Zaida Govan Named VP of Youth Services at Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services

SPRINGFIELD — Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services Inc. (MLKFS) appointed Zaida Govan as vice president of Youth Services. She will direct all educational programming, including after-school, summer, and college-readiness programs.

“The needs of the youth in our community have increased greatly,” said Ronn Johnson, president and CEO of MLKFS. “Zaida will help us to carry on the vision of Dr. King and respond to those needs. While our core focus remains the Mason Square community, the need has grown, and the people we serve come from all neighborhoods, even beyond the borders of the city of Springfield.”

Ms. Govan is a licensed clinical social worker and an accomplished community organizer who has worked with the Mason Square Health Task Force and its Drug Free Communities efforts. Her community work also includes serving as a board member of the Wellspring Cooperative Corporation and Wellspring Harvest Greenhouse as well as a board member of the League of Women Voters of Northampton. Ms. Govan is the President of the Indian Orchard Citizens Council and the President of the Springfield Community Land Trust, where the mission is to bring permanent, affordable housing to Hampden County. She also started community garden efforts in both the Indian Orchard and Mason Square neighborhoods.

She attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Springfield College, including a master’s degree in social work and human services.