PORT ANGELES — The executive director of United Way of Clallam County has quit, leaving the agency at a pivotal point in its $1 million fundraising campaign.
Cheryl Baumann resigned from her duties last week, a little more than eight months after she took the job, it was announced Monday.
Stephen Moriarty, president of the United Way board of directors, and Steve Methner, co-chair of this year’s fundraising campaign, declined to discuss the reasons for Baumann’s abrupt resignation.
Baumann also declined to comment when reached at her Port Angeles home by telephone.
Moriarty, an attorney, said the board has appointed Jody Moss, the Healthy Communities coordinator for United Way, as acting executive director.
“We feel like we’re in good hands now,” Moriarty said.
He said Moss is a “very organized person, just an extremely pleasant woman, [and] very capable.”
Baumann — who became executive director on March 1, succeeding Patty Hannah, who retired after 21 years at the agency — did a lot to build the momentum of the 2005 fundraising campaign, Methner said.
He said her resignation shouldn’t hinder the campaign’s progress.
“I don’t think it will have a substantial effect,” he said.
But, as of last week, the United Way had only reached about 34 percent of 2005’s $1 million goal.
Methner said he is “cautiously optimistic” even though the fund drive isn’t where it was at this time last year because of a late start.
By Nov. 25, 2004, the organization had reached about 67 percent of that year’s $900,000 goal.
