YOUR AD HERE »

Maria Tarajano Rodman named executive director of Valley Settlement

After an exhaustive national search, Valley Settlement’s board of directors has hired Maria Tarajano Rodman as the organization’s new executive director, effective Feb. 22.

Rodman comes to the valley from Farmington, New Mexico, where she has spent the past five years leading Boys and Girls Club of Farmington. Under Rodman’s leadership, the organization doubled its number of participants, expanded service sites and built new facilities. The organization was recognized as the National Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s New Mexico Program of the Year, and earned the New Mexico School Board Association’s Excellence in Student Achievement award. Her prior work includes leadership roles at Berkshire Children and Families in Massachusetts, advocating for women’s health; and Montague Catholic Social Ministries, a community-based servant leadership organization serving children, youth and families.

“My life’s work has centered around creating conditions that support and promote a family’s dream for their children’s education, opportunities to thrive in a new environment, and ability to access vital and timely community resources,” Rodman said. “I know what it means to have people in one’s life who believe in them and support their dreams. As a young refugee girl emigrating from Cuba with my family, I would not be where I am today without those people and organizations who supported my growth and connected me with opportunities in education.”



Coinciding with Rodman’s arrival, Valley Settlement will also be moving to a new location on Feb. 22. The new address is 1901 Grand Ave., Suite 206, in Glenwood Springs. The new office, located on the second floor of the U.S. Bank Building, is larger and better designed to suit Valley Settlement’s operations. It is on the main transportation corridor with bus stops nearby.

Founded in 2011, Valley Settlement offers a network of Latinx-led, two-generation programs to bring families out of isolation, improve economic stability, and promote community and school engagement. Programs include mobile preschool, adult education, peer mentoring, parent education, in-home childcare training and leadership development. Valley Settlement’s programs are designed by and for the communities served.



For more information, visit http://www.valleysettlement.org.

 


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Glenwood Springs and Garfield County make the Post Independent’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.