Abby Keene, a Marion native and former employee in the Alumni and Development Office at Tabor Academy, has been hired as the new Director of Development at Our Sisters' School in New Bedford.

Our Sisters' School is an independent middle school for girls in grades 5-8 that opened in 2008. Students of Our Sisters' School come from disadvantaged families, must show academic promise and go through a lengthy application process before being enrolled. The school currently has 59 students across its four grades and is supported entirely by donations.

"We look for girls who are going to succeed and thrive here," said Keene, who accepted the position after working for six years in development at Tabor Academy.

In her new role, Keene will be responsible for guiding the school's donation gathering efforts by cultivating relationships with donors and ensuring that the local community understands the impact a school like Our Sisters' School can have.

"We look forward to having Abby at the helm of our development efforts," said Lisa Schmid Alvord, president of the school's board.

"It's a very different world here," said Keene about the transition from Tabor to Our Sister's. "But it's an exciting one. For me, it's been an eye-opening experience to see a place that runs entirely on its donations and its volunteers."

The school has 150 volunteers and 8 of its teachers are drawn from Americorps.

Unlike her position at Tabor, where students are charged tuition, Keene's new position will see her managing Our Sisters' only source of support, donations.

"I need to cultivate the people we have because they're all we have," said Keene. "To me, it's a personal challenge. It's ownership. It's a one-man show here almost."

A one-man show at a new school serving the girls who need it most. Keene sees the school as off to a good start, but at only three years old there is still much to be done.

"A lot is already in place, but growing it and developing it is still possible," Keene said.