MARTHA DEARMAN, FORREST GENERAL HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION
Martha Dearman currently serves as the Executive Director of the Forrest General Healthcare Foundation (FGHF) in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, though her career at Forrest General Hospital spans over 23 years, with multiple titles behind her. Under her direction, the FGHF was created in 2006 to assist in providing world class care to our community through philanthropy.
As Executive Director, Ms. Dearman has been instrumental in securing funds for many projects on Forrest General’s campus. These include renovation of the Woullard Chapel, adding the Family Terrace and infant video monitoring in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), providing cardiac monitoring equipment, and purchasing EKG machines for the emergency critical care area. She is currently raising funds to improve internet connectivity throughout the hospital, adding charging stations, and an internet café to the Hospital.
The Foundation also raises money for outlying areas of Forrest Health including the Spiritual Grounds at Pine Grove, Asbury Hospice House (a $5 million project built solely on philanthropic dollars), the Patient Navigation Program and Healing Garden at the Forrest General Cancer Center. The latter will be the only facility in our area providing specialized care at the end of life. It is due for completion in the spring of 2019.
Ms. Dearman’s professional involvement includes membership in many organizations such as Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, Association of Fund Raising Professionals, Mississippi Center for Nonprofits and the Sales and Marketing Professionals Pine Belt. In addition, Ms. Dearman has served as President of the Mississippi Directors of Volunteer Services and served on the Board of Directors for the Southeastern Directors of Volunteer Services.
While her professional commitments keep her extremely busy, Ms. Dearman feels it is vital to give back to her community and has done so by being very active in community activities. Martha is a board member of the University of Southern Mississippi Research Foundation. She has served on the Board of Directors for R3SM, the Hattiesburg Civic Arts Council Board of Directors, as the Co-Founder and Coordinator for Beyond the Lunch Table (a backpack food program for students at Woodley Elementary that, to date, has provided over 10,000 meals), as a Lifetime member of Hattiesburg Junior Auxiliary, is an ADP Leader for a New Century and as a volunteer for the United Way of Southeast Mississippi, the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association. Martha received the Girl Scout’s “Woman of Distinction” award in 2012 and the Sales and Marketing Professionals Pine Belt 2017 Professional award.
Born and raised in Hattiesburg, Ms. Dearman is a 1983 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi. She has one daughter, Kate, who is a very successful photographer in Nashville, TN. They are both members of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church.
