Northeast Regional VP Announced

We are excited to announce that Deborah Ruhe, who has served as the Executive Director of the Eastern New England Council (ENEC) over the past 10 years, has been named Vice President, Northeast Region. During her tenure with ENEC, Deborah managed six facilities, developed a new facility in Hyannis, had a leadership role in the development of the Boston hostel, and oversaw community education and outreach programs.

Deborah brings more than 25 years of non-profit business experience, and has earned multiple awards and recognitions, including Boston Business Journal’s Top 100 Women Led Businesses, Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce’s 2009 Non Profit Business Excellence Award, Metro Boston’s Greenest Business Award for HI-Boston in 2011, and more.

Before assuming her new role on full-time basis, Deborah will maintain her position and oversee all activities related to unification while assuming responsibility for the Northeast Region, which includes New York and New England. She is the third Regional Vice President to be hired as part of HI-USA’s unification and will begin on December 1, 2012.

2 New Engagement Managers On Board

Please welcome Jennifer Burnett and Wyndham Manning as our new Regional Engagement Managers for the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast Region, encompassing Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Florida. Together they will be charged with stimulating participation and interest in hostelling and the HI-USA mission throughout their region.

Jennifer brings over 30 years of experience, most recently working as Volunteer Services & Community Outreach Manager for Food & Friends. There she managed all aspects of the Volunteer Services Department – serving more than 12,000 volunteers annually – with an emphasis on strategic planning and building community partnerships. Prior to her five years with Food & Friends, Jennifer climbed the ranks of the Girl Scouts in Washington DC and Central Maryland, ultimately serving as Director, Outdoor Program & Property Services.

You may already know Wyndham from when he was the manager of HI-Madison from 2010-2011. During his time in Madison, he also organized several large scale music and arts events and led a successful political campaign for a seat on the County Board of Supervisors. Following his role with the hostel he moved to Asheville, NC, where he works to execute monthly charity dinners for The Blind Pig of Asheville. His experience includes building partnerships with various charity organizations and developing content for media outlets.

Jennifer and Wyndham spent their first day at the Silver Spring office on Monday, October 22. Jennifer can be reached at Jennifer.burnett@hiusa.org and you can contact Wyndham at wyndham.manning@hiusa.org.