Voices for Children, which provides court appointed special advocates (CASAs) to foster children in San Diego and Riverside Counties, has named John Valencia as its new president and CEO.
Valencia, who previously served as the vice chancellor of workforce and organizational development at Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District in at El Cajon, California, will start at Voices for Children on Feb. 13.
The San Diego-based nonprofit organization, founded in 1980, recruits and trains CASAs to advocate for foster children in dependency court and in schools. Voices began providing CASAs in Riverside County in 2015.
Voices for Children provided 1,412 CASAs in San Diego County in 2017 and 211 in Riverside County during that time, serving 3,434 children across the two counties, according to the organization’s internal tracking.
According to the most recent data from the California Child Welfare Indicators Project, Riverside County has 3,475 foster children placed in out-of-home care; San Diego County oversees 2,558 foster children placed outside of their home.
“I am honored to be joining such an exceptional organization as Voices for Children,” Valencia said, in a statement released by the organization. “The Board has a clear vision for VFC’s continued success in transforming the lives of foster children, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with the staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners who make this vital program possible for our youth.”