Ruth Birge has been named Executive Director of United Way of Henderson County (UWHC) by the organization’s Board of Directors. She served as Interim Executive Director of UWHC from June 2009-December 2009.  Birge, who is retired as the Publisher of the Hendersonville Times-News and has most recently worked for Carolina First as Branch Manager of the Four Seasons office, will begin on March 22. 

Birge has lived in Henderson County since 2002 where she also began her tenure as the publisher of the Times-News and has developed many professional and personal relationships in the community. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Hendersonville, a Trustee of the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, a Board Member of the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, and serves on the United Agenda for Children.  Additionally, she has held leadership positions on many local boards. She is a past Chair of the Board of United Way of Henderson County, a past United Way Campaign Chair, and has served as co-chair of the committee that developed the current strategic plan.

Born and educated in Indiana, Birge lived in many areas of the country, before settling in Hendersonville in 2002.  She has a comprehensive background in marketing, sales, advertising, and administration, and has held positions ranging from specialty automotive sales to the newspaper business.  Birge has received numerous awards for her newspaper experience including the 1990 Annual Customer Service Award at a Florida NYT paper, two New York Times Chairman Awards, and Imperial Polk Advertising Federation’s AdWoman of the Year, among others.

“We want to thank all of the community volunteers that assisted in our search process,” said Terry Foxworth, UWHC Board Chair, “It was months of very hard work.  From the beginning we were looking for a servant leader, someone who can organize community resources, and has a heart for Henderson County.”

A transition team comprised of UWHC Board members, non-profit leaders, and community members ran a comprehensive national search that produced a wealth of candidates.