Media Release – The Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center announces staff growth and changes

Terri Speirs on July 30, 2019

For Immediate Release

For more information contact Terri Speirs, Director of Community Relations, 515-251-6670 or email tspeirs@mindspiritcenter.org

The Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center announces staff growth and changes

Laurie Betts Sloterdyk, Director of Development

July 31, 2019, Des Moines, IA – The Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center (the Center) has hired Laurie Betts Sloterdyk as the director of development, as of July 8, 2019. Terri Mork Speirs has been promoted to director of community relations. The two will collaborate to grow the Center’s donor base, communicate hope and healing, create partnerships, and advance the mission of mental health counseling and education in Central Iowa.

“Joining the Center’s staff offers me a way to be a force for good in a city I love,” said Sloterdyk. “The Center’s commitments to excellence and access are important to me. I can’t wait to help community members channel goodwill in ways that are meaningful to their values.”

“We are excited to move boldly forward with Laurie on staff,” said Jim Hayes, the Center’s executive director. “Laurie’s tremendous competence with events and donor relations is exactly what the Center needs right now to reach our next level of innovation in serving the community. I am grateful to our amazing donor base who make our mission possible, and to our board of directors for their visionary leadership.”

Terri Mork Speirs, Director of Community Relations

“I am thrilled to welcome Laurie to the team,” said Speirs, who has been with the Center since 2015. “For years Laurie has volunteered with our flourishing annual spring luncheon, Women Helping Women, lending her considerable skills for the cause. It is my privilege to join together with such a pro as Laurie to further engage stakeholders for the greater common good.”

Sloterdyk and Speirs bring a combined 47-plus years of nonprofit experience to the Center, an interesting fit to mark the Center’s growth and changes in its 47 years of operation. Founded in 1972, the Center opened its doors with a staff of one counselor. Today, the Center serves a diverse client base through a multidisciplinary staff of 30 clinicians plus a team of steadfast administrators and support staff. The Center was founded on the ideal of providing high quality mental health services to clients from all walks of life, including those from low-income households who are underinsured – a pursuit made possible through a dedicated and generous donor base. #

The Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center is a nonprofit organization with a mission to bring understanding, hope and healing to people of all ages through counseling and education. Annually, the Center serves more than 2,600 individuals through holistic counseling and other clinical services (including nearly 700 children and adolescents). Additionally, the Center serves more than 2,400 individuals annually through education and training services.