SUMMIT, NJ—Family Promise, the leading national nonprofit engaging communities to address family homelessness, has announced its 2022 board of trustees and celebrates the service of outgoing Board Chair Leah Griffith, and long-time trustees Stacey Slater Sacks, and Rick Vicens.
Griffith, managing partner of Watts Consulting, was elected board chair in early 2020 and has been a volunteer with Family Promise at Central Presbyterian Church in Summit for more than a decade. Under her tenure as board chair, Family Promise has seen tremendous growth in impact nationally, creating homelessness prevention and shelter diversion programming through A Future Begins at Home, sheltering and stabilizing thousands of families during the pandemic. Griffith will remain a board trustee.
Rick Vicens, chief executive officer of Olympus Power, joined the Family Promise board in 2015 and served as the organization’s treasurer for several years.
Stacey Slater Sacks, founder and president of Pro Bono Strategies, also joined the board in 2015, chairing the Board Development Committee and numerous event committees.
Both Vicens’ and Slater Sacks’ families have been deeply involved as volunteers with Family Promise-Union County.
“I couldn’t be more grateful for the long-term support and leadership of Leah, Rick, and Stacey,” said Family Promise CEO Claas Ehlers. “Without their partnership, the level and quality of service to families at risk of homelessness would not be possible. I look forward to working with Betsy and the board leadership in the year ahead as we work to change the future for children in America.”
New Board Chair and Secretary Appointed
Betsy Bernard, a public company board director and retired president of AT&T, has accepted the role of board chair. Her significant board experience spans two decades, and she has received numerous professional and personal honors for her distinguished accomplishments and service, including Fortune magazine’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” list for three consecutive years.
“It is an honor to support Family Promise’s critical mission of helping families achieve sustainable independence. Every child deserves a home!” says Bernard, who joined the Family Promise board earlier this year.
“Betsy has been a visionary leader of a Fortune 25 company. Her strategic insight and commitment to empowerment are incredible assets in our work to help families overcome homelessness,” said Ehlers.
Joining her as board officers are Andrew Pierce, a partner at Bain & Company, who will continue his role as vice-chair; Susan Hardwick, executive vice president and chief financial officer at American Water Works Company, Inc., will stay on as treasurer; Rev. Dr. Victor Aloyo, Jr., associate dean of institutional diversity and community engagement at Princeton Theological Seminary and senior pastor of La Iglesia Presbiteriana Nuevas Fronteras, will serve as board secretary.
Earlier this year, Family Promise also welcomed Omar Minaya, former general manager of the New York Mets and the Montreal Expos, who now serves as a team ambassador for the Mets with a special focus on outreach to the Latino community, and Stephen Wallace, a partner at Nixon Peabody and an authority on the preservation of government-assisted affordable housing.
To view a full list of the Family Promise Board of Trustees, click here.
About Family Promise
Family Promise envisions a nation in which every family has a home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a better future. What began as a local initiative in Summit, NJ, more than 30 years ago has become a national movement that involves 200,000 volunteers and has served more than 1 million family members since its founding. Currently, Family Promise is working in over 200 communities in 43 states to ensure that families experiencing or at risk of homelessness have a safe place to call home. To get involved, visit FamilyPromise.org.
