VALERIE BARNET ELECTED TO SERVE AS 2020-2021 BOARD PRESIDENT
The Mental Fitness Board of Directors recently appointed Valerie Barnet to serve as Board President for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. As a Spartanburg native, Mrs. Barnet has a genuine passion for serving the local community. In addition to her role with Mental Fitness, Valerie serves on the board for Sidewalk Hope and the Foundation for the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind. She is the Co-Founder and President of the Hub City Animal Project, a nonprofit organization that empowers local animal welfare organizations to address animal homelessness and create long-term change that will reduce shelter intake in Spartanburg County. Valerie teaches theatre at the Spartanburg Day School where she directs two productions each year. She is married to Bill Barnet, and they have 3 grown children – Becca, Will and John.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPOINTS LORI BURNEY AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Lori Burney joined the Mental Fitness Team in July 2019 as a development consultant. Upon the recent resignation of the organization’s Founder and CEO, Ms. Burney was selected to serve as Executive Director. She brings more than 20 years of marketing, team management and nonprofit experience to Mental Fitness. Lori’s professional career began in 1998 as an Advertising Manager for The Greenville News Media Group. Her desire to serve the community eventually led Ms. Burney to earn a Master of Public Administration in Nonprofit Management (MPA) degree from Clemson University. Lori is the Founder and President of Integrity Leadership Services, a nonprofit consulting company. She has worked with various charitable organizations including LiveWell Greenville, Harvest Hope Food Bank, the South Carolina Land Trust Network and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).
A MESSAGE FROM ROBYN HUSSA FARRELL, FOUNDER AND FORMER CEO
I couldn’t be more honored and humbled to have served for nearly 14 years as Founder and CEO of Mental Fitness. Though this is a very bittersweet moment, I have always said that Mental Fitness must grow beyond its Founder. After years of working with Valerie in her role as a board member and spending nearly a year working directly with Lori in her role as Development Director, I believe it is the perfect time for me to step aside as CEO. I am confident that, under their leadership, they will take Mental Fitness to the next level.
With great respect,
Robyn
MENTAL FITNESS 2.0 TO LAUNCH IN JULY 2020
As Mental Fitness begins its new fiscal year, we will introduce a new look, a new message and a new model. Mental Fitness 2.0 is an organizational and program restructure that will streamline our initiatives to build a cohesive framework that encourages collaboration, increases capacity, and improves communication. Please look for the official Mental Fitness 2.0 launch in July 2020 as we introduce our brand awareness campaign and reveal our enhanced implementation model.