Season of Change

As the world transitions to the start of a new year, the Drew Lewis Foundation’s staff finds itself in a state of transition as well. This month we said “see you later” to Tamarr Maclin and Jacob Showalter, two members of our staff that have been a huge part of our organization’s operations and the lives of our members for years.

Tamarr worked for the Drew Lewis Foundation for two years, serving RISE families as a Development Coordinator before moving into a leading role with the rural expansion of the RISE program. He not only helped dozens of families learn important skills that are crucial to success, like budgeting and resume building, but he also helped start the RISE program in new communities that needed it. Tamarr is moving into a new career in the IT field, a passion he discovered through the technology classes offered by the Geek Foundation here at the Fairbanks.

Jacob joined the Drew Lewis Foundation staff back in 2016 as the Healthy Homes Program guru, and he spent five years making sure that members of our RISE program were living in homes that were safe enough to thrive in (however, his job description eventually expanded to include grant writing and whatever else Amy could think of). Jacob is shifting his career over into the public sector, where he will serve as a loan officer in Springfield.

We are incredibly grateful for all of the work that these two individuals have done over the years, as their contributions have greatly shaped our organization and the community we serve. They have touched countless lives, and we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors!

We are also incredibly excited to be welcoming in two new additions to our staff!

Olivia is joining the DLF staff as an Americorp VISTA program participant, who will be serving as our Outreach and Development coordinator. Olivia is finishing up her Bachelor’s degree at Drury this spring, then looking into further postgraduate education opportunities. She has volunteered for many organizations in the Springfield region, as she grew up here for most of her life. She hopes this experience will expand her knowledge of the nonprofit industry.

In her free time, Olivia likes to be outdoors, whether it is going to the park with her partner and dog, gardening, camping, or hiking. She engages in board/video game nights with her friends. Olivia enjoys reading and watching environmental documentaries, as she sees herself working for an environmental nonprofit in the future.

We are also very excited to be welcoming Stefanie, who will be serving as the new Office Manager at the Drew Lewis Foundation. She has a background in office management and social work. She previously managed a law firm for four years and has worked in the nonprofit sector for nine years as a Court Advocate for a domestic/sexual violence shelter in Taney County.

Stefanie enjoys being the mother of her two teenage boys and her other part-time job is following them around to all of their sport/school events. She also enjoys hiking, gardening, redecorating her home and nutrition. She is excited to be joining our team and is looking forward to the year ahead!