Bridgeport, Ct.—Trumbull resident Valerie Foster has been elected chair of the Board of Directors at The Center for Family Justice, the nonprofit that provides free, confidential services to victims of domestic and sexual violence and child abuse in six local communities.
“I am honored and humbled to be chair of this amazing board, a group of people that is involved in all aspects of The Center for Family Justice,” said Foster, who has been a CFJ board member for the last seven years. “We all do more than simply show up at monthly meetings and write checks. We roll up our sleeves and get to work.”
Foster assumes board leadership at a critical time for CFJ, which became the state’s first Family Justice Center in April 2016.
“Our main challenge is sustainability in this time of shrinking state, federal and municipal dollars,” she said. “We need to work together to come up with innovative solutions to ensure our sustainability, so this organization, with roots stretching back to 1884, will be around for at least another 133 years, helping victims of domestic and sexual violence and child abuse become survivors.”
Foster and her husband, Jack, raised their three children in Fairfield, but have called Trumbull home for the last several years. A former newspaper editor, Foster’s career took a 180-degree turn a few years ago when she co-founded Pathway to Mindfulness, an organization that teaches clients how to build a 20-minute-a-day mindful meditation practice. She also volunteers with CFJ’s clients to help them learn meditation as part of their recovery from trauma.
“We are excited about Val’s leadership of our board because she has already contributed so much to this agency,” said Debra A. Greenwood, CFJ’s President & CEO, who noted Foster has helped elevate the agency’s profile by spearheading a significant public relations and marketing initiative. “She cares deeply about our clients and our efforts to help them lead safe, healthy lives free of trauma and abuse.”
Foster replaces Judy A. Stevens, a Senior Assistant State’s Attorney in the Bridgeport Judicial District, who served as board chair for the last two years. Steven’s tenure on the board has ended after nine years.
