Kathleen Brady-Stepien, MSW, President and CEO
Kathleen is COFCCA’s leading representative in all areas of work, supervises COFCCA staff and coordinates the organization’s work. She works directly with the Board of Directors and is responsible for the overall effectiveness, organization and financial health of COFCCA and focuses on the areas of policy, funding, government partnerships, leadership development, and member development.
Michelle Newman, Associate Executive Director, Upstate
Michelle is responsible for analyzing policy and developing positions relating to child welfare and juvenile justice, and leading COFCCA’s statewide budget and legislative advocacy efforts. She is the primary contact for COFCCA’s upstate member agencies. Michelle serves as liaison to state government entities for COFCCA members; she is also the coordinator of the activities of the NYS Coalition of 853 Schools.
Sophine Charles, Ph.D, Associate Executive Director, Downstate
Dr. Sophine Charles is the primary contact for COFCCA’s Downstate member agencies. She is responsible for organizing and directing the downstate child welfare advocacy agenda with specific focus on prevention, foster care, juvenile justice, and residential care programs. Dr. Charles has the lead on COFCCA’s engagement with the Administration for Children’s Services, the City Council, and the Mayor’s Office. She serves as a liaison to NYC based advocacy organizations and other nonprofit partners. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in education, child welfare, and law enforcement.
Katie Hanna, Director of Data, Research, and Information
Katie is primarily responsible for designing research projects that capture data points used to drive child welfare advocacy, support agency service delivery, educate elected officials, and inform governmental policies and practice. She conducts analysis on emerging issues including but not limited to workforce development, compensation, and turnover and collects data to support member agencies’ goals in advancing best practices in child welfare and juvenile justice.
Katelyn Greco, Director, Prevention, Juvenile Justice, and Equity
Katelyn has dedicated her career to working with families and youth involved in juvenile justice and child welfare systems in multiple capacities such as research, direct service, technical assistance, and program design. Most recently, Katelyn worked as Director of Youth Gun Violence Prevention at the Citizens Crime Commission of NYC, where she advocated for and enhanced community-led gun violence reduction efforts. She holds a MA in applied psychology from New York University.
Dominique McLeod, Operations Coordinator
As the COFCCA Operations Coordinator Dominique works directly with all staff members. Dominique is responsible for internal operations of COFCCA including IT/technology, sponsorship, events/meetings management, and annual planning. In addition, Dominique supports our survey and data work and continue to oversee and support administrative needs of the organization.
Bruce Carmel, Training Consultant
Bruce is responsible for special training projects to support and develop child welfare professionals. He has spent over 25 years working in adult education, youth services, and workforce development. He is dedicated to creating pathways out of poverty using various training platforms.
Our Locations
254 West 31st Street
Fifth Floor
New York, NY 10001
Phone: (212) 929-2626
At The Blake Annex
1 Steuben Place
Albany, NY 12207