Linda Goldfield
CEO, Youth Haven
“I’m just an average girl doing good work,” Linda Goldfield says.
Contrary to that understatement, this dynamic leader is steadfastly committed to helping children and teens who have been displaced because of abuse, neglect, and homelessness. Case in point: along with many of the organization’s management staff, Goldfield chooses to be on-site on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays. “These kids are our family, so for those who have been continually disappointed by adults to see adults show up for them really makes a difference,” she says. “I’m privileged to be someone in their lives who’s here to listen and support them and not be a part of the trauma that brought them to our campus.”
Initially conceived as a temporary shelter, Youth Haven has evolved into a long-term residence for many children because of a shortage of foster families—only about 50 to serve more than 500 children in the system. “More and more children are coming to us and staying longer,” Goldfield says. “They’re arriving with more mental health issues and therapeutic needs. And there is nowhere else in the community for them to go.”
As the need for services continues to grow, the nonprofit is in the middle of a $20-million capital campaign to replace its 7,000-square-foot therapeutic center with a modern 20,000-square-foot building. Goldfield is self-assured when it comes to seeking funding. “It’s one of my favorite things to do, to give people the opportunity to invest in this organization, discover what their passion is and what interests them in the work we’re doing, and find the right project for them to support,” she says.
Goldfield wakes up each day with feelings of humility and gratitude. “I was raised in a two-parent home and wish my mother and father were alive so I could tell them how thankful I am to [have grown] up in such a loving family.”
Woman in history she admires: Jane Austen, who created spirited, smart, and strong female characters still relevant and identifiable today
Advice she’d give her younger self: Relax; it will all be okay.
Bucket list: Learn to speak Arabic fluently and travel to Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Japan, and Vietnam
Go-to outfit: Black dress and black heels
Prized possession: My mother’s copy of The Great Gatsby; she was an English teacher, and it has her handwritten notes in the margins.
Words to live by: You find what you seek.
“Linda is smart, fearless, and innovative. Youth Haven has been significantly transformed under her leadership. She is tireless in her passion to improve the facilities, elevate the programs, and increase awareness. She is relentless in her pursuit to provide a better future for each and every child who sets foot on campus.” —Christina Linaberry, Youth Haven board president
Karen Govern
CEO, STARability Foundation
What’s in a name? When the Foundation for the Developmentally Disabled was rebranded STARability Foundation in 2018, the new moniker served to better reflect the organization’s focus, which is “shining light on ability, not disability.” A fresh identity was one of the top items on Karen Govern’s to-do list when she joined the nonprofit in 2016.
“The organization looked very different then,” says Govern, who explains that, besides its lackluster name, the nonprofit had no major presence in the community and had been parent-run and grassroots for several decades. “I was drawn to the cause and to the families and felt I had an opportunity to give them a voice. The community didn’t realize what the need was and how these families were struggling.”
Govern embraced the opportunity to help Collier County parents of children 14 and older with intellectual and developmental disabilities address every issue they face—from where they’ll go when they age out of high school to transportation needs, employment, respite care, and housing.
Today, the foundation serves some 370 “stars” by providing social and recreational activities, as well as programs focused on vocational training, continuing education, teamwork, social engagement, and community involvement.
Since Govern took the helm, STARability has outgrown its physical space twice and is bursting at the seams in its current 9,400-square-foot location. Plans are afoot to develop recently acquired property in North Naples on the former Hodges University campus. The first phase involves renovating a 42,000-square-foot building, with a target completion date of Fall 2026.
Meanwhile, Govern—affectionately referred to as “Boss” by participants—says she loves nothing more than walking through the program area at STARability and observing attendees having fun while engaged in activities such as yoga and cooking. “They bring so much joy. I can’t help but have a big smile on my face when I see them.”
Woman in history she admires: Mother Teresa for her inexhaustible passion to serve others, particularly those vulnerable and in need
Advice she’d give her younger self: Your voice is worthy of being heard.
Bucket list: Travel to New Zealand
Go-to outfit: Jeans and a sweater
Prized possession: Family photos
Words to live by: Leave the world better than when you first entered it.
“Karen is one of those rare people who has a heart for serving others, a love for connecting people with resources, and an ability to foster a sense of community. She helps STARability shine with her leadership and authentic, caring spirit.” —Lisa Kahn-Allen, STARability Foundation past board chair
Jaclynn Faffer
President/CEO, Baker Senior Center Naples
The typical teenage girl seldom knows with absolute clarity what she wants to be when she grows up—unless that girl is Jaclynn Faffer. When she told her father her dream was to become a social worker, he instead attempted to steer her toward a career in teaching. “He said, ‘I’ll pay for school if you major in education. Then if you still want to do social work, I’ll pay for any graduate school,’” she recalls. “He stayed true to his word through the doctoral program.”
Her postgraduate work with vulnerable populations stemmed from her doctoral research on issues affecting adults with chronic physical disabilities. Faffer taught in higher education, working as an adjunct professor of social work at various graduate schools, including Adelphi University, Hunter College, Yeshiva University, and Barry University.
When Faffer was tapped in 2010 to develop services for seniors in the greater Naples area, she was surprised to learn, given the demographics of the community, that there were no organizations dedicated to helping the elderly population. A needs assessment confirmed her belief that a senior center was essential, and it supported her research indicating that isolation and loneliness can be a predictor of early death as much as obesity and smoking. “We’re hardwired to be social people, and we all had a taste of what it’s like to be isolated and alone during the COVID pandemic,” she says.
Established in 2014 under Faffer’s leadership, Baker Senior Center Naples today provides social activities and a food pantry, as well as geriatric case management, mental health counseling, and a unique dementia-respite program. Faffer finds it most gratifying to make a difference in the lives of a population that is sometimes overlooked. “Our tagline is ‘Looking Forward’ because too often people think it’s the end of the road, but everything we do in terms of services and programs speaks to that tagline.”
Woman in history she admires: Jane Addams, considered to be the first social worker, who founded Hull House in Chicago in 1889 to serve the city’s poor
Advice she’d give her younger self: Do not let anyone deter you from following your dream.
Bucket list: Visit Yellowstone National Park in the winter
Go-to outfit: Something black with pearls
Prized possession: The pictures she took when she met The Beatles
Words to live by: Never give up until you absolutely must.
“Jaclynn Faffer is Baker Senior Center Naples. It would not be what it is today without her steadfast leadership and perseverance. She has built it from the ground up, from a few dozen members to more than 2,000, with an unsurpassed range of essential programs and services benefiting seniors in our community.” —Jay Baker, a Baker Senior Center Naples board member who, with wife Patty, donated $11 million toward the capital campaign for the organization’s new 30,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building.
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