Former Volunteers for Youth Justice Executive Director Laura Alderman to assume role
Step Forward, an education partnership spearheaded by The Community Foundation, has hired
Laura Alderman as its new executive director.
Step Forward is a catalyst for working together across sectors to prepare the children of Bossier, Caddo and DeSoto Parishes for academic achievement, productive citizenship and global competitiveness, from cradle to career.
“Laura’s expertise and significant background in the social services will greatly enhance the work of Step Forward,” said Chairman Jim Henderson, president at Northwestern State University.
Alderman has served for 10 years as the mental health coordinator for Caddo Parish Juvenile Services. There she developed protocols related to court-sponsored mental health services, and served as adviser to court personnel regarding evidence-based mental health treatment and promoted evidence-based practices in community programming.
Alderman served as site principal investigator for John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Louisiana Models for Change grant to develop evidence-based screening and assessment. This program was one of only two sites selected for the National Institute of Justice research project of juvenile mental health courts.
Alderman also served as the executive director of Volunteers for Youth Justice from 2002-2005.
“North Louisiana is a unique and wonderful community, rich in history and tradition. Yet, trends indicate that our children face a challenging future absent our intervention,” Alderman said. “Having spent my professional career advocating for the welfare of children in both educational and juvenile justice settings, I am so happy to be able to continue this important work through the Step Forward initiative. I look forward to this opportunity to serve along with the many committed leaders in our region as we work to improve outcomes for our children.”
For more information visit www.stepforwardnla.org.
