CONWAY — The search for a person to run the Boys and Girls Club of Faulkner County is back to square one.
Liberty Parks, interim chief professional officer, said the job was reposted July 24 by the national organization.
Parks, unit director of the Bob Nabholz Unit, was named to the interim position when Robert Wright of Conway resigned April 30 after four years at the helm.
The original deadline for applications was June 1.
Ronda Warneke, director of development for the Boys and Girls Club of Faulkner County, applied for the position.
“I got an email a month ago that I did not make the short list of highly qualified candidates,” Warneke said.
Boys and Girls Club Board President Bryan Quinn said in an email that there were more than 50 applicants for the position.
“Our goal has always been to fill the position by the start of the school year,” he said.
“A committee will be reviewing applications and plans to begin the interview process in the next few weeks.
“The board has complete confidence in our current interim leadership, and our full staff has done a remarkable job during the past few months.”
Quinn praised the leadership of Parks and Warneke for the Bob Nabholz Unit, Darryl Foster at the West Side/Grace Unit and Catherine Santoro at the Mayflower Unit.
Parks said Warneke “very much has a heart for the club,” and she wanted Warneke to get the job.
Warneke said she was given the news “in the nicest of ways” by a member of the search committee.
“I know that they very much just want a really good process, and they want to hire the right person, and that’s just hard. It’s just hard,” Warneke said. “We’re such a small staff; it’s really important we work really well together.”
She worked at the Boys and Girls Club of Faulkner County from 2004-2007. Although she didn’t have the title, Warneke said she had basically the same responsibilities that she has now.
Warneke came back to the club about 14 months ago as director of development, she said.
“When I came here a year ago, it was my plan, no matter what position I had, to stay here long-term. I didn’t anticipate Robert leaving, so I don’t know.
“I’m going to do everything I can to stay here; this club really matters to me.”
The Boys and Girls Club of Faulkner County’s new Bob Nabholz Unit opened in January at Robins Street and South German Lane. The $2 million, 15,000-square-foot facility replaced a smaller unit in downtown Conway.
Warneke said an average of 200 children a day come to the new facility, and approximately 350 a day attend the three units combined.
“It’s a hundred more each day than we were serving each week last year, so that’s good,” she said.
The salary range for the chief professional officer’s job in Conway is $45,000 to $55,000, according to the job posting.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.