North Charleston-based nonprofit names new executive director

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A South Carolina nonprofit based in North Charleston has named a new leader.

After an extensive nationwide search, HALOS has named Jed Dews as executive director.

Dews, the associate director at Voices for Georgia’s Children, will begin his new role on April 17, according to a HALOS news release.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased to welcome Jed to HALOS,” said Chairman Randall Cercopely in the release. “His years of experience advocating for children and managing multimillion dollar statewide initiatives will position HALOS to continue to be a national advocate for kinship care. I also want to thank Kim Clifton for her years of service and for giving a voice to caregivers and children not only in the Lowcountry, but across South Carolina and the nation.”

Current executive director Kim Clifton has served in this leadership role for 17 years. Under her tenure, the South Carolina Department of Social Services has partnered with HALOS to recognize and acknowledge the obstacles kinship families face and provide specific services and resources for those families, the release stated.

In the interim, HALOS’ Director of Philanthropy, Jennifer Richard, will serve as the executive director.

Prior to joining Voices, Dews provided executive leadership in Greenville to Pendleton Place, a nonprofit focused on residential and community-based services for youth experiencing foster care and homelessness, the release stated. He has also worked as a high school language arts teacher, a project manager for a prominent e-learning company, and a freelance consultant specializing in nonprofit accreditation and public-private partnerships.

Dews has undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Alabama in education with a focus on policy and youth advocacy.

“I am thrilled to join the HALOS team and promote safe and nurturing homes for children in kinship care,” Dews said in the release. “HALOS leads the way in raising awareness for the more than 57,000 South Carolinian children who are in kinship care and empowering kinship caregivers in the tri-county area, South Carolina and the nation at large. Our collective voice makes a difference for these children and their courageous caregivers.”

HALOS is the only nonprofit solely focused on the unique needs of kinship families in South Carolina, according to the release.