HUNTINGTON — A Chesapeake, Ohio, woman convicted of stealing more than $4.7 million in federal funds from River Valley Child Development Services is set to be sentenced Monday.
River Valley Child Development Services provides a variety of resources for children and families in the area, ranging from after-school programs and food programs to running branches of the stateâs Birth to Three program.
According to an affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia by State Police Trooper Bradford S. Burner, Phillips opened a bank account under the agencyâs name without its consent and used it to funnel millions of dollars from legitimate accounts.
Susan Brodof, executive director of River Valley Child Development Services, said a new employee noticed some red flags after Phillips left in fall 2020, which led to an internal investigation before the case was turned over to police.
Biz Briefs: Data Axle, Graham-Pelton, Law & Order
April 12, 2021
Niely Shams was appointed president of the nonprofit division of Dallas, Texas-based Data Axle. She had been serving as executive vice president of sales and client services.
Shams has been with the firm for eight years. She assumes her role at a time when donor activity is on the rise worldwide – but the means for that activity continue to evolve. According to a recent survey by Data Axle, “New best practices to connect with today’s charitable donors,” while donation preferences tend to vary by age, cross-channel communication and fundraising strategies are more important than ever.