Athens Area Homeless Shelter executive director decides to leave

The executive director for the Athens Area Homeless Shelter has resigned effective May 31, the shelter’s board of directors announced this week.

Shea Post is leaving after a dozen years at the helm, a tenure that garnered praise from board members.

Julianne Geddis, a program director for the shelter, will serve as interim director, while the board conducts a search for a new executive director, according to the release.

The shelter, located on Barber Street, is a non-profit, founded in 1986, with a mission of helping homeless families and individuals, who are seeking permanent housing solutions.

“Shea is an exceptional leader, and she will be greatly missed,” Cullen Timmons, chair for the shelter’s board, said, in a statement released with the announcement.

“More than anything else, she instilled a deep spirit of caring and compassion in how we carried out our mission. She set the tone and example for the board, the staff, and the volunteers.”

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Post, in her resignation letter, noted how the position at the shelter has enriched her life.

“Professionally, I have grown with AAHS and leave fully confident in my skills, knowledge, and ability to nurture, grow, and lead an impactful nonprofit organization,” she wrote.

Johnathan McGinty, who was a member of the search committee that hired Post, said she was the right person for the job.

“Her disciplined yet compassionate approach to building sustainable infrastructure for the organization so it could better serve the Athens community enabled the shelter to touch, and transform, hundreds of lives throughout her tenure,” McGinty said.

Post was lauded for her service by the board and pointed out she led the shelter through a “dramatic increase” in its budget, navigated the pandemic, increased the number of families served, and partnered with other non-profits to better serve those using the shelter.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens homeless shelter director leaves post after 12 years