Anstiss Agnew, Executive Director

Anstiss Agnew, LCSW, has served as Forestdale’s Executive Director since 2006, overseeing all operations. Ms. Agnew brings close to 40 years of experience in organizational leadership and therapeutic practice to Forestdale. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Agnew served for eight years as Associate Director and Executive Director of Inwood House. An expert in adolescent health, Ms. Agnew began her career in 1971 as coordinator of a community mental health center in New Mexico.

Forestdale has been a dream come true for me. We are blessed with a beautiful campus and a new playground where children and families can play freely and creatively. I have also been blessed with a dedicated staff and committed Board. Most of all I cherish talking with the youth and families and hearing from my staff about their lives and families.

Rosemarie Ewing-James, Associate Executive Director

Rosemarie Ewing-James oversees all program areas at Forestdale. MS. Ewing-James most recently held the position of Assistant Executive Director at Forestdale and oversaw all foster care and adoption programs. Since joining Forestdale in 1997 she has been key to many of the agency’s achievements, including the launch of SEQNN, the pre-cursor to the Jamaica Community Partnership Initiative. Ms. Ewing-James holds an MSW from the University of Pennsylvania, a Bachelor’s in Linguistics and Social Psychology from Swarthmore College, and is a longtime resident of southeast Queens.

Eric Nicklas, Chief Operating Officer

Eric Nicklas, Ph.D., MPAff, oversees Forestdale’s operational and quality improvement areas.  Concurrently, he teaches at the Columbia School of Social Work as an adjunct professor. Before joining Forestdale Inc., Dr. Nicklas worked for New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services for nearly eleven years, last serving as Associate Commissioner in the Division of Family Permanency Services.

Melba Butler, Administrative Director

Melba Butler, LCSW, oversees the Community Partnership Initiative, the Fathering Initiative, TASA and other special projects. Previously, she served for 16 years as Executive Director of Harlem-Dowling West Side Center for Children and Family Services, a child welfare agency that traces its origins to the Colored Orphan Asylum. Ms. Butler holds a Master of Science from Columbia University School of Social Work, and is a lifelong resident of southeast Queens.

Justina Figueroa, Director of Finance

Justina manages Forestdale’s accounting department and helps administer government and private contracts. Previously she worked at the Rockefeller Foundation, where she started as an intern and later served as Manager of Accounting and Grants. A native of Leon, Nicaragua, she holds an MA in Education from Hunter College.

Vicky Serrot, Director of Human Resources

Before coming to Forestdale at the beginning of 2009, Vicky was an Associate Director at UBS Bank.

I love the personal interaction you get every day. It’s small enough that you get to know the people you work with. I feel I get to make a difference on a day to day level.

Pat Nappo, Director of Maintenance

Pat Nappo heads the department that is responsible for keeping Forestdale’s five buildings and two acres of gardens in tip-top shape. He joined Forestdale in 2003, after working for eleven years as maintenance head at a Sisters of Good Shepherd convent in Long Island. He was born in Naples, Italy.

Every day is different here. It’s spontaneous. There are lots of deadlines, and  there’s a sense of satisfaction when things are completed ahead of schedule.

PROGRAM STAFF

Linda Ford, Administrative Director, Preventive Services

As the head of Forestdale’s Preventive Services, Linda Ford organizes trainings, works with families and provides guidance and oversight to case planners. Before coming to Forestdale, she was a Program Director at Steinway Child and Family Services, working with adults with severe mental illnesses. The Bronx native has also worked as a substance abuse counselor, a hospital-based social worker and a case planner for pregnant mothers in foster care.

Scott Leach, Program Director, Fathering Initiative

Scott Leach is the Program Director of the Fathering Initiative, where he is also a group counselor. Mr. Leach received a BS degree in Recreation from Ohio State University and was drafted into the NFL by the New Orleans Saints. After several injuries he decided to retire from football and dedicate his energies to at-risk youth and families.

“The best part of my job is when I’m out in the community and someone from one of my classes comes up and thanks me for something I did for them long ago. Just recently I was up in Albany eating by myself when a young man called my name and then introduced me to his wife and child.”

Letricia Johnson, Program Director, Pregnant and Parenting Teens (TASA)

Letricia comes to Forestdale from the city’s Administration for Children’s Services, where she was responsible for the wellbeing of teens in four congregate care facilities in New York City. She holds an MA in Organizational Psychology and an Ed.M in Counseling, both from Columbia University.