Judy Harritan is new director at CIS-Whiteville
Judy Harritan
By FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writer
Longtime Whiteville resident and civic leader Judy Harritan has been selected as the new executive director of Communities in Schools of Whiteville. Approved for the position earlier this school year, she is the organization’s fourth executive since its start in 2000.
Harritan, who has an extensive background in management and business, will be responsible for the overall management of CIS-Whiteville and will work as the site coordinator for Whiteville Primary School, where her office is based.
“By becoming involved in Communities in Schools of Whiteville, I felt I could make a difference in the successful education of our students,” Harritan said. “My husband Don retired from the Whiteville City Schools, but he and I have remained involved in the schools for 35 years.”
Prior to CIS-W, Harritan worked on special projects for Waccamaw Bank. From 1978 until 2004, she worked for United Carolina Bank and Branch Banking and Trust in various capacities including executive assistant to the UCB president and the bank’s state banking executive.
When she first moved to Whiteville, she worked as a secretary for the North Carolina Highway Patrol and in the guidance department at Whiteville High School.
She has been a member of the Whiteville Optimist Club since 1990 and is serving her second term as its president. She is also the club’s first female life member.
Harritan has been a member of the Whiteville Athletic Association since 1988 and served as its president for two consecutive terms.
She was a member of the Whiteville Junior Woman’s Club from 1974 until 1980 and served in various leadership capacities at the local and state levels in that organization including club president in 1980.
“I hope that my past community involvement will be an asset as CIS develops its volunteer list and conducts fundraising to continue our efforts to keep students in school and prepare them for the future,” she said.
She said that CIS-W is important for many reasons.
“In the United States 1.2 million students (7,000 per day) drop out of high school each year,” she said. “While intervention programs on the high school level are important, it is essential that we begin our preventative efforts in a student’s early school years.
“Therefore, CIS-W is concentrating its efforts to reach at-risk students as they begin their education.”
She said that the long-term effects of a high dropout rate include unemployment, lower salaries for those who are employed, higher crime rates, greater health issues and increased financial costs for the nation.
“For 30 years, CIS has been a national non-profit organization to help students stay in school, she said, “Planning for CIS-W began in 1999 and the first executive director was employed in 2000.”
“CIS is a non-profit organization,” Harritan said. “One of our biggest needs is on-going sustainable financial support. A second and equally important need is our volunteers. Without our volunteers, CIS could not be successful.
“We appreciate all of the people who unselfishly give their time to work one-on-one with students, spend time in our classrooms, chaperone on field trips, and assist CIS in other ways. Both of these needs are essential to fulfilling our mission.
“I hope to increase our volunteer base and eventually to have full-time site coordinators at Whiteville Primary and Whiteville High schools,” she said. “I think we can easily increase the number of volunteers and therefore the number of students we can help.
However, employing site coordinators will be contingent on availability of funds for these positions.
CIS-W has site coordinators at Central Middle, Edgewood Elementary and Whiteville Primary schools.
“We also are involved with Whiteville High School and North Whiteville Academy,” she said. “In addition to donations, grants, and some CIS of North Carolina assistance, we are funded by two main events – our Seventh Annual Swinging for Schools Golf Tournament, which is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 26 and, in March, 2008, we will have our Sixth Annual Nothing But Net Basketball Tournament.”
She and Don have been married for 37 years. Their sons, Vance and Mark, both graduated from Whiteville High School and East Carolina University. Vance and his wife Michelle have three children: Hunter, 5, Griffin, 3 and Addy, 6 months.
Her hobbies include crafts such as crocheting, beadwork, cross-stitch and needlepoint. Interests include her grandchildren, sports (especially Dixie Youth Baseball) and the Whiteville Optimist Club.
“I grew up in Rocky Mount, Harritan said. “I had never lived in a smaller town, but moving to Whiteville was a good decision. Don and I really love being here. Whiteville has a good family atmosphere.
“There are no strangers and everyone is friendly. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I hope that I can help Whiteville and especially the Whiteville City Schools through my involvement in Community in Schools.
“It is so important that we (CIS, our schools, the community, businesses, and individuals) provide the best education for our children – our future.”