AWS Foundation Welcomes Mandy Drakeford as Program Officer
Fort Wayne, IN — October 14, 2021 — AWS Foundation announced today that Mandy Drakeford had been selected as their new Program Officer. Drakeford previously served as Executive Director of GiGi's Playhouse Fort Wayne.
"We are delighted to welcome Mandy to our team. She brings a wonderful balance of mission-related and professional experience to the foundation," states Patti Hays, AWS Foundation's CEO. "Mandy’s passion for working with people of varied abilities is a great match with our mission to serve the disability communities across Northeast Indiana.”
Before joining the foundation, Ms. Drakeford’s non-profit experience also includes a wide range of programming, fundraising, and event management at SCAN (Stop Child Abuse and Neglect), Levine Museum of the New South, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation, and the University of Cincinnati Foundation. She currently serves as an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication.
“I am honored to join the team at AWS Foundation," said Ms. Drakeford. "I look forward to partnering with the staff, board, and grantees as we encourage our community to think differently about how to help individuals of all abilities achieve their highest potential."
Drakeford received her bachelor’s and Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Cincinnati and holds an Accreditation in Public Relations from the Public Relations Society of America. She has participated in many professional activities and received several awards, including Fort Wayne Business Weekly 40 Under 40 Honoree and Public Relations Society of America’s New Professional of the Year.
Mandy Drakeford joins an existing staff of six dedicated to celebrating the unique contributions that people with disabilities make in the community and providing every opportunity for each individual to achieve their fullest potential.
About the AWS Foundation
Founded in 2007, AWS Foundation supports a wide range of organizations and service agencies in northeast Indiana working to develop a community in which people with enduring intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities are engaged fully and meaningfully in all aspects of community life. For more information and an overview of Foundation initiatives, visit awsfoundation.org.