NAFI CT Executive Director Lynn Bishop has been appointed President of the Children’s League of Connecticut (CLOC).
CLOC is composed of leaders from 11 nonprofits devoted to a shared mission of advocating for the best interests of children and families, including proper care of children and young adults with behavioral health challenges or developmental disabilities.
“I’m grateful for this recognition from my peers, and I’m inspired by their affirmation to work collaboratively to overcome the ongoing challenges of providing appropriate services, resources, and access for young adults, children and their families. It’s a mission that has been made even more difficult—and even more important—by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Bishop, who most recently served as Vice President of the CLOC board, in addition to her full-time role as Executive Director for NAFI’s operations in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York.
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Bishop takes over the CLOC presidency from Daniel W. Rezende, President & CEO of the Connecticut Junior Republic (CJR), the Litchfield-based, nonprofit youth services organization providing residential, education, behavioral health, and a broad base of other community-based services across the state.
“Lynn is going to do a great job in this role. I’m very happy she’s the next President. CJR works with NAFI on a lot of different projects. We’re two agencies that have the same mission and the same values,” said Rezende, who resumes his role as an active CLOC board member.
Calling private nonprofit agencies “the backbone of the social services network in the state of Connecticut,” Rezende explained that as the state’s social services operations were challenged or shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic, private sector agencies, including CLOC members, “picked up the slack” and ensured a continuum of services, especially for the at-risk population.
State departments and agencies are utilizing CLOC and its leadership for planning the reintegration of services going forward—part of an overall mission that includes educating Connecticut decision-makers about the needs and where resources should go, as well as partnering with state departments to establish systems to help the children and families CLOC members work with on a daily basis.
Monitoring resources will be a priority for CLOC as it becomes clearer toward the end of the year how significantly the pandemic has affected Connecticut’s budget and, by extension, support for the nonprofit sector.
The services of CLOC’s member organizations span every municipality and school district in the state, reaching thousands of children and families.
About Lynn Bishop
Lynn Bishop is Executive Director of NAFI Connecticut, Inc. (NAFI CT) a subsidiary of the North American Family Institute, Inc., established as a non-profit, 501(c)3 corporation in 1992. NAFI CT provides programming, consultation, and individualized support services to youth, families, and adults in a variety of settings across Connecticut with core services including foster care, developmental services, residential treatment, and in-home services and consultations.
Bishop first joined NAFI CT as a counselor in October 1993 and was successively elevated to increasingly prominent roles before taking the helm in March 2012. Under her leadership, the agency rapidly expanded its in-home and community-based services division, adding a number of evidence-based models and an outpatient clinic to its continuum of services. In response to her team’s transformative impact in providing hope, empowering individuals and strengthening families, Bishop was asked to extend her leadership to NAFI operations in Rhode Island and New York. Altogether, she manages a budget exceeding $30 million and guides a corps of more than 500 dedicated employees.
Prior to assuming her current role as President, Bishop served as Vice President of the Children’s League of Connecticut (CLOC). She is also an Executive Committee Member of the Rhode Island Coalition for Children and Families. Bishop was also a founding member of the Association for the Advancement of Evidence-Based Practice that worked on implementing best practices programs throughout the country.
She resides in Rocky Hill with her husband and son. Bishop, who has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rhode Island and a Master of Education Degree from Cambridge College, may be reached at her office at 860.284.1177 x 212 or by email at LynnBishop@nafi.com.
Additional information on NAFI Connecticut, Inc. is available on the website at www.nafct.org.
