The Sheridan County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of Kerissa Payne to its staff. Payne will serve in the Foundation’s newly created Program Officer position. She began her role Monday, Aug. 19 and will be working part-time to assist the Foundation in its mission to better Sheridan County.
Payne, along with her husband, Charlie, and two children, Sadie and Harper, moved to Hoxie from central Ohio in 2023. Together they own and operate Covey Rise Farms, LLC, which produces and sells dry aged beef and other products ‘from fields to plate’ shipping their goods across the nation.
Payne’s previous work experience includes roles as an Economic Development Officer and Program Manager with the Ohio Treasurer of State in which she administered a variety of business and workforce development loan programs, managing several multi-million dollar portfolios.
As Program Officer, Payne will play a vital role in supporting the SCCF Executive Director Karl Pratt, assisting with the day-to-day operations of the Foundation and taking lead roles on various initiatives. A key focus of her work will include economic development projects and activities in Sheridan County, Kansas, aimed at fostering sustainable growth and enhancing the local economy.
Payne will be taking over and expanding the economic development duties from Pratt who will shift his focus to Foundation-related matters, including donor and funds stewardship and development, assisting donors with establishing planned gifts in their estates to leave a legacy in perpetual support of Sheridan County, and working with area organizations to provide training, resources, and other opportunities.
“We are so excited to have Kerissa join the Foundation team, and we believe her background as a business owner, in marketing, and her past work with the Ohio State Treasurer’s office will allow her to hit the ground running here in Sheridan County,” said Pratt. “This is an exciting time in our Foundation’s life. We have a number of new initiatives we will be unveiling to the public soon as we step into 2025 and beyond and we are grateful to have Kerissa on board to assist us in those efforts.”
Thanks to the generosity of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation and the Patterson Family Foundation who are jointly funding a Foundation Director Staffing Grant, Pratt is now able to shift his work duties to include those solely of the Foundation with oversight and supervision of the Program Officer position.
“We are grateful to the Hansen Foundation and the Patterson Family Foundation for this amazing opportunity to allow us to redirect some of our existing funding to expand our staffing and our capacities to further conduct both Foundation and Economic Development related work. We are also grateful to the commissions of both the City of Hoxie and Sheridan County for their continued support of the Foundation and Economic Development endeavors,” said Pratt.
The Foundation is always interested in hearing from community members on needs, ideas, or questions they may have about the Foundation, as well as connecting individuals and organizations to available resources and volunteer opportunities. In addition, the Foundation encourages area organizations to consider submitting grant applications for funding to assist with projects and activities that benefit Sheridan County. Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling monthly basis. Visit www.growsheridancounty.org/grants for more information and to apply.
Foundation staff members will continue to work inside the offices of Pratt Law Office, 736 Main, Hoxie. They can be reached at the Foundation’s new phone number 785-677-5090 or by email at director@growsheridancounty.org (Karl) or programs@growsheridancounty.org (Kerissa).
SCCF is an affiliate of the Greater Northwest Kansas Community Foundation based in Bird City. The foundation seeks to encourage, prudently manage, and distribute charitable contributions to improve the quality of life of Sheridan County residents, now and in the future. To learn more, visit www.growsheridancounty.org. Connect with SCCF at www.facebook.com/sheridanccf.
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