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Baumgardner to head Starfish Mentoring Program
Headwaters is delighted to announce that Ann H. Baumgardner has been named to the position of Director of the Starfish Mentoring Program.
Baumgardner, a Rappahannock County native who graduated from Rappahannock County High School, has worked as a Clinical Therapist with youth and families in a number of settings and held administrative positions with several prominent local organizations.
Baumgardner was the Clinical Administrator for the Grafton School in Berryville, a child and adolescent psychiatric treatment facility.
From 1999 to 2005, she was the Director of Blue Ridge Counseling Services in Warrenton, a regional counseling organization for children and adolescents.
Baumgardner, who holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Missouri, started her career in research and teaching. She was a Professor of Psychology at Virginia Tech; following that, for over ten years, she was a Professor of Psychology at Michigan State University.
Asked why she chose the part-time Starfish position, Baumgardner said, "This community means a lot to me. I’ve seen so much change, profound change, in this county since I was a small child.
"I think there have been a lot of losses we don’t often recognize—the loss of an older farming community, not as we know it today, but much more rural. I think the youth in this county are affected by that in a lot of ways."
Baumgardner replaces Carol Lucking, who directed the Starfish program for five years and recently made a difficult decision to leave Starfish in favor of a deeper focus on fewer projects. Lucking will expand her work as a home-based counselor in the Culpeper area, and continue her practice as a Life Coach in a new office in Flint Hill.
"I’m going to miss the mentoring that I myself received from the extraordinary group of ladies who run Starfish," said Lucking, referring to the volunteer Executive Committee members who oversee the program. "These are real go-getters who have made incredible changes for the children of this county."
Said Headwaters Executive Director Cole Johnson, "We are saddened to lose Carol, but we are thrilled to have someone with Ann’s incredible background to join the Headwaters team and take on this extremely important program.
"There are still children with unmet needs in this county," continued Johnson. "Ann’s arrival will coincide with an expansion of the Starfish program.
"We’re looking at several options to serve more youth, and we intend to take advantage of Ann’s wonderful experience and management skills."
One possibility being considered by Headwaters is establishing a site where mentors and mentees can meet to use computers, do schoolwork, play games, and just hang out, according to Johnson.
Like Lucking, Baumgardner is impressed with the caliber of the volunteers who manage the Starfish program and mentor the children. "I’m so excited about the people with whom I’m going to be working," said Baumgardner, who started her new position last week. "This is such a unique community, it’s amazing—we have so many really gifted older people here, with so much to offer."
"To me, it’s all about maximizing possibilities for kids—about the potential of all the kids in our community. It’s about building future adults for our community, hoping some of these kids will return here to become long-term citizens.
"That’s one of the questions I’ll be exploring through my involvement in Starfish: how can we create an environment that isn’t just great for retirees and well-to-do people, but can allow younger people to live and to flourish?"
For more information on the Starfish Mentoring Program, including how to become a mentor or enroll a child, you can reach Ann Baumgardner at 987-3322 or starfish@headwatersfdn.org.
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