Walden Family Services hires four new employees at LA office

Walden Family Services, a non-profit foster care and adoption agency, announced that four new employees have joined the organization’s Los Angeles office. They new employees are: Andrea Salazar, Karla Robles, Muriel Gaudin and Suzanne Lazear.

Andrea Salazar, Walden’s new director of fund development, will be responsible for planning and implementing multifaceted fundraising plans to generate funds through major donor cultivation and solicitation, special events, and expansion of corporate sponsorships and giving. Before joining Walden, Salazar worked as the development director at Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women & Children where she lead the development department and oversaw all fundraising campaigns. Salazar holds a Bachelors degree in business with an emphasis in organizational management from the University of La Verne. She lives in North Whittier.

Karla Robles is Walden’s new recruiter. She will be responsible for recruiting foster and adoptive parents and families. Prior to joining Walden, Robles worked as a program consultant for Los Angeles County Disaster Healthcare Volunteers where she helped recruit registered health care volunteers to support hospitals in times of massive disasters. Robles graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Bachelors degree in business management. She resides in Valley Village.

Muriel Gaudin is the new program director at Walden. She will be responsible for operating and managing the foster family agency program in Los Angeles County. Gaudin worked as a clinical coordinator for Westside Children’s Center where she was responsible for the supervision of the organization’s social workers and counselors before joining Walden. A California licensed psychotherapist, Gaudin has also had a private practice for 15 years, focusing on relationships issues, adoption, parenting, domestic violence, substance abuse and elders’ issues. She received both her Masters and Bachelors degree in clinical psychology from Antioch University. Gaudin lives in Studio City.

Suzanne Lazear, Walden’s new grant writer, will be responsible for reaching out to funders in the Los Angeles community and beyond by writing grant proposals, as well as researching new funding opportunities. Prior to joining Walden, she was the foundation and corporate relations officer for Pepperdine University where she gained a wide range of experience writing, presenting and tracking grants and letters of intent. Lazear received her Masters of publicpolicy from Pepperdine University and her Bachelors degree in business administration from Mount Saint Mary’s College. She resides in San Fernando Valley.