Amador County – The Community Foundation of Amador County will salute its out-going Executive Director Shannon Lowery in a dinner tonight, which will also serve to welcome its new Executive Director Tina Hurley.

Lowery is retiring after eight years directing the Community Foundation, and achieved many milestones, including “expanding the donor base to achieve $1 million in grants awarded to Amador County nonprofit groups.”

Community Foundation Board President Stan Lucowicz said “Shannon has been an extraordinary leader and provided support to many Amador charities during her years at ACF.”

Lucowicz said: “This is a bittersweet time for the Foundation,” which “has achieved so much and is increasingly a vehicle for local people to support local projects, or know their bequests will be used in our own community.”

“We have Shannon to thank for taking us to this point and it’s hard to say goodbye,” he said. “At the same time, we very much appreciate Shannon’s guidance in helping us find Tina Hurley, who has the experience and skills to help us grow the donor base and expand the support we can provide to the local community.”

Hurley started working part-time in November, under Lowery, then full-time in December, and Lowery’s last day was Dec. 31. Lowery left after eight years, and takes much institutional knowledge with her, Hurley said. Working with her was helpful, and she still has contact with Lowery several times a day via e-mail.

Hurley has 20 years’ experience at all levels in the administration of not-for-profit organizations, and specifically worked in a “community foundation,” the San Francisco foundation for Legacy Society. She said community foundations “show through bequests and trusts, that people can really make a difference in their community.”

She said community foundations are hybrids, with the charitable aspect of a foundation, and the ability of a bank to distribute funds and financing to the community.

Hurley said this is Amador Community Foundation’s 10th anniversary year, and a celebration is in the works. The Foundation has received some larger gifts, and the board, with Lukowicz, President, Vice President Pat Crew and Treasurer Wayne Garibalidi, “are all great to work with and very supportive.”

Hurley said: “I think we are set to grow.”

She said Crew was good about getting her out to meet people in the community, and planned to take her to Jackson Rotary next week. She plans to attend Ione and Plymouth Rotary as well.

Hurley lives in Granite Bay with her husband, Jim. They are “empty nesters,” and plan to try to move to the Mother Lode area.

The farewell and welcome dinner is 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27 at Thomi’s Banquet Room in Jackson.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.