News

Boys & Girls Club launches search for new director

By Lightning Reports, Published: January 3, 2023

Leaders of the Henderson County Boys & Girls Club recently launched a national search in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America for a new executive director who will be called on to lead the organization through the next phase of growth and expansion.

The club’s current leader, Julia Hockenberry, will be shifting out of her role, effective Feb. 1.
Board President Jan King noted that the club is in a strong position for the next chapter of leadership and growth with a newly adopted strategic plan that ultimately calls for the establishment of a second club site in an underserved part of the county.

“Our club turns 30 years old this year and, at the conclusion of our strategic plan, we hope to be able to serve as many as 30 percent more young people on a daily basis,” King said. “It’s an exciting time for the organization, and we are grateful to Julia and her team for paving the way towards such a meaningful goal.”
The Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County was founded in 1993 and served 200 young people in its first year in a 2,000-square-foot building located in the Green Meadows community. Today the agency has grown its campus to 55,600 square feet and serves more than 1,200 young people annually with year-round programs in the areas of academic success, health and wellness and positive personal decision making. An all-inclusive annual club membership has never cost families more than $5/child.
Hockenberry joined the organization in 2009 as resource development director before her promotion to executive leadership in 2013. She assumed the post of executive director in 2016 with a focus on organizational capacity and elevating the Club member experience in conjunction with improved program outcomes. Highlights of her tenure include the expansion of services for youth like intensified mental health and academic recovery supports, as well as more defined and intentional teen programs devoted to workforce development and access to postsecondary education.
“I am deeply grateful for the caliber of work that our club team has been able to achieve together during my 13 years with this organization,” Hockenberry said. “These accomplishments are the proudest of my career and absolutely belong to the community that made them possible.”
Nicola Barksdale, recent board past-president and chair of the search committee, said that the panel is presently evaluating qualified candidates with hopes to name a new executive director no later than spring 2023.

"We are committed to finding the perfect leader for this next era of growth and service for kids and families in Henderson County," she said, adding that those interested in learning more about the position may do so by visiting http://bit.ly/3WuW3nT