On December 16, 2017, I began as Executive Director at CLM. In some ways, the four years have gone by in a blink and in others it feels like a lifetime. I have spent a lot of time reflecting on all that we have accomplished together. I am proud that we have been able to pass meaningful bills like continuous healthcare coverage for youth aging out of foster care. We have successfully advocated for increases in all priority budget lines each year including a 43% increase in Family Resource Funding over the last two years. We updated our by-laws and board structure for the first time in 24 years and we have battled an unprecedented global pandemic. Our ability to come together to problem solve, support one another, and effect lasting policy change are what has made the difference for not only the people you all serve, but the staff that support them day in and day out.
During the pandemic I had the honor of hearing from a young woman who was a teenager back in the mid-1990s while I was her DCF caseworker. She shared with me the impact I had on her life and that she often thought of me over the years, much like I wondered about her. It was an emotional reunion, but it also confirmed what I already knew: the frontline staff, the ones who work with children, young people, and families every day, don’t often get the opportunity to see the impact their support has meant to others. This was also another affirmation that my decision to be the next president at Key is the right next step for me. The opportunity to join you all as colleagues, working hard on behalf of children and families and ensuring that staff are valued, appreciated, paid well and most importantly know that they truly are making an impact, even if they rarely see it, is where I need to be. I appreciate all of you for mentoring me, even if neither of us knew that was happening, and I look forward to continuing to be in the work with you. Be good to each other and to yourselves.
See you from a different seat in 2022!