WV Press Association
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Pallottine Foundation of Huntington announced today that Janell Ray, its founding Chief Executive Officer, will retire effective Dec. 31, 2023. The Foundation’s Board of Trustees has selected Laura Boone, Senior Program Officer, to serve as the next CEO starting in January. Ray will continue to serve the Foundation in an advisory role through June 2024.
In 2018, Ray worked with the Pallottine Missionary Sisters and the Foundation’s Board of Trustees to establish the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington following the sale of St. Mary’s Medical Center. Under her leadership, the Foundation has awarded more than $15 million in funding to nonprofit organizations administering health-related programming in 20 counties throughout West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio.
“It has been an honor to continue the Pallottine Sisters’ mission through my work with the Foundation,” Ray said. “The Sisters have served and supported the Huntington community and surrounding areas for more than 100 years, and the Foundation was created to ensure their legacy continues. The Foundation’s ongoing support of local nonprofit organizations will provide vital resources and services to those in need for many years to come.”
Boone will move into the CEO role after serving as the Foundation’s Senior Program Officer for four years. Her previous experience centered on grant program design and oversight, health programming and policy development, and advocacy. She has worked at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, the West Virginia Long Term Care Partnership, and the national Alzheimer’s Association.
“I look forward to building upward from the amazing base Janell has established for our Foundation,” Boone said. “In the next year, we will begin implementing the objectives of our new strategic plan, continue to provide opportunities for collaboration and multifaceted support for our community partners, and increase outreach across our region to identify potential new partners and deepen our relationships with current partners.”
About the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington
The Pallottine Foundation of Huntington was established with proceeds from the sale of St. Mary’s Medical Center, and continues the legacy established by the Pallottine Missionary Sisters of caring for the spiritual, emotional and physical health of those in the region. The Foundation focuses its efforts on four core areas: food insecurity, mental and behavioral health, substance use disorder, and tobacco cessation. It also supports capacity building and health and wellness. Its service area includes Boone, Cabell, Mason, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mingo, western Putnam and Wayne counties in West Virginia; Gallia, Lawrence and Scioto counties in Ohio; and Boyd, Carter, Floyd, Greenup, Johnson, Lawrence, Martin and Pike counties in Kentucky.