Bishop William F. Medley congratulates SVdP Diocesan Council president, Nancy G. Harris, and SVdP CEO, Richard Remp-Morris, on the 2023 Council of the Year award from SVdP Disaster Services. COURTESY OF BELINDA ABELL
SVdP servant leader leaves her mark
BY BELINDA ABELL, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
Nancy G. Harris’s term as president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) – Diocesan Council of Western Kentucky has come to an end, but during those six years, her leadership, compassion, and her love for God’s people has shown through. She has turned obstacles into opportunities, making lifelong friends along the way. Nancy possesses the unique ability to bring people together to discuss, brainstorm and process opportunities.
Diocesan Council first vice president Harry Bellew had this to say about Nancy: “I had never met Nancy until getting involved with the SVdP council. We became fast friends and instantly began to respect each other’s talents and commitment to SVdP. She is, without question, a natural leader and has done so, so much for the Council. She will be deeply missed by all.”
Nancy’s tenure as Diocesan Council president is significant in that she is the first female president since the council’s inception in 1961. Through her keen leadership, no SVdP employees were laid off during the pandemic. She was instrumental in procuring approved Payroll Protection Plan Loans for SVdP employees. She helped to restructure the board with a renewed focus and was the first council president to add a second vice president to the board.
Under her leadership she supported the acquisition of more than $3.5 million in grants including the largest grant ever received by SVdP Western Kentucky of $1.7 million for tornado disaster relief. She is one of only three Vincentians in western Kentucky to graduate from “Invitation for Renewal,” the SVdP national leadership program. She was hand-selected by the national council to serve as a peer mentor for new diocesan council presidents. She is an active member of the Kentucky Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). Nancy is the first diocesan council president to host an SVdP regional meeting in Owensboro, which brought hundreds of Vincentians from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky.
CEO of SVdP Diocesan Council of Western Kentucky, Richard Remp-Morris, says, “I am forever grateful to Nancy for her support in my role, but more importantly for bringing authenticity, integrity, compassion, empowerment, continuous improvement, and always putting others first. She definitely left the Society better than she found it.”
We know she will continue to use her talents to support SVdP National Council, Mideast Region, the Diocesan Council, local Parish Conferences/Districts and those Neighbors in Need that Vincentians serve.
Belinda Abell is the external affairs director for Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Diocesan Council of Western Kentucky, Inc.
Originally printed in the October 2024 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
