Retired Horizons CEO starting life over with new venture, new home

ALBANY — Diane Fletcher came to this region to lead what was then the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition 12 years ago with no connections to the region but with the vision of establishing a foundation for the organization’s mission and growth.

Now in retirement after serving as CEO of what is now Horizons Community Solutions, she has since transitioned to a slightly slower pace and toward starting life over in a new direction.

Fletcher’s last day at Horizons was Sept. 29, and she has now put her Blairwood Court home on the market in preparation for a move to Charleston, S.C., to be closer to her grandchildren. She is also working to get a professional writing venture off the ground and has taken more time to enjoy the silence of the early morning hours in Albany.

Fletcher and her husband, Keith, raised two children, a son and a daughter, who were finishing up college when she came to Albany to work at the Cancer Coalition. Twelve years later, she said she felt the stars had aligned for her to securely move on.

“We thought (when we first came that) we would re-evaluate in five or six years and see where the kids land,” she said.

Her son currently lives in Pennsylvania and her daughter is in North Carolina. Each is married with at least one child. In addition, Fletcher has extended family up and down the East Coast, so it had become increasingly difficult to visit family while seeing to her responsibilities in Southwest Georgia.

“I felt I had accomplished what I came here to do and more,” Fletcher said.

Horizons CFO/COO Jennifer Johnston is currently serving as the organization’s interim CEO while the search for Fletcher’s permanent replacement takes place. Johnston is one of a few staff members at Horizons, Fletcher said, who is part of a “good team” that can push the mission forward with the foundation and partnerships that are already in place.

Fletcher said she liked to write as a child and has been asked on a number of occasions to write up family documents and letters of recommendation, among other projects. Now, she is using that talent to forge her way into professional content writing.

She said her new path may include some level of marketing, including testimonials on a particular product or service, fundraising appeals, product descriptions and grant writing.

“I have talked to some clients locally,” she said. “This is something that has been my dream, and I felt this was the right time.”

Fletcher’s husband is an executive at Regions Bank and is expecting to transfer to Charleston. Their Albany home is still up for sale, so the timeline for their actual move is fluid.

The new location was appealing in its proximity to the beach, as well as its culture. The Fletchers together still have all four of their parents living, and Charleston has the potential for easier access.

“I have mixed feelings,” Fletcher said. “It’s exciting, but we have built a life here. We have built roots, enjoyed the community and there are a lot of good things happening.

“Starting over, we are excited about that, too.”

At the same time, Fletcher said she recognizes that there is still work to be done in the mission Horizons has in battling health disparities — and expresses gratitude for those who have supported the organization for so long.

“(Albany) will always be a part of me,” she said. “I have always had a deep gratitude to (not just) Albany, but all of Southwest Georgia. There are so many entities that have embraced the work and what it is meant to be. The only way we can do the work is working together.”

When Fletcher first came to the organization, which was later named the Cancer Coalition of South Georgia before it adopted the Horizons name last year, she had a vision for its potential and what it could become. In order to meet that vision, she said the organization had to overcome some obstacles — such as dips in donation flow when pocketbooks were tight.

“Horizons has, through all the changes and uncertainty of the health care environment and state and federal funding and having to adapt to the community, maintained its integrity,” Fletcher said. “It remains mission-driven, and it has never lost its focus.”

Part of the integrity trait is transparency, Fletcher said. Horizons has been recognized by Charity Navigator for three consecutive years for its efforts to make sure potential donors are well-informed about the organization and what their money is going to.

The Centers for Disease Control and National Cancer Institute are among other organizations that have noticed Horizons.

“(With) the quality of the work, and the motivation of the people working there, I believe that will continue because it is so rooted in the organization,” Fletcher said.

Twelve years ago, the organization had mainly ideas — and a couple of programs in smaller communities. Now it has adopted a mission beyond cancer, hence the Horizons name, and has taken in an area that encompasses much of south Georgia.

“That has been what has kept the organization alive and thriving,” Fletcher said. “We have been able to adapt.”

From the beginning, Fletcher said there was strong leadership in place with a deep passion for winning the fight against cancer. Even with her own vision in place, this set the stage for the nonprofit to grow beyond her expectations.

“We had this passion that (we) could get more done by working together,” she said. “We had hoped it would grow to what it is. (We had the attitude that) ‘we can climb this mountain.’ That is how we started and just kept taking steps. Occasionally, we found a different path.

“I don’t think we will ever be at the top of the mountain. Through it all, we just kept moving forward. I believed the organization would move toward accomplishing its mission. I never, ever would have predicted it would have (expanded) beyond cancer. That has been a very pleasant surprise.”

Once the organization switched to the Horizons platform, the name brought a more accurate reflection of its mission to address social determinants of health and using the community’s resources — including businesses and schools — to get to the underlying factors that lead to health disparities.

“That excites me very much,” Fletcher said.

When she first came onboard, Fletcher said there were times that she made mistakes and put her foot in her mouth. From those experiences, she was able to learn from those who have lived in the area for some time — and she said she considered it a blessing to have those people by her side.

The benefit of being new to the Albany area was that she was neutral, so the concept of “bad blood” meant little to her in getting the job done.

“(That) helped the organization in the beginning,” she said. “I was not as concerned about histories, and (I was) focused on similarities.

“I just think the needs and what we are trying to accomplish are much bigger. Horizons is a neutral platform. Quality of life is the common agenda.”

There were growing pains like with any other nonprofit, but there was consistent support from partners and what Fletcher described as a “strong” team in place at Horizons.

“You can’t instill that commitment,” she said. “They are doing this work because they believe in it. The people involved with it continue to be involved. I don’t know if I will find that anywhere else. That is something we are born with.”

Fletcher has never been known to be quiet and reserved, and she is known for being an inspiring cheerleader for the causes she believes in — which her staff chose to recognize by giving her a megaphone on her last day at Horizons. The board of directors also surprised her with a plaque in honor of her service.

“Stuff like that means a lot to me,” Fletcher said. “It made me very sad, yet I just feel so confident this is the right time and this is the direction the Lord wants us to be going.

“I feel I am of completely two different minds.”

These two minds are of one used to living life in the fast lane and another that wishes to slow down enough to sip a cup of tea and watch the sunrise.

“I am used to going 100 miles per hour. It’s a weird sensation,” Fletcher said of her new slower pace. “I think it will be nice to appreciate some of the smaller things in life.

“Life has been very busy, almost too busy. I feel like I can just take a breath now.”

Johnston came onboard a month after Fletcher, and the former’s experience makes her a good fit to temporarily lead the organization while the board of directors looks for the right person to carry the legacy of Horizons forward, the former CEO said.

“I am very excited to see where things develop over time,” Fletcher said. “I am confident Horizons will continue to grow. I believe with every fiber of my being (Horizons will go on).”