The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain will say goodbye to its President and Chief Executive Officer Misty Marston on Friday as she moves to a position as the director of Club Advancement Services at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Atlanta.

“She’s done a great deal for the organization,” Jordy Whichard, chairman of the Board of Directors, said. “In her role based in Atlanta we’ll be able to call upon her for help if we need it.”

He said Marston has played a role in the expansion of the Boys & Girls Clubs in eastern North Carolina to nine clubs in four counties, revitalizing clubs in Washington and Snow Hill.

Mal Collins, area director of the Boys & Girls Club of Beaufort County, said Marston’s strong leadership will be missed.

“Misty came in a time when Beaufort County was struggling,” she said. “She saw the ability to help and she pulled together her resources along with (former development committee co-chairman) Steve Stephenson.”

Collins said she thinks Marston is leaving the organization better off than when she arrived.

“They reached out to the community and really transformed the community’s support for the clubs,” she said. “She has thoroughly equipped the club to succeed.”

Marston’s decision to hire new members with skillsets ranging from technology to finance has given the organization the ability to better handle this transition, Whichard said.

“I expect us to maintain our progress and momentum, knowing that our mission and vision are steadfast and unchanging. The work that happens in our clubs is just as important now as it has ever been,” he said in a press release.

According to the press release, Executive Vice President Donyell “DJ” Jones will temporarily fill Marston’s spot as the board begins a national search for a new CEO.

Jones has been serving the organization since July 2013 and was the president and CEO for Boys & Girls Clubs of the Clinch Valley in Oak Ridge, Tenn., for four years.

Whichard said the board will look at applicants from Boys & Girls Clubs and non-profits and try to create a pool of candidates from the more local, eastern part of the state.

“At this point, (Jones) has told us he is not interested in being a candidate,” he said.

Marston said the move to Atlanta is bittersweet, as she is ready to get started in her new role but will also miss her team in N.C.

She said she will mostly serve struggling clubs across the country, including those in the rural areas of Texas and Arkansas, and offer resources based on the clubs’ individual needs.

“I hope to just strengthen clubs around the country,” she said. “I’m really excited about the opportunity to help more children.”