Hospice of Homer announces that Jessica Ramsey Golden has been hired as the organization’s new executive director. Golden is a lifelong Alaskan, and she and her family recently relocated to Homer from Anchorage.

Her appointment is effective Monday, April 17.

Golden replaces longtime executive director Darlene Hilderbrand who elected to retire this year. Her last day on the job will be April 30. She and Golden plan to work together for about two weeks to facilitate a smooth transition, according to a press release from Hospice of Homer.

Holding a 2007 bachelor’s degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage, Golden has worked for the Blood Bank of Alaska and the American Lung Association, serving these non-profit organizations in a variety of capacities that included public relations management, administration and technical writing, and fund development.

“I am passionate about working in the non-profit world because I have witnessed first-hand the impact that philanthropy, volunteerism and public health advocacy has on the lives of individuals and on the community,” said Golden.

She brings a broad range of applicable skills, passions, and fresh ideas to the hospice position, and the board is excited to welcome her aboard.

At hospice, the executive director leads a small part-time staff and a host of volunteers and is tasked with coordinating direct client services, public outreach efforts, training of volunteers, and overseeing the medical equipment loan program, support groups, fundraising efforts and office administration. Trained volunteers provide most of the direct care services.

Hospice of Homer is a “non-medical hospice,” serving communities in the southern Kenai Peninsula for more than 30 years. The hospice mission is to provide — at no charge — comfort, dignity, and choice through care, support and education to the frail and isolated and to those facing end-of-life issues. Hospice is defined by its central ideas of “neighbors-helping-neighbors” and “compassion in action.”