Champion for Girls

Growing up is hard. 

Dr. Kellie Warren knows that.

Being a young woman is hard.

Dr. Kellie Warren knows that

as well. 

She also knows something else:

With hope, guidance and

opportunity, lives can be turned

to a more positive direction.  

Warren, who has a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree from Wright State University, is the CEO of Florence Crittenton Services of Arizona. The community-based organization specializes in the needs of adolescent girls and the delivery of gender responsive and culturally competent services. She has spent her career working with young people, in the juvenile justice system, diversion programs, behavioral health and other treatment areas providing services to adolescents and justice-involved youth.

“I think from a very young age I saw that adolescents weren’t understood,” Warren says. “When I was at that time of my life, I felt that I wasn’t understood.”

But Warren had something many young women don’t have, a support system. She grew up in Ohio, surrounded by a large immediate and extended family. All sorts of possibilities presented themselves to her. She loves to perform – singing, dancing, writing plays for her church. She considered becoming a nurse, knowing she wanted to “help” in some way. And then she took her first psychology course, Psych 101, at Central State University in Ohio.

“That was my ‘aha’ moment,” Warren says. “This is perfect,” she thought. “I can do this.”

Her two degrees in psychology would offer a number of options, but Warren chose to work with young people. “I always wanted to be a voice for those populations I felt didn’t have a voice. I always wanted to advocate for the underdog.”

When a mentor suggested she work in juvenile correction, her father was leery. “He didn’t vote for that first job,” Warren acknowledges.

Warren did another thing that shocked her large family: She moved from Ohio to New Jersey to take a job in a residential treatment facility, working with young people from the inner city who had some involvement with the criminal justice system. First, no one in her family had ever left Ohio. Second, the job sounded a little risky to her family.

Undeterred, Warren carved her own path and came to Arizona from New Jersey in 2004 to work with the juvenile corrections system here. In 2008, she was invited to Lyon, France, to give a presentation on Arizona’s juvenile justice system at an international conference. As she spoke, she realized one man in the audience was glaring at her. During the question and answer period that followed, his words were these: “The U.S. locks up too many kids.”

His comment stuck with her. Corrections, she realized, is built to provide safety to the community. An organization like Florence Crittenton provides safety to the child. That’s where she wanted to be.

At Florence Crittenton, she says, there is opportunity and hope. The agency is about looking beyond the negative things that have occurred in a young woman’s life. “I feel purpose-driven here,” Warren says. “Girls walk in hopeless and leave empowered.

“We’re creating memories for them. The way you see yourself in the world is based on experiences you’ve had. We’re beginning to challenge those memories.”

Changes for the young women don’t happen over night, but Warren and her team try to help each individual find her strength and build on it. Some are open to making changes; for others, depending on what they’ve been through, it might take a little longer. “We hold the girls accountable,” Warren says, “and their accountability helps build self-esteem.”

The girls connect with Warren. She’s young; she’s lively (loves to rollerskate and dance); and she’s a shoe person. These things resonate with them. As Warren's high heels click across the campus and through the halls, the young women take note. “I love your shoes, Dr. Warren,” they will say. If her heels are shorter than five inches, they will mention that to her.

“I want them to know that if they want something, they need to work for it,” she says. “If you want a car, don’t depend on a man to buy it. Get a job; save your money. Then buy it for yourself. If it’s shoes, earn them.”

Warren would like to see Florence Crittenton build capacity and impact more young women. She notes enthusiastically that the board recently approved a five-year strategic plan.

YOU CAN HELP

Florence Crittenton’s annual fundraising event, the Teaming Up For Girls luncheon, is March 4 at the Arizona Biltmore. The program will feature a keynote speech by Elizabeth Smart, who will tell her story of being kidnapped and held captive for nine months at age 14. She has become an activist against predatory crimes, with a focus on children.

The Hope Award recipient is Derek Clark, a motivational speaker who inspires youth and adults to have hope and never give up. Severely physically and emotionally abused as a young boy, Clark was given up by his parents at age five to the foster care system. Having been misdiagnosed as mentally handicapped and having numerous emotional and language difficulties, Derek worked hard to overcome the obstacles in his life.

Warren says the young women of Florence Crittenton, who will be at the luncheon, will be able to relate to both speakers.

Learn more about Florence Crittenton and the Teaming Up For Girls luncheon