CONTRIBUTED PHOTO — Michelle Roseburrough has returned to Marshalltown to take on the role of events and marketing manager at the Marshalltown Area United Way.

Michelle Roseburrough has returned to Marshalltown to take on the role of events and marketing manager at the Marshalltown Area United Way beginning Monday, Jan. 22.

In fall 2022, Roseburrough relocated to Gainesville, Fla. to live with her husband Todd Halverson, after dividing her time between there and Marshalltown.

She took employment at the University of Florida as administrative support for the Office of the Dean of the College of Engineering.

“It was an interesting job. I was put in charge of social events for the college. I worked with great people, but I really missed doing nonprofit administration,” she said.

Roseburrough’s last day at the University of Florida was Jan. 18.

“Then the next day I got in my car and drove to Marshalltown. It’s about a 20-hour drive. I may have this snowbird thing backwards,” she said with a laugh.

For nearly a decade, she served as administrator at the Historical Society of Marshall County and also helped organize tours and events at Binford House. She penned a monthly column for “Past Times” in the Times-Republican and gained a reputation as a trusted local historian.

She still owns her historic home in Marshalltown and made frequent trips back to the area to visit friends and family. During her last stay in town, she learned of the opportunity with United Way, and couldn’t say no.

“I couldn’t turn it down. It was an honor to have them reach out to me,” she said. “I talked to (United Way Executive Director Kendra Sorensen) a couple days before Christmas, and a few weeks later, I got the offer,” Roseburrough said. “They know I can do the grant writing. I’ve done some kind of marketing since the 90s when I worked for Motorola. Public engagement is a strong suit for me.”

Sorensen said Roseburrough would be a phenomenal asset to the community and the agency.

“I’m incredibly ecstatic for Michelle’s return to Marshalltown and having her as our new events and marketing manager,” Sorensen said. “Michelle’s primary role at MAUW will be planning and managing coordination of events and providing campaign support along with maintaining, updating, and promoting the organization’s website and social media accounts. She will also be focused on content development for marketing communications and promotional materials. Michelle will jointly assist with grant writing, community engagement and business collaboration.”

Roseburrough will coordinate major events like Power of the Purse and the annual Charity Golf Outing, as well as smaller gatherings.

“United Way always has a presence at local events. I’ll maintain the website and social media. I’ll attend Evening Rotary, which I was doing before,” Roseburrough said.

She noted that she and her family lived in the Marshalltown area when she was a child. She then resided in Arizona for 20 years before coming back to town in 2000.

“It’s home. My roots run deep,” she said.

She’s looking forward to working with Sorensen.

“I’ve known her since the early 2000s when I moved to Marshalltown and she worked at the Clinique counter at Younkers,” Roseburrough said. “We have a history of friendship. We have really similar energy and passion for what we do. I’m as excited to work back in the non-profit industry as I am to just simply work with Kendra. She’s a pistol and a rock star.”

In addition to husband Todd, Roseburrough’s family consists of adult children Tess, Jordan, Dylan and Stella. Her dogs are named Sugar and Jackson Browne, and she has a kitten named Lucille Jingle Ball. In her free time she loves to read, cook, entertain and sing.

Roseburrough said she plans to reconnect with clubs and organizations she’d been involved with before her move down south.

“It’s hard to make connections in a city when you don’t have roots or the network,” she said. “I had so much of that in Marshalltown. I really miss that, between Rotary, the women’s clubs, Binford, the Historical Society. I miss being involved in all the different goings-on. I’m excited to dive right back into it.”