Dear Friends & Colleagues, 

First, let me express my most sincere gratitude for your partnership during my last 10 years at Families In Schools (FIS). I am honored to have worked alongside amazing community, corporate, education, nonprofit and philanthropic leaders like you who care deeply about closing opportunity gaps for our students and families. I have felt energized and inspired by your work to ensure all children have access to high quality learning environments. 

As part of the FIS team, I have had the pleasure of working with passionate, dedicated staff and board members who work every day to advance the mission of the organization. Thanks to their support and commitment, FIS has made significant strides in elevating the voices of families in education policy at the local and state level. Together we have also created high-impact programs to help school districts improve their family engagement practices. 

After an amazing journey at FIS as the President and CEO, I am moving from the organization on January 10, 2020 to take the role of COO at the United Way of Greater Los Angeles (UWGLA). As part of this new amazing team, I look forward to bringing my passion, commitment, and skills to helping UWGLA support communities across Los Angeles County in permanently breaking the cycle of poverty.

I leave confident that the FIS team will continue to advance the mission of the organization and remain a leader in the field. The FIS Board has approved Karla V. Salazar, current COO, to serve as Interim FIS President & CEO. Karla is an amazing leader who has served FIS for more than 6 years both as a Board Member and most recently as COO for the last 16 months.  

I deeply value your partnership and support, and I look forward to finding ways to work together again. You can contact me at my personal email oecruz1975@gmail.com or cell 323 395-8272. 

To read the formal press release please click here.

Sincerely,  

Oscar E. Cruz