Darlene Ward: A Champion for Change, A Life of Service

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
WRI Solutions

1.     You began your career in advocacy at the Mental Health Association in New York State, working with the Parents with Psychiatric Disabilities Project and then the Sexual Assault and Mental Health Project. What drew you to this work initially, and how did those early experiences shape the trajectory of your career?

I was fortunate to be hired by someone who also had a master’s degree in community psychology, and to be able to apply that systemic perspective at the state level. MHANYS does amazing work to this day.

When I began working with parents, I quickly saw unaddressed underlying issues of sexual assault, domestic violence, and poverty. We began to explore more deeply the impact of trauma and to raise awareness of that across systems. So many of the parents were also involved in family court cases, which led us to develop a publication to assist parents in understanding that process. We also  were able to participate in mental health and trauma education for the courts. This all piqued my interest in working more with the courts and led to my positions at CASANYS and then the Unified Court System.

2.    As a professional, an adoptive mother, and a foster grandmother, how has your personal experience shaped the way you approached your work or vice versa?

My daughter remains my greatest teacher. Watching her approach to foster care has been an entirely new level of understanding of our systems. Permanency of any kind, whether reunification or adoption, is a celebration but also can be a loss, and it’s important to honor both.

Early in my career, I worked in journalism, and that taught me how to step back and neutrally observe. Emotions run high in this work, and that has proven a very useful skill.

3.    You spent 20 years overseeing grant funding, training, and technical assistance, first as the Executive Director of CASA of New York State, and then as part of the CASA Assistance Program through the NYS Office of Court Administration. Why is sustained funding for CASA programs so critical, and what impact have you seen when communities have, or lose, CASA advocates for children?

CASA volunteers provide a vital service, and like other vital services, should have dedicated funding. So much of the local energy of CASA programs is spent on keeping the doors open. Sustained, reliable funding is critical to allow the programs to focus on meeting the needs of the children in their areas. Without CASA, it is too easy for the foster care system to become invisible to the community at large, and for the needs of those children for a single, consistent support to go unmet.

4.    You helped to launch St. Paul's Center, a Homeless Shelter for Women and Children, created in a church that had closed. What do you wish more people understood about homelessness?

My wish would be that more people truly saw and understood the face of homelessness and worked together to find respectful solutions. I feel the faith community can be an overlooked partner in those efforts.

5.    You have advocated for some of society's most marginalized groups, including parents with mental illness, sexual assault survivors, homeless families, and children in foster care. What core belief or principle has guided all of this work?

That all people deserve to have their truth heard and honored.

6.    You have spent 30+ years working at the intersection of what have been traditionally “siloed” systems, such as the courts, mental health, child welfare, homelessness. What is working and what is still needed for systems to truly collaborate for families?

Collaborating with families is what is still needed. I’ve seen tremendous progress in systems incorporating better ways to understand and communicate with one another. But we are still figuring out how to truly empower youth and families to help the systems designed to serve them do so more effectively.

7.    The awards you have received through the years mention words like "passion," "compassion," "determination," and "vision." However, this work can also be heartbreaking. How did you sustain yourself through the difficult moments, and what advice would you give to those continuing this work?

I continually marvel at the good fortune I have had to work with dedicated, highly skilled, fun, and compassionate teams, every step of the way, and most recently with the exceptional professionals at WRI Solutions. My advice would be to lean on your colleagues– you never know when reaching out is just the connection they needed that day as well.

8.    As you are about to step into retirement, what are you most passionate about now, and what's next for you?

First and foremost will be spending time with my daughter and granddaughter (let me show you pictures!). I am not good at just stopping, but I am trying to create space in my early retirement to see what calls to me. There are so many critical issues now, such as LGBTQ+ advocacy, gun violence, and advocacy for individuals with disabilities. I love to write, so I am hoping to add that into the mix as well.

9.    If you could sit down with the Darlene who was just starting out in this field, what would you want her to know? What do you hope the next generation of advocates will carry forward from your work?

I think I’d tell young Darlene that it is going to be an absolutely fabulous ride. My hope for the next generation is that they bring their energy and creativity to this work, and never fail to consider whose voice is not at the table.