Child Advocates of Fort Bend CEO Ruthanne Mefford was recognized by the Houston Business Journal (HBJ) as one of its 2020 Women Who Mean Business. On October 15, the Houston Business Journal recognized the most successful female business leaders in Houston who are making an impact in their industry, business and community during a live, online awards ceremony. Recipients will also be recognized in a special section of the Houston Business Journal the week of October 16.
Mefford was honored for her achievements leading Child Advocates of Fort Bend for the past 11 years as CEO and her 30-year career spanning the private and public sectors. During her tenure at Child Advocates of Fort Bend, the agency has grown from a small organization with a couple dozen employees to a full-service, comprehensive, “one-stop-shop” for 3000 children and families every year who have experienced sexual abuse, physical abuse or neglect. Through a disciplined approach and careful strategic planning, CAFB has expanded services and programs and just completed an $8.3 million capital campaign in record time to completely renovate and enlarge its facility including the opening of a new 10,000 square foot Children’s Advocacy Center, a state-of-the-art Training and Learning Center to train CASA Advocates who serve children in foster care, expanded space for partner agencies in the Fort Bend County child abuse divisions of the District Attorney’s and County Attorney’s Offices, Sheriff’s Office and CPS to work collaboratively in its Multi-Disciplinary Team model and a nature-filled indoor-outdoor environment that brings compassion and healing to children and families on its newly-named Davis George Campus. Through its Court Appointed Special Advocates Program (CASA), Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) and more than 800 volunteers including 200 CASA Volunteer Advocates, Child Advocates of Fort Bend has provided life-changing services to more than 17,500 children since it opened its doors in 1991.
Child Advocates of Fort Bend is a leader in innovating novel approaches and services to transforming the lives of children who have been abused. It is one of the few programs in the state of Texas that matches 100% of children in foster care with a court advocate. It developed its WINGS program targeting youth aging out of foster care to equip them with life skills and preparation for success after emancipation. Now, 100% of youth in foster care consistently graduate high school and go on to higher education or military service, breaking the cycle of abuse for generations of families. CAFB has piloted an innovative Courtesy CASA program to ensure children who are placed out of their home county get regular visits and don’t fall through the cracks. It was the original pilot for Collaborative Family Engagement which focuses on family reunification and reconnecting children with family members. And it has developed early childhood programs to address the specific developmental needs of infants, toddlers, and elementary aged children.
Over the past few years, Child Advocates of Fort Bend has seen a 53% increase in the reports of child abuse. Most recently during school closings due to COVID, children were isolated in their homes which gave rise to increases in the incidence and severity of abuse. The task now facing CAFB is to ensure that all children who have experienced abuse over these months come forward so they can get the help they desperately need and not remain vulnerable to further abuse. While other businesses were forced to shutter their doors, CAFB’s staff were considered essential workers and Mefford and her team got to work on a plan to keep staff safe and still serve the children and families who desperately needed their help. They appealed to donors to enable children in foster care to get laptops so that they could attend school remotely and figured out ways to deliver therapy services virtually, while continuing to safely provide in person forensic interviews for children who needed them. “Ruthanne will always find a way,” stated Board President Betty Baitland. “She is tireless in her efforts for the children.”
“For any child who finds herself or himself in a situation that is not safe or for adults who think a child is in danger, please do not hesitate to speak up now by calling law enforcement or CPS at 1-800-252-5400. No child should endure abuse or neglect and Child Advocates of Fort Bend is here for them,” Mefford said.
In response to hearing that she was being recognized by the Women Who Mean Business award, she said, “I am so honored to work with such a talented and caring group of people at Child Advocates of Fort Bend and incredibly proud of the transformational work and lifelong impact that we have had on thousands of children and families in Fort Bend County,” Mefford said. “We have built a very special place at Child Advocates of Fort Bend where children who are experiencing any type of abuse can find help and support.”
Prior to joining CAFB, Mefford was a finance, marketing and strategic planning executive at Marriott, Ocean Spray, IBM and Metamor IT. She has been very involved in the Greater Houston community serving as a Trustee of The George Foundation, and on the Board of Directors for the Center For Houston’s Future, Greater Houston HealthConnect, OakBend Medical Center, and the Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center. For seven years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Stanford University Alumni Association, her alma mater, where she was President. She is a member of the Fort Bend Junior Service League and the Exchange Club of Sugar Land.
The awards honor women across nine industry categories plus the Woman to Watch and Woman Who Inspires categories. Criteria for selection included career achievement, contribution to company and city success, community involvement and leadership.
For more information on the Women Who Mean Business Awards https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2020/08/18/2020-women-who-mean-business-honorees.html.
About Child Advocates of Fort Bend:
Child Advocates of Fort Bend is a non-profit agency dedicated to providing a voice, healing the hurt and breaking the cycle of child abuse in Fort Bend County. Through its Court Appointed Special Advocates Program (CASA), Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) and more than 200 trained community volunteer advocates – Child Advocates of Fort Bend provided life-changing services to 2,690 children and families in 2019. Since opening its doors in 1991, the agency has served more than 17,500 children. For more information go to www.cafb.org or call 281-344-5100.
