Board of Directors

The FriendShip Staff 

ABOUT | Staff and Board of Directors

The FriendShip Board of Directors is comprised of dedicated members of the Columbia, South Carolina community.  Each member brings a different area of expertise including social work, accounting, senior services, volunteerism, and donor relations.  The group is dedicated to the long-term success of The FriendShip and is excited to see the continued evolution of The FriendShip over the years. Board members are elected through a formal nomination process and serve three-year terms. 

The FriendShip operates via the hard work of standing committees that make recommendations to the Board: the Administration and Finance Committee, Communications and Outreach Committee, Executive Committee, Fundraising Committee, Member Committee, Nominating Committee, Personnel Committee, Policy Committee, Program Committee, and Volunteer Committee. Each committee includes at least one Board member in addition to other volunteers; the work and discussion on the  committee level are key to the success of the organization.

The FriendShip Services Coordinator

Eleanor Stein works tirelessly as The FriendShip’s Services Coordinator. She serves as the primary contact for all member needs, coordinates volunteer services, and serves as the liaison to the Board of Directors on member and volunteer needs. Prior to joining The FriendShip, Eleanor worked on aging policy issues at the SC Institute of Medicine and Public Health, staffing the statewide Long-Term Care Taskforce and subsequent Long-Term Care Implementation Leadership Council.  In that role, she co-authored the taskforce report, entitled “Creating Direction: A Guide to Improving Long-Term Care in South Carolina.” Prior to her work at the Institute, Eleanor earned her Masters of Social Work at the University of South Carolina, where she had the opportunity to intern with AARP South Carolina and Jewish Family Service and was part of a fellowship program that studied congregations as sites for geriatric social work.