She refused to say why Gordon resigned. His name has been removed from the foundation’s web site.
Schul said that while the MCF searches for a permanent replacement, longtime Middletown businessman Dan Sack will serve as interim director. Sack, who worked at Armco for 24 years and as a private businessman for 20 years, said his top priorities are keeping the foundation “moving in the right direction” and finding a permanent replacement for Gordon.
When asked why he resigned, Gordon said in a text message to this media outlet that he didn’t wish to “discuss beyond” what was said in the news release.
He was hired in December 2007 as executive director of the Middletown Community Foundation. A graduate of Mississippi State University with a degree in communications and journalism, Gordon’s first career was as a newspaper reporter and editor at the Madison County Journal.
“On behalf of the entire Board, and the Middletown Community Foundation, we want to thank Duane for his dedicated service during a time of growth and against a challenging economic backdrop,” Schul wrote in an email to this news organization.
“We wish him all the best in his future endeavors. The Foundation remains dedicated to its mission to secure permanent and growing assets for the Middletown area’s changing needs, and looks forward to a productive year.”
According to a national study, the Middletown Community Foundation was the No. 1 most active community foundation in Ohio, which has 80 community foundations and the No. 21 most active foundation in the United States, which has more than 750 community foundations; and was ranked for the first year ever in the top 100 for per capita giving, at No. 59, with approximately $44 in gifts received per resident it serves in its communities.
Earlier this year, the MCF board of directors approved nearly $100,000 in grants to 14 local organizations.
The largest grant, worth $20,000, was awarded to People Working Cooperatively, a group that repairs homes for Middletown-area families.
Three other groups — Atrium Medical Foundation, Berachah Church, and Middletown Lyric Theater — each received $15,000 for their programs.
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