Saturday, February 03, 2007

Poverty agency loses chief

from The Daily Progress

Dukes resigns after 13 months

After only 13 months on the job, the executive director of Central Virginia’s top anti-poverty agency has stepped down.

Phillip E. Dukes resigned Thursday as leader of the nonprofit Monticello Area Community Action Agency.

Dukes, who commuted to Charlottesville from his Woodbridge home, declined to comment on his departure.

Connie Jorgensen, MACAA’s spokesperson, said she could not divulge details of the situation because it was a personnel matter.

“All I can really say is that it was a decision between him and the board of directors,” she said.

MACAA assisted 2,600 low-income residents of the greater Charlottesville region in 2006. Its programs are aimed at eliminating the causes and conditions of poverty.

The organization’s board of directors has not yet begun searching for a replacement for Dukes. Robert Smith, chairman of the organization’s board of directors, said the board will meet later this month to figure out the next step.

“We’ll strategize about which direction we want the organization to go in,” he said.

Gary Nickelson, MACAA’s chief operating officer and a 19-year veteran of the agency, will serve as the interim executive director.

Nickelson was interim executive director during the vacancy before Dukes was hired.

Prior to Dukes, Noah Schwartz was the organization’s executive director for five years. Schwartz is now director of the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

Jorgensen said she expects MACAA to continue operating as usual, even though they are without a permanent chief.

“I feel good about what’s going to happen - just as soon as the shock wears off,” she said.

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