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Phyllis Armstrong, vice president of program operations at Indianapolis not-for-profit Child Advocates, has been promoted to CEO.
Armstrong will succeed longtime CEO Cindy Booth on Jan. 1, Child Advocates announced Tuesday. Booth is retiring after nearly 30 years with the children’s advocacy organization.
“Child Advocates’ staff and I are so pleased with the selection of Phyllis Armstrong as our next CEO,” Booth said in a Tuesday announcement. “Phyllis leads with integrity, knowledge, and commitment to children and youth.
“During her time here, Phyllis has created programs and developed and mentored staff,” Booth continued. “And her strong leadership and vision will meet the challenges ahead as Child Advocates continues its transition to a statewide agency focusing on justice, equity, and wellbeing for Indiana’s children.”
Armstrong became VP of program operations in summer 2020. Prior to that, she had served as a staff attorney, director of the Custody Program, later known as the Family Crisis Advocacy Program, and director of mediation at Child Advocates, which she joined in 1998.
“I’m proud to be a part of an organization that has been building and sustaining transformational programs addressing unmet needs of children in the child welfare system and others who are at the risk of system involvement throughout Indiana,” Armstrong said in written remarks. “I look forward to leading the agency and supporting our exceptionally experienced and dedicated staff as we continue to champion vulnerable children in need throughout the state. Child Advocates’ future is promising thanks to the foundation that Cindy worked tirelessly to set.”
Armstrong is a graduate of Earlham College and Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. She was admitted to the Indiana bar in October 1990.
In addition to her work with Child Advocates, she also co-founded the Family Practice Division of The Mediation Group.
“It quickly became clear to us that Phyllis is a strong champion of children and families as well as a strong supporter of all of Child Advocates’ staff,” Katherine Malarsky, chair of the Child Advocates board, said in the news release. “She and Cindy will work closely over the coming weeks to transition responsibilities, roles, and relationships, and I have no doubt that the transition will go smoothly.”
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