Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Marty Courtney loves people. And she loves helping people get back on their feet to help themselves.
But after eight years of helping and loving, she says it's time to explore other avenues and take a new direction than the one she's traveled as director of Combined Community Services Inc. She will leave her position at the end of the year.
"I've been wrestling with this about a year. I guess I just felt I needed to leave before I burned out or was asked to leave," she said. "This job is stressful - it has a high burnout rate. You can't always help all the people that need it.
"We're also almost totally dependent on organizations donating the funds you use, so if you don't please all of them, it could drastically affect your budget if they decide to cut their contribution," she said. "I want to leave while I'm still feeling good about what we've done and where we've come to."
She said that during her tenure, CCS has seen remarkable growth, going from an annual budget of $50,000 in 1987 to nearly $1 million for 1999.
"Our staff has grown, we've changed locations and we've brought it up to this level," Courtney said. "So now, maybe, it's time for me to move on and go in a new direction."
She has no immediate employment plans for when she leaves CCS, and will take her time deciding what direction to take, she said.
She said that she will help the CCS board look for her replacement, and will look someone with a burning desire to help people and a strong background in business.
"I hope my replacement comes to me with a passion to do this job," she said. "The pay isn't here, the hours are long, the demands are high.
"Number two, you have to have a head for business. You have to do the grant writing, the fund-raising and the controlling of how the money goes out."
Leaving CCS is a good thing, she said, but she will take fond memories of the board and staff with whom she worked.
"I've really enjoyed it. I've worked with some wonderful people on my board and on my staff," she said. "I'm going to miss all that, but it's just time for me to move in another direction."
