CarolinaEast Health System announced that native New Bernian Jared Brinkley is now the executive director of the CarolinaEast Foundation, the charitable arm of the health system.
Brinkley joined CarolinaEast Health System on Monday, May 3, 2021 and will precept with outgoing Foundation Director Jill Thompson through June 2021. Brinkley comes to CarolinaEast following a 10-year tenure in athletic development, most recently as the Director of Major Gifts at the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide Foundation.
“We are pleased to have Jared join our team,” said CarolinaEast President and CEO Ray Leggett. “He brings a wealth of experience in philanthropy and will be a great addition to an already strong Administration at CarolinaEast that I’m blessed to work with every day.”
Brinkley is a graduate of East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science Degree, toward which he earned four years on the Honor Roll/Dean’s list and a four-year letter winner in varsity swimming.
He began his career in development with the NASCAR organization in Las Vegas before coming back east to join ECU’s Pirate Club fundraising team, and finally the Crimson Tide Foundation in Alabama.
He said he is pleased to be back in his hometown with his wife, Johanna, and their 9-month-old son, Weldon.
“I am blessed to have had many mentors over the years that helped me become successful in the sports arena, but am looking forward to coming home and joining an organization that contributes so much to this community,” said Brinkley. “I take pride in connecting community passions with philanthropic efforts and hope to be a great steward for CarolinaEast.”
The CarolinaEast Foundation was established in 1996 with the mission to extend the gift of wellness to individuals, families and other nonprofit healthcare organizations in Craven, Pamlico and Jones counties by offering financial assistance to help those challenged with unmet healthcare needs. 100 percent of the operating expenses are covered by the health system, allowing the Foundation’s reach in the community to grow exponentially.