Longtime leader, CEO of Sacramento Family Justice Center to retire. ‘Stalwart in the community’

Sacramento nonprofit director Faith Whitmore would never retire if she could only get younger as time goes on.

But time doesn’t reverse, and Whitmore will be 70 in August. The milestone birthday prompted the longtime community leader — most recently as the first CEO of the Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center — to announce this week her retirement, effective in August.

“I am really healthy right now,” Whitmore said in a phone interview Friday, “but what if something does happen?”

Since the justice center’s founding, Whitmore and employees have served nearly 27,000 victims, including 13,000 children, according to its website. It’s a one-stop shop offering a myriad of services to Sacramento County victims of domestic violence, elder abuse, sexual abuse and human trafficking.

“It has been the privilege of my life to lead the (Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center) the past eight years,” Whitmore said in her retirement announcement. “I am profoundly honored to serve alongside our staff. The extraordinary compassion, love, and devotion shown to each and every person who walks through our doors humbles me every day. They are the heart and soul of the (Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center). I can’t thank them enough.”

Retirement has never been a destination for Whitmore — she’s had meaningful work all her life, she said, calling her retirement bittersweet.

Whitmore began serving the Sacramento region as a pastor in stints at Florin United Methodist, Ione Community United Methodist and St. Mark’s United Methodist Church for nearly 30 years.

She left the pastorship and entered the nonprofit and public policy sphere. Rep. Ami Bera, D-Elk Grove, tapped Whitmore to be his district director and has known her as his longtime friend, trusted advisor and “stalwart in the community.”

“Faith’s experience and deep ties with the community bolstered our operation, helping us set up our office to serve the people of Sacramento County,” Bera said in a statement. “While Faith is retiring, I know she will continue her lifetime of service to our community.”

When the Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center was founded in 2015, Whitmore assumed an inaugural role as its executive director.

The center has grown from a three-employee operation with no office to a 15,000-square-foot working space with two dozen workers at 3701 Power Inn Road, according to the retirement announcement.

It’s her dedication and compassion for serving victims that has left an indelible mark on this community, Sacramento Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Dawn Bladet wrote in a statement.

“Throughout Faith’s tenure at (the Family Justice Center), she has been a guiding light, a pillar of strength, and the embodiment of hope for those seeking refuge and support,” Bladet said.

Whitmore’s last day will be on Aug. 31. A search is underway to find the nonprofit’s next CEO.

In her retirement, Whitmore hopes to continue volunteering in the Sacramento region, perhaps even at the Family Justice Center.

“I’m not one to sit home,” Whitmore said.