News

Literacy Council names new director

Katrina K. McGuire

By Lightning Reports, Published: January 6, 2021

Blue Ridge Literacy Council named Katrina K. McGuire as its new executive director on Monday.

“Katrina brings an excellent blend of nonprofit marketing and executive director skills together with a strong history of volunteer community leadership,” Board President Sharon Tirrell said. “After a six-month search, we are excited to have found such a good match for the Literacy Council.”

Before moving to Henderson County, McGuire was marketing manager for a global education foundation providing scholarship funds. Prior to that, she was the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce in Algonquin, Illinois. Other executive director positions include Friends of McHenry County Community College, Russian Leadership Ministries in Wheaton, Illinois, and the Community Coalition in Rochester Hills, Michigan. She has a degree in business administration from William Tyndale College.

McGuire just completed an elected position as president of the Algonquin Area Public Library District, a post she held since 2014. She was vice president of the Avondale School Board, which she served for five years. She is finishing a term as board president of GiGi’s Playhouse, a Down Syndrome achievement center. She also served six years as president of the board of a therapeutic riding program.

McGuire and her husband relocated to the Mills River area to be near aging parents on both sides of the family. It is where they hope to retire eventually. They are parents of three adult children.

“I have a special affinity for the work of the Literacy Council,” McGuire told the staff when she met them for the first time recently. “My family didn’t speak English when I was growing up. There were no ESL programs. We had to learn on our own. I look forward to working with you to expand the variety of literacy opportunities in Henderson and Transylvania Counties that help people have economic and social success.”

Blue Ridge Literacy Council offers tutoring programs for adults who need to improve basic literacy or learn English to secure employment. In partnership with Henderson County Public Schools, the Family Literacy Program helps Latino families prepare preschool children for kindergarten. The Youth Literacy Program helps adjudicated teens succeed in school. Medical and digital literacy programs are designed to help seniors navigate Medicare and access medical information on-line.

Because of Covid-19 restrictions, most programs have been adapted to remote learning. There is a need for volunteer tutors who are comfortable using computers and able to do virtual tutoring. Training is provided. To sign up for the next volunteer orientation session, call (828) 696-3811.