Staff: Valerie Wager

Valerie has spent the past ten years as a first-hand witness to the power of relationships to change lives. Prior to joining Friends of the Children as a Grants Specialist, Valerie worked for a high school mentoring non-profit where she managed and built up the organization’s New York City-based corporate, foundation, and government funding portfolio. She has held writing-focused and strategic fundraising positions in a variety of social services, arts, and mentorship organizations. Within this work, she enjoys crafting compelling stories, building trusting relationships, and, most importantly, contributing to missions that center equity and empower those most vulnerable. Valerie currently resides on the Texas-Mexico border of South Texas, where she was born and raised, with her daughter and her husband. In her free time, Valerie enjoys making pottery at her local ceramics studio, taking group fitness classes, reading, and traveling. She has a B.A. in Professional Writing from Baylor University.