Nora Grace-Flood Photo
Selma Ward.
Before Selma N. Ward interviewed to become the new CEO of the Children’s Center of Hamden, she wrote a vision statement.
“My vision has always been to help kids build a foundation for their future success,” it read. “I don’t want to see anyone defined by their past experiences: everyone deserves guidance, support, and education.”
The Children’s Center shares that vision. The “park-like,” open campus is home to a K‑12 special education school, a residential youth treatment center, and the Casa Rios group home for women. The center also offers a variety of family-centered day programs and events for youth with behavioral and mental health diagnoses.
Founded in 1833 as “The New Haven Orphan Asylum,” the center has a storied history. It began with the advocacy efforts of women and mothers on behalf of Connecticut’s children. The orphanage opened after a terminally ill woman by the name of Widow Daniels pleaded with her community leaders to offer care to her four children after her death, rather than placing them in the Almshouse.
The asylum became the first private institution to care for dependent children chartered by Connecticut. In 1925, the organization moved into its current site on Whitney Avenue in Hamden.
Ward is the first female CEO to lead the center in its 186 years of operation. She is also the mom of a 21-year-old who will be entering her senior year of college this fall.
Ward said that after submitting her application and completing a rigorous interview process, she was “very humbled to be the chosen candidate.” Her long list of credentials suggest that she was a natural fit.
“When the opportunity came to light, it addressed two of my passions,” Ward said. “Healthcare and youth.”
While most of her career has focused on accounting and financing, Ward was introduced to behavioral health five years ago when she took on the role of CFO for Perception Programs, a nonprofit agency committed to supporting individuals and families affected by co-occurring substance abuse and mental health issues.
“We have huge disparity issues in healthcare,” Ward asserted, highlighting the diverse socioeconomic and experiential backgrounds of the youth who are served by the Children’s Center. “It’s a much-needed service.”
Before working with Perception Programs, Ward was the controller of the business office for The Rectory School in Pomfret.
“What a blessed experience,” she recalled. “There’s a clarity to young people. Kids really do say the darndest things. They’re very real.”
While there, Ward worked as a student advisor and taught a class titled “Young Investors.”
“I’m very much a ‘boots on the ground’ kind of person. I like to engage with the community with which I’m working,” Ward reflected.
Despite new restrictions on social interaction due to the pandemic, Ward has been working on campus since she officially began the position on July 1. “I need to make sure I’m present and accessible; people have to see me, even if they just see the top half of my face.”
She confessed that “it’s really hard to build relationships when half of your team members aren’t on site.” She has compensated for the imposed distance by sending out daily newsletters and taking short walks around campus with other staff members.
Ward began transitioning into the role in June alongside the previous CEO, Dan Lyga, who retired after working with the organization for 35 years.
Ward expressed admiration for how smoothly the organization has been adapting to what she described as “the new normal.”
“Senior leadership had done a tremendous job of responding to the needs of the agency,” she raved. “They’ve scrambled to get laptops and make the transition to telehealth … I believe we’re coming out of an emergency response and into a more planned response stage of the pandemic.”
As for her own plans and goals for the institution, Ward said there is little that she would change about what the center does and how they do it. She said that she aims to expand the services provided, utilize the technologies of telehealth, and continue implementing distance learning.
“The idea is to embrace and to expand; to focus on ensuring that we’re reaching all of the far corners.”
She is also meeting with funding agencies to discuss their expectations of the program, and to be clear about what she considers to be the new reality of the center.
While working to recognize the complex mental states of children and teenagers, Ward’s personal wellness philosophy during this stressful time remains relatively straightforward.
“I’m an incredibly joyful and peaceful person,” she remarked. “I don’t really let external factors take away my joy.”