courtesy photo
Changes at AWARE include (left to right) Miranda Elkins, co-director, Anna Pirie, retired from directorship and Ashley Gravel, co-director.
HARDWICK – After serving for 23 years, Anna Pirie has retired from the directorship of AWARE. To replace her, the AWARE board has opted for a co-directorship that includes Ashley Gravel, AWARE’s youth advocate and Miranda Elkins, AWARE’s support specialist.
Pirie will become the financial and grants coordinator, helping out with fundraising events.
A small AWARE flier advertising for AmeriCorps volunteers caught Pirie’s attention in 1997. She applied for the position and worked as a volunteer for the next two years covering AWARE’s hotline after-hours and providing volunteer training on domestic and sexual violence. Pirie had previous experience volunteering and was employed by AWARE’s sister agency, Clarina Howard Nichols Center in Morrisville since its inception in the early 1980s. After volunteering for those two years, Pirie was hired as an advocate. She became AWARE’s executive director in 2002.
During her time with AWARE, Pirie’s leadership has created positive relationships within the greater Hardwick area as well as with donors. Her reputation as a tenacious advocate for all who struggle with domestic violence and sexual assault, including victims and their families, has made her a valued asset to the community.
During her 25 years of service, Pirie created a strong, consistent structure at AWARE that included the hotline, helping clients with relief from abuse orders, guiding them through the courts, and creating a safe place for survivors.
She has set strong staff guidelines, encouraged training, worked diligently to meet grant requirements, and spearheaded various fundraisers, all of which create a strong financial foundation.
Chani Waterhouse, director of member relations at The Vermont Network, says Pirie has been “a strong leader in her community, a mentor and teacher to many of us, and a rock for survivors.”
Karen Tronsgard-Scott, Executive Director of The Vermont Network, met Pirie back in 2007. She says, “From the day I met Anna, I could see in her a clarity about serving the community. The number of survivors she has helped is nearly unimaginable. She has quietly and powerfully led AWARE over the years so that the impact of this organization has been felt across the Hardwick community. Anna has mentored innumerable advocates and other leaders, like me. She is a role model for creating the kind of organization that embodies the empowerment we all seek to offer survivors and she has done this with hard work, determination, grace and love.”
Co-Director Elkins will take on administrative duties while specializing in working with adult survivors. Fellow Co-Director Gravel’s focus will be on children, youth and the community. Both Elkins and Gravel have received extensive training from Pirie in the past year to prepare them for the leadership transition. Both come to AWARE with passion and dedication for assisting survivors of domestic and sexual violence, as well as experience in human services. They have both worked in local schools, mental health organizations and have a background in business administration.
Gravel and Elkins are excited and energized about the opportunity to continue at AWARE as co-directors, utilizing their passion and experience to make a difference in our community.
Jerry Schneider is a board member at AWARE.
