Deep Center welcomes the announcement today of its new Executive Director Dr. Holly Whitfield. Dr. Whitfield will begin their role immediately.
“We are fortunate to have someone of Dr. Whitfield’s caliber” said Deep Center board chair, Chris Middleton. “Her professional experience spans non-profits, academia, and business organizations, and her passion for organizational diversity, equity, inclusion, and access is in direct alignment with Deep Center’s philosophy.”
Dr. Holly Whitfield is a scholar-activist, educator, and non-profit leader. Originally, from Indiana, Dr. Whitfield’s career brought her to Florida, St. Croix, Charlotte, and Charleston. She started her career as an elementary school teacher and her passions led her to non-profit leadership positions in organizations that support health, wellness, and empowerment for youth, seniors, BIPOC communities, and the LGBTQIA+ community. As a long-time member and board member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) in Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina, she brings organizational and fundraising expertise to Deep Center. Dr. Whitfield also served as a board member of the ACLU in North Carolina, and Shepherd Centers of America.
Dr. Whitfield earned a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at Keiser University where she investigated the intersection of race, gender, age, and non-profit organizational culture with belongingness/retention and workplace feedback. In addition to leading nonprofits, Dr. Whitfield has continued her work as an educator, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses at Pfeiffer University, Newberry College, and College of Charleston.
Intersectionality is a focus of Dr. Whitfield. She is committed to creating affirming spaces for the full exploration of all identities and believes this is how we can best embrace wholeness and promote healing. She is excited to bring this philosophy and her years of non-profit leadership to Deep Center.
“Deep Center’s values align with my own,” said Dr. Whitfield. “Through empowering youth to tell their unique stories, we support the foundation for building and restoring communities. I encourage all of us to share not just one story but the multitude of stories that shapes who we are – this is how we heal and enter the process of becoming whole. I resonate with Deep’s healing-centered paradigm, and I am honored to be a part of an organization committed to social justice, equity, youth empowerment, and collective action.”
Over the past 16 months, Deep Center’s search committee, which comprised board and staff members, alongside the national search firm, Kittleman & Associates, diligently worked to search for an Executive Director that would meet the needs of the organization’s growth and trajectory. During this time, Deputy Director Louise Tremblay stepped into the role of Interim Executive Director and led the organization through a national pandemic and various social challenges. Deep Center is grateful for her leadership in this transition period and in her commitment towards finding a director to lead the organization into the next chapter of its work.