YOUNGSTOWN — The Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley board of directors announced the upcoming retirement of Shari Harrell, the organization’s president for the past decade.
Casey Krell, a longtime director with the organization, will succeed Harrell as president after a period of transition.
Harrell’s retirement date is set for March 1, 2024. The foundation also will commemorate its 25th anniversary next year and hopes to incorporate celebrations for both Harrell and Krell into the festivities.
“Shari Harrell has been an exceptional leader for the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley and the communities we serve,” Timothy Francisco, professor of English at Youngstown State University and chair of CFMV’s Board of Directors, said. “During her tenure, the foundation has grown mightily in assets, outreach and impact. As importantly, Shari has empowered staff, board and stakeholders to boldly reimagine philanthropy from equity centered systems approaches.”
Since joining the Community Foundation in 2013, Harrell has grown the staff to eight full-time employees, prioritized diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within the foundation and its operations, overseen the creation of the Healthy Community Partnership, a cross-sector collaborative that aims to improve health outcomes in the Mahoning Valley through long-term partnerships with leaders, residents, and stakeholders throughout the community, the foundation stated.
“Serving as the president of the Community Foundation for the past decade has truly been an honor and a privilege,” Harrell said. “I have enjoyed the opportunity to work alongside so many dedicated people, from the staff team to all of the individuals and organizations out in the community. This position has allowed me to expand my knowledge and understanding of the good work happening across the Valley and region.”
Harrell led the organization through the most tumultuous parts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and implemented changes, including a joint grant application and review process with The Raymond John Wean Foundation and The Youngstown Foundation to expedite giving to those organizations most in need. She is also working to wrap up the organization’s current strategic planning process, which incorporated input from community stakeholders, to clarify priorities and focus areas and set the stage for the Foundation’s work over the next few years.
Additionally under Harrell’s leadership, the Foundation received both the largest gift in its history, $10.5 million to establish the Arnett Family Fund, and the first completely unrestricted fund in its history, the Willanna and William DiCiero Memorial Fund, which the Foundation can use to address the community’s most pressing needs.
Krell joined the organization in 2014 and is the director of supporting organizations and donor services, where she partners with CFMV’s three affiliated foundations — the Western Reserve Health Foundation, the Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation and the William Swanston Charitable Fund — and more than 160 component funds to make strategic investments to address community needs.
Previously, Krell spearheaded the launch of the Healthy Community Partnership, implemented numerous accounting / finance processes and procedures, revised CFMV’s grantmaking structure to improve the process for grantees and fund holders and helped the organization during its major software transition in 2021
“I am beyond humbled that the board of directors has chosen me to be the foundation’s next leader to continue moving the work forward that Shari and our team started,” Krell said.
Krell recently completed her Masters of Business Administration from Youngstown State University.
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