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.
PROGRAM STAFF
Rachel Tzimorotas, Director of Foster Care
Rachel Tzimororats Esq. oversees the foster care, therapeutic foster care and adoption programs. She recently joined Forestdale, in November 2011, after having worked as a Family Court Legal Services attorney at ACS for three years. Rachel graduated from St. John’s University School of Law and went on to work as an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County for six years and then practiced in a law firm specializing in medical malpractice litigation for six years before leaving to work at ACS.
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.
Brady H. Funn III, Director of Educational Opportunity & Workforce Development
Brady has 30 years experience in the banking industry in branch operations, consumer credit and customer service. In his last four years in banking, he worked as a Senior Staffing Specialist for ABN-AMRO and staffed all branches of EAB, a subsidiary, throughout New York City and Long Island. While working at the bank, Mr. Funn also conducted employment and interview workshops throughout the region.
