Morganton's Jernigan tapped as Optimist International president-elect

As civic organizations across the country grapple with declining membership, Morganton’s Chris Jernigan is preparing to lead one of the world’s largest service organizations, with a vision to make it more accessible.

Jernigan is a familiar face in Burke County through his work as executive director of Southmountain Children and Family Services and as Morganton’s District 2 representative on the City Council. Beyond his local leadership, he is known internationally for more than 40 years of service through Optimist International.

Formed in 1919, Optimist International clubs focus heavily on projects for youth. Today, many communities see the product of the organization’s work when parents take their children to play baseball, soccer, football, or other sports at their local Optimist fields, or when they participate in events like the annual Soap Box Derby here in Morganton. Internationally, Optimist has about 40,000 members and 1,600 clubs, primarily in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.

As a 17-year-old living in Selma, a small town southeast of Raleigh, Jernigan found himself wanting to get involved in Optimist through the Smithfield Pee Wee football program. When he turned 18, the age for eligibility, he officially joined the club.

He has now been an Optimist member for about 47 years and has been involved in every community he’s lived in, whether it was becoming president of the Whiteville Optimist Club down by the coast or becoming governor of the North Carolina West District after moving to Morganton. At one point, he became vice president of a region that encompassed Montana, Washington state, and areas of Canada, including Alberta.

Jernigan was chosen by a committee of past international presidents and other members to serve as Optimist International president beginning in October 2027. While he had been offered the position once before, he said he feels like now is the ideal time to accept the role. He added that he will spend the next few years strengthening his leadership team at Southmountain before stepping into retirement.

It’s the organization’s focus on living a positive life that has kept him involved over the years. He believes that as president, he will be able to attract community members seeking that same fulfillment.

Another main reason he felt like it was time to step into the top leadership role at Optimist International is the fact that civic clubs and organizations are dwindling. The Optimist club is no different, he said, adding that he feels he can be the one to implement changes that could lead the organization in the right direction.

“I have a true belief that our society has changed to a point that people still love to volunteer and do things and help in their communities, but they don’t do it by joining organizations. They do it more on a one-on-one personal level,” Jernigan said, adding that sometimes people can become overwhelmed by the commitment of weekly or monthly meetings and dues.

Currently, to be a member of Optimist, you have to be a member of a local club. Jernigan said he wants to expand reach for people who want to join the organization individually.

“I think we’re missing out on a lot of people who would like to be involved with our organization, but they don’t want to join that local club, and then there’s a lot of places that don’t have local clubs anymore,” Jernigan said.

Almost 20 years ago, Jernigan shifted Southmountain in a new direction, creating North Carolina’s first and only foster community, providing eight homes in a neighborhood-style setting.

“That’s kind of what I do,” Jernigan said. “I can really get outside the box and figure out things, and I think I’ve got some ideas like that that can help move Optimist forward.”

He added that the club can be marketed to new people based on its name and shared belief alone, citing part of the creed: “to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind, to talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.”

“While all of us in civic clubs focus on trying to help our community, ours is the only one that really has as a core this value of living a positive, optimist life,” Jernigan said. “I just think that there’s lots of people out there who subscribe to that kind of mentality.”