Our Leaders
Our Governing Body
Jessica Cohen (Chair)
Counsel, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Kathryn Chen
Vice President, Markets Group, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Bonnie Greaves
Retired – Partner, Shearman & Sterling
Michelle Mulcahy
New York Chief of Staff. Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.
Puneet Pardasani
Executive Director, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Anne Peretz
Founder and Chair, The Family Center
Douglas Polak
Executive Director, Client Portfolio Manager, J.P. Morgan Investment Management
Timothy Sheehan
Senior Vice President, CB Richard Ellis, Inc.
Anne Sherman
Vice President of Non-Profit Strategy, Growth Philanthropy Network
Our Staff
Julie Stein Brockway, LCSW
Co-Director
Julia Jean-Francois, LCSW
Co-Director
Maru Bautista
Director of Cooperative Development
Maria Ferreira, LMSW
Program Director, Employment Services
Smilie Filomeno, MSW
Program Director, Community Resource Center / Single Stop
Gretchen Lord, LCSW
Beacon Preventive Director
Chris Kam, LCSW
Clinical Casework Supervisor
Vanessa Merlis, LCSW
Clinical Casework Supervisor
Jennifer Wittlin, LCSW
Foster Care Coordinator
Helene Onserud, LCSW
Program Director, PS 503/506
Jhodessa Reimer, MSW
Program Director
“Life Lines” Community Arts Project
Kristie Mancell, LMSW
Program Director, Sunset Park High School Partnership
Ashley Mathis
Program Director, PS 1
Camille Patrick-Bennett
Program Director, PS 94
Evelyn Peppas
Program Director, PS 169
Denise Rivera
Program Director, PS 971
Last year, we placed
1,470
youth in employment, subsidized employment or internships
99%
of at-risk families throughout Brooklyn & Queens remained together and stable with family support services