Tuesday, January 6, 2009 — After more than 15 years of strategic communications experience, senior public relations professional Jennifer Gullette began her first day as executive director for United Way of Stanly County on Monday, replacing Janet Sistare, the former executive director who took a job at Stanly Community College.

Gullette is originally from a small town in Indiana but moved to North Carolina to attend St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg. There she met her husband, Kevin Gullette, Stanly County’s Economic Development Commission (EDC) director.

After reading the SNAP online at her home in Fred-ericksburg, Va., Gullette became interested in the United Way position and said it was a good opportunity for her to give back to the community. Over Christmas break, the couple moved with their two children, Benjamin and Harrison, to Stanly County after only 18 months of being in Virginia.

“We really did our homework,” she said.

“Our goal is to lay our roots here. We really love North Carolina.”

One of the aspects of Stanly County Gullette enjoyed was the sense of community. She had the opportunity to visit the YMCA where she was able to see the involvement of community members and leaders.

While Gullette continues to get her arms around the organization, she has broad goals for her new career at the non-profit organization. She said her skills and talents will come in handy when telling the story of United Way.

“I hope to become a very vocal advocate and allow people to understand the value of United Way and what it brings to Stanly County,” she said.

“I believe in giving back. Whatever happens at United Way, it will benefit the community as a whole.”

Gullette said she’s ready to face the challenges that are presented to her in this career. As the economy continues its downward spiral and the United Way gets branded after a pension scandal involving former CEO of United Way of Central Carolinas Gloria Pace King, Gullette said she still has very much a “can-do spirit.”

“We’ll have to overcome some of the PR [public relations] that the United Way brand has received in the past several months. We are separate from that,” Gullette said.

She also said that people have much tighter budgets these days and people are having to make sacrifices.

“It’s a matter of being able to express how helping the community will benefit us as individuals,” she said.

Gullette is coming into the organization after United Way’s yearly campaign came to an end Dec. 31. She will attend her first allocations meeting next week and then her first board meeting at the end of the month. She has already met some board members who were on the selections committee and said she is looking forward to meeting the rest of them as well as the member agencies.

“I’m ready to learn who they are so I can tell their story,” she said.

Gullette spent a year at James Madison Montpelier, generating more than 220 million media impressions as part of Montpelier’s $24 million restoration celebration. She also worked as a senior account manager at Wray Ward Laseter, director of Public Affairs at N.C. Department of Insurance, a communications specialist at N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles and an account executive at JVS Enterprises.

In addition to her previous employment, Gullette has her own business called the Gullette Group, where she developed strategic messaging campaigns for a number of corporate and political clients. She assisted clients with media relations, message/brand development, speech/media training, marketing and special event planning.

“We’re excited to have Jennifer come aboard to continue the efforts that Janet [Sistare] set forth two years ago,” incoming president Todd Swaringen said.

“We’re confident that United Way will continue to serve our community and our member agencies effectively under Jennifer’s leadership.”

Sarah Jane Rosser can be contacted at snaponline26@carolina.rr.com.