Courtney McGinnis IMAGE PROVIDED
Family Relief Nursery is pleased to announce that after an extensive search, they have chosen a new executive director, Courtney McGinnis. Since the position announcement in January, many great local and national candidates submitted their applications. The competition was intense. Each interviewee partook in a thorough three-part interview process with committees comprised of representatives from the Nursery’s Board of Directors, leadership staff and community partners.
The planned executive director transition is a six-month to one-year process that started in November, when Diane Hazen, the current executive director, announced in a letter to supporters that she would be leaving the Nursery.
”I have truly appreciated the opportunity to serve Family Relief Nursery,” Hazen said. ”With your help the Nursery has greatly expanded the reach of its services and improved its ability to prevent child abuse and neglect. Serving the Nursery has been enormously fulfilling and it will be difficult for me to leave my position, but now is the perfect time to transition to a permanent, full-time executive director. Family Relief Nursery is in a position of strength with a supportive Board, awesome leadership team and staff, financial stability and solid community partnerships.”
Hazen is committed to overseeing a smooth transition as she aids in the hiring, onboarding and training process. After the new executive director is in place, Hazen plans on moving back to the Board of Directors, where she can continue to serve Family Relief Nursery and the mission to keep children safe.
”When I joined the Founding Board in 1993, we had a vision of supporting parents, strengthening families and giving children the opportunity to be successful, achieving their full potential in life,” Hazen said. ”Over the last 25 years, we have grown and we foresee even more growth over the next few years. Courtney McGinnis is the person to help facilitate that growth. She is an energetic and passionate leader committed to serving children and families. I am excited to be introducing her to the community and our partners.”
McGinnis will be starting at Family Relief Nursery in May. The Nursery invites everyone to attend their annual Sigh of Relief Fundraiser, ”Let’s Make Magic Happen” on April 20 to personally meet McGinnis. She will be greeting local supporters at the pre-show mingle and speaking about the nursery after the Magic Show.
About Family Relief Nursery
The Family Relief Nursery began serving children in August of 1994. Since then, over 2,000 children and their families have received program services, including Therapeutic Early Childhood Classes, Home Visits, Parent Education Classes and Respite Care.
Families voluntarily seek support for addressing many challenges. While a typical family faces one to three risk factors, a family entering the Family Relief Nursery faces an average of 22 risk factors. Individualized plans are created for each family to promote stability by lowering risk factors, developing family strengths and nurturing children. As a result, the Nursery has proven success at keeping families out of foster care, improving school readiness and literacy, lowering parents’ unemployment rates and decreasing family emergency room use.
For more information, please call 541-942-4835 or visit www.familyreliefnursery.org.
About Courtney McGinnis
Courtney McGinnis is a graduate of Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She has a Master of Education from the University of Phoenix with an emphasis in curriculum and development. She brings over 25 years of experience in higher education to this position. Courtney has held numerous leadership roles at the University of Phoenix and Grand Canyon University. In addition, she has served as director of a before- and after-school program for elementary school students.
McGinnis is from a midsize Midwest town called Carmel, Indiana. While she was a child, her family moved frequently, but they always returned to Carmel, where she attended high school and Purdue. For nearly 20 years, she has lived in Arizona, but she is happy to see the clouds again when she moves to Oregon. She has been a single mother to her wonderful son, who is attending Full Sail University, where he is studying film.
”I am honored the board has given me the opportunity to lead this exceptional organization, which is not only transforming the lives of children in the area, but also transforming the hearts of our volunteers and staff who participate in our family-oriented programs,” McGinnis said. ”I look forward to working with the talented staff and getting to know the entire network of donors, volunteers and community partners. Education is the key to success and my mission is to do I all can to ensure children have the tools and resources necessary to succeed in life and become great citizens of our country.”