By JORDAN NELSON
The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. — Beckley businesswoman Michelle Rotellini was named the executive director of United Way of Southern West Virginia Wednesday, succeeding Margaret Ann O’Neal.
(Photo by Brad Davis)
The agency’s Board of Directors met Wednesday afternoon and voted unanimously to bring Rotellini in for the position; her official start date is July 24.
O’Neal said the organization will move forward strongly and she knows Rotellini will be a blessing to the community and the organization. “There will be no lag time, we want her to start working immediately and get comfortable with the public and other associates.”
O’Neal said Rotellini was a perfect candidate and the board had no trouble making the decision. “She has been on our executive committee for the last five years. She is knowledgeable and ready to hit the ground running.”
Rotellini graduated from the College of Charleston in South Carolina with a degree in business administration, worked as Director of Sales for 12 years at Snowshoe Mountain Resort and was a sales representative for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.
“I have a lot of experience in marketing and being a representative of an organization,” Rotellini said. “I was trained to be able to build strong relationships, and I believe that will help me with this new position.”
Rotellini said the agency’s campaign goal this year is $860,000 and she is excited to be filling the position and helping the community achieve that goal.
“We are basically in the middle of the campaign, and all of our funding dollars are coming in for Dancing with the Stars,” Rotellini said, who with partner Austin Caperton brought nearly $55,000 through that event in 2014. “With that being two months away, so many materials are coming in from United Way worldwide and I’ll get to share with organizations in the community what United Way does and ask for their continued support.”
“We will always serve basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter and disaster services, but we are more focused than ever on outcomes,” Rotellini added. “When providing funding in areas of income, health and education, we expect an outcome that will create long lasting changes.
“We all win when families are financially stable, children are more successful in school and people are healthier,” Rotellini said. “That will always be my goal.”
Rotellini said she is looking forward to what the position holds for her, both for the community and personally.
See more from The Register-Herald