Gary Willoughby

ESCANABA — The Board of Directors serving the Menominee-Delta-Schoolcraft Community Action Agency/ Human Resources Inc. has selected a new executive director. Gary Willoughby has joined the team and will be based in the Escanaba main office at 507 1st Avenue North.

Willoughby moved here most recently from Florida but was born downstate in Ypsilanti and spent most of his summers on his grandparents’ farm in Germfask in Schoolcraft County. His education includes a bachelor of arts degree in communication and journalism, a graduate certificate in gerontology, and a master’s degree in public administration. Additionally, he has nonprofit management certificates from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and from the Harvard Business School at the Buffalo Club in New York.

His experience includes serving in leadership roles in nonprofit agencies in senior services, public transportation, and animal welfare, as well as in county government and in the for-profit sector. He is a former board member for the Florida Council on Aging, the New York State Animal Protection Federation, and served as an Advisory Council member for Lincoln Memorial University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Medaille College’s Veterinary Technician program, and Florida Gulf Coast University’s Center for Positive Aging.

Most recently, he also served on the advisory board for the Community Action Agency in Lee County, Florida while serving as the executive director for the Gulf Coast Humane Society.

“I am incredibly honored to join this team of professionals who work in community programs such as Head Start, adult day services, senior centers, home delivered meals, transportation services, homeless assistance programs, weatherization programs, AmeriCorps seniors programs and so many other programs targeted to help people in need of all ages in these three counties. These programs and communities are important to me and our dedicated staff, board members, and volunteers and I am thankful for the opportunity,” Willoughby said.