Boys & Girls Village Announces Three Staff Advancements
Milford – September 28, 2015. Boys & Girls Village (BGV) is pleased to announce the advancements of two key staff in the Permanency Services division, and a staff promotion to the role of Vice Principal of the Charles F. Hayden School. Carra Conlan, a resident of North Haven, has been promoted to Vice President of Community Services, a new staff position. She was promoted from serving as Director of Permanency Services for the past three years, and now oversees all community-based services. Hamden resident Yvette Wooten steps into the position of managing the Therapeutic Foster Care Program (TFC), after serving for several years as the Therapeutic Foster Care Recruitment and Training Manager. Meriden resident Vincent Lindsley has been promoted to Assistant Principal of the Charles F. Hayden School, after serving for two years working in daily programming and curriculum.
According to Chief Operating Officer Kim Shaunesey, Ph.D., “Carra has a long tenure with the agency. She has shown herself to be adept at managing clinical and program issues, using data and our electronic health record to move programs forward, and possesses excellent RFP writing abilities. Carra started with the agency as a line staff over sixteen years ago. She has increasingly demonstrated her expertise and knowledge as she has moved up from manager to director - and now to VP - and taken on a wider scope of responsibility. She is well respected in the community for her knowledge and willingness to collaborate effectively with other resources. We feel very lucky to have her on our team!”
Yvette Wooten, on staff at BGV for thirteen years, is moving into the position of managing the Therapeutic Foster Care Program (TFC). According to Dr. Shaunesey, “Yvette has been an amazing and talented recruiter for BGV. She connects so well with the foster parents and the youth she works with; her experience is invaluable to the program. Yvette has consistently been a strong presence for the program staff as well. We are confident that she will step into the role of program manager without missing a beat!”
Both Carra and Yvette state that they flourish working in an environment that houses a culture of open-door support with leadership, allowing growth and success. They also cite the Agency’s flexibility to allow them to think creatively and globally.
Meriden resident Vincent Lindsley is a military veteran, and has a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. He has been on staff at BGV for two years, with a solid physical education background. Previous to his promotion to Assistant Principal of Charles F. Hayden School, he worked to develop and implement a one-of-a-kind physical education program designed to meet the unique needs of the school’s students. The program utilizes data driven assessment, planning, and the provision of individualized special education instruction. He recently received his Sixth Year Diploma in Educational Leadership, along with working on a second master’s degree in the field of education.
According to Principal Jon Oddo, “Vincent has been an asset to the Hayden School since his arrival two year ago. He brings his wealth of knowledge and experience working with our student population, as well as provides an excellent model for teachers regarding classroom management, lesson planning and curriculum development. Vincent has added to the growing fabric of our organization with some very positive initiatives to help improve the quality of our daily programming. He has headed such projects as building our fitness and health programs (including curriculum) and helping empower and instill healthy habits and practices within our students and staff members. He has served as a CT State TEAM Mentor for developing teachers, as well as assisted as a key member of the school curriculum and evaluation team and presenter during staff development throughout the year.”
Dr. Shaunesey shared, “We are proud to have the talented and experienced staff to promote from within.”
About Boys & Girls Village
For 73 years, Boys & Girls Village, Inc. has been one of Connecticut’s leading providers of behavioral health, special education, and permanency planning services for at-risk youth and their families. Since its founding, Boys & Girls Village has touched the lives of thousands of children and families from 50 different Connecticut communities, providing a wide range of family-centered services and evidenced-based treatment approaches that help children heal, learn and grow.
About the Boys & Girls Village Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) Program
This program matches qualified foster parents with children 6 to 17 years old who are in the custody of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.
Some of these children have been abused or neglected. Others are working to overcome learning, behavioral or emotional problems. All are in desperate need of the comfort, love, safety and nurturing that only a dedicated and supportive therapeutic foster family can provide. Boys & Girls Village’s experienced Therapeutic Foster Care staff provides foster parents with: training needed to become a state-licensed foster parent; ongoing, in-home support; 24/7 emergency support; paid respite breaks; access to special recreation; social and parent education services; referrals to community services; continuing, post-placement education; adoption services, when possible and desired; and a network of caring, experienced professionals dedicated to ensuring success for the Boys & Girls Village children and families.
Foster parents also receive a tax-free, monthly stipend for food, clothing, childcare and other necessities. The amount is based on the level of care, age and needs of each child. Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families provides healthcare coverage.
While most of the BGV parents choose to foster full time, qualified foster parents are also needed to provide short-term respite care (as little as one weekend or week a month), and temporary emergency care for children who have been removed from their homes.
All placed children are in the custody of Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families (DCF).
