The Richard A. Henson Foundation (RAHF) Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of Stacey Bayline McMichael as the next Executive Director of the Foundation. Ms. McMichael comes to the Foundation with 9 years of experience working with local nonprofits including TidalHealth Foundation and United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore, and over 20 years of small business ownership and management. Ms. McMichael has lived on the Eastern Shore for more than 40 years and has worked closely with community leaders to develop strategies and resources to impact local vulnerable populations. She attended James M. Bennett Senior High and graduated from the University of Maryland College Park with a bachelor’s degree from the college of Behavioral and Social Sciences. She currently resides in Delmar, Maryland with her husband Phil, daughter Maddy and son Devlin. “I am both humbled and honored to lead the Richard A. Henson Foundation into the next phase.
Mr. Henson was an incredibly generous leader in our community, and I hope to continue to lead the organization by his philanthropic ideology: elevating education, youth leadership and entrepreneurial development, promoting excellence, providing for vulnerable populations, and encouraging others to give of their time, talent and resources to improve the quality of life for all our citizens.
After a several month vetting process, Tom Evans stated, “We believe we have found exactly the right person to fill the Executive Director position. Stacey is a dynamic individual and brings the right combination of nonprofit experience and business acumen that we were looking for to succeed Donna. Her energy and passion for helping others aligns perfectly with Mr. Henson’s giving philosophy. The Trustees are looking forward to working with her.”
Ms. Donna Altvater, current Executive Director will be retiring in June. She was hired personally by Mr. Henson in 1999 and became very close with him
very quickly, even taking on the role of personal advocate and care coordinator in his last years. She participated in the vetting process for her replacement. She stated, “It has been my honor to serve as Executive Director of the Henson Foundation for almost 22 years. With Stacey’s extensive nonprofit experience, knowledge of the community, and strong work ethic, I believe she will elevate the Henson Foundation to exciting new levels. I look forward to watching it happen!”
Current RAHF Chairman, Greg Olinde said, “Donna has been such an amazing leader for our organization. Her commitment to Mr. Henson’s legacy has been unwavering. She has been a sounding board for our trustees and community partners alike. We have a unique trustee profile, and Donna successfully built and maintained great individual long-term relationships with each one of us. She has managed the Greater Salisbury Building with immense pride and we are so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with her. We wish her the very best in her retirement.”
The Richard A. Henson Foundation, Inc., was established in 1990 to provide for and to assure the continuation of the philanthropic spirit, objectives, and ideals of Richard A. Henson, to enrich the quality of life primarily in the Greater Salisbury, Maryland, area, and to provide challenging opportunities and act as a catalyst for the betterment of the community. To date, the Foundation has gifted over $43,000,000 in support to both large and small local nonprofit organizations in Maryland. The current Richard A. Henson Foundation Trustees are Greg Olinde, Tom Evans, Stephen Farrow, Jon Sherwell, Gordon Gladden, Victor Laws, and Susanne Holloway.
