The Community Action Agency of Anne Arundel County has appointed Dr. Lenny Howard as the agency’s Director of Youth Development Services.
The agency’s CEO, Dr. Charlestine Fairley, says Dr. Howard brings vast experience in helping youth and young adults achieve academic goals, learn coping strategies for social and emotional management, build life skills, and foster character development.
Noting Dr. Howard’s previous stints as a school counselor and principal, executive coach and mental health counselor, and his career as a college administrator and professor, Dr. Fairley said the new appointee is the right person for the job.
“Dr. Howard has a demonstrated passion for helping young people achieve success,” Dr. Fairley stated in a news release.
The anti-poverty agency for all of Anne Arundel County, the nonprofit Community Action Agency began in 1965 and serves more than 10,000 county residents each year.
In 1968, the agency was designated the anti-poverty agency by the Anne Arundel County Council. It serves local residents through its programs developed to offer homelessness prevention, free mental health services for children and their families, Early Head Start for pregnant women and infants and toddlers, Maryland Energy Assistance, and programs to prepare youth for education success and workforce preparation.
The agency’s mission is to empower people in reducing poverty and building resilient communities. Its vision includes being recognized as the leader in addressing poverty and improving the quality of life in Anne Arundel County communities.
“Dr. Howard is providing full-time direction and leadership to the Agency’s comprehensive treatment, prevention, and education services for youth,” the agency said in the news release.“He will oversee the addition of new and innovative programming developed to help youth navigate the challenges they face.”
The Community Action Agency’s Youth Development Services has been serving children and youth, ages five to 24, since 1972. The Agency’s Youth Development Services office is located at the Stanton Center, at 92 West Washington Street in Annapolis.
“Dr. Howard is the right person to guide Youth Development Services as we expand our programming to benefit children and youth living in Anne Arundel County,” Dr. Fairley said.