Tonia Hunt has been selected as the next executive director of Children First for Oregon (CFFO), a 23-year-old advocacy organization based in Portland. Hunt, who has worked for CFFO before, will take the helm from Interim Executive Director Liz Field on February 18.
She returns to the organization from Clackamas County, Ore., where she served for nine years as the executive director of The Children’s Center. The center conducts assessments and supports children who are suspected victims of abuse and neglect, and also offers programs for non-offending parents experiencing high amounts of stress.
Hunt left the center two years ago and has since served as director of marketing and development at the Children’s Trust Fund of Oregon. Previous to leading the Children’s Center, Hunt CFFO’s policy director and manager of Oregon’s KIDS COUNT project.
“In this new chapter for Children First, we look forward to building an even stronger organization, to moving our important work forward, and continuing to be the leading voice for Oregon’s children,” said Children First Board Chair Christine Reynolds, in an e-mail sent to colleagues.
The organization’s former executive director, Robin Christian, left in 2013 after 10 years to become director of training and education for Florida’s Hawn Foundation, an organization founded by actress Goldie Hawn to develop social and emotional literacy curricula to use with youths.
John Kelly is the editor-in-chief of the Chronicle of Social Change