United Way of Richland County staff and volunteers bid Bob Maxey farewell with a surprise party Friday, his last day to serve as executive director.

Many members of the community attended to show their support of Maxey, who is leaving the agency after completing three successful annual campaigns totaling more than $4,896,000. Next month Maxey will begin taking classes at Hondros College in Westerville in order to pursue a profession in real estate with Haring Realty.

“I’ve always considered realty as a profession,” he said. “It’ll give me an opportunity to keep doing what I love which is working with people.”

And people love working with him. April Hedrick, United Way’s community outreach coordinator, said, “Bob is the world’s best boss…He’s a godly man, warm-hearted, and I’ve learned so much from him.”

Tanit Kriengsantikul said that he, too, learned from Maxey when he job-shadowed him for three days. Kriengsantikul is an international student from Thailand who is currently studying at North Central State College. “I really appreciated Bob taking time to help me understand how the American working environment operates,” he said.

Maxey first started his career of helping others in 1979 as a captain of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. As district commander, he was responsible for 204 employees assigned to six patrol posts that provided traffic services to nine Ohio counties. After retiring from the Highway Patrol in 2006, Maxey began his second career in the nonprofit world as the executive director of the American Red Cross Galion Chapter. In May of 2009, he took over the Richland County Chapter and later began to also oversee the Ashland County Chapter.

Working with the Red Cross, “whet my appetite for nonprofit work,” he said. While he admitted he wasn’t very familiar with fundraising, “My idea of fundraising was I write the ticket and you pay the fine,” he noted that the success achieved with United Way was done with the help of his staff and community.

“Mansfield and Richland County has great things on the horizon,” he added.

As for United Way leadership, Mick Rettig, who has been the agency’s finance director, is serving as interim director. Hedrick said that hopefully by the month of June the executive director position will be filled.

Maxey is a graduate of Madison High School, a deacon at Berean Baptist Church, area director of Gideon’s International and president of the Board of Trustees for the Richland Community Service Center.

He is married to JoAnn Maxey and has three children, Derrick (Kirstin), Sara, and Emily Maxey. He and his family reside in Lexington.

“He’s a community asset and I wish him the best,” commented Dan Wertenberger, director of CHAP, (Community Health Access Project). “My only wish would be that he stays connected to all of the agencies and people that he’s helped over the years.”

“Bob is the world’s best boss…He’s a godly man, warm-hearted, and I’ve learned so much from him,” said April Hedrick, United Way’s community outreach coordinator.

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