Sedona News – Verde Valley Sanctuary is pleased to announce that Brian Bergner has joined the agency as the new Development and Communications Director. Bergner spent three years working in development for Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters prior to joining the agency in September.
Bergner, a 2001 graduate of Sedona Red Rock High School, will manage donor relations, corporate giving and public relations for VVS, among other duties. He spent his time at YBBBS working with donors, building business relationships, marketing, content management systems and event logistics where he aided in helping bring back popular events like Bowl for Kids Sake, the annual Gala and golf tournament after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. He also built relationships in the community through his volunteer work, spending time with the local Kiwanis group and chambers of commerce, being a bell ringer for the Salvation Army and coaching youth basketball at the local YMCA.
“We could not be more thrilled to have Brian join the leadership team at Verde Valley Sanctuary,” VVS Executive Director Jessye Johnson said. “We are on the precipice of an exciting time of growth and Brian brings the perfect balance of curiosity and excitement to the role with his experience and team-oriented approach.”
Prior to his work in the nonprofit sector, the award-winning multimedia journalist covered news, professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. After playing NCAA Division III college basketball for Concordia University Wisconsin, Bergner transferred to Northern Arizona University where he worked out of the media relations office in the athletic department and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations in 2006. He joined Larson Newspapers in 2007 as a sports reporter, covering the Verde Valley for the Sedona Red Rock News, Cottonwood Journal Extra and Camp Verde Journal. He was a two-sport letter winner in football and basketball at SRRHS between 1997-2001, and coached basketball, baseball and softball for the school between 2004-2012.
“It is with great pleasure that we welcome Brian to the Verde Valley Sanctuary team,” VVS Board of Directors Chair David Hanke said. “His breadth of experience is exactly what the organization needed at this exciting time of growth. We look forward to his contributions in support of our mission.”
The Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native took a job with the Associated Press in Phoenix covering college football and basketball, but eventually made his way back to northern Arizona in 2015 where he took a job in Prescott at The Daily Courier as a sports writer. Bergner, who is married with three children, worked his way up to sports editor and news/sports editor at the publication and eventually became editor of The Verde Independent before joining YBBBS in late 2021.
“I am pleased to join Verde Valley Sanctuary. It was the next step in my nonprofit career to become a development director, and with my experience in media, having the dual role of communications director as well is very exciting,” Bergner said. “I have a tremendous respect for everything this agency has accomplished in the past 30 years in serving the community as the only domestic violence shelter in the Verde Valley. My three years with Big Brothers Big Sisters taught me so much about fundraising, and how to support a nonprofit agency through funding and marketing that I’m looking forward to my next challenge.”
“I thank everyone who has been a part of my journey along the way, from the news organizations I’ve worked for, and of course Big Brothers Big Sisters,” Bergner added.
If interested in making a donation or contributing to the Verde Valley Sanctuary, please reach out to Bergner via phone at 928-821-9409, or email him at brian@verdevalleysanctuary.org.
About
Verde Valley Sanctuary’s mission is to provide safety, services, and comfort to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The agency began in 1994 as a grassroots organization with a leased modular home that slept six and has grown into a 32-bed shelter with transitional housing options, a lay legal advocacy center, community-based advocacy support, a 24/7/365 crisis hotline (928-634-2511) and a staff that takes pride in its youth violence prevention education and public outreach and awareness. VVS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and qualifying charitable organization for the Arizona Tax Credit. Federal Tax ID: #86-071314; QCO Code: #20041. Visit VerdeValleySanctuary.org for more information.