13 satellite locations making up over 2,000 acres and 50 buildings, overseeing a $10 million annual budget>
During his time at BCH, Allabaugh also served as Senior Director of the Eastern and Central Regions, Director of the Kennedy Home, Director of Residential Services, and as a Residential Services and Foster Care Supervisor.
Prior to joining BCH in 2016, Allabaugh worked as a program manager at Yahweh Center Children’s Village and as a youth counselor with Eckerd Youth Alternatives.”I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the team at MHCO,” says Allabaugh. “I consider it a great honor to lead an organization that has been providing care for children for more than 150 years, and I am committed to carrying that mission into the future. Serving children and families in North Carolina has been my life’s passion, and I am eager to continue that journey in Oxford.”
With an MBA from UNC-Pembroke and a bachelor’s degree from UNC-Greensboro, Allabaugh brings a strong background in nonprofit administration, foster care, and residential services to the role of CEO at MHCO. He is a graduate of the BCH two-year leadership development program and holds certifications as a Children and Residential Experiences Instructor and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Instructor.
Allabaugh also serves as a member of the Coalition of Residential Excellence’s (CORE) Federal Legislative Committee, a member of Benchmarks NC’s Foster Adoption Residential Cohort, and a member of the Children’s Home Collaborative.
“We are excited to welcome Chris to the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford,” said MHCO Board Chair Speed Hallman. “He has the experience, the drive, and the heart to make life better for the children in our care. The home’s future is bright with Chris and the staff working together to help children and finding new and innovative ways to lift children and families in need.”
About the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford
Founded in 1873 as the Oxford Orphans Asylum, renamed Oxford Orphanage, and becoming the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford in 1994, MHCO provides care for children ages 0-18 and independent living programs for young adults ages 18-22 through a residential model of care, centered on cottage homes staffed by house parents. MHCO’s goal is to provide a stable environment for children that encourages and helps them grow into independent and successful adults. Over the course of 152 years the campus has welcomed more than 11,000 children onto its campus.
For more information, visit: www.mhc-oxford.org
About the Masons
The mission of Freemasonry in North Carolina is to raise the moral, social, intellectual, and spiritual conscience of society by teaching the ancient and enduring philosophical tenets of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth, which are expressed outwardly through service to God, family, country, and self under the Fatherhood of God within the Brotherhood of Man. Today, more than 30,000 Freemasons in more than 300 lodges remain hard at work in their communities across North Carolina and are committed to building a better future for their families and their neighbors.
For more information, visit: www.ncfreemasons.org
