Good Morning North Augusta

Derek Dugan currently serves as the Director of Development for The Salvation Army, Augusta Area Command. He lives in Aiken and has three children, all in their teens. He was born and raised in Atlanta is a graduate of the University of Alabama with degrees in Political Science and History. With a background in political organization and fundraising, Derek transferred those skills to non-profit work in Augusta, working for Golden Harvest Food Bank before being hired in 2005 to begin work on the application, planning and fundraising for the Augusta Kroc Center. Upon completion of the Kroc Center and its opening in 2011, he left the Salvation Army and worked again at Golden Harvest and then Ronald McDonald House Charities. In 2019, he returned to The Salvation Army of Augusta. He has chaired both the Augusta and the Aiken Task Force for the Homeless and is presently focused on finding solutions for homelessness and the funding and construction of a new homeless shelter and day services center. As Director of Development, his job includes fundraising, government relations and community outreach for The Salvation Army and the Kroc Center.

Vicki Miller-McCarthy currently serves as the Coordinator of Social Services at Aiken County Public Schools. Her career spans more than thirty-five years as a Licensed Master Social Worker where she has worked in a variety of settings including juvenile group homes, adult corrections, and technical school education.  Desiring to make a further impact on youth through education, Vicki has worked the last twenty years as an Attendance Supervisor, where she was responsible for intervention of truancy, chronic absenteeism, dropout prevention and collection. In response to the reauthorization of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Ms. Miller-McCarthy has been appointed as the liaison for Aiken County Public Schools. Complying with this law ensures that homeless students have equal access to free and appropriate public education. Homeless students are maintained in their school of origin, and barriers are removed to strengthen the home-school connection.

Vicki Miller- McCarthy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from South Carolina State University, a Master of Science in Sociology from Iowa State University, and a Master of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh. Vicki has been married to Wesley for 27 years, and they have two adult children who were educated through Aiken County Public Schools. Ms. Miller-McCarthy believes that swift identification, connection to community resources and supporting families through their housing transition leads to overall stability for the student. The motto posted in her childhood home is one that she still lives by today:“Give a man a fish you feed him for a day, if you teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime.”  Loa Tzu

Good Morning North Augusta is a monthly speaker series to be held on the 2nd Thursday of the month. Attendees will enjoy a hot breakfast while listening to a guest speaker.  Speaker topics will be tailored towards business and community leaders, to include history, best practices and timely business lessons.