Staff

Keith Fulcher joined the Community Foundation in 2019 after a 23-year career at Delta State University as head of its Alumni-Foundation, its development director and then special assistant to the university president, where he focused on securing major gifts. Previously, the Vicksburg native served as teacher, coach, and principal at schools in Biloxi, Jackson, and Vicksburg. He earned bachelor and master degrees from Delta State and continued his education at William Carey University, Boston College, and Harvard University. He helped to found the Principals’ Center at Millsaps College.

Keith’s passion for education is grounded in seeing the compassion lived by his grandparents–his maternal grandparents were children of Lebanese immigrants and his paternal grandparents were sharecroppers in Yazoo County. Both struggled financially, but held on to their core value of helping those in need, a value passed on to him.

Keith is charged with leading the Community Foundation to its goal of $50 million in assets by the year 2028. Keith also volunteers his time in fundraising for other charities including the Catholic Diocese Foundation, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the Rotary Club. He is married to the former Anne Verret of New Orleans who is a graduate of Millsaps College, and they have three school-age children.

Tom Pittman was co-incorporator of the Community Foundation in 2002 and served as its first volunteer chairman before becoming its first full-time president and CEO in 2004. Previously, he was publisher and editor of the DeSoto Times after serving as general manager and editor of the Daily Journal in Tupelo. During that time, he served as president of the Mississippi Press Association and on the National Newspaper Leadership Council. Currently, Tom serves the Community Foundation by working on special projects on the state, regional, and national level.

Tom serves on the boards of several prominent statewide efforts such as chairing the Mississippi Association of Grantmakers, Entergy Mississippi’s advisory board and a director of Mississippi Today, the state’s non-profit digital news source. He was a charter board member for the DeSoto Arts Council, DeSoto Health and Wellness Center, and the North Mississippi Health Foundation. He previously served on the board of Directors for the CREATE, the community foundation for northeast Mississippi. A native Mississippian, he earned degrees from the University of Mississippi in sociology and Emory University in theology. He is married to Cyndi and has four children.

Stacye Trout joined the Community Foundation in 2020 as Development Director, stewarding current and potential donors to achieve their philanthropic dreams with endowments while supporting the Foundation to reach its $50 million asset goal. She also supports nonprofits with development and endowment strategies for sustainability. She previously worked at the Community Foundation from 2012 -2016 serving as the Regional Health Director to fight childhood obesity throughout the 11-county region, partnering with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

During her time away from the foundation, she worked with Delta Magazine as the Special Projects Director, implementing a digital media plan, special marketing projects, and coordinating the Mississippi Secretary of State Bicentennial Book. She then joined the advancement team in community engagement at The Baddour Center, leading fundraising and volunteer efforts in support of residents living with intellectual disabilities. Stacye grew up in New Mexico and lived in seven different states before life brought her to Mississippi.

She earned her business degree from New Mexico State University and was a 3-year cheerleader letterman. After college, Stacye joined Southwest Airlines Flight Operations, headquartered in Dallas, scheduling over 5,000 pilots in accordance to the FAA. While there, she volunteered with the Southwest LUV Classic, as well as the Fort Worth Ronald McDonald House, Battered Women’s Shelter of Dallas, and was the flight operations ambassador for the Orlando base.

Stacye has served on the Boards of Leadership DeSoto, Junior Auxiliary of DeSoto County, Charleston Main Street Association, and is a former President of the DeSoto Arts Council. She is married to Cal Trout and they have two daughters.

Carol Smith has been with the foundation since 2007 as Accounting and Office Manager. She oversees the processing of all gifts made to and from the more than 260 funds at the Community Foundation for stewardship and accountability. Additionally, she manages the foundation’s office in Hernando, MS. Prior to joining the foundation staff; she had 30 years of experience in the field of accounting.

Outside of work, Carol enjoys outdoor activities, like bicycling. She was born and raised in Memphis and has lived in DeSoto County since 1990. She has two grown children.

Donna Goldman has worked for the Community Foundation since 2011 in accounting and formerly the Director of the Box Project. In 2021 she began serving as Grants and Scholarship Manager overseeing the process of grants and scholarships, assisting donors, grantees, and scholarship recipients.

Donna, a native of Memphis, graduated from Memphis State University (University of Memphis) with a degree in accounting and has been in DeSoto County since 1993. She has worked in accounting for over 40 years in such industries as banking, manufacturing, engineering, education, and non-profit organizations. Donna volunteers with various community organizations. She is married to Randy Goldman and has two grown children.

Olivia Dunning joined the Community Foundation in 2022 as the Foundation Support Specialist.  In this position she manages content creation for the foundation’s social media pages, directs incoming calls in the office, manages the Foundation’s website, and works with staff on various projects.

A Louisiana native, Olivia has called DeSoto County home since the beginning of 2006. She is a Mississippi State University graduate with a degree in Communications (Public Relations and Journalism concentrations). Since graduating she has spent her time working and volunteering her time with Kudzu Playhouse and the ARC of Northwest Mississippi as well as other community organizations. In her time off, Olivia enjoys spending time gardening with her husband.

Brenda Smith has worked with the Maddox Nonprofit & Volunteer Resource HUB since 2013. Previously, she was an Associate Professor at Southwest Tennessee Community College with the Department of Business Technology. In addition to teaching, she was involved with special grant programs for Displaced Homemakers and inmates.

She earned an undergraduate degree in retail merchandising from Mississippi University for Women, a Masters of Arts degree in Teaching from the University of Memphis, and additional studies in computer applications and business. She and her husband A. J. are proud that their family includes daughter, Joanne, son-in-law, Jake plus two terrific granddaughters – Adell and Arista.

Kara Dulaney, has worked with the Maddox Nonprofit and Volunteer Resource HUB since 2019, and is the Director of the Clarksdale office.  Previously, she worked for many years in human relations and employment management for Consolidate Medical in Memphis, TN.  In addition to her role with the volunteer center, in 2021 she became the Box Project Director, which has allowed the program to return to its Delta roots. As director of the Box Project, a program under the foundation, she oversees the projects work of matching of volunteer sponsors from across the United States with recipient families living in rural poverty.

Kara earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Sociology, graduating from Mississippi College, and her Master of Science degree in Career and Vocational Counseling from the University of Memphis. She and her husband Joe live in Tunica, MS where they raised their three children Joseph (30), Ameliea (23) and Isabelle (20).  Kara and her family have been long-term supporters of the Community Foundation of Northwest MS, the Box Project and other local charitable organizations serving the MS Delta.

Lauren joined the Community Foundation as an intern in Summer of 2022 and has been a great addition to the team ever since. A graduate of Hernando High School, Lauren is currently a Sophomore at Northwest Mississippi Community College studying Integrated Marketing Communications. At NWCC, Lauren is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, serves on the leadership team for the Baptist Student Union, and served on the 2022 Homecoming Court.

Lauren’s main focus as an intern at the Community Foundation is to learn more about content creation with non-profit organizations. She collaborates with staff to create and track content for both the Volunteer HUB and the Community Foundation’s social media pages. Additionally, she assists with event organization for the HUB.