The Rural Outreach Center announced that Monique Albee Brannon has been promoted to Chief Operations Officer, effective immediately. Brannon has served as ROC’s director of development since 2019 and previously served the Greater Buffalo community in various leadership and development capacities for over 15 years.
“Monique is a leader that has brought her strong work ethic, compassion for others and her ability to connect with diverse audiences to support the phenomenal growth of ROC year over year,” said Dr. Frank Cerny, executive director of Rural Outreach Center. “We are closing in on our goal of raising over $4.2 million to build the Scott Bieler Rural Outreach Center and Monique was pivotal ensuring the success of this campaign as well as supporting the daily operations of ROC. I can’t express how happy I am to see her receive this recognition. I feel the ROC’s future is in good hands as we continue to work together to help rural families move towards self-sufficiency.”
“I’m very grateful that Dr. Cerny and our ROC Board have put their faith in me to help lead ROC through our next chapter,” said Brannon. “Frank has been my mentor, my supporter and has given me the opportunity to embrace new opportunities and develop my skills. Working as the COO with him to lead the ROC, that he founded over 13 years ago, is an enormous privilege. I’m thankful for our ROC staff, participants, supporters, and the ROC Board of Directors who help us make our community a better place. I feel blessed beyond measure to have the opportunity to do the work I love in East Aurora. I say this all the time, but East Aurora is a special place and there are many people that have supported me over the years with whom I share this success.”
Located at 730 Olean Road in East Aurora, the ROC’s mission is to assist, empower and elevate the impoverished rural populations in southern Erie County and surrounding areas. The organization’s staff and volunteers serve with compassion, empathy and respect for all people. For children, the ROC’s goal is to break the cycle of multi-generational poverty by providing counseling, play therapy, educational opportunities and broad experiences. For more information on the good work being done every day by the Rural Outreach Center, please call (716) 240-2220. You can also follow the organization on Facebook or Instagram for frequent update or visit theroc.co.
