WESTPORT–Positive Directions has named Kim DiBella-Farber, a non-profit with more than 20 years of experience, as its new Executive Director.

DiBella-Farber, a licensed master social worker, started her career in Connecticut, rose to the national level and now is returning “to lead an agency that has served Fairfield County for 55 years,” Positive Directions said in a release.

Founded in 1971, Positive Directions is a community nonprofit that provides leadership in mental health, substance prevention and peer support across Connecticut. The organization makes services financially accessible by providing free peer support, free trainings and a sliding fee scale and treatment fund for counseling services for those who are underinsured or uninsured.

“I am honored to lead Positive Directions into its next chapter,” DiBella-Farber said. “The organization has spent more than 50 years building trust in the region, providing a unique blend of community prevention, peer support and clinical services. I’m excited to partner with the amazing Positive Directions team to strengthen that foundation. Together, we will ensure reliable access to high-quality services that achieve positive change for individuals, families, and communities across Fairfield County and throughout the state.”

DiBella-Farber joins Positive Directions from Changent, a national organization advancing multigenerational, evidence-based programs, including Nurse-Family Partnership and Child First. There she served as the National Director of Data and Quality since 2016, leading a national data, evaluation, and quality team, and helped guide the expansion of Child First’s mental health services to seven states, reaching more than 2,500 families annually, Positive Directions said.

Earlier in her career, DiBella-Farber served as Chief Operating Officer at the Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut in Stamford. She also held quality improvement leadership roles at Good Shepherd Services in New York City.

A resident of Fairfield County, DiBella-Farber holds a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Connecticut.

“Kim’s track record of strategic leadership, financial stewardship, and deep commitment to behavioral health made her the clear choice to lead Positive Directions,” said Mercedes Escala, board chair of Positive Directions. “We’re grateful for Jess Branson who has led the organization as our interim executive director and will return to the Board as vice president.”