Velva Dawson started her career at Central Jersey Family Health Consortium working directly with families.
Now she’s running the place.
The North Brunswick-based nonprofit has named Dawson its CEO. She returns after nearly a decade at Johnson & Johnson and succeeds Robyn D’Oria, who is retiring.
“Returning to CJFHC feels deeply personal because this is where I first learned what it means to serve families by listening to what they need and building systems that respond,” Dawson said.
At CJFHC, Dawson started out delivering direct services to families and coordinating programs and later became deputy director and chief operations officer. At J&J, she worked in Global Health Equity and Foundation & Corporate Operations, supporting global philanthropic operations and helping steward an annual grant portfolio of more than $50 million.
As CEO, she’ll focus on strengthening partnerships, expanding resources and raising the organization’s profile across Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Somerset counties.
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Dawson takes over at a consequential moment for maternal and infant health in New Jersey.
A recent Rutgers-led study published in JAMA Network Open examined more than 414,000 New Jersey births. It found that infants born to mothers who reported depressive symptoms immediately after delivery had an infant mortality rate of 7.2 deaths per 1,000 births. Among infants whose mothers did not report symptoms, the rate was 2.0 per 1,000.
CJFHC was working on the issue long before it drew sustained statewide attention. That work gained urgency under former first lady Tammy Murphy, whose Nurture NJ initiative made maternal and infant health a state priority. CJFHC provides home visiting, postpartum and mental health support, breastfeeding resources and early intervention services. It has partnered with the state on Healthy Families, Connecting NJ and Family Connects NJ.
The organization also ties the work to economic stability. As Gov. Mikie Sherrill and business leaders push accessible childcare as economic infrastructure, CJFHC argues that the continuum starts earlier, with healthy pregnancies, safe births and support that helps parents stay healthy and connected to work.
“New Jersey has made tremendous progress in recognizing that maternal and infant health is fundamental to the health of our communities,” Dawson said. “Now we have an opportunity to make sure those investments translate into meaningful support for families.”
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D’Oria’s impact reaches well beyond Central Jersey. She worked early with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to strengthen maternal mortality review, and she contributed to the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health’s patient-safety bundles. In New Jersey, she led work through the New Jersey Perinatal Quality Collaborative, and CJFHC served as an early pilot site for the Family Connects universal home-visiting initiative.
“Velva is the right person at the right time to lead CJFHC,” D’Oria said. “She brings deep expertise, an ability to connect with people and, most importantly, a genuine passion for this work and the families we serve.”
Dawson, a Middlesex County native, said the job is a chance to bring every part of the community to the table.
“Healthy families are the foundation of healthy communities and a strong economy, and I’m honored to come home and bring together community, health care, business, philanthropy and government to help more Central Jersey families thrive.”
