Eve Valdez is a nonprofit executive, business development leader, program manager, policy advocate, consultant, public speaker, and systems change strategist dedicated to transforming outcomes for foster youth, underserved communities, and individuals impacted by trauma.
Drawing from both professional expertise and lived experience as a former foster youth, Eve has built a career focused on strengthening communities through policy reform, behavioral health innovation, workforce development, organizational growth, and youth leadership.
With more than eight years of leadership experience, Eve has successfully designed, managed, and expanded programs that intersect behavioral health, child welfare, public health, workforce development, education, violence prevention, economic mobility, and community engagement. She is recognized for translating complex social challenges into actionable strategies that create measurable community impact while fostering collaboration across public, private, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors.
Eve currently serves as Director of Business Development at RefocusOnU, where she leads organizational growth initiatives, strategic partnerships, sponsorship development, grant strategy, program expansion, contract development, and community engagement efforts. She works alongside healthcare organizations, government agencies, educational institutions, philanthropic partners, and nonprofit leaders to expand access to health education, behavioral health services, youth development opportunities, and community wellness programming.
Previously, Eve served as a Project Management Consultant with KAI Partners, supporting the California Department of Public Health’s Child and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI). In this role, she contributed to statewide behavioral health campaigns, youth engagement strategy, public health communications, research dissemination, stakeholder collaboration, webinar facilitation, project coordination, and the nationally recognized Take Space to Pause campaign. Her ability to bridge lived experience with evidence-based practice helped ensure youth voices remained central to statewide behavioral health initiatives.
Her leadership extends well beyond organizational roles. Eve works with the National Foster Youth Institute on developing experience-led child welfare policy, contributes to statewide policy development through California Youth Connection, serves on leadership councils focused on behavioral health and workforce development, and was selected as a Foster Youth in Action (FIYA) CORE Fellow, representing lived expertise in national policy and systems-change initiatives.
As a speaker and facilitator, Eve has presented before legislators, state agencies, nonprofit executives, healthcare leaders, educators, behavioral health professionals, workforce boards, youth organizations, and national advocacy groups. Her presentations combine research, data, policy analysis, practical implementation strategies, and authentic lived experience, making complex issues accessible while inspiring action.
Her expertise is strengthened by a multidisciplinary educational background in psychology, sociology, communications, behavioral health, project management, neuroscience, youth ministry leadership, and workforce development. She is a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) and has completed specialized training in neuroscience, behavioral intervention, coaching, public speaking, organizational leadership, and trauma-informed practice.
Eve’s contributions have earned numerous honors, including the Partnerships for Well-Being Institute Youth Champion Award, a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives, and professional endorsements from executives, researchers, public health leaders, behavioral health professionals, and nonprofit CEOs who consistently describe her as a visionary collaborator, strategic thinker, exceptional facilitator, and influential systems leader.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Eve remains deeply committed to mentoring emerging leaders, empowering former foster youth, supporting survivors of adversity, and creating environments where individuals can heal, lead, and thrive. She believes sustainable change occurs when policy, community voice, lived expertise, research, and collaborative leadership intersect.
Her mission is to build stronger systems that expand opportunity, reduce inequities, strengthen communities, and ensure every young person has access to the support, resources, and leadership opportunities necessary to reach their full potential.”
