Brett Nance Appointed Executive Director of the Jesse Stuart Foundation

I'll be sixty-two years old next month. I'm amazed at how quickly I got to sixty-two and how "young" sixty-two now seems!

I have been doing the work of the Jesse Stuart Foundation for more than twenty-five years, and I have absolutely no plans to retire. I have no family and few interests outside of work, so I hope to continue working for many more years. But I think it is important for any organization to plan for the future, so when the day arrives (hopefully many years from now) when I can no longer work productively and provide leadership for the Jesse Stuart Foundation, I have chosen a successor.

At our May Board Meeting, I recommended that Brett Nance be appointed Executive Director and charged with managing the daily operations of our business, which is the second largest publisher in the state. He will also have two bookstores, a reader's group, an art gallery, a photographic gallery, a Jesse Stuart Room, and a 30,000 square foot historic building to "say grace over." It's a growing business and a big job.

Brett, a graduate of Coal Grove (Ohio) High School and Marshall University, has been a Jesse Stuart Foundation employee for more than a decade and I'm confident that he will "keep the train on the tracks" in the years ahead.

I'll continue to serve as CEO & Senior Editor. Brett will answer to me, just as I will continue to answer to our Board of Directors, ably chaired by Morehead State University Vice President Keith R. Kappes.

Brett's promotion reflects a component of my leadership philosophy. When possible, I believe in promoting from within an organization. If you expect loyalty from employees, you should be loyal to them in return. For that same reason, I hope that Rob Ratliff will be selected as Ashland's next Chief of Police. Like Brett, he's paid his dues; he knows his job; he's proven himself.

Regional Readers

Our reading group is meeting Tuesday evening at 5:45 to discuss Terry Ryan's wonderful family memoir, "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio."

Open House

On August 8th, we'll be having an open house to celebrate Jesse Stuart's 100th birthday. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us.