Family & Children’s Service Names Louis A. Schwarcz as Chief Executive Officer – Atlantic Highlands Herald

LONG BRANCH, NJ – Family & Children’s Service, the oldest, private nonprofit social service agency in Monmouth County, is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has appointed Louis A. Schwarcz as chief executive officer. He assumed leadership of the organization on Jan. 3.

“The FCS team welcomes Louis, who brings great expertise in mental health services and community collaborations to our organization,” said board Chairwoman Tiffany Senft. “We look forward to working with him to continue to advance the agency’s 113-year mission to provide compassionate care, intervention, and education to people during challenging times in their lives.”

Most recently, Schwarcz served as CEO of The Bridge, Inc. where he led community-based mental health and substance use services for at-risk children, adults and families in Essex and Union counties. While there he expanded mental health and substance use outpatient services, co-led a successful statewide effort to fully restore funding for school-based youth services and developed an innovative adolescent substance abuse program for high-risk middle and high school students. He also developed an early childhood intervention program in partnership with the YMCA.

Schwarcz also served as CEO of the Mental Health Association of Morris County, Inc.; associate executive director of Family Service of Morris County, Inc.; and director of programs and services at the Mental Health Association of Morris County. Among his accomplishments are the creation of Project Morris 9/11, which he co-founded to provide support for families who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, 2001, and the development and implementation of county integrated case management services. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, a premier statewide trade association. He holds a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rutgers University.

Senft acknowledged Anna Burian, who temporarily stepped down from her role on the FCS board to serve as interim CEO following the resignation of former CEO Colleen Verriest. “Anna’s leadership and guidance have been instrumental in sustaining the agency’s operations over the past several months and we are extremely grateful for her dedicated service to our clients and staff, and her stewardship of FCS,” Senft added.