Kitty Lopez

Kitty Lopez to leave Samaritan House for First 5 position Daily Journal staff report May 3, 2013 0 Facebook Twitter Email Kitty Lopez to leave Samaritan House for First 5 position Kitty Lopez Facebook Twitter Email Print Save Kitty Lopez, current executive director at the nonprofit agency Samaritan House will leave her post later this month to become the executive director at First 5 San Mateo County starting at the end of June. Lopez has been with Samaritan House the past 12 years. It is the lead service agency in the county that assists low-income families and individuals with food, clothing, shelter, health care and counseling services. Her new job with First 5 starts June 24. The FIRST 5 Association of California works to improve the lives of the state’s youngest children and their families through implementation of the California Children and Families Act at the local and state levels. The act, also known as Proposition 10, passed in 1998 and created a system of information and services promoting early childhood development from prenatal to age 5. The goal of Proposition 10 is to enhance the health and early growth experiences of children, enabling them to be more successful in school and to give them a better opportunity to succeed in life. It is fueled by a 50-cent-a-pack tax on cigarettes and $1 tax on other tobacco products such as chewing tobacco and cigars. In San Mateo County, First 5 is led by commissioners who are appointed by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. The First 5 San Mateo County Commission was established in March 1999. Since its inception, it has invested more than $68 million in local programs and has served more than 26,000 children prenatal through age 5 and 14,000 parents and primary caregivers. It has a staff of about 10 and had an allocation of more than $6.7 million in the 2009-10 fiscal year. “We’re excited for Kitty, and grateful for all of her contributions to Samaritan House. Under Kitty’s leadership, Samaritan House has become more visible in the community, has greatly increased its ability to meet the needs of the underserved in our community and has formed important partnerships with many other organizations in the county,” Samaritan House board President Patty Hsui wrote in a statement. Samaritan House is forming a transitional team to find a new leader. “Although Kitty will be missed, the board sees this leadership transition as an opportunity to build on the strong base that Kitty has created,” Hsui wrote. The agency will honor Lopez at its Main Event May 11 with this year’s theme being “Feeding the Hungry in our Community.” For information go to www.samaritanhousesanmateo.org.