Five years ago, Britani Merritt, Operations & Donor Services Director of Marietta Community Foundation, began her career at the Foundation. In celebration of this milestone, we are asking Britani about some of the highlights of her career so far!
Mason Beuhring: I know you are a transplant to the area, like me, what brought you to the area?
BM: I fell in love with the Ohio River and the rich history of the area. It reminded me of my hometown Lebanon, Ohio.
After moving here, I decided to go back to school. I registered for the Accounting program at Washington State Community College and did very well. I loved working with the students and teachers there. It was a great experience.
After graduating from WSCC, I transferred to Marietta College where I majored in Finance and received my bachelor’s in 2015. During my time there, I had my second son, Seth, and married my husband, Brad.
I cannot imagine living anywhere else but here.
MB: Do you live in Marietta?
BM: I currently live in Beverly, just north of Marietta, which is closer to the size of my original hometown. Our kids, Jade, Kay, John, and Seth, attend Fort Frye and have truly flourished there. The teachers are fantastic and the community is such a great tight-knit community that makes you feel welcomed. It is a great place to raise a family.
MB: How was your time as a student at WSCC and Marietta College?
BM: I absolutely loved going to Washington State. Being a nontraditional student, it is hard sometimes to find a way to balance work, school and a family. Especially when you are a single mom of three. But Washington State provides such great support for their students and I enjoyed the classes with people of all ages and backgrounds.
Marietta College was a great opportunity as well. There aren’t as many non-traditional students as Washington State, but it is still a great environment. They really challenge you to be the best that you can and to think outside the box!
MB: How did you get involved with the Foundation?
BM: Being an alum of Marietta College, I would receive emails from the Career Center Department about available jobs and internship opportunities in the area. It just so happen that I had recently started looking to get back into the workforce. I always wanted to do something business-related, but had a passion for service and nonprofits.
I received an email from the college about a job opening at the Foundation as the office manager. After reading the job description and qualifications I realized that it was exactly what I wanted to do. So I brushed off my resume, sent it in and crossed my fingers.
Lucky for me, I got an interview! After meeting with Heather I learned more about the Foundation and the role I would be taking within the organization. I knew right then that I wanted to be a part of this great organization!
MB: How does it feel to be promoted to your new position? What do you hope to accomplish?
BM: I am so excited about the opportunity that Heather and the Board have given me! I have gotten to know a lot of our donors and nonprofits over the years and can't wait to build on those relationships to better serve our community. Washington County is such a great area to live and work… to be a part of something that makes it even better is a dream come true.
While in this position I want to focus on helping the Foundation grow, help new donors become better acquainted with what we do and make sure we keep building on the relationships we have already established with current donors. By working together we really can make a huge impact in the community.
MB: What activities do you enjoy doing outside of the office?
BM: At home, I stay pretty busy. With a houseful of kids, it's hard to really have any downtime, but when I do I enjoy watching new movies with my family. I'm a big movie fanatic. Especially at the theater, which will hopefully open again soon!
I also love to travel. It's so exciting to go to a new place and try new things. I have been all over the US, and hope to travel abroad in the future. Some of my favorites places to visit were San Francisco CA, San Jose TX and our nation's capital.
MB: What is your favorite thing about the Foundation?
BM: I love seeing the impact you make in someone's life. When you see first hand what the Foundation does in people’s lives, it’s heartwarming and makes you want to work harder to do it again and again.
MB: How long have you worked at the Foundation, and what is your take on the growth we have experienced?
BM: I’ve been with the Foundation for 5 years, today actually. Honestly, the growth we have had over the last few years is amazing! It seems like every year we have hit a new record of some kind and we've brought on more people. I came on when Heather was the only other staff member, and now there's four of us! It might not seem like much, but that's huge growth for a small foundation, and I am so excited to see where we go from here.
MB: Britani, thank you for what you do for the Foundation and our community! It’s been great working with you and I look forward to serving Washington county together!
BM: Thank you and I look forward to it too!