AREA WIDE UNITED WAY HIRES NEW DIRECTOR

When Nancy L. Jernigan and her family decided to move from Dallas, Texas, back home to Cape Girardeau, they began reading the Southeast Missourian as part of the job search.

Then Nancy saw a news story about the retirement of Dorothy Klein, the Area Wide United Way's longtime executive director.

"I thought it was perfect for me," Jernigan said. "I hoped they would think so too."

The six-member search committee, headed by Richard Gross, agreed that Jernigan's experience in non-profit organizations made a perfect match for the United Way.

Gross, who is president of the board of directors, also served as the chairman of the search committee. More than 40 people applied for the job.

"We had several who stood out," Gross said. "One thing that helped us make the choice on Nancy was that she has had a lot of experience in non-profit organizations. She brings a lot of leadership skills to the job."

In Texas, Jernigan was manager of human resources and executive assistant to the Board of Directors of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, Inc. She has served in that position since 1988.

As executive assistant at the arboretum, Jernigan worked with a board of 60 people. The United Way operates with a 30-member board.

"She has a lot of human resource skills and we felt we needed a person who could relate to and get along with the 24 agencies we serve," Gross said. "We felt she was a good match."

Jernigan is a graduate of Cape Central High School. She attended Southeast Missouri State University for three years and received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. She and her husband Jeff have three children: Patrick, 9, Jeremy, 5, and Jenna, 7 months. They will reside in Cape Girardeau.

Jeff Jernigan is employed in sales by Imagemaker, an affiliate of Health Services Corporation of America.

Jernigan's father, Wayne Johnson, lives in Cape Girardeau and she said he was one of the primary reasons the family wanted to move here.

"We were also looking to improve the quality of life for the children, as well as ourselves," she said. "But I kind of doubt this will be a slower pace."

The Area Wide United Way annually conducts a fund drive to help 24 service agencies in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City.

The campaign under way now has reached 73 percent of its $500,000 goal.

Klein started working with the Area Wide United Way in 1977 and has been the executive director since 1980. Under her leadership, the goal has grown from $154,900 in 1977 to this year's goal of $500,000.