Neil Newstein, LCSW, NCG
Executive Director / Chief Executive Office
Time at AJFCS: 25 Years
I am part of the AJFCS/LJRFS team because I believe that a community that doesn’t care for its members when trouble strikes isn’t a community at all. AJFCS/LJRFS is the organization that meets that need and allows us to be a community.
Mr. Newstein has been Executive Director of Jewish Family and Children's Service, since 1986. As Director of JF&CS he has led the agency from an organization with 5 employees to one of the 10 largest in the country, employing more than 200. He has developed some of the most comprehensive services for the elderly in the County, including innovative respite programs for frail elderly.
The agency has pioneered programs to assist children living in other parts of the country in the care of their parents living in South Florida. JF&CS provides those services not only for the Jewish Community nationwide, but also for the employees of such corporations as IBM, Travelers, and Johnson and Johnson.
The agency provides residential and case-management services for mentally and/or physically disabled adults. At the same time it has developed and enhanced the more traditional family service programs. It has developed regional and statewide consortiums to care for disabled adults and holocaust victims. During Mr. Newstein’s tenure he brought hethe agency through four consecutive, exemplary accreditation reviews.
Mr. Newstein is originally from Philadelphia, Pa. He received his BA in Psychology from Albright College in Reading, Pa. and his Master's Degree in Clinical Social Work from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He is licensed as a Clinical Social Worker and is a Nationally Certified Professional Guardian. He has held numerous clinical and administrative positions, and for nine years prior to joining JF&CS, he was Director of Jewish Family Service of Southeastern, VA.
Mr. Newstein is past Chairman of the Board of Trustees, member of the Southern Commission and a site team leader for the Council on Accreditation for Family and Children's Services. He serves on a number of national committees as well as being an Board Member of the Association of Jewish Family and Children's Agencies. He has served as the President of the AJFCA Group "A" agencies committee. He is Interim President of Florida Families First, an association of family service agencies across the State of Florida. He currently serves as treasurer of the Center for Guardian Certification.
He has presented at numerous national and international conferences on management, computerization and clinical issues. Amongst his publications are articles on developing national networks for the Journal of Jewish Communal Service and a White Paper on the state of Geriatric Social Work for the J.W. Hartford Foundation.
Mr. Newstein is the father of two daughters: Lisa an attorney, specializing in labor law, in Richmond, VA and Megan, who serves in a senior management position at Gap in San Francisco.