Scott Nishimura snishimura@bizpress.net
MaryAnn Means-Dufrene, deputy chief of staff to Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, is new executive director at Susan G. Komen Greater Fort Worth.
Means-Dufrene will be responsible for representing Komen Fort Worth to the public, policy makers and community organizations; leading organizational development and planning; guiding volunteers and committees; optimizing financial performance; building donor relationships; overseeing personnel; and impacting public policy.
The Fort Worth affilliate grants funds each year to organizations in Tarrant, Parker, Johnson and Hood counties to support breast cancer education, detection, treatment, and research.
“We are thrilled to welcome MaryAnn to the Komen Greater Fort Worth family,” Joan Katz and Suzanne Sanders, co-chairs of the search committee, said in a statement. “Her local community connections and varied professional background, coupled with her leadership skills, will be invaluable to the organization.’”
“I have loved working for @MayorBetsyPrice and am thrilled to accept the position of executive director of @KomenGreaterFW,” Means-Dufrene tweeted to The Business Press Wednesday afternoon after word of her appointment emerged.
Means-Dufrene’s last day at the city will be Oct. 17, and her first day at Komen Greater Fort Worth will be Oct. 20.
As deputy chief of staff, Means-Dufrene oversaw the mayor’s public engagement initiatives. Those include SteerFW, Price’s emerging under-40 leaders program, the FitWorth citywide wellness program, and the mayor’s Rolling, Walking and Caffeinated town halls.
She also represented the mayor and city on various committees and work groups, including homelessness, public transportation and urban revitalization.
Means-Dufrene holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas A&M University. Working later at the Lena Pope Home in Fort Worth, she decided to move into public policy, which led her to the University of Texas at Arlington, where she earned a master’s degree in public administration and a second degree in human resource management.
Means-Dufrene serves on the boards of the Arts Council of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Botanical Society, and she is the Leadership Fort Worth Leading Edge board shadow for the Presbyterian Night Shelter. She was a Business Press’ 40 Under 40 honoree earlier this year.