Martha Buchanan, Knox County's former health director, named the YWCA interim CEO
Dr. Martha Buchanan, the face of Knox County's fight against COVID-19, will serve as interim CEO of YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley as the organization conducts a nationwide search for a permanent replacement over the next few months.
Buchanan will temporarily fill the role vacated by former CEO Rachel Haverkamp, who resigned to spend more time with her family, according to a Wednesday press release.
“We are pleased to have Dr. Buchanan step in to provide thoughtful, proven leadership, empowering our board and staff to continue delivering the programs and impact that YWCA clients and the community rely on, as we engage in a search for the next CEO,” Susan Edwards, president of the YWCA board of directors, said in a press release Wednesday. “We are grateful to Rachel for her five years dedicated to the YWCA, including the past two as CEO, in which she has continued to advance the mission and execute and grow the programming in meaningful and successful ways. We wish her the best, and she always will be a part of the YWCA.”
Buchanan is a former YWCA board member, and most recently served as senior director of the Knox County Health Department, a role she left in October 2021. She stayed on longer as the county's health officer.
“Together with the board of directors, I am confident of the foundation in place to drive advancement of the mission of the YWCA, and I am energized and ready to do my part to continue delivering life-changing services,” Buchanan said in the release. “We will continue our momentum in meeting critical needs in our community; serving women, domestic violence victims, youth, and others; and working to eliminate racism and empower women across our region.”
YWCA Knoxville has provided a variety of services for East Tennessee women and their families since 1899. It offers transitional housing, helps women achieve health goals, and offers after-school and summer programs for children.
In a previous interview with Knox News, Buchanan said considered resigning from the health department position many times as the job was often frustrating and emotional. Over the pandemic, some of her fellow county leaders worked to discredit the safety measures she and the county health board deployed. She said she stayed as long as she did because it was the right thing to do for the community, but said "that doesn't mean it was fun."
Under Haverkamp's leadership, the organization achieved several milestones, such as a $1 million grant from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, as well as another $1 million dollar gift from the Boyd family to help renovate the now-named Jenny Boyd Keys of Hope Women’s Program. The program helps provide housing, transitional services, and life skills to promote self-sufficiency.
Along with additional grant funding, the release said the organization was able to enhance its programming at the YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center and support the organization's racial justice program.
Silas Sloan: Covering growth and development in East Tennessee
Twitter: @silasloan| Email: silas.sloan@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Martha Buchanan will serve as YWCA Knoxville's interim CEO
