Announcing New Development Director – Melissa Turnage
Hello FDW family!
As you may remember, Julie Wenzel announced last summer that she & her family would be moving to Singapore this summer and as a result will be leaving Fidalgo DanceWorks at the end of June. Julie has made a significant impact on our organization during her tenure as both Executive Director and Development Director. FDW has thrived through her fundraising leadership and strong financial oversight. Julie has curated an amazing dance community along the way and will leave a significant footprint on the organization for years to come. Her absence will be felt in so many ways – Julie and her sweet dancers will be sorely missed in our studio and community. The Wenzel family isn’t gone yet and we hope to find a way under our current circumstances to more formally show them our appreciation prior to their departure from Anacortes – more to come as plans develop.
As a result, the FDW Board of Directors has been busy looking for her replacement and It is my pleasure to announce that we have hired Melissa Turnage as the new Development Director for our organization. Melissa & her family recently moved back to Anacortes after being in Delaware for the past 2 years. Melissa may be a familiar name to many as she is no stranger to Fidalgo DanceWorks. Prior to the move, you could find Melissa backstage as a Dance Mom along with serving as an executive strategic intern for Julie in 2018 allowing her to gain some insight on our daily operations & fundraising projects. Melissa brings with her a myriad of community and youth development experience along with serving as a Sergeant in the Army National Guard. Melissa has multiple degrees including a nursing degree and is currently working on her Masters of public administration with intent to graduate in 2021. While in Delaware she worked as a family court liaison for DSCYF. Prior to their move, Melissa was a founding board member of creating and developing the Anacortes Lacrosse non-profit organization in 2017. That program has brought a new sport to our community and continues to thrive. We could not be more thrilled to welcome Melissa in her new role and look forward to formally introducing her in person when we can all be together again. She will be starting in this new role on June 1st and will be working with Julie Wenzel during the month of June for a smooth transition.
Please join me in welcoming Melissa into her new role!
Heather Hernandez
Board President
