At its January meeting, the Board of Directors for the Greater Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation (GVCF) elected Dr. Nathaniel Harris to be its new chairman. Dr. Harris assumes the position from Greg Johnson who served faithfully for the past two years.
Dr. Harris is a native of the Greenbrier Valley and a member of the Moore family that was so vital to the area’s growth. He is the grandson of Colonel Houston Burger “H.B” Moore, who founded the Greenbrier Military School with his two brothers. Dr. Harris graduated from GMS in 1966. After graduating from Centre College in Kentucky, he earned a Masters of Arts in Biology from West Virginia University and an MD degree from the University of Louisville. In 1982, he returned to Greenbrier County and began practicing first in the Emergency Room at Greenbrier Valley Medical Center, and then in private practice. Dr. Harris is board certified in Family Practice and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice. An upstanding citizen, he helped establish a rescue squad system for Lewisburg, Frankford and White Sulphur Springs and has served on the boards of United Way of Greenbrier Valley and the Southern Regional Workshop. Dr. Harris is also an active member of the Lewisburg Foundation.
As Chairman, Dr. Harris aims to make the community more aware of the services that GVCF provides and the key role that the foundation can play in aiding small nonprofit organizations. He stated “I am optimistic about the future of our community. My goal is to encourage philanthropists by removing burdens and facilitating perpetual giving.”
During his tenure as Chairman, Greg Johnson oversaw tremendous growth for the community foundation. As an organization, GVCF extended its reach throughout the tri-county area, adding an additional board member from Monroe County and establishing 19 new funds to support charitable programs in Greenbrier, Monroe and Pocahontas counties. Financially, GVCF’s assets grew to over $6.4 million and the total amount distributed to the community exceeded $1.8 million. GVCF became the regional partner of the West Virginia Non Profit Association and endeavored to enhance cooperation and communication among nonprofit leaders. It developed a database that allows nonprofit workers to share information and ideas on a daily basis and organized quarterly meetings of nonprofit leaders. In addition, the board adopted a new Fiscal Sponsorship Policy that enabled GVCF to provide financial support for three community programs: Celebration Graduation, Lewisburg Literary Festival, and TEDxLewisburg.
Also at the meeting, the board elected Ann Fort to the office of Vice Chairman and Bill Shiflet to be Secretary/Treasurer. Other board members include Cindy Lavender-Bowe, Phillip Cain, Joel Callison, David Hambrick, Tom Isaac, Phil McLaughlin, Duane Miller and Bill Shiffer.
The Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation is a collection of over 100 funds, each with its own charitable purpose. The funds are established to make annual distributions to the community in perpetuity. For more information about GVCF, contact Courtney Smith, executive director, at 304-645-5620 or info@gvfoundation.org.
