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Longtime Board Member Dr. Brenda White-Wright Named Interim CEO of Grandfather Home for Children

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Dec. 19, 2013. Grandfather Home for Children has named former longtime board member Dr. Brenda White-Wright as interim Chief Executive Officer. 

White-Wright has served the Grandfather Home board of directors for more than two decades, and is extremely familiar with the ministry’s mission to serve children.

“I can say with all confidence that Brenda will be an outstanding leader for our ministry,” said Homes for Children board chair Bill Wasulko.

“Brenda earned her B.G.S, M.A. and Ed.D. at East Tennessee State University and she has 20 years of professional experience in nonprofit leadership as a former president and CEO of Girls Incorporated in Kingsport, Tenn., a United Way agency. She currently specializes in motivational speaking and training and has held workshops and speaking engagements across the Southeast.”

White-Wright will serve as interim CEO beginning Jan. 1, 2014 when current Grandfather Home CEO Jim Swinkola will retire after 31 years at ministry’s helm.

“I can think of no better retirement gift than to shake the hand of Brenda as the interim CEO of the Grandfather Home for Children ministries,” said Swinkola. “She has been chosen by God to bring healing to hurt children. 

“Since he was hired in January 1983, Jim has been a tireless, passionate and committed servant to thousands of abused, neglected and traumatized children who found at Grandfather Home for Children a safe family setting in which tears could be replaced with laughter and suffering with hope,” explained White-Wright.

“Under his leadership, the ministry became a leading advocate for children’s issues at a time when they were not particularly prominent or deemed as important. I am honored to take up the mantle Jim leaves behind. We all wish him and his wife Ann nothing but the best in the future.”

If you would like to make a gift in honor of Jim and Ann Swinkola, please make checks payable to Grandfather Home for Children, PO Box 98, Banner Elk, NC 28604 or contact Abigail Lord at a.lord@grandfatherhome.org or 828-260-4020.

Grandfather Home for Children is a Christian, nonprofit ministry providing love and healing to more than 600 children every year. The children served by Grandfather Home have experienced deed hurt and trauma for neglect and abuse. 

Since 1914, Grandfather Home has provided a nurturing environment to children in need at the ministry’s main campus in Banner Elk. Today, the campus hosts residential, psychiatric, foster and adoptive care. Grandfather Home has offices in Asheville, Banner Elk, Charlotte, Raleigh, Waynesville and Winston-Salem.