New HEF Executive Director Named
By MEGAN WILLIAMS
Daily News-Record 11/5/19
A new executive director of the Harrisonburg Education Foundation will be officially named following a vote during the Harrisonburg School Board meeting today.
Cody Oliver will take the helm of the organization.
Former Executive Director Zanetta Ford-Byrd resigned to pursue and expand her consulting practice, said Deb Fitzgerald, School Board chairwoman.
“This is an opportunity she wanted to take advantage of,” Fitzgerald said, adding that Ford-Byrd has been the executive director for many years and shaped the organization.
The officers for the Harrisonburg Education Foundation have been working on choosing the next leader of the organization for a few weeks, Fitzgerald said.
Although the personnel change was effective as of Friday, the vote on Tuesday will make it official.
HEF was founded in 1994 to enrich public education in the city through grants to teachers.
One of the organization’s biggest fundraising events is its annual gala, which raised $90,000 this year, Fitzgerald said.
Most of the money raised by HEF is put back into the school division through grants for teachers to fund classroom projects.
Oliver holds a bachelor’s of science degree in psychology with an education concentration from Davidson College.