04/07/11 The United Way of Marshall County and the Marshall County Community Foundation announced today that their joint executive director, Ms. Jennifer Maddox, would leave her position on June 30, 2011 after serving more than four years in that role.
Both organizations praised the work of Ms. Maddox during her tenure. The United Way pointed to multiple successful campaigns organized and supported by Ms. Maddox and United Way volunteers. Mr. Chris Eberly, president of the United Way board of directors said that “Jennifer’s energy and commitment to our cause have been instrumental in putting United Way campaigns over the top during some of the nation’s most economically-challenged years ever.”
The Marshall County Community Foundation pointed to Ms. Maddox’s success in obtaining a substantial Lilly Endowment grant to accelerate the Foundation’s growth. Projects made possible by the grant include attracting new donations that have enlarged the Foundation’s corpus by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ms. Louise Mason, chair of the Foundation’s board, remarked that “Jennifer has always understood that the Foundation must grow if we are to return more support to the community, and our board is particularly grateful for Jennifer’s success in spearheading that growth.”
Ms. Maddox expressed her pleasure at working with the United Way and the Community Foundation and said she is leaving to pursue other opportunities that had recently presented themselves. “For over four years, I have been blessed to work with talented and dedicated people whose sole purpose is improving the lives of the people of Marshall County.” She continued by stating that she had chosen this timing for multiple reasons. “Both organizations are now on solid financial footing; both organizations will be undergoing restructurings to account for the end of the Lilly Endowment grant funding in 2012; and both organizations deserve a leader who can commit to several years of service in the position.”
To ensure a smooth transition to new leadership, Ms. Maddox intends to remain on the job at the United Way and the Community Foundation until June 30, 2011. The boards of the United Way and the Community Foundation emphasized their commitment to continuing the advantages of joint staff leadership operating from a joint office, and said that the search for a successor to Ms. Maddox would begin immediately.
As part of the restructuring process, the United Way announced that Ms. Jayne Gibson, long-time vice president of the Community Foundation and United Way, will support United Way volunteers in the 2011 campaign, whose planning has already begun. Ms. Gibson will also continue her significant role in the Community Foundation’s operations, providing client services to the Foundation’s fund-holders and beneficiaries.
