Claude “Bud” Kitchin IV, former mayor of Lincoln and an experienced executive, retailer and nonprofit consultant, has been named Assistant to the President/Director of Operations for the Presbyterian Home for Children, PHFC President/CEO Doug Marshall announced today.
The new position of Assistant to the President/Director of Operations is directly responsible for property and land management, facilities and maintenance, information technology, and Union Village supportive housing program in partnership with the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB), Marshall said. Kitchin will provide high-level development support to the President and Development Director Jonathan Ahern, bringing the Home’s message to those who would support its mission.
“Bud’s extensive leadership experience and vast network across Alabama in the corporate world, government, nonprofit sectors and East Central Alabama communities will be invaluable to our efforts to grow our ministry to at-risk children and families on and off our campus,” Marshall said.
“I am excited to join the Presbyterian Home for Children now in its 153th year of ministry,” Kitchin said. “This position gives me the opportunity to fully use my experiences in the private and public sectors to serve some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society – at risk and homeless children and families.”
Marshall added he has tasked Kitchin with taking the Home’s Thrift Store “to another level,” by increasing the Store’s public awareness in East Central Alabama and launching a new online store called New Purpose Resale Boutique, which will be open for business March 1. Visit www.newpurposeresaleboutique.com to browse the premium collection for sale.
The Home has also entered into a partnership with E.H. GentryFacility at AIDB in Talladega where adult students who are deaf, blind, deafblind or have other disabilities can learn job skills in the Home’s retail operation.
Kitchin most recently provided IT consulting services with Atlanta-based TechBridge, Inc., a technology firm that helps nonprofit organizations with IT solutions. His service to the city of Lincoln spanned eight years, first serving on the city council and then as Mayor. He improved the city’s bond rating while increasing revenue and decreasing expenses. Before that, Kitchin served in many roles in the family’s Kitchin’s Department Store business, including President & CEO.
“Bud is a highly qualified executive with more than 33 years of management and consulting services in the private and public sectors with deep and proven experience in retail operations,” Marshall said. “He has shown a talent for identifying and resolving problems and in developing a culture that recognizes employees and celebrates team victories.”
Kitchin attended the University of Alabama and Jacksonville State University and has received several honors, including the Cliff Colyer Award from the United Way of East Central Alabama and the Alabama Retailer of the Year.
Presbyterian Home for Children in Talladega, Alabama is one of few organizations in the state caring for Alabama’s homeless boys and girls, along with their female caregivers in its Secure Dwellings Program. The Home also serves teenage girls who may have experienced extreme trauma and or neglect in its Moderate Residential Care Therapeutic Program, young female adults in crisis through its Transition to Adult Living Program and families in crisis over a seven county area through its Family Bridges In-Home Intensive Services.
