National Students of AMF Announces Staci Barfield as Executive Director

Oct. 2, 2009 - PRLog -- RALEIGH, N.C. - The National Students of AMF (deceased or “Ailing Mothers, Fathers,” or loved ones) Support Network is pleased to announce Staci Barfield has been named as the organization’s first full-time executive director. Previously, the group, which consists of 18 official chapters and 19 chapters in development on college campuses throughout the United States, had been run by a volunteer team led by co-founders and Raleigh natives David Fajgenbaum and Ben Chesson.

Barfield comes to National Students of AMF from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, where she served as vice president of development for the Eastern North Carolina Chapter.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a published novelist. Prior to transitioning to non-profit, Barfield focused her career in information technology as a management consultant, software development director and, most recently, as head of European information technology for Gap, Inc.

“I am excited that someone so well-qualified and passionate about the cause will be working on the organization full-time. The rest of the volunteer leaders and I will continue to put the same or more hours into the organization, but it’s awesome to know that someone will be leading the charge,” said David Fajgenbaum. Fajgenbaum’s mother, Anne Marie, was the inspiration for National Students of AMF, after she was diagnosed with a brain tumor while he was in college. Fajgenbaum has served as the organization’s volunteer executive director since its incorporation as a non-profit in 2006.

With Barfield’s hire, National Students of AMF, which has operated as a virtual entity, will establish a permanent national headquarters location in the Triangle area.

About National Students of AMF Support Network:

The National Students of AMF (deceased or "Ailing Mothers, Fathers," or loved ones) Support Network is the only organization dedicated to supporting college students coping with the illness or death of a loved one and empowering all college students to fight back against terminal illness.

We accomplish our mission by helping students start chapters of Students of AMF on colleges nationwide, providing information and support at www.studentsofamf.org, raising awareness by hosting the National Conference on College Student Grief and National College Student Grief Awareness Week, and raising funds to support these initiatives.

If you or someone you know would like to volunteer, donate, or learn more about forming a campus Students of AMF chapter, please contact National Students of AMF at staci@studentsofamf.org.