United Community Ministries names new executive director

Alison DeCourcey

United Community Ministries announced Friday that Alison DeCourcey will be taking over as the non-profit’s new executive director. 

DeCourcey comes to UCM from Ernst & Young Global. There she served as Global Director of Operations for the firm’s Strategic Growth Markets practice in Washington D.C. and London.

DeCourcey has also held executive positions at Carpenter’s Shelter and Doorways for Women and Children, and has served on several area nonprofit boards and commissions, according to a UCM press release.

“In returning to the nonprofit world after many years in the corporate world, I view this opportunity as a fulfillment of my passion and commitment to the challenge of positively impacting lives,” DeCourey said in a statement. “I feel honored to be selected to lead UCM, an agency with a long and impressive history of empowering families, children, and adults to create a better future for themselves.”

DeCourcey begins at UCM on April 5. She replaces Nichelle Mitchem, who had served as executive director since Dec. 2014 before leaving in February. Herb Lea, UCM’s Director of Business Operations, has been serving as interim executive director since then.

“We are excited by the wealth of experience and enthusiasm Alison brings to UCM. With her background and experience, we are confident she will lead UCM forward during this pivotal time in the agency’s 48-year history,” UCM Board Chair Ken Disselkoen said in a press release. 

UCM has served needy and vulnerable members of the Richmond Highway community since 1969. The many services offered by UCM include an emergency food pantry, an early learning center, a literacy and citizenship center and two community centers. UCM has also worked to protect community members from homelessness, distributed school supplies to thousands of children and awarded college scholarships to students from low-income families.