Movers and Shakers: Women

SARASOTA – The Women’s Resource Center of Sarasota County, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating and empowering women in Sarasota County and enriching their lives, has named Barbara Cruz as its interim executive director.

Valerie Goddard, who led the nonprofit as the executive director for the last two years, is pursuing other professional opportunities and interests, including re-entering the public policy, government and education arenas and re-engaging her management and strategy consulting firm. Goddard, who has 25 years of executive management experience, notified the board of her decision at the September 15 board meeting. She will continue to serve as the executive director until October 12, 2015.

”I am honored to have served the women of Sarasota County as the executive director of the Women's Resource Center of Sarasota County,“ says Goddard. ”I am confident that this organization will continue to build upon the programs and services that have been established.“

A Sarasota County native, Cruz brought over 25 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector to the Women’s Resource Center of Sarasota County (WRCSC) when she joined the nonprofit as the director of development in July 2015. Prior to joining the WRCSC, Cruz served as the executive director for the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation, a national and international nonprofit organization headquartered in Venice, Fla. While there, Cruz managed the day-to-day operations, community relations, volunteer management, marketing and communications, program development and donor development.

Recently, the WRCSC has achieved significant accomplishments, including an increased Sarasota County grant award, the development of a service tracking system, a female veteran initiative, the addition of professional mental health counseling, new agency partnerships and collaborations and the acquisition of the Displaced Homemakers Grant, a five-year contract of $85,000 per year, totaling over $411,000, by Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity.

”We are appreciative to Valerie for her commitment and dedication to the mission of the Women's Resource Center of Sarasota County and to the women that we serve,“ says Jamie Aymerich, the WRCSC’s board president. ”We wish her well in her future ventures, and as we move forward, the Women’s Resource Center of Sarasota County is positioned to continue to do great things for the women in our community.“

For 35 years, the countywide not-for-profit agency has provided thousands of local women with life skills training, career services and scholarships to achieve their highest potential. For more information, visit www.TheWomensResourceCenter.org or call 941-366-1700.