Stan Hubbard to retire from Kanuga
10.25.2016 - Kanuga Stories
On October 31st, Stan Hubbard [pictured] will retire after serving as Kanuga’s president for 12 years. At the recent Board of Visitors’ weekend, Stan and his wife, Carol were toasted by the Most Rev. George Carey, 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury, along with past and present trustees and the Division Head Team. Speakers described the legacy of Stan’s term as Kanuga’s chief executive.
Current Board of Trustees Chair, Ed Colhoun of Winston-Salem, NC, sums up Kanuga’s progress since 2005 as, “nothing short of amazing. While the beautiful ‘new’ Inn is the most obvious physical legacy of Stan’s tenure, each successive board has seen different aspects of Kanuga’s operations improved. Those improvements—which will pay dividends for decades—are the work of the remarkable leadership team that Stan has assembled and developed for Kanuga. Listen to the comments of others who have worked closely with Stan and his top managers over the past 12 years.”
Kathy Horton-Brown, of Pensacola, FL, was serving on the board that called Stan as president in 2004. She then served a second term, chairing the Property Committee and then chairing the Board. She also served on the Long-range Planning Task Force and is currently again serving as a trustee and also as corporate secretary and member of the Executive Committee. A retired attorney who has served on a variety of church and civic boards, Kathy believes that an active board is one of the key ingredients in making non-profits successful. “As we hired Stan, Kanuga’s board asked him to engage us more deeply in setting policy and direction, which he has done very methodically over the years. With Stan’s leadership, we have defined our roles, re-structured our by-laws and strengthened our committees—all to give trustees the information, authority and flexibility to fulfill their responsibilities. He has done the same for the Kanuga Endowment. Today, both boards are strong, clearly focused and healthy—ready to lead Kanuga into the future.”
Dee Ward of Raleigh, NC, is a previous trustee who served on the search committee that selected Stan as a finalist in 2004. She served on the Long-range Planning Task Force and is now serving again as a trustee—as an active member of the Human Resources Committee. “One of my passions is seeing that Kanuga becomes a model employer—that the highest quality staff can build a meaningful career here. I am delighted with the progress we’ve made in 12 years. Recruiting Laura Moushey, Kanuga’s first certified human resources manager, Stan has driven the development of a clear, efficient organization, use of the best management practices, provision of excellent training and effective communication up, down and across the departments.”
Heather Zdancewicz of Alexandria, VA has chaired the board’s Finance and Audit Committee since 2012. As the vice president of finance and administration for the Virginia Theological Seminary, Heather advocates strongly for transparency, accountability and conservatism in the financial management of non-profits. “I am very impressed with the continuous improvement that we and the external auditors have seen in Kanuga’s financial management. Today, with Marcella Thompson as vice president of finance, the accounting staff shares the information and builds the processes needed for Kanuga to perform well each year—and build financial strength for the long haul. While Marcella has enhanced the technical side of Kanuga’s finance operations, she has also developed her staff and helped managers learn the financial side of managing their departments.”
Jerry Kendall of St. Petersburg, FL, a current member of the board’s Executive Committee, previously chaired the board’s Advancement Committee for three years. A retired entrepreneur, Jerry has a strong interest in helping non-profits efficiently grow their earned and philanthropic revenues. “It has been a pleasure to see how Gary Giniat, vice president of advancement, leads Kanuga’s marketing and fundraising. He has assembled an incredibly talented staff that has consistently distinguished Kanuga through the quality of their work. The results speak for themselves, from the successful launch of Kanuga’s fantastic new website and impressive use of social media to record-breaking annual fund totals and the completion of our Inn renovation campaign—the largest in Kanuga’s history.”
Jack McMillan of Atlanta, GA served on the Endowment Board from 1998–2000 and then again on the Kanuga Conferences, Inc. Board of Trustees from 2001–2006, and again recently, finishing his term as board chair. A retired management consultant, he believes that well-researched plans are critical to a non-profit of Kanuga’s size and complexity. “In order to deliver its important mission, Kanuga must continue to be a successful $8 million business. So it was important that we invested the time and money to complete a comprehensive long-range plan in 2010. The past six years have seen a stream of improvements in Kanuga’s operations—from converting the campus to natural gas, which will save millions, to less visible initiatives such as the new resident apprenticeship program. In the 18 months since Stan recruited Mark Upright as Kanuga’s chief operating officer, Mark has demonstrated a strong commitment to implementing Kanuga’s plans and been very effective in managing the resources needed to accelerate progress in coming years.”
Lori Garst of Asheville, NC, is a current Kanuga trustee, serving on the Executive Committee and chairing the Board’s Property Committee. A curator of the Biltmore Estate’s collections, she has a long Kanuga history and worked on the summer staff for several years. “Maintaining a campus of this size is a huge challenge for a non-profit, especially when so many of the buildings have historical significance and create Kanuga’s charm,” she says. “Over the past 12 years, numerous cottages and other buildings have been renovated; six new buildings have been built; municipal water and natural gas have been brought to campus; 1.5 million gallons of water are annually heated by the sun, and we have a completely renovated Inn. Property Vice President Ricky Varnadore has recruited a great staff and has proven that he is the right person to preserve our beloved campus for the future.”
Bob Sessum of Lexington, KY, is a retired priest who served as rector of parishes in North Carolina and Kentucky. He led many national and diocesan Episcopal organizations, serving with distinction as president of Province IV. As a Kanuga trustee, he has served on the Executive Committee and chaired the Board Development Committee. “Every time I turn around, Kanuga seems to set a new record. In 2006 I was proud to see Kanuga and The Episcopal Church launch a national Hispanic and Latino Ministries Conference. The first year they attracted 25 participants and began a very rich and fruitful partnership. Under Jimmy Haden’s leadership as vice president of hospitality and sales, that conference now includes the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, has spread internationally and in August brought 460 participants, making Nuevo Amanecer Kanuga’s largest-ever conference. Such is Kanuga’s history—providing programs, camps and conferences that Christians want and need but that parishes and dioceses are not resourced to provide.”
Richard Lee of Atlanta, GA, chaired the Executive Committee and then the board during his recent tenure as a trustee. Now bringing the fourth generation of his family to Summer Guest Period, Richard is co-chairing the Campaign for Kanuga, which is set to meet its $6.5 million first-phase goal by the end of the year. “Perhaps trustees know more than most about Stan’s contributions to the business side of Kanuga—he has been an incredible steward of this place, an able administrator and a gifted leader. Like other trustees, I knew Stan pleasantly over the years but really got to know him when I served on the board. I’ve observed to a number of people that those six years represented one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. A long-time Kanugan once told me, ‘Stan has such a heart for Kanuga.’ I agree but would add that he has a heart that is also open, humble, joyful and honorable. Perhaps most important, after I began working closely with Stan, I realized he has a faithful heart. Both in his personal journey and his stewardship of Kanuga, his guiding light always was and is the Light of Christ. That underlies every aspect of the legacy we will take forward from these 12 years with Stan Hubbard. Thanks be to God!”