Former CEO & Founder of the Fairfield County Community Foundation (FCCF) Juanita James continues her passion and personal mission to make a positive change in her community by joining the Board of Directors at Social Impact Partners.
James spent her for-profit and nonprofit career grounded in the value of higher education, leadership development and community engagement. Since joining her first board in 1977, James has played an instrumental role in her numerous board and advisory roles to date, notably joining the Princeton Board of Trustees in 1984 as the first African American female member. Since retiring in 2022 as the President and CEO of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation after 11 years of service, Juanita James has not put a pause on her deep-rooted commitment to ensuring all people have access to quality education.
“Higher education is the foundation for social mobility,” shared James, noting her full scholarship to Princeton afforded her an education and experience she would not have been able to receive otherwise. “Education is the key to future success, the preservation of society and the quality of life as we know it. If we educate our children, we are educating the future leaders of our country.”
Under James’ leadership, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation provided fiscal sponsorship to help Social Impact Partners, formally Social Venture Partners, launch. In this “full circle” moment, James shared that since its launch in 2014, Social Impact Partners has continued to grow in the scope and depth of its strategic focus, remaining “very consistent with the things I care most about.”
“Juanita has not only had an incredibly distinguished professional career but has simultaneously brought so much light and meaning to every nonprofit organization she has touched,” shared Executive Director of Social Impact Partners Mark Argosh. “It is an absolute honor to have her passion, dedication to transformative change and commitment to sustainable impact join our Board and support our mission.”