An experienced, dynamic and committed public health professional, Dr. Jeffrey L. Reynolds is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Family and Children’s Association (FCA), based in Garden City, NY. Since it began as an orphanage more than 137 years ago, Family and Children’s Association (FCA) has been committed to caring for Long Island’s vulnerable children, youth, seniors and families while helping them prepare for successful futures. The organization offers community-based programs for struggling families, at-risk adolescents, vulnerable seniors, and adults with substance use disorders. Today, FCA is one of Long Island’s largest health and human services organizations with an annual budget of $22 million, 360 staff, 200 volunteers and 40+ programs. Since arriving at FCA, Dr. Reynolds has helped secure more than $12 million in new funding and launched several innovative services, including three new recovery centers. He also re-branded and modernized the agency’s identity and during COVID, spearheaded a move to a new 30,000 square foot headquarters.
From 2009-2014, Dr. Reynolds served as Executive Director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD), an organization that provides substance abuse screenings, brief interventions and referrals to addiction treatment, as well as professionally-facilitated family interventions and anger management services to adults and adolescents. Under Dr. Reynolds’ leadership, LICADD pioneered evidence-based K-12 substance abuse prevention programs in several Long Island schools, initiated a new mentoring program for children of incarcerated parents and expanded LICADD’s Employee Assistance Program. During his tenure, LICADD’s revenues tripled, and the number of families served per month increased nine-fold.
Prior to joining LICADD, Dr. Reynolds worked for the Long Island Association for AIDS Care for 19 years, where he started out doing case management and finished his tenure as Vice President for Public Affairs, responsible for government relations, resource development, strategic marketing, and communications. In 1997, he co-founded BiasHELP of Long Island, an organization dedicated to assisting victims of hate crimes and their families. As BiasHELP’s Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Reynolds secured federal, state and local grants and launched a wide array of crime victim assistance services and school-based violence prevention programs.
Dr. Reynolds currently serves on New York's Heroin and Opioid Task Force, the Executive Committee of the Nassau County Heroin Prevention Task Force, Suffolk County’s Heroin/Opiate Epidemic Advisory Panel, the board of the New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, Nassau's Family Violence Task Force, Suffolk County’s Welfare-to-Work Commission and he co-chairs the Huntington Town Opioid Task Force. He serves as a board member and treasurer of Lightning Warriors, a youth triathlon team, and was recently elected to serve on the board of the Long Island Association (LIA).
Dr. Reynolds is Vice Chair and remains the longest serving member of the NYS AIDS Advisory Council, first appointed by the NYS Senate Majority Leader in 1994 and reappointed five times since then. Dr. Reynolds has also served on the NYS Governor’s Recreational Marijuana Task Force, been chair of Nassau County’s Youth Board, co-chaired Nassau County Comptroller's Non-Profit Steering Committee and served on the transition teams for County Executives Laura Curran (D) and Bruce Blakeman (R).
Dr. Reynolds has served as a consultant and grant reviewer for the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is a frequent presenter and keynote speaker at statewide and national health and human service conferences.
He has authored more than 250 news and op-ed articles that have appeared in a wide variety of publications and is consistently used as an expert source for substance abuse, addiction, HIV/AIDS and human/civil rights information by local and national radio, television, online and print outlets. Dr. Reynolds has received numerous awards for his community service and leadership and was named one of the “most influential Long Islanders” each year 2010-2021 by the Long Island Press. Dr. Reynolds has received leadership awards and honors from the Simple Hope Foundation, Caron Treatment Centers, Strong Youth, Inc., the Long Island Recovery Association, Mainstream House, LICADD, Long Island Business News (Long Island Business Hall of Fame, 2021) and Herald Newspapers (Top Business Leaders in Nassau County, 2021). Dr. Reynolds is also a graduate of Energeia, a regional stewardship program spearheaded by Molloy College.
Dr. Reynolds holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Dowling College (1988), a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) with a specialization in health administration from Long Island University (1997) and a doctorate from Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare (2007). Dr. Reynolds’ doctoral dissertation was on “Using the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change to Explore Substance Use Patterns and HIV Risk Behaviors in a Suburban Sample.”
A lifelong Long Islander, Dr. Reynolds is an avid marathon runner having completed 15 marathons and Ironman triathlete, a passion he’s used to raise much-needed funds for FCA, United Way of Long Island and other local/national charities.
Lisa Burch has over 25 years’ experience in public health, non-profit management, community and government relations, grants administration, budgets, strategic planning, and program development. Prior to joining FCA Lisa worked for the North Shore-LIJ Health System for 11 years where she first established the Office of Sponsored Programs followed by a Sustainability and Social Responsibility (SSR) program. Earlier in her career, Lisa worked for Odyssey House, the Osborne Association, Planned Parenthood of New York City and Safe Horizons. Lisa earned her BA in Psychology from Clark University; her MPH from Hunter College and a Certificate in Corporate Citizenship Management from Boston College.
Carla DeFrancisco, CPA is the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Family and Children???s Association. She oversees all aspects of the FCA???s finances including budgeting and financial planning and reporting to the Board of Trustees. Carla brings over 25 years of experience in non-profit and government accounting with a focus on developing policies and procedures to improve operations.
Carla previously worked as the Chief Financial Officer at a NY based child welfare agency. Prior to that she was a Partner at a regional accounting firm in charge of the firm???s governmental and non-profit practice as well as the partner in charge of quality control.
She has worked as a strategic partner with internal and external stakeholders and has collaborated with governmental entities in establishing accounting protocols for financial reporting. Throughout her career, she has worked in partnership with other CFOs to advocate for sufficient funding to support the missions of non-profit organizations.
As a long-time resident of Long Island, Carla considers it a privilege to be part of an organization that serves the most vulnerable residents of Long Island. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from C.W. Post Center of Long Island University and is a New York State Certified Public Accountant.
Lisa Stern has been with Family and Children’s Association since 2011 and is passionate about providing quality services for seniors living in Nassau County. Prior to joining the staff at FCA, Lisa worked as a Clinical Social Worker at the JCC of the Greater Five Towns for eight years. There, Lisa worked on program development, individual and group counseling, was coordinator of the bereavement program, organizing and implementing social programs for seniors.
Lisa earned her BA in Psychology from Clark University in 1983, and an MSW and a Certificate in Gerontology from Adelphi University in 1985, following which she was awarded her ACSW, LCSW and LCSW-R respectively. Lisa completed her SIFI certification at Molloy College in 2006. In 2011 she received a Post-Masters certificate in Spirituality and Social Work from NYU. In 2009 Lisa was recognized with the JCC of the Greater Five Towns New Leadership Award and the Town of Hempstead Citation for excellence in outreach service to the Five Towns community.
Angela Montemarano is currently VP & Chief Human Resources Officer for Family & Children's Association. Mrs. Montemarano comes to FCA with more than 25 years experience in the human resources field, during which time she worked closely with Long Island-based universities and healthcare settings maintaining sound employee relations, creating effective strategies to recruit top talent and cultivating exceptional company culture.
Angela received a M.S. from New York Institute for Technology in Instructional Technology.
Paige O'Brien started her fundraising career over a decade ago and currently is the Vice President of Strategic Advancement and Chief Development Officer for Family and Children's Association.
Prior to joining FCA, Paige had been incredibly fortunate to have been a part of varying projects, raising over a hundred million dollars, all over the United States. Notably, Paige was a part of a successful $150 million capital campaign and led a team that navigated the devastating hardships of Hurricane Harvey and the pandemic. While conducting the campaign, Paige also earned her MBA, with a focus on Leadership, from the University of Houston.
Although a proud Houston Cougar, Paige is a particularly proud alumna of The Ohio State University and looks forward to football season all year-round (Go Bucks!). Paige is thrilled to be working throughout Long Island, where she was born and raised, and fundraising for vital programs in the same communities where she resides.
Shari Lubeck is a New York State licensed LCSW-R who holds a Masters of Social Work degree from Adelphi University and a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology from SUNY Oneonta. Shari additionally earned her SIFI certification at New York University in 1998.
Shari has over 20 years of experience in program development and oversight and is passionate about working with families and children on Long Island to increase access to quality service provision. Prior to coming to Family and Children's Association, Shari worked at Beacon Health Options as the Director of Children's Case Management for New York State. In this capacity, Shari was responsible for the implementation and oversight of the Children's Medicaid transition to managed care for the organization's New York State business. Prior to working at Beacon, Shari spent over 10 years at Little Flower Children and Family Services in a variety of roles including as the Director for their Bridges to Health program.
Throughout her career, Shari has successfully developed and implemented programming that utilizes an individualized, strength-based approach to ensure children and families receive quality services that are delivered in flexible settings.
Jaymie Kahn-Rapp joined Family & Children's Association in July of 2017 as the new Assistant Vice President of Addiction Prevention Treatment and Recovery Services. With a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling and a Masters in Public Administration, as well as a License in Mental Health Counseling and Certification in Rehabilitation Counseling, Ms. Kahn-Rapp brings over 15 years of experience in the not-for-profit and healthcare sectors, having successfully led both grant funded and Medicaid reimbursable programs.
Ms. Kahn-Rapp has recognized strengths in executing and sustaining new programming; securing funds for program innovation; developing and implementing systems to ensure program, fiscal and regulatory requirements are met; and streamlining operations to maintain fiscal health and stability. Ms. Kahn-Rapp has been very active in the Medicaid Redesign initiatives, and has spearheaded the implementation and tracking of quality for Health Home, Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment programs (DSRIP), and Home & Community Based Services (HCBS) at her prior agencies.
Ms. Kahn-Rapp has significant experience with developing and implementing Quality Management programming, and incorporates this experience when managing the multiple programs in her portfolio. Her initial focus at FCA has been to grow and sustain those programs in her portfolio, seek additional funding and programmatic opportunities, and ensure all regulatory, fiscal, and quality indicators have been achieved and/or exceeded.
Erica Schifano is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and New York State Credentialed Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Counselor Trainee. She received her Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Saint Joseph (CT) and her Masters in Social Work from Fordham University. Erica has her SIFI certification and is dedicated to supporting future social workers in their educational development to learn the importance of cultural competence in Social Work. Erica is well educated in providing evidenced-based cognitive behavioral intervention through Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) and evidence-based parenting and life skills training programs through Strengthening Families Programs (SFP).
Erica joined Family & Children's Association (FCA) as a student intern during her first year of graduate school. Since then, she has greatly broadened her knowledge and expertise through her work in various FCA programs including Home & Community Based Services (HCBS), PINS Diversion, Step Up to Opportunity and Community Credible Messenger Initiative (CCMI). Prior to becoming Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Family Support, Erica worked at Northwell Health as a Supervisor within the Adult Health Home Program.
Throughout her career, Erica has focused on social determinants of health which compose of economic and social conditions influencing individuals and families. When working with diverse communities to achieve positive health outcomes, impacting factors of social determinants of health consist of education, income level and environment. Erica has experience working with the most vulnerable populations including children with complex behavioral health diagnoses and significant behavioral concerns, families seeking preventive services to keep their families intact, and adults with serious mental illnesses as well as substance use disorders.
In her role as AVP of Family Support, Erica demonstrates a strong passion for supporting individuals and families in overcoming any difficulties they may experience. Erica is dedicated to ensuring that programs amongst the Family Support division instill life-long skills in families to help them build strong positive relationships and develop resiliency.
With a lifetime of experience in underserved communities and insight on the issues that affect them, Thurston O???Neal uses an interdisciplinary approach towards community health, drawing from multihyphenated experiences including counseling youth, community organizing, advocacy, and crafting effective learning curricula. Thurston has received commendations from state and local government officials for his collaborative community efforts, impact, and leadership. He most recently served as the Director of the Hempstead Prevention Coalition, having created meaningful community partnerships and innovative programming. Some highlights of his work with the HPC include the youth summer summit, the girl???s empowerment and leadership summit youth, and prevention coalition development --- just to name a few. Thurston also serves as one of the co-chairs of FCA???s DEI Council. He previously held positions with FCA???s Long Beach Ladders and PINS programs.
Thurston earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Empire State College and his master???s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Liberty University. Thurston brings an enthusiastic, can-do attitude to his work and his passion, approach, creative strategies, skills, and experiences have made him a highly sought-after consultant for coalition building and community organizing.
Jestine Jennings is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with more than 9 years of experience working with underprivileged communities. He holds an MBA from Oswego University, an MSW from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and a BSW from Western Carolina University. Mr. Jennings has a passion for improving the lives of at-risk youth, especially those impacted by the juvenile justice system.
Over the last few years, Mr. Jennings has worked with Close to Home Leaders at New York City's Administration for Children's Services (ACS) to improve length of stay practices for youth placed in residential care. Prior to joining the FCA team Mr. Jennings worked at Sheltering Arms holding various positions including, Interim Assistant Vice President, Director of Residential Services and Director of Social Services. Mr. Jennings' experience ranges from residential, foster care and community settings serving youth and families. Mr. Jennings brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to FCA's Residential division, along with strong clinical and program development skills.
