Val is Senior Program Manager for RWJF's Executive Nurse Fellows at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) in Greensboro, NC. Her experience spans over two decades of diverse work in health care, not-for-profit, academic, legal, and corporate spheres. Val has a deep proven commitment to fostering quality of life improvements across the socioeconomic spectrum. Her interest in this area was formalized with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Arizona and later expanded to include health, wellness, and youth development. Val has successfully combined these interests through her service to the Girl Scouts, CCL®/YMCA Black and Latino Achievers Program, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, HIV/AIDS education, the Infectious Disease Unit at Strong Memorial Hospital, and Victory Junction Gang Camp for children with chronic medical conditions and serious illnesses. Val has a natural enthusiasm for communications and building relationships, and enjoys connecting people and ideas.
In her current work at CCL, Val's mission is to strengthen the Executive Nurse Fellows program by providing the fellows, alumni, National Advisory Committee (NAC), RWJF, consultants, coaches, faculty, program team, and other stakeholders with the information, tools, resources and support needed to ensure their success. She plans and executes concurrent ENF leadership programs, meetings, and intersession activities, including action learning team and individual projects. She manages hotel, design, event and vendor partnerships, and leads travel, billing, and financials. Val trains and mentors team members, and triages the work.
She is dedicated to middle and high school youth leadership development, leading the partnership with the Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont Young Women's Leadership Institute, and serving as mentor and advisor for six years with the CCL/YMCA Black & Hispanic Achievers Program. Excerpts of her writing have been published in Know and Tell: A Writing Pedagogy of Disclosure, Genre, and Membership by David Bleich, p. 165-172. She does professional writing and editing work for businesses & individuals, writes for a health/leadership website, and has served on several organizational health and wellness committees.