Devoted to serving the greater good
Staying close to home – and staying involved. That’s the life that Carrie Rietschlin Kemerer ’96 has, and the career she has built.
While at SHS she was a member of the International Club, worked as statistician for the wrestling team, played tennis for three years and softball for four, and was voted to the homecoming court. She graduated with distinction and received the Outstanding Senior Female Athlete Award.
After earning a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University’s Mansfield Campus, Carrie worked briefly with the mentally ill before transitioning to MedCentral Hospital where she used her knack for event planning and donor relations in the public relations department. Her success there caught the attention of The Shelby Foundation’s board, and Carrie signed on as executive director in 2014.
Since then, the Foundation, guided by her leadership, has doubled in size, increasing by over $5 million. During the last decade, the Foundation has granted more than $2.5 million in grants to local non-profits and awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to graduating SHS seniors.
Along the way Carrie has remained active with the Shelby Rotary Club, United Fund of Shelby, Richland Area Chamber of Commerce, and serves on the executive team for the Community Improvement Corporation of Shelby, which is the driving force behind downtown revitalization efforts.
A fellow alum shared this about Carrie, “She is the first to say that she enjoys and values working with people dedicated to improving the community who provided her with a solid foundation.”