Kiser said the board conducted a nationwide search. Nathan will join the MCF on Dec. 6 and work with Barnett the rest of the year.
He said the board is confident Nathan “will continue building upon the success” Barnett achieved during her three years and guide the foundation as it hopes to continue to grow in endowment and impact to the community.
Nathan leads Northfield Shares, the community foundation of Northfield, Minn. Before that, she served as the Associate Director of The Fund Raising School where she managed all aspects of the curriculum designed for fundraising practitioners. She also has served as assistant professor of nonprofit management and philanthropy at Bay Path University where she taught and advised online graduate students in the masters of Nonprofit Management and Strategic Fundraising degree programs.
She’s excited to join the MCF that has established itself as “a leader in the community and a catalyst for positive change,” she said.
The Nathan family will be relocating to the Middletown area. As an avid Girl Scout, Nathan said she looks forward to finding her place with a local troop where she can volunteer her time and energy in helping to guide young leaders.
In June, Barnett, who served as executive director since 2018, announced her retirement at the end of 2021.
She called her three years at MCF “rewarding and inspiring.”
Barnett began her tenure with MCF in August 2018 and since then, the assets of the foundation have grown to $43 million, a testament Barnett said, to the generosity of the community.
Barnett and her husband Mark will remain in Middletown and continue the historic restoration of the Sorg Mansion, she said.
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