Charles E. Monroe, M.Ed. Bio

Charles E. Monroe, M.Ed.

     NOMINATION TO THE UNITED WAY BOARD OF DIRECTORS
     September 30, 2009
     

     Charles E. Monroe is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW). LSS-SW is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization which provides a wealth of health and human service programs for children, families and adults throughout Arizona and the southwest, including: adult day care and in-home care, refugee resettlement and immigration services, disaster preparedness and response, counseling services and a host of other community development, social services and family programs.

     Mr. Monroe is a native New Yorker and has served the public in the human service field for over 36 years. His professional accomplishments as an administrator include extensive work in the areas of economic development, housing, community development and the social welfare of adults, families, and runaway youth. Concerned with the tremendous lack of resources for those who are socially and economically disadvantaged, Mr. Monroe embarked on a career in human services. Over the next decade, Mr. Monroe worked with youth from the streets of New York providing counseling and acting as an advocate for their families while connecting them to sorely needed services. The success of his initial efforts in empowering individuals to create and control their own circumstances led to his commitment to work for social equality through education, affordable housing, appropriate health care, and competitive wages.

     Mr. Monroe received a B.A. in 1973 from City University–Herbert H. Lehman College and received his M.Ed. from Antioch College, in 1976. He began his career as a public school teacher in New York City and for the past 32 years has served in senior management for several nationally known human service agencies in New York City. He held positions as the Division Director of Homeless Services for Volunteers of America, Director of Residential Treatment for Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services, Associate Executive Director for Covenant House New York, and Director of Youth Ministries for The Riverside Church.

    In the Spring 2002, Mr. Monroe moved to Tucson and served as Vice President for Socio-Economic Development for Tucson Urban League until 2006. He is a member of the Pima County Workforce Investment Board and is a former member of the Board of Directors of Child and Family Resources. In addition, he serves as the Vice President of the Northwest Regional Coalition. Mr. Monroe founded his private consulting agency, Monroe Consulting and Training Solutions, LLC, which provides consulting services and executive leadership training for non-profit companies. His wife, Patricia, is a Clinical Psychologist and has been Director of Behavioral Health Services at the Pima County Juvenile Court Center for the past seven years. She is also on the faculty of the University of Arizona Department of Psychiatry, is a founding partner of Applied Psychological Services, PLLC, and maintains a private practice.