Dr. Sarah Ghee has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, the organization announced in a press release today.
Ghee will lead the operations of the $6 million organization and will oversee human resources, finance, legal, facility management, and programs for more than 7,500 young people across Dane and Walworth counties, according to the release.
Ghee was one of 179 applicants, according to the release.
“After conducting a national search, Dr. Ghee was among three finalists that met with our 20-member management team. The team unanimously voted that she become our next COO because of her passion and track record of working with children and families. We are excited and fortunate to have Dr. Ghee join our team as she is a world-class, non-profit executive and researcher,” said Michael Johnson, the Club’s President and CEO, in a statement.
“On behalf of United Way of Greater Cincinnati, we congratulate Sarah on this exciting next step in her career,” Said Ross Myer, United Way of Greater Cincinnati Interim President & CEO. “She will bring a tremendous passion for educational opportunity, a collaborative leadership approach, and an unyielding commitment to making a difference to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County. We will miss her greatly and look forward to seeing the impact she makes in Madison.”
“Sarah has been a gift and blessing to the work of United Way in our community,” said Cyndy Wright Sellers, Assistant Vice President, Park National Bank, and a member of the United Way Eastern Area Action Council. “We are so lucky to have had her expertise in delivering the message of United Way in Clermont and Brown Counties, Ohio. We wish her all the best as she steps forward in this new role with the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Dane County in Madison, Wisconsin. Our loss is your gain Dane County!
Dr. Ghee is a long-time executive of the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, working with the organization since 2010. As the Director for the Eastern Region service area, she currently leads operations and reports to an Action Council that serves as the Area Board of Directors comprised of more than 20 business and community leaders. Together, they serve two counties with a population of over 245,000 people. Dr. Ghee has been recognized for initiating several youth development programs for United Way and currently works closely with local school districts, non-profit agencies, grassroots community leaders and corporate partners who helped her raise more than $1.5 million last year for the communities she serves, according to the Boys and Girls Club press release.
Dr. Ghee is also an adjunct professor with the University of Cincinnati, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses since 2012. Some of the courses she taught include Cultural Competence for Social Work Practice, Public & Non-Profit Administrative Leadership, Family Violence, and Organizational Change.
Dr. Ghee is a first-generation college graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, a Master’s of Social Work and a Doctorate in Urban Educational Leadership from the University of Cincinnati.
Dr. Ghee has also won several awards during her tenure at United Way including The Career Prep Program of the Year Award presented by the Governor of Ohio and the Encourage of the Heart Award from Child Focus, Inc. for extraordinary service to children and families in the category of early learning for Clermont County.
She also was honored by the Ohio State Legislature for implementing a mentoring program in Clermont County and was named a Business Woman of the Year finalist as of one of the top five most inspiring, insightful, and influential Clermont County woman.
Dr. Ghee loves spending time with family/friends, reading nonfiction, and the outdoors. She loves taking her granddaughter on vacation every year, hiking, running, and hot yoga. She anticipates she will very soon pick up biking. Ghee will begin her tenure with Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County on June 17.
