NEW ORLEANS — Angela Ficarra Ponivas, a longtime social services professional, has joined the staff of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans as the new division director for programs serving families and individuals.
Ponivas oversee programs dedicated to counseling, case management, housing and support to foster children and families. These include counseling solutions, school based counseling, sacred heart case management, cornerstone builders, ciara independent living and therapeutic family services.
A native of New Orleans, Ponivas graduated from Loyola University with a degree in business administration. She then obtained a master’s in social work from Tulane University. After graduation, she moved to the California Bay Area to work in child welfare.
She later moved to the Sacramento area to work for a foster home and adoption agency. During this time, Ponivas also founded a nonprofit called Love Little Children. The organization provided meal reimbursements to home daycare providers. She also served as chief of the Office of Child Abuse Prevention for the State of California for seven years.
During the pandemic lockdown, Ponivas, along with her husband and son, decided to move home to Louisiana to be closer to extended family. She said she is excited to leverage her industry knowledge meeting the needs of the people served by CCANO.
