The Be Good Foundation (Be Good) is pleased to announce the appointment of Aerah Hardin as the Idaho-based non-profit’s executive director. Having served as Chief Operating Officer of Rusch Ventures and Rebecca’s Private Idaho since 2020, Hardin’s expanded role taps her extensive non-profit leadership experience, most notably as the former COO of Arkansas-based First Step, Inc., a non-profit provider of Early Intervention Day Treatment (EIDT) and Adult Developmental Day Treatment (ADDT) services.
“First Step helped me cultivate and refine my desire to serve others,” offers Hardin. “My subsequent tenure as Rusch Ventures COO was a crucial next step in my professional development, prompting me to further grow as an executive and to elevate our team’s effectiveness as its leader.”
Aerah has over twenty years of non-profit leadership experience. After earning her M.A.T. and MSE in Special Education from University of Arkansas and Henderson State University, she served at First Step for eighteen years. First Step provided a dynamic platform that allowed and encouraged Hardin to hone and refine her non-profit leadership skills. Having worked her way through the ranks, Aerah completed her tenure as its COO, placing it on stable financial and developmental footing.
In 2019, Aerah traveled to Laos with Rebecca’s MTBLAO trip. That firsthand experience of seeing the continued impact from a 50-year-old war became a driving force, prompting her to integrate her passion with her desire grow and develop the Be Good Foundation. She moved from Arkansa to Idaho in 2020 to serve as COO of Rusch Ventures and Rebecca’s Private Idaho, while volunteering her time and passion to the Foundation.
“I’m excited to serve now in an official capacity with Be Good. My heart has always been pulled towards serving others in a way that makes this world a better place. Be Good allows me to empower and elevate lives through cycling, a tool that continues to play a large role in healing and empowerment in my own life. My new role at the foundation is a logical next step. It neatly blends both my passion and my capabilities,” continues Hardin, “I’m very proud of the work we’ve done over the past three years and I couldn’t be more excited about the good work we’ve yet to accomplish.”
As Hardin embraces her leadership role at Be Good, the organization is poised to expand its executive board with five notable additions. Sharon Bannister, John Martin, Craig Milliron, Tanekia Duhaney, Todd Stockbauer have recently joined the foundation board and their impact is already being felt.
“Our new board members arrive from an extraordinary array of professional backgrounds. This diversity will further solidify Be Good’s structure and foundation while expanding our reach and impact,” says Hardin. “These collectively extensive capabilities will quickly elevate and extend Be Good’s already expansive platform, expanding our programs into impactful and meaningful work that will improve and change lives.”
IMMEDIATE GOALS
Growing our Individual scholarship program beyond RPI. Creating more accessible and life-changing opportunities for individuals through the bike.
Creating an overall strategic grant making program with specific goals for growth and projects.
Playing a more active and larger role in de-mining efforts in Laos.
Join us in giving Aerah and our five new board members a warm and hearty welcome to the Be Good family!