United Way of the Greater Triangle recently announced that NAMI Wake County’s Executive Director, Annie Schmidt was selected as part of its second cohort of “10 to Watch,” leaders for 2021-23. This is a great honor to those selected for their proven impact within their communities and unique potential to shape the future of the Triangle.

The initiative invests more than a half million dollars over two years — $25K invested in each leader and organization per year — in ten high-impact organizations in the Greater Triangle led by Black, Latinx, and/or Woman leaders.

As reported in the News and Observer, Annie Schmidt became the organization’s first executive director in May 2018. Prior to that, she says, NAMI Wake County was operated by volunteers for all of its 30-plus year history.

As NAMI Wake’s leader, Schmidt says her focus has been creating a sustainable and inclusive organization with quality programming.

“I’m still on cloud nine about being selected,“ Schmidt said. “We are fueled by passion, but we need adequate staffing to ensure that our existing programs continue to operate smoothly and to have the ability to launch new initiatives.”

Schmidt and NAMI Wake are planning to use the United Way grant to hire more resources in order to increase the number of people they serve.

Click for full news article and United Way press release