Sep. 21, 2015

Spartan alumna named ceo of non profit

SPARTAN ALUMNA NAMED CEO OF NON-PROFIT

Michigan State University artistic image

Starr Commonwealth has appointed Elizabeth Carey as the successor to its current President and CEO Martin Mitchell, who announced his retirement plans in January, after 45 years of service to Starr.

Carey has served Starr as Chief Strategy Officer for the last five years and transitioned to her new position as President and CEO on June 1.  

She earned two degrees in social science at MSU, a bachelor's in 1992 and a master's in 1996.
 
"To be given the opportunity to lead Starr Commonwealth is truly an honor," Carey said. "With 102 years’ experience of serving children and families, underpinned by a belief in their strengths and resilience, we have significant opportunities ahead of us. Our staff are positively impacting on thousands of children and families each day, with the goal of unleashing their full potential, regardless of their challenges.

"By continually improving our services in education, behavioral health, youth development, and training for professionals, we can ensure that we meet the evolving needs of the community in ways that are most impactful and sustainable.”

Before joining Starr in 2010, Carey served as Chief Operations Officer at the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, having also held the position of Executive Director of the Michigan Federation for Children and Families and, before that, Director of Government Relations for the Council on Accreditation (COA).

Carey is married with two children and lives in Jackson, Mich.

Starr Commonwealth is one of the most established and respected human service nonprofits in the country. Having served young people and families with a strength-based philosophy for 102 years, the agency now supports children and adults through programs in education, behavioral health, residential youth services and community based youth services. 

Robert Bao