Founding CEO of Lowcountry nonprofit to step down

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry has announce the departure of the organization’s founding CEO, Merridith Crowe, effective Nov. 1.

Crowe has served the Charleston community in this role since April 2019, supporting more than 550 “Littles,” “Scholars,” families and “Bigs” over six years, a news release stated. The BBBSL Board of Directors is conducting a national search for the position.

Under Crowe’s leadership, BBBSL solidified itself both in the Charleston community and nationally within Big Brothers Big Sisters of America as a powerful agency with unwavering commitment to ignite the potential of underserved youth in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties, the release stated. Annually, BBBSL receives quality and growth awards from the national office, and Crowe has served on the Justice Equity Diversity & Inclusion national taskforce to champion meaningful relationships among Bigs and Littles.

“Founding and achieving organizational stability has been a true honor and act of love,” said Crowe in the release. “I am always humbled by the parents and caregivers who trust us, by the Bigs who partner with us to help young people discover their greatness, by the generosity of individuals who invest in the success of our youth and by the deep dedication of our team. I look forward to celebrating the future success of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry. I invite our community to embrace its next great leader and to remain steadfast in its support of our mission throughout this transition. Our Littles, Scholars and families deserve it.”

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The results of BBBSL’s ongoing efforts are encouraging for the next generation of leadership, as program participants are graduating from high school, avoiding risky behaviors and forming positive relationships at rates far higher than peers outside of the program, the release stated. The agency also incubated its new BIG Beyond Scholar Program focused on career and college readiness.

“On behalf of the board, we’re grateful for and commend Merridith’s service to the organization and the community over the past six years,” said Peter Davidson, BBBSL board chair, in the release. “Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry has a strong foundation that will allow us to grow and serve families for many years to come. Every day, we see and hear stories of the relationships between Bigs and Littles and Scholars, and these stories are reminders of how important this work is.

“Merridith never strayed from the BBBSL mission when making organizational decisions, which is to fervently defend and empower every kid’s potential. The result is an organization that the Lowcountry should be proud of.”

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