Meet Our Team:

Judie Caribeaux, MA, LCSW

Chief Collaborations Officer

Judie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has earned a Master of Arts in Communication from Northern Illinois University and a Master of Social Work from Aurora University. With the heart of a social worker and the mind of a business professional, she has more than 30 years of experience working with non-profits, universities, and municipalities. Judie has a unique depth of experience and is adept at navigating challenging business conditions.

As the Executive Director for a domestic violence victim services agency, she led the successful negotiation and implementation of a strategic merger which significantly expanded services and removed barriers to safety for victims. She served as Acting Executive Director for a municipality while the former Executive Director was under a State’s Attorney’s investigation. Judie has experience developing public-private partnerships between municipalities and Fortune 500 companies as well as non-profit organizations and government agencies. As the CEO for a child welfare organization located in a suburb west of Chicago, she helped secure $3 million in congressional funding to build a new youth shelter. Early in her career, Judie launched a new nonprofit, served as its founding Executive Director, and is proud to say that agency is still thriving nearly 30 years later. She has extensive experience leading organizations through strategic planning, creating management routines, enhancing organizational culture, and developing high performing executive teams. She provides executive coaching to non-profit executives.

Judie was awarded the Non-Profit Executive of the Year by her peers through the West Suburban Philanthropic Network. She is currently adjunct faculty for the Social Work Department at Regis College and has taught at Northern Illinois University, Elmhurst College, North Central College, and Aurora University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Q&A with Judie (February 2023)

Can you share a little more on your background and experience with social impact organizations?

A colleague of mine once said, when asked to describe me, “Judie has the heart of a social worker and the mind of a business professional.” Her words resonated and are now a part of my LinkedIn profile.
Throughout my career, I have had opportunities to intentionally develop both my social work and business acumen. These opportunities have come in the form of helping organizations navigate challenging business conditions.
I served as the Executive Director for a domestic violence victim services agency and led the successful negotiation and implementation of a strategic merger which significantly expanded services and removed barriers to safety for victims. I served as Acting Executive Director for a municipality while the former Executive Director was under a State’s Attorney’s investigation. I have experience developing public-private partnerships between municipalities and Fortune 500 companies as well as non-profit organizations and government agencies. As the CEO for a child welfare organization, I helped secure $3 million in congressional funding to build a new youth shelter. Early in my career, I launched a new nonprofit and served as its founding Executive Director.
Mid-career, I returned to school to earn a second master’s degree, this time in social work and eventually became a LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker). I often say I became a much better leader after earning my MSW. I learned more about myself, about human behavior, how to be curious and ask deep questions, and how to have difficult conversations with great compassion.
What prompted you to work in the sector?

I originally got into this work through fundraising. My first job out of college was with the Museum of Science and Industry, first working in the Education Department and then I moved over to Development. Yet, I can trace my fundraising roots farther back than my first professional job. I clearly remember when I was a child, I would watch with great interest the Muscular Dystrophy telethon every Labor Day weekend. I was moved by the stories of those impacted by the disease. And every Labor Day weekend, my parents would host a party marking the end of the summer. Motivated by the stories I saw on tv, I asked every one of the guests at the party for a donation. Then I called into the telethon to make the contribution. It was the first time I experienced making a difference. As I look back, I am not surprised I ended up working in the social impact sector.
What are you most excited about in your role with Mission + Strategy?

I have spent almost my entire career in the social impact sector and have developed a unique combination of business and clinical skills. I also have a unique perspective, at one time being a client of social service agencies and later leading nonprofit organizations. These skills and experiences inform how I led organizations and how I work with executive teams today – mission centered. I deeply believe that as nonprofit leaders, we are stewards of the asset/organization entrusted to us to fulfill the work of the mission. The measure of a strong society is how it cares for its most vulnerable. These are big challenges to solve and one organization alone cannot solve it. Mission-centered leaders are recognizing the need to shift from parallel problem solving (several organizations working independently to solve a social issue) to collaborative problem solving (how do we work together and pool resources). I am excited to be a partner in that work. Strategic partnerships to build capacity and strengthen communities is critical work.
What is the current “state of the union” of the nonprofit sector, and how does Mission + Strategy help provide support for those challenges?

The Independent Sector reported that in the first quarter of 2022 nonprofits contributed $1.4 trillion to the economy. What some would regard as “feel-good “ work is a massive business sector with significant economic impact and we fulfill important community needs. In the coming year, I anticipate continued pressure in this sector:
- continued decline in the number of overall donors
- sustained competition for recruiting talented staff and retaining key employees increasing need to build up cash reserves in anticipation of a potential economic recession.
A theme for the social impact sector in the coming year is partnership. Who can I partner with to provide back office services and re-direct cost savings to programs? Who can I partner with to achieve strategic organizational goals of filling talent gaps and increasing employee benefits? How can I reduce duplication or intensify our organizational focus to conserve cash?