Laura Benson Named Executive Director for LFS Carolinas Triangle Region Operations
11/11/2009

Lutheran Family Services in the Carolinas (LFS Carolinas) has named Laura Benson Executive Director of their Triangle Region Operations.

Created as part of the agency’s new decentralized structure, the Executive Director position oversees day-to-day operations in the Triangle region, implements fundraising strategies and works to build and maintain relationships with congregations, peer organizations and the greater community.

“Having Laura as an LFS leader in the Triangle hub will ensure that LFS Carolinas is responsive to the needs of this community,” said LFS Carolinas President and CEO Suzanne Gibson Wise. “I am thrilled and LFS is blessed to have Laura on staff; her experience in social services and proven commitment to helping those most in need gives us exactly the leadership we need in today's challenging environment.”

Benson joins the agency with a strong background in fundraising and church relations. Prior to joining LFS Carolinas, Benson served five years as the Executive Director for the region’s largest housing program for homeless families, PLM Families, Inc.

The hiring of Benson further pushes the agency’s decentralization strategy which places leadership in each of their four hubs – South Carolina and the Greater Charlotte, Triad and Triangle regions of North Carolina. This strategy allows the agency to meet the immediate, particular needs of the individual communities it serves while maintaining a set standard of quality. Benson will meet with community leaders and act as an ambassador between LFS Carolinas and the Triangle community to support an open flow of communication.

LFS Carolinas has served the Carolinas’ most vulnerable people since 1976. The agency grew from the roots of Lutheran Orphanage of the South, founded in 1888 in Salem, Virginia. As a social ministry organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we respond to Christ’s call to serve all people, regardless of race, national origin, orientation, religion or creed.

LFS Carolinas provides safe haven for children in crisis, adults with special needs, refugees, and individuals and families at risk of becoming homeless or struggling to recover from disaster. Local program sites are coordinated from offices in Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte, N.C., and Columbia, S.C.