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Elections - December 2023
Each December the RECAMFT members elect a new Board of Directors for coming year. The presidency is a three-year commitment as first President Elect, then President, and finally Past President. The Secretary and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) are each two-year terms, as are the Director at Large (DAL) seats. RECAMFT's board composition currently consists of:
2024 Board of Directors Candidates Below are the slate of candidates who are running for each open position. There is one candidate running for President Elect, one for CFO, and one for one of the five DAL seats. |
2024 Director at Large candidate (you may enter the name of a qualified RECAMFT member for any of the open DAL positions when you cast your ballot)  Open Website Resume Candidate statement | 2024 Director at Large candidate - PRELICENSED (you may enter the name of a qualified RECAMFT member for any of the open DAL positions when you cast your ballot)
Website Resume Candidate statement 2024 Director at Large candidate (you may enter the name of a qualified RECAMFT member for any of the open DAL positions when you cast your ballot)
Website Resume Candidate statement 2024 Director at Large candidate (you may enter the name of a qualified RECAMFT member for any of the open DAL positions when you cast your ballot)
Website Resume Candidate Statement |
Emily Larkin, LMFT
Tara D'Orazio, LMFT
Dr. Laura Strom, PsyD, LMFTCandidate Statements Candidates were asked to respond to 3 questions.
Below are each candidate's answers. |
2024 President Elect candidate statement Why are you interested in serving on RECAMFT’s Board of Directors? I have had the privilege over the past year to serve as RECAMFT’s secretary. During this time my commitment to RECAMFT and drive to broaden our community outreach and expand our impact have only strengthened. I am emboldened by the devotion of our long-serving board members who have tirelessly worked to make RECAMFT what it is today. As a clinician with a long career ahead and an unrelenting passion for supporting the growth and progress of our field, I feel it is time for me to take on a larger, more active role in RECAMFT. I hope to continue the work of those before me and carry our organization forward with a fresh perspective and new energy.
What are your 1-year goals for RECAMFT? In the next year I hope to strengthen current RECAMFT member relationships and bring in new members by enhancing our outreach efforts. I believe the sustainability of the field of counseling and this organization relies on the support we provide to future generations of therapists. My hope is for our leadership team to spend more time listening to both seasoned and rising professionals alike; and to highlight the voices and needs of those who are often not heard and addressed. Additionally, I hope to explore new avenues for how our organization can promote social justice initiatives and improve access to counseling services within Sonoma County.
What is your 5-year vision for RECAMFT? I want to help RECAMFT grow to its fullest potential. I envision a RECAMFT that holds firmly to our original values of providing ongoing opportunities for connection and professional development to our membership, while simultaneously looking forward to the future of what RECAMFT could become. My goal is for RECAMFT to be known not only by members and organizations within our profession, but recognized by our community as a chapter that prioritizes expanding equity and bringing positive change through action. I see our organization growing into a diverse body of dreamers that are devoted to turning ideas into action for the betterment of all. 2024 Chief Financial Officer (CFO) candidate statement Why are you interested in serving on RECAMFT’s Board of Directors? As the incumbent CFO, my commitment lies in ensuring RECAMFT's financial resources are effectively managed to support our strategic initiatives, including both short-term and long-term goals. What are your 1-year goals for RECAMFT? In the coming year, my primary focus is on immediate priorities. I will diligently work on maintaining our financial stability, exploring funding opportunities, and practicing fiscal responsibility while also ensuring that our financial allocation aligns closely with our mission statement and action pledges. These objectives include providing clear, accurate, and timely financial information to the board, aligning financial decisions with our mission, and directing resources toward its fulfillment. Additionally, my passion extends to the continuation and expansion of our scholarship programs, which play a crucial role in fostering inclusivity and accessibility within our community. What is your 5-year vision for RECAMFT? 2024 Director at Large candidate statement Why are you interested in serving on RECAMFT’s Board of Directors? I have served on RECAMFT's board continuously since 2013. I am passionate about RECAMFT's well-being, and the success of our members. In 2013 I helped organize a protest against the CAMFT board's decision to remove the word's "Marriage and Family Therapist" from the newly proposed bylaws, while substituting "mental health professional". This led to myself and four other people running for seats on the CAMFT Board. Our group was known as Save CAMFT, and we won the election in a landslide, making me President Elect of CAMFT in 2014. I was CAMFT President in 2015-16. This effort was because of my deep caring for both RECAMFT and its members. I have just finished a year as Past President of CAMFT, and am super excited about what we have done lately, especially the Justice Projects, and want to see what happens next. What are your 1-year goals for RECAMFT? 2024 is RECAMFT's 50th Anniversary! My one year goal for RECAMFT is to have us celebrate throughout the year, in ways both big and small, the vital contribution our members have made in the last 50 years to the health and well-being of our local communities. What is your 5-year vision for RECAMFT? Over the last 8 years the Redwood Empire community has weathered horrific wildfires, floods, and a worldwide pandemic. Thanks to the caring and dedication of our RECAMFT Board, we provided small caring gifts for our members who suffered in fires and the flood under the presidencies of Reyna Seminara and Doreen Van Leeuwen. Our Board created a Racial and Social Justice Committee (RSJC) thanks to 2020 President Tara D'Orazio, and put forth two Justice Projects: Antiracism and LGBTQ+ Affirming Care. We created scholarships for prelicensed and newly licensed members to honor the deaths of our administrative consultants, Joe and Pam Ward. We pivoted to Zoom meetings in 2020. We created a store where anyone can watch our videos for CEs thanks to Lisa Wenninger and Tara D'Orazio. We recently started a partnership with Sonoma County Office of Education to serve schools in times of crisis (thank you Jessica Heaney!). And we are working towards a land acknowledgement and deepening our education around antiracism and LGBTQ+ affirming care with huge gratitude to our RSJC and its leaders, Linda Block and Katharina Kienböck. As you can see, it takes a village and a council of elders to run RECAMFT. I am so proud of us for all these wonderful achievements! My 5-year vision for us is to continue to grow as healers dedicated to racial and social justice. I want to see us provide more trainings with top-tier presenters, in areas that will help our members earn more money (this is also the goal of Dr. Bob Casanova, our 2024 President). I'd like our community to continue having a seat on the CAMFT Board, so I want to see 1-2 of our members apply to serve there every year. I am hoping for a RECAMFT member to be CAMFT President in the near future (go CAMFT Secretary Barbara Young!). I want us to continue to be sitting at the table when it comes to how to serve our communities when disaster strikes just like we did in 2017-18. Marriage and Family Therapists are the largest portion of the mental health workforce in California, and I want to see RECAMFT leading the way locally to ensure we are recognized and well-paid for our efforts. |
Dr. Laura Strom, PsyD, LMFTAre you looking for help? Find therapists offering free natural disaster and crisis sessions here. Please check out MySonomaStrong.com. Visit the NAMI Warmline. Take a trauma-informed yoga class. We will recover together! ¿Buscas ayuda? Encuentre terapeutas que ofrezcan sesiones gratuitas de crisis y desastres naturales aquí. Visite MySonomaStrong.com. Visite la NAMI Warmline. Toma una clase de yoga informada sobre el trauma. ¡Nos recuperaremos juntos!
Redwood Empire Chapter of California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists |
