Love named next executive director of Eagle’s Wings – Washington Daily News

Vanessa Love was completely surprised when a new job opening appeared in her inbox earlier this year. She opened an email from Eagle’s Wings expressing her interest in potentially becoming their next CEO.

Eagle’s Wings is a nonprofit food bank that serves hundreds of households in Beaufort County each year.

She views the email and subsequent interview, hiring and training as “gifts from God.” Love firmly believes that what is meant for you will happen in “God’s time.”

Love will be confirmed as Eagle’s Wings’ next chief executive officer on July 1. Last month, she was trained by former chief executive officer Ann-Marie Montague, who is retiring after ten years.

“I think Ann-Marie is a phenomenal woman. She is a pillar of this community. She has done so much for Eagle’s Wings here over the last 10 years with both the customers and the staff,” Love said. “It was an honor to fly under her wing and have her show me how it’s done.”

During Love’s training, she was “shocked” to see hundreds of volunteers generously donating their time and energy each week to distribute or deliver food to clients. Eagle’s Wings employs three to four people and relies on volunteers.

“The organization is 98% volunteer. Only three or four people here are paid. That really stood out to me and showed me how big and important the community effort is here at Eagle’s Wings,” Love said.

Love has 15 years of business management experience and was previously a financial center manager at a Greenville bank. She graduated from North Carolina Wesleyan University last December with a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and a minor in business psychology. She is a veteran and served for eight years as a U.S. Army psychological operations sergeant at Fort Liberty in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

“I have always had a passion for helping people and using my leadership and team-building skills. I have always had compassion and empathy for people who are in special situations that are not easy to overcome, because I myself went through some adversity in my childhood,” she said.

Her vision for the future of Eagle’s Wings includes expanding, establishing a more consistent presence in the Aurora community, continuing to build community partnerships, simplifying the application process for prospective clients, and building a social media presence in hopes of attracting younger volunteers.

After leaving the military, Love moved to Washington ten years ago to be near her family in Beaufort County. She has a teenage son and is a foodie. Her favorite restaurant is Bank Bistro.

If she had a free Saturday with no schedule or tasks to complete, Love would spend the day by the water, she said.