VERO BEACH — Ronnie Hewett, who for more than six years has been Executive Director, as well as CEO and President of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indian River County, is leaving the organization at the end of June. He has been on a leave of absence since September.
“We were fortunate to find Ronnie Hewett and to have him join us at a critical time in our ten-year history,” said Jay McNamara, Chairman of the Boys & Girls.
“At the time of his hiring, we were embarking on a growth plan that required a successful capital campaign to be followed by an aggressive building program. The end result is that we now have three state-of-the-art clubs, one each in Vero Beach, Sebastian and Fellsmere. Each is stocked with the most up to date computers and other equipment necessary to running a Boys & Girls 21st century program.”
Hewett’s entire career, which spans more than 40 years, has been as an executive within the Boys & Girls Clubs movement in senior positions at clubs all across America. Notably, in 2008, he was awarded the Executive of the Year award by the national organization, the highest award an employee can receive.
“The impact Ronnie Hewett had on Indian River County is beyond the buildings that resulted from his efforts,” said McNamara. “The real impact is on the children themselves, the thousands that were positively influenced by Ronnie’s inspiration and care.”
To honor Hewett’s time with the organization, the Ronnie Hewett Teamwork Award has been established.
“This is an award that will be given to an employee who best demonstrates one of the hallmarks of Ronnie’s leadership style, that of enlisting teamwork in order to accomplish the goals of the Boys & Girls Clubs.”
Replacing Hewett as Executive Director will be Elizabeth Thomason, who for more than a year has been responsible for Marketing and Development activities at the Clubs. She will retain her role in the Development area going forward. Before joining the Boys & Girls Clubs, she held executive roles in Marketing and Communications at St. Edward’s School.
Thomason has several degrees, including a B.S. in Economics from Arizona State University, a B.S. in Nursing from Fairfield University and an M.A. in Communication from Seton Hall University. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Planned Giving Council of Indian River County and the Rotary Club of Orchid Island.
“The Board of our organization is confident that Elizabeth Thomason can provide the leadership to our staff that will help continue us on the excellent path that Mr. Hewett provided,” said McNamara.