Ed Belleba

Role:President/CEO

Organization:Friends of Youth

Location:Washington, USA

Website:www.friendsofyouth.org

Mission:FOY delivers a broad range of services to youth and their families to improve their emotional stability and self-sufficiency.

Since 2005, Edward Belleba’s steadfast efforts in his role as President and CEO of Friends of Youth have made and continue to make a significant impact on the agency’s overall health and opportunities for future growth. Ed is committed to providing consistently high-quality programming and remaining effective and responsive in the delivery and evaluation of services. The agency has served a increasing number of youth, with a focus on excellence. Programs have consistently met and exceeded goals, enabling young people and their families to transition out of homelessness, strengthen independent living skills and improve their emotional stability and self-sufficiency.

Ed understands that collaboration and partnership among youth-serving agencies creates an important safety net for at-risk youth. He was pivotal in the recent expansion of Healthy Start, a consortium of five youth-serving agencies (of which Friends of Youth is lead agency/fiscal agent). In partnership with Hopelink, Friends of Youth recently opened the new Duvall Community Services Center and Family Housing Building. Ed was a champion of this collaborative project, which will bring critically needed housing, counseling, youth development, parent education and other human service programs to the Snoqualmie Valley, a region with limited service options for children, youth and families.