Children & Families First announced yesterday that Kirsten Olson, currently CFF’s Chief Strategy Officer, has been selected as the agency’s new chief executive officer. Ms. Olson will assume the new role on January 1, 2020. CFF is a non-profit human services agency that has operated in Delaware since 1884, with a mission to help children facing adversity on their journey to adulthood. They use proven methods to help families raise their children so they can flourish.
“I am honored to have been selected as CFF’s next CEO. It is a privilege to be part of an organization that delivers high quality, innovative services to children and families in Delaware, with an incredible team of talented and caring professionals,” said Olson. “We are an organization led by a purpose – to make a positive, meaningful impact for children and families, to build resilience in the face of trauma so that children and families can reach their full potential. I am committed to delivering on our mission while ensuring that the organization remains strong, innovative, and competitive.”
Ms. Olson succeeds Leslie Newman, who will retire from CFF at the end of the year, after serving as CEO for 13 years, with a total of 28 years of service to the agency. Under Ms. Newman’s leadership, the organization honed its focus on delivering evidence-based practice rooted in the science of trauma and resilience, bringing interventions like the Nurse-Family Partnership, Functional Family Therapy, and Solutions Based Casework into CFF’s continuum of services.
Ms. Olson’s selection was made after a comprehensive search process conducted by the CFF Board of Directors. “Kirsten is a highly respected leader at Children & Families First and in the non-profit community,” said Jim Klabe, Board Chair. “We were pleased but not surprised that we had the right candidate for our next CEO within the agency.”
After spending more than a decade in the human services sector in Delaware, Ms. Olson joined the staff of Children & Families First in 2008, and has served on the agency’s Management Team since 2010, first as Chief Development Officer and then as Chief Strategy Officer, a role she has held since 2014. Ms. Olson has
extensive experience developing and delivering successful programs and initiatives informed by a brain science approach, driving organizational change, building and leveraging collaborative relationships, and translating visionary ideas into practice. Ms. Olson grew up in Delaware and holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with honors from Trinity College and a certificate in Executive Leadership from the Alliance for Strong Families & Communities. She served as a National School Justice Fellow at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University in 2017.
