Val is the Program Manager for RWJF's Executive Nurse Fellows at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) in Greensboro, NC. Her experience spans over fifteen years of diverse work in health care, not-for-profit, academic, legal, and corporate spheres. Through both professional roles and volunteering, Val has proven a deep 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, nutrition and mentoring young adults. Val has successfully combined these interests through her service to the CCL®/YMCA Black and Latino Achievers Program, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, HIV/AIDS education, and Victory Junction Gang Camp for children with chronic medical conditions and serious illnesses. Val's natural enthusiasm for communications and building relationships has positioned her as the central team "hub" in many of her roles, including Communications Assistant for the Infectious Disease Unit at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY.
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, and program team with the information, tools, contacts, resources and logistical support needed to ensure their success. She is the key point of contact for prospective program applicants, and handles travel, hotel and financial reimbursement arrangements for faculty, guest speakers, and coaches.
Excerpts of Val's 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 editing work for businesses & individuals, including copyediting, proofreading, and writing for web and print. She currently designs and writes for a health related website. Val is a dedicated mentor to high school youth with the CCL/YMCA Black & Hispanic Achievers Program, and has served on several health and wellness committees. She is an alumni member of Mortar Board National Honors Society and an active member of the CCL chapter of Toastmasters International.