Former board member, Ann Conner, has been making an impact with Child & Family for fifty years. In that time, so much has changed, but what is most important is what hasn’t.

Ann’s extensive experience runs from working in a Boston ad agency to teaching math in Newport, from earning her master’s degree in sociology to nonprofit management and making human services organizations stronger. These experiences are an asset that she has applied to her work at Child & Family. Through the decades, she has helped to guide and grow the agency, while navigating shifts in social and cultural issues.

“I really believe a community is better for having its people cared for, and if you care about people, you care that they get the help they need. Then they become better citizens and make for a better community – it’s all circular,”

Charming to talk with, Ann can chronicle the growth of Child & Family and bears witness to its incredible work. She acknowledges the high standards, “There is a professionalism of caring and making sure that they’ve done everything they can to better someone’s life. That is why all of us stick it out – I feel that if I can reach one kid, I’ve done my job.“

Reflecting on her fifty years of dedication to Child & Family, Ann says, “From the time I first went in there until today, what hasn’t changed – and what doesn’t change – is the care and concern that the staff, and all involved, give to the work they do. That has never ever changed.”