Longtime Executive Director of the Putnam/Northern Westchester Women’s Resource Center Ann Ellsworth recently announced that she is stepping down from the agency to head another local advocacy organization.
Ellsworth has been appointed CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Westchester & Putnam, succeeding Valerie Brown, who served the role since 2015.
“I am honored to have been chosen to carry forward the legacy built by Valerie Brown and her team of dedicated staff and volunteers,” said Ellsworth. “I am excited to lead Big Brothers Big Sisters of Westchester & Putnam into its next chapter and explore the many possibilities that lie ahead for the organization and the youth we serve.”
Over the course of 18 years with the Women’s Resource Center, Ellsworth advocated for and provided vital support to adult and child victims of domestic and sexual violence.
“Our fight for the safety and recovery of women, children, and adolescent victims of domestic and sexual violence continues to be a herculean task, and it is sadly one that we have yet to win,” she wrote in farewell email. “But we have made some great strides over the years – individually, locally, state-wide and nationally – and I have been honored to represent the Women’s Resource Center and to fight this ‘good fight’ on all these fronts.”
Ellsworth thanked the staff and volunteers she has worked with over the past two decades.
“I am overwhelmed with emotion at the reality of leaving you all,” she wrote. “I will remain an advocate all the days of my life, but it is time to turn over the leadership of this indispensable, life-changing organization to the next generation of advocates and change-makers to continue its mission to end domestic and sexual violence.”
Ellsworth has served as the past chairperson, and is currently an at-large member of the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Additionally, she has represented Putnam County on various boards, including the United Way 211 Advisory Board, the New York State Balance of State Continuum of Care Steering Committee and the Putnam County Child Advocacy Center Management Advisory Board.
It is this experience and advocacy that will make her a compelling leader for Big Brothers Big Sisters, said BBBS leadership.
Brown’s contributions during her nearly 10 years as CEO of the agency helped propel the chapter into a standalone 501(c)3 organization, which currently holds the coveted “platinum affiliate” designation from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. She has worked on behalf of more than 2,000 local children and their families by providing them access to mentors and programs.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Westchester & Putnam is dedicated to creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the potential in children and change lives. Through various programs designed to meet the needs of the community, the organization aims to build brighter futures for children and empower them to achieve success.
For more information, visit bigswestchester.org.
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