Two of our member nonprofits are welcoming new leadership, as CEO announcements have been made for both the Second Harvest Food Bank and the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. We join the community in welcoming these new leaders in their new roles.
Randy Eaddy, Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County
Randy Eaddy, corporate attorney and long-time arts advocate, will serve as the Arts Council’s President and CEO. Eaddy will succeed Jim Sparrow who held the position for five years before resigning effective July 31 to become Executive Director of the Fort Wayne Ballet.
“This opportunity came along at a good place in my life,” said Eaddy, who has served on The Arts Council Board for seven years and chaired several committees. “I was transitioning out of law practice and had not made further commitments. My experiences with The Arts Council have been among the most rewarding I have had as a volunteer in the nonprofit world. I enthusiastically accepted this chance to make a significant contribution to this community.”
Eaddy is retiring from the Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton law firm after almost 25 years as a partner there.
Eric A. Aft, Second Harvest Food Bank
Eric A. Aft has been appointed as the next Chief Executive Officer of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, the region’s lead agency addressing hunger and its causes. Aft assumes the reins after the long-planned retirement of Clyde W. Fitzgerald, Jr., who passionately served the organization in numerous roles throughout its entire 36-year history, including the last 10 years at the helm.
“Making sure that people can access healthy food when they need it is central to our work and vital to the well-being of our communities,” said Aft. “It is also true that families want and deserve more. We will continue to build awareness and engage more people around the issues of hunger and poverty. Our goal is to strengthen and expand our programs and initiatives that support transformational change, including Providence, our nationally recognized culinary job training program. We will seek new ways to use technology and data to enhance the way we do business and focus our energies to make the biggest difference possible. At the heart of our approach is working collaboratively with the many communities we are honored to serve, because everyone has something to bring to the table. I will be out in the communities regularly, and look forward to connecting with our old friends and new ones.”