Senior Management

Management Staff - Jewish Community Services

Joan Grayson Cohen

Executive Director

Joan Grayson Cohen - Executive Director

Joan Grayson Cohen, Esq., LCSW-C, Executive Director of Jewish Community Services, carries out the agency’s commitment to providing essential human services to the entire community.

Joan has been on staff at JCS (and its founding agency, Jewish Family Services) since 1993, serving as an integral part of the agency’s management team. Prior to her selection as Executive Director, she was the Director of Economic Services, overseeing the agency’s Career Center, Financial Assistance, and Service Coordination. Joan has extensive experience in human services and outreach having also worked in the sexual abuse treatment unit of Family and Children’s Services of Central Maryland, and in Protective Services at the Baltimore County Department of Social Services. Joan holds a Masters in Social Work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work and Community Planning, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Heather Garrett

Chief Administrative Officer

Heather Garrett - Chief Administrative Officer

Heather Garrett, MBA, is responsible for the agency's fiscal and administrative policies and procedures, including budgeting, compensation and human resources management, and the development and maintenance of statistical systems. In addition, she is responsible for coordinating various administrative services, including risk management, physical facilities, and management information systems. Heather has over 15 years’ experience in leading administrative and financial teams. Before coming to JCS, Heather worked as the Chief Financial Officer and Human Resources Director for dual diagnosis behavioral and mental health facility in Los Angeles. Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Antioch University and a Master’s in Business Administration from California State University, Monterey Bay.

Jacki Post Ashkin

Director
Community Connections

Jacki Post Ashkin - Director, Community Connections

Jacki Post Ashkin, MSW, LCSW-C, is the Director of Community Connections for Jewish Community Services. In her role, Jacki oversees the agency’s Community Engagement and Outreach programs, Prevention Education, Marketing and Communications. She also serves on the Jewish Community Critical Incident Response Team which provides critical incident stress defusing and debriefing for adults and children. Jacki has been on staff at JCS (and its founding agency, Jewish Family Services) since 1991. Some of her earlier agency roles included Senior Manager of Marketing and Development and Manager of Jewish Family Life Outreach Programs. Jacki has extensive experience providing clinical and psychoeducational services for individuals, couples, families, and groups. In partnership with Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin, she co-founded the innovative Shleimut program in which dedicated interdisciplinary teams of professionals address the mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing of congregational communities. Before joining the organization in 1991, Jacki was a psychotherapist at the Harford-Belair Community Mental Health Center. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development from The Pennsylvania State University and received her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

Jean Davis

Director
Economic Services

Jean Davis - Director, Economic Services

Jean Davis oversees Economic Services for JCS which includes Service Coordination and the Career Center. Service Coordination encompasses case management services, including the provision of financial assistance. The Career Center provides comprehensive services that help clients of all ages, skill levels, and abilities to find and maintain employment, as well as assist employers in recruiting, hiring, and retaining a strong workforce. Jean has over 15 years' experience in workforce development management. Prior to joining JCS, she served as the Director of Workforce Development and Community Education at Baltimore City Community College. Jean holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Rhodes College, a Master of Public Policy with a concentration in Urban Policy from the University of Chicago, and a Master of Arts in Sociology with a concentration in Social Inequality from Johns Hopkins University.

Atinuke (Tinu) Ogunkoya

Director
Support Services for Individuals with Disabilities

Tinu Ogunkoya - Director, Support Services for Individuals with Disabilities

Tinu Ogunkoya is the Director of Support Services for Individuals with Disabilities for Jewish Community Services. In her role, she provides oversight of the Residential and Supported Living programs, licensed, and funded by the Developmental Disability Administration. JCS residences empower adults with developmental disabilities to live as independently as possible and participate fully in community life. The Supported Living program provides services to adults with disabilities who wish to live independently in their own homes, with a roommate, or with family members. Tinu has extensive experience and passion for serving the Developmentally Disabled population over her 12-year career. Prior to joining JCS, she served in various capacities as Direct Support Professional to Program Manager, Quality Assurance Manager, Service Coordinator and Program Director in various social services organizations mostly across the state of Minnesota. Tinu holds a Bachelor of Science, a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is committed to the advancement, advocacy and purposefully enriching the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Chauna Brocht

Senior Manager
Service Coordinator

Chauna Brocht - Senior Manager, Service Coordination

Chauna Brocht, LCSW-C manages the Service Coordination program which assists vulnerable individuals and families in obtaining services and resources that promote financial stability and address overall well-being. Before joining JCS, Chauna was the Director of Supportive Services at Health Care for the Homeless where she supervised multi-disciplinary teams of behavioral health consultants, occupational therapists, community health workers, nurses and case managers. She managed one of the first supportive housing programs in the country for people living with HIV/AIDs and chronic behavioral health disorders. Prior to becoming a social worker, Chauna was a policy analyst researching low-wage labor markets and poverty measurement. She held an Open Society Institute Fellowship from 2001-2002 where she provided economics education in communities experiencing poverty. Chauna holds a Masters of Social Work from the University of Maryland and a Masters of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota.

Andrea Fenwick

Senior Manage
Employment Support Services

Andrea Fenwick - Senior Manager, Supported Employment

Andrea Fenwick is Senior Manager of Employment Support Services at Jewish Community Services. In this capacity, she oversees an array of specialized vocational and employment services designed to help individuals with disabilities achieve their goal of successful, competitive, and inclusive long-term employment. Before joining JCS, Andrea served as the Central Region Director of Residential services at Spectrum Support Inc. where she oversaw residential homes supporting individuals dually diagnosed with behavioral challenges and a history of forensic involvement. She also previously worked at Mid-Atlantic Human Services as a Project Director of Residential Supports and at Kennedy Krieger Institute where she coordinated the Developmental Disabilities Administration’s behavioral supports grant, as well as managed and trained residential staff. Andrea serves on a number of service-related advisory groups including the Baltimore Jewish Abilities Alliance, the Baltimore Metro Transition Council, the DDA Central Region Core Transition Council, and the Maryland Association of Community Services.

Lisa Gorman

Senior Manager
Career Services

Lisa Gorman - Senior Manager, Career Services

Lisa Gorman is the Senior Manager of Career Services for Jewish Community Services. Lisa has over 30 years of experience in coaching and organization development consulting with specialties in talent management, organizational effectiveness, performance and change management, leadership coaching and management development. She has held various management positions primarily throughout the financial and healthcare industries including being the Director of Human Resources Planning and Development overseeing departments such as Employment Services, Organization and Management Development, and Human Resources Planning and Communications. She has brought her experience and expertise to her role at Jewish Community Services to best prepare all types of clients to network, interview and market themselves to secure meaningful employment and to assist employers with successfully hiring the best employees. Lisa holds a B.A in Psychology from Emory University and an M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Columbia University.

Beth Land Hecht

Senior Manager
Community Engagement

Beth Land Hecht - Senior Manager, Community Engagement

Beth Land Hecht, LCSW-C, is Senior Manager of Community Engagement. In her role, Beth oversees the agency’s volunteer services as well as several community-based outreach and consultation programs. Through our array of volunteer programs, 200+ individuals donate their time performing functions critical to helping JCS professionals meet the diverse needs of clients. Volunteers include Big Brother/Big Sister mentors, tutors, drivers, friendly visitors, office assistants, attorneys providing pro-bono consultation and people who visit prisoners. In addition, Beth supervises the JCS Schools and Camps Consultation Service, bereavement services and the parenting support program. Prior to the formation of JCS, Beth was Program Director for the Jewish Big Brother/Big Sister League from December 1998 through June 2008 and had been on the staff of Jewish Family Services for seven years, serving as Coordinator of the Jewish Outreach Network and Manager of Community Outreach. Beth received her master’s degree in social work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work and Community Planning in 1983 and her B.A. from the University of Maryland.

Joseph Honsberger

Senior Manager
Therapy Services

Joe Honsberger - Senior Manager, Therapy Services

Joseph Honsberger, LCSW-C, oversees therapy and counseling services for children, adults and seniors, as well as addictions treatment, foster care and adoption, psychiatric services, and psychiatric rehabilitation. Previously Joe was Director of Family Services at JFS, providing services for children, adolescents, adults, and individuals with disabilities. Joe was also responsible for intake services. Joe was Director of the JFS Outpatient Mental Health Clinic and Psychiatric Rehabilitation Programs from 1999-2001.

Joe has been on staff with the agency since 1985, having begun as a social work intern. He received his Masters of Social Work degree from The University of Maryland at Baltimore School of Social Work, and his LCSW-C in 1988, focusing on working with individuals, couples and families.

Ben Levey

Senior Manager
Access Services

Ben Levey - Senior Manager, Access Services

Ben Levey, LCSW-C, is Senior Manager of Access Services, which includes Triage and Intake; Eldercare Consultation; and the Patient Care Connection Program. He is also a member of the Jewish Community Critical Response Teams serving both adults and children. Ben has over 32 years of clinical and case management social work experience. He began his career as a child and family therapist at JCS’s founding agency, Jewish Family Services, where he also facilitated community outreach programs and provided consultation to schools, camps, and synagogues. Because of his passion in the area of child welfare, Ben became Manager of Child Welfare Services at JFS, overseeing the foster care and adoption programs, before leaving the private sector to work in the public child welfare system. He spent 12 years as a foster care supervisor with the Baltimore County Department of Social Services. Ben has worked as a Crisis Intervention Specialist in the Northwest Hospital Emergency Department and as a member of the Baltimore County Crisis Response System's Mobile Crisis Team. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Community Studies/Human Services and received his Master of Social Work degree from the Smith College School of Social Work.

Howard Reznick

Senior Manager
Prevention Education

Howard Reznick - Senior Manager, Prevention Education

Howard Reznick, LCSW-C, manages JCS Prevention Education Services, which provides educational programs for youth and adults that increase knowledge and awareness of risky behaviors and their consequences, while encouraging people in making healthy choices. Outreach programs aimed at prevention and education include the Steven Kaufman AIDS Outreach Project and The Girls Project, as well as programs for children, teens, parents, and staff of congregations, schools, and camps. Howard has over thirty years of experience in the field of mental health and training. He pioneered work in the Baltimore Jewish community promoting early awareness and efforts to respond to a growing chemical dependency problem. He headed a consultation service at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and was involved in physician training at the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Baltimore. More recently he was Senior Trainer for the Sidran Institute on Trauma Recovery, where he trained rabbis and youth workers on responding to the needs of community members who had been abused as children.

Scott Siwicki

Senior Manager
Support Services for Individuals with Disabilities - Residential

Scott Siwicki- Senior Manager, Support Services for Individuals with Disabilities - Residential

Scott Siwicki manages the JCS residences for adults with developmental disabilities, which enable them to live as independently as possible and participate fully in community life.

Scott's career has been dedicated to providing high quality services and care to individuals with developmental disabilities . Prior to joining the agency in 1996 as a House Manager, he worked for a provider organization in Tucson, Arizona for 4 years as a House Manager and Program Coordinator. Scott holds numerous certifications in the field, from the Developmental Disabilities Administration and Maryland Board of Nursing.

Ann Skinner

Senior Manager
Support Services for Individuals with Disabilities

Ann Skinner - Senior Manager, Support Services for Individuals with Disabilities

Ann Skinner manages JCS programs and services designed to enable individuals with physical and/or developmental disabilities to live as fully and independently in the community as possible. JCS Support Services for Individuals with Disabilities include residential services provided in Alternative Living Units for adults with developmental disabilities; supportive living services to individuals in their own homes; and counseling and case management services to people with developmental disabilities and their family members.

Before joining JCS, Ann was Project Director of Mid-Atlantic Human Services Corporation, where she oversaw residential facilities providing health and behavioral services to people with developmental disabilities. From 1992 to 1998, she held several positions at Kennedy Krieger Institute, most recently Program Case Manager in the Adult/Pediatric Residential Program. Skinner attended Towson State University and has an Associate Degree from Villa Julie College.

Our staff is composed of licensed clinical social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, addictions counselors, nurses, career coaches, vocational counselors, residential and supported living counselors, professional consultants, and support staff. Over 200 dedicated volunteers provide vital help to enhance the work of the agency’s staff.

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