Make-A-Wish North Texas Announces New CEO

LUBBOCK, TX (COMMUNICATED) – Make-A-Wish North Texas is pleased to announce that Kim Elenez is its new President and CEO, ushering in a new era of leadership, vision and impact for deserving children and families in the region from North Texas.

For over 20 years, Elenez has combined her expertise to grow nonprofits, communities and businesses. As the first Director of Marketing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she developed the university’s first-ever comprehensive developmental marketing strategy, which raised more than $600 million annually. Prior to joining UNC, she spent several years leading revenue generation efforts at D Media Partners in Dallas, then transitioned to her career at Integer, Omnicom’s (OMC) largest growth marketing agency. . In this role, Kim led a team responsible for developing growth strategies for brands such as PepsiCo, ExxonMobil, Philips, and more. She has received several national and international awards for excellence in marketing and has served on the board of several non-profit organizations since 2013.

“Kim is the right leader to help us take Make-A-Wish North Texas to new heights. His enthusiasm for Make-A-Wish and his impressive strategic vision will be essential in the years to come,” said Vik Bhatia, Chairman of the Make-A-Wish North Texas Board of Directors “We must work quickly to grant wishes that have been delayed by the pandemic while responding to the significant growth in our North Texas communities. His energy and combination of experiences to meet this challenge complement her passion and strategic vision, and we are fortunate to have her leading our organization as we continue to work to grant the wish of every eligible child in North Texas.

Elenez is also a co-founder of the Zambian Rural Women’s Empowerment Fund, which provides loans and support services to rural women entrepreneurs. Her experience in Zambia compelled her to share her experiences and focus her efforts to make a meaningful impact in the world.

“I have admired the work and mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation for years. Wishes are a game-changer for children with critical illnesses, and I’m honored to be chosen as the next North Texas CEO to lead this important work. I look forward to working alongside a talented and dedicated team across our 161-county territory to further our mission of creating life-changing wishes. Together, we will strive every day to bring more joy to deserving children throughout the North Texas region,” Elenez said.

Elenez began her work at Make-A-Wish on Monday. For the past seven months, Charlotte Beattie, former CEO of Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island, has served as the chapter’s interim CEO.

Copyright 2022 KCBD. All rights reserved. The above information was provided by the Make-A-Wish North Texas Foundation.