Pendleton Place appoints Anne Marie Maertens as Interim Executive Director

Pendleton Place announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Anne Marie Maertens to serve as Interim Executive Director of the organization. An experienced leader with nearly 20 years of service to the children and families of South Carolina, Maertens will succeed Jed Dews and assume interim responsibility on June 1, 2021, providing transitional leadership while the Board of Directors undertakes an extensive executive search. After 9 years of service to Pendleton Place, Dews is stepping down to pursue new opportunities in the public sector.

Anne Marie Maertens, Interim Executive Director, Pendleton Place

Maertens recently led the philanthropic development efforts of the Hispanic Alliance of SC and previously spent 6 years as the Director of AccessHealth Greenville/Laurens. She played an integral role in creating and sustaining community coordinated, data-driven networks of care that improved health outcomes for low-income families and reduced system costs. Maertens also served as an executive for the nonprofit Blue Tent, coordinated the SC Children’s Foster Care Review Board for the Governor’s Office of Executive Policy and Programs, and provided service coordination with the Richland/Lexington Disabilities and Special Needs Board.

Maertens holds a Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Arts from Clemson University. Her commitment to community service is evident in her current and past involvement with the Boards of The Family Effect, Junior League of Greenville, Fostering Great Ideas, the Nicholtown Child and Family Collaborative, Chautauqua Greenville, the Greenville Literacy Association, and the American Heart Association – Upstate. Maertens is a member of Greenville Women Giving as well as Friends of the Prisma Health Children’s Hospital.

“Annie inspires confidence, and I am thrilled to pass the baton to her. She is a skilled nonprofit leader and believes deeply in the mission of Pendleton Place. More importantly, she understands the collaboration and approach to social impact necessary for success. Pendleton Place could not be in better hands,” stated Jed Dews, outgoing Executive Director.

Pendleton Place

Pendleton Place is an Upstate South Carolina nonprofit organization offering programs that protect, heal and equip vulnerable children, youth, and families hurt by abuse, neglect, homelessness, and other forms of trauma. Pendleton Place strengthens these children while rebuilding families, with the goal of creating a stable home environment and bright future for each child served. Founded in 1975, last year the organization made a positive impact in the lives of over 550 individuals and more than 280 families. For more information visit www.pendletonplace.org or call 864-467-3650.