Leadership Team

Rev. Bruce E. Stanley, President / CEO

Rev. Bruce Stanley joined Methodist Home for Children as President/CEO in 2006. He serves on the Governor’s Crime Commission as chair of the Juvenile Justice Planning Committee and member of the Special Committee on School Safety.

Before joining MHC, Stanley was pastor at six North Carolina churches, serving most recently as senior pastor for Millbrook United Methodist Church in Raleigh. He served also as field education director for Duke Divinity School, responsible for developing leaders for the local and global church and communities. Stanley was ordained in the United Presbyterian Church USA in 1982 and transferred to the United Methodist Church in 1985. He spent several years as associate director for the N.C. Conference Council of Ministries for Mission and Evangelism.

Stanley is a native of West Virginia. He holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard and a Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, from West Virginia University.

 

Kenneth D. Perry, Vice President of Operations

Ken Perry has been part of the Methodist Home for Children family since 1982, holding a series of jobs within the agency and building expertise in program development, consultation and training, and evaluation and quality improvement. As vice president of operations, he oversees strategy and efforts to grow and diversify contract revenue for MHC programs. He is responsible for oversight of staff training, quality improvement, and consultation/training services to outside organizations. He also manages our Hackley Education Learning Program (HELP), which offers higher education scholarships and mentoring for former youth transitioning into adulthood.

Perry is a native of Virginia. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and criminal justice from North Carolina State University.

 

Ben Sanders, Vice President of Programs

Ben Sanders began his work with Methodist Home for Children in 1994, when he and his wife became house parents for a co-educational facility serving juvenile offenders. This work inspired him to work in other service areas in positions ranging from direct care for children and families to quality improvement and leadership positions. Sanders has served as Vice President of Programs since 2003. He oversees the agency’s direct care services, and he’s a primary developer of MHC’s model of care (Value Based Therapeutic Environment).

Sanders is a native of Virginia. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of North Carolina-Pembroke and a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling from Appalachian State University.

 

Peter Williams, Vice President of Finance & Chief Financial Officer

Peter Williams joined Methodist Home for Children in November 2014 after his retirement from the private sector as president of Piedmont Service Group Inc. He is responsible for MHC’s accounting and finance systems, human resources, risk management, and information technology services. Williams built his career at PSG, starting in 1991 as chief financial officer and eventually leading the HVAC service, construction, and facility services business with locations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Before PSG, he worked for KPMG Peat Marwick in Raleigh and for venture capital investment companies.

Williams is a native of Chapel Hill. He is a certified public accountant with a bachelor’s degree in business administration/accounting from UNC-Chapel Hill.

 

Polly Willis, Vice President of Advancement

Polly Willis has served the nonprofit community as an accomplished fundraising professional and administrator, working in the fields of human services, health, and international relations. She started at Methodist Home for Children as director of development in 2001 and joined the leadership team as vice president of advancement in 2003. Prior to joining MHC, Willis served as director of development with Prevent Blindness NC and as director of field services for March of Dimes, where she specialized in staff and board development and event management.

Willis is a native of Wisconsin. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and human services administration from St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minn.