From the Desk of Dexter L. Pearson, Board Chair

On behalf of the Georgia Avenue Family Support Collaborative (GAFSC) Board of Directors, I announce the retirement of Karen Feinstein, LICSW, from the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GAFSC, effective December 31, 2022. Karen has been an extraordinary leader and committed community advocate during her 24-year tenure with GAFSC. As a nonprofit leader, Karen has championed access to high-quality, community-based services for low-income individuals and families in the District of Columbia for nearly 27 years. In 1998, Karen worked with Ward 4 residents and other stakeholders to create GAFSC, one of five Healthy Families/Thriving Communities Collaboratives (HFTCC) charged with strengthening families and building neighborhood capacity in D.C. to prevent child abuse and neglect. In 2002, GAFSC became a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation.

As CEO, Karen’s many accomplishments include the following:

• Developing and maintaining robust public and private partnerships.
• Overseeing a fiscal control system and an annual operating budget in excess of $3 million.
• Building a diverse staff of 40+ employees.
• Spearheading the purchase of two properties in Petworth to house Collaborative Services.
• Augmenting GAFSC’s child welfare and capacity building programs with services for homeless families and fathers, school partnerships focused on truancy reduction, and the first community school initiative with Roosevelt Senior High School.
• Utilizing her mental health background to introduce and provide Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid training for staff, members of the Ward 4 community, and other community-based organizations, in partnership with the Department of Behavioral Health initiative and network to prevent youth alcohol and drug use.
• Most recently and as a result of Karen’s strong networking capabilities, GAFSC was selected by New York University to implement a pilot project to address domestic violence in the District of Columbia.