CHERYL ALLEN

Cheryl Allen, CEO and executive director of Community Action of Southern Kentucky, urged the community continue to work together to help those in need during a retirement reception in her honor Thursday.

“What we do is very important, and there are still a lot of needs, and I would just ask that the work continues, that the stories be told,” she said.

Allen will retire at the end of the month. She became the first female CEO and executive director for Community Action of Southern Kentucky in January 2006.

Melissa Weaver of Bowling Green will take over. Weaver previously served as chief financial officer for Nashville and Davidson County’s Community Action Agency, the Metropolitan Action Commission of Nashville and Davidson County and began work at Community Action of Southern Kentucky earlier this month.

Before the reception, Allen said she has mixed emotions as she prepares for retirement.

“I am ready to be less stressed, but I am finding that I am still pretty passionate about the needs and the unmet needs, so I’m trying to reconcile those two facts,” she said. 

Allen started with Community Action in September 1987 as the director of the foster grandparent program.

She said she enjoyed both seniors and children benefitting from the program.

“It really opened my eyes to the poverty that so many of our seniors were living in and the struggles of their lives,” she said. 

Allen said one of her goals as executive director was to help raise wages for some of the employees of Community Action, but there is still work to be done in that area.

“We still have well-educated, dedicated, hard-working staff who make minimum wage, which is so low, they qualify for … some of the benefits that we provide,” she said.

It will take more financial resources for that to happen, Allen said. 

She said she’s spoken to Weaver and others about finances. Allen said she hopes as people see the strong financial management at Community Action, they will see it as a good investment.

Allen plans to spend time enjoying her family and free time when she retires.

“I’ve told myself that I refuse to have a to-do list when I retire,” she said. “I know I will make one and many more, but I do not want to have a to-do list on that first morning or two.”

Allen will continue to be involved in the community but wants to take a break and reassess where she can best be of service, she said.

Garry Robbins, a member of the Community Action Board of Directors from Morgantown, said Allen’s strength is a passion for helping others.

“For me, Cheryl has brought to Community Action probably the spirit and the heart of helping people,” he said.

April Owens, administrative officer at Community Action, said Allen has always brought a strong community focus to the organization.

“Her eyes never strayed from the mission of our organization,” she said.

— Follow government writer Katie Brandenburg at twitter.com/BGDNgovtbeat or visit bgdailynews.com.