Poverty-fighting agency to begin director search

from The Bradenton Herald

By DUANE MARSTELLER

BRADENTON --
The search for the Manatee Community Action Agency's next executive director will begin early next month, the poverty-fighting organization's board of directors said Tuesday.

The board approved a job description, evaluation procedure and search process for the post, which became vacant last month when Joan Hill was fired after a critical state review. The agency, formerly known as Manatee Opportunity Council, oversees more than a dozen programs for children and the poor.

And, in a departure from the past, the public will get the chance to meet the three finalists during a community gathering, board members said.

"We want a person who's going to interact with the community," said board member Tim Polk, who suggested the idea. "That's very important to me."

The board also wants someone with at least a bachelor's degree, preferably in social work, social services or business administration; a minimum of five years of senior-management experience with a nonprofit; has professional credentials; and passes criminal and credit background checks, among other things.

The national search will begin with placing ads in various trade publications, Web sites and newspapers in early November. A board committee will screen applications and choose five for telephone interviews, then choose three finalists for personal interviews.

Jan. 1 is the target to hire someone, said Mary Twitty, the agency's interim executive director. She is with Meliora Partners Inc., a nonprofit training and resource center that is implementing a state-mandated improvement plan and reorganization of the agency.

That includes revised bylaws, a new ethics code and several other governing documents the board also approved Tuesday. All were major steps forward, Twitty said.

"It's a tremendous amount of progress," she said. "I think they have turned the corner."

That's a far cry from a month ago, when a divided board suddenly fired Hill after a state review cited mismanagement and no clear vision at the agency. Questions surrounding the legality of Hill's termination remain, however, as several board members admitted they privately discussed the issue before the meeting in apparent violation of the state's Sunshine Law.

During a training session Tuesday, a consultant reminded board members that any communication between them on an issue they might vote on later is subject to the law.