Karen Ventura, executive director of New Opportunities Dallas County Family Development Center in Perry, will leave the center later this month in order to take a position with Musco Lighting in Oskaloosa.
Ventura began at New Opportunities in April 2013 and has been a visible presence in the Perry community and across Dallas County, promoting the center’s numerous programs, including its most popular — the Perry Food Bank.
“I will always think fondly of my time in Perry,” Ventura said. “The community has been very supportive of New Opportunities. The volunteer spirit here is amazing, and the New Opportunities staff is the greatest. And I can’t forget to mention Pastor Rick of Crossroads Church, who houses our programs.”
Bonnie Ikerd, longtime volunteer at the Dallas County Family Development center, said Ventura has been a valuable asset to the programs.
“Karen will be greatly missed,” Ikerd said. “Her professionalism and pro-family spirit have helped us do a lot of good in Dallas County. We all wish her and her family the best for the future and are confident we can carry on serving the community.”
The center will be managed by Interim Director Brandi Valdez while a new director is sought.
“We all love Karen,” Valdez said, “and we’ll miss her. But that won’t stop us from carrying on all the good work New Opportunities does.”
Ventura said her new job she will involve handling Central American accounts for the world-famous Oskaloosa lighting company. The new position will also allow her new opportunities to visit her family members in Costa Rica.
Ventura and her husband, Alex Perla, and their two boys, Alex, 8, and Kris, 6, expect to move to Oskaloosa in the near future.
