New Staff Roles Offer Promise
(Letter from Board Chairman, Ben Micham)
On behalf of The ALS Association – Jim “Catfish” Hunter Chapter, I am pleased to announce several changes to the current staff structure. On October 10, the Chapter welcomed Jenna Nunnery as the new Administrative Assistant. Jenna obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Campbell University in 2003. During her time at Campbell, she worked for Davis, Bibbs & Smith law firm. After graduating, Jenna was employed with North State Bank and was promoted to Head Teller. Jenna’s experience, enthusiasm and attention to detail will be a great asset to our Chapter. I hope you will join me in welcoming Jenna as the newest member of our team.
During the recent Catfish Chapter Board of Directors meeting on October 20, Jerry Dawson, Executive Director and Megan Gardner, Development Director were appointed to new positions (effective November 1, 2005). In recognition of her leadership abilities, the board appointed Megan Gardner to serve as the Executive Director for the Chapter. Megan has been employed with the Chapter for over three years. She was initially hired as the Development Coordinator, organizing and growing the Chapter’s nine Walk to D’Feet ALS fundraisers. In November 2004, she was promoted to Development Director to oversee the Walks as well as develop the Chapter in new areas. As the new Executive Director, Megan will be responsible for the general management, development and daily operations of the Chapter.
Jerry Dawson will now serve as President of the Catfish Chapter. Jerry has served our Chapter for nearly six years. He was initially hired as the Director of Patient Services in early 2000. In 2002, he was promoted to the position of Executive Director. In addition to his role as Executive Director, he continued to serve as the Director of Patient Services until 2004, when Sue Humphries assumed the new role of Patient and Family Services Coordinator. In his role as President, Jerry will begin devoting more time to local and national ALS priorities, helping to increase awareness and funding through the involvement of community leaders and businesses.
The final staff change involves our Chapter Coordinator, Mandy Parker. Mandy has faithfully served our Chapter for over four years. While she has filled many different roles, we are pleased to announce that she will now serve exclusively as our new Patient and Family Services Assistant. Mandy will work closely with Sue Humphries, Patient and Family Services Coordinator, to increase the quality of services we provide to our patients and families.
Jamie Ebert, Development Coordinator, has been with our Chapter for a year now. Although there will be no change to her title or role, I would like to recognize the wonderful job she has done with our Walks.
This is an important time in the development of our Chapter. As we look to the future, we realize that there is much more that needs to be done and it is up to us to make sure we are equipped to meet the new demands. The changes within our Chapter structure will enable us to reach out to new communities within our service area therefore increasing awareness of ALS, our Chapter and the programs that we offer. Our mission remains clear – to find a cure for and improve the lives of those living with ALS. Together we can achieve our goals.
Sincerely,
Ben Micham
Board Chairman
