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Family Promise of Blount County has hired a new executive director, Chermera McGhee.

McGhee has more than four years of social service experience. She most recently worked as a children's service worker for the State of Missouri's Department of Social Services. McGhee also held case management positions at the Missouri Alliance for Children and Families, Child and Family Tennessee in Knoxville and Peninsula's outpatient facility in Maryville.

McGhee holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Missouri State University and is currently pursuing a master's degree in public administration from Knoxville's Strayer University. Her first week on the job was spent becoming acquainted with the program through training sessions with leaders from the national Family Promise organization, through meetings with volunteer coordinators and spending time with former director Mandy Stinnett Adkins.

Adkins resigned to become executive director of The Alliance for Youth Achievement (AYA), a Maryville-based nonprofit whose mission is to improve the quality of life for the poorest and most vulnerable children in Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa.

McGhee and her husband, Robert McGhee, live in Maryville with their 17-month-old daughter.

The Family Promise program allows local churches to provide overnight accommodations and meals for homeless families on a rotating basis. Green Meadow United Methodist Church serves as the day center for the program, giving families a place to stay during the day while they look for housing and work. The day center provides a stable telephone number, mailing address and a base of operations for participants.