Our Leadership Team


  • Ivy Gamble Cobb
  • Ivy Gamble Cobb, one of the four founders of our agency, is the current Executive Director of The Family Center. Previously, she worked at the NYC Department of Social Services Division of AIDS Services as both a Family Case Manager and a Program Planner. She received her BS from New York University, her MSW from Hunter College School of Social Work and has earned credits towards a Ph.D. in Social Welfare. Ivy is featured in the videos "Remember the Sun" and "A Gift for My Children: Families Talk about Custody Planning" and has co-authored articles on the issue of families affected by parental illness.
  • Caroline Bersak
  • Caroline Bersak is the Director of The Legal Wellness Institute at The Family Center. Caroline first worked with The Family Center as a law student intern in 2007, and then returned as a post-graduate law fellow in 2009. Prior to rejoining The Family Center as a Staff Attorney in 2010, Caroline was an associate in the Commercial Litigation Unit at Day Pitney LLP. Caroline has BAs in both Community Health and Public Policy from Brown University. Caroline worked as a research assistant on healthcare studies before attending law school, including studies on quality of end-of-life care in community hospitals and on management of cardiovascular disease. Caroline received her JD from NYU School of Law, where she was a member and then co-chair of the Health Law Society.
  • Amy Brouard
  • Amy Brouard is The Family Center's Assistant Director of Behavioral Health.  Amy completed her Master’s Degree in Social Work at Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University, after obtaining her BA from NYU. She has 8 years of clinical experience across a variety of settings including outpatient specialty clinics, crisis intervention, structured outpatient programs, inpatient psychiatric facilities, and large nonprofits. At The Family Center, Amy provides clinical and administrative supervision to social work students, interns, and professionals. She has worked with individuals and groups in areas of depression, bipolar disorder, substance use disorder, behavioral and discipline challenges, self-harm behavior, trauma and abuse, suicide assessment and risk reduction, group psychotherapy and couple’s conflict. 

  • Lindsay Cornelio is the Human Resources Director at the Family Center. Previously, Lindsay was the Operations Director at Justice Catalyst Law (JCL), where she oversaw the organization’s human resources, finances, administration and other operations. Prior to JCL, Lindsay worked at the Coalition for Hispanic Family Services, where she served as a Program Assistant, Assistant Site Director and Site Director. Lindsay was also an ESL teacher for several years. Lindsay earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of Vermont and an M.S. in Global Affairs from New York University, with a concentration in peacebuilding and conflict resolution. 
  • Lauren Groetch is the Assistant Director of The Legal Wellness Institute at The Family Center. Lauren first joined The Family Center as a post-graduate law fellow in 2014, and she has since served clients in both the Staff Attorney and Senior Staff Attorney roles at The Family Center. Lauren received her BA in English with distinction from the University of Virginia, and her JD from NYU School of Law, where she was named a Hermann Biggs Health Policy Scholar and a Robert McKay Scholar.
  • Jan Hudis
  • Jan Hudis, another of our four founders, serves as The Family Center's Deputy Executive Director of Operations. Prior to founding The Family Center, she worked at the NYC Department of Social Services Division of AIDS Services as a Program Planner. Jan holds both an MPA and an MPH from Columbia University. She has also co-authored numerous articles on the issues faced by families affected by HIV/AIDS.
  • Trish Jean-Louis is the Assistant Director of Supportive Services at The Family Center. Previously, Trish worked as both the Supervisor of, and a Family Coordinator in, our Caregiver Program providing case management services as well as facilitating various support groups. She also served as the intake specialist at The Family Center. Trish has extensive experience in both social services and education. She has worked as a trauma counselor, college advisor and an ESL teacher before coming to The Family Center. Trish has a BA in Sociology with specialization in Africana Studies, a BS in Human Development and an MS in Counseling. 
  • Trish
  • James Learned is The Family Center’s Training Program Manager for our AIDS Institute-funded technical assistance and training program. James oversees the development and delivery of professional trainings on issues related to HIV and Older Adults and Hepatitis C (HCV) and HIV/HCV Co-infection. James has worked at The Family Center since 2007 in a variety of roles, including: HIV/HCV Specialist and Counselor, Community Health Outreach Specialist, and Health Care Access Coordinator.  He has extensive experience in health education, curriculum development, training delivery, and program management with many non-profit organizations throughout New York. James is also a licensed therapist with a focus on people living with HIV. James earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his MSW from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. 

  • Aileen Parker
  • Aileen Parker is The Family Center’s Director of Development & Communications, responsible for managing private contributions, communications, and volunteerism at our agency. Before TFC, she worked at Greenwich House, where she gained knowledge of local NYC philanthropy, and the March of Dimes, where she worked at the national level to develop volunteer resources. Aileen earned her BA and MSW from Fordham University.
  • Joan Salmon
  • Joan Salmon is the Deputy Executive Director for Behavioral Health Services at The Family Center. Joan is a LCSW-R with 20-plus years of experience working in behavioral health. She studied pre-medicine at Stony Brook University where she obtained her BS. Joan received her MSW degree from Fordham University. She has had the honor of being a consultant with Columbia University’s Opioid Response Network program providing technical assistance to programs around the opioid epidemic.
  • Nia Seda
  • HopeRenee Wilson joined The Family Center in 2013 as an Administrative Assistant in Operations/ Human Resources. In 2022, HopeRenee was promoted to Operations Manager. Prior to The Family Center, HopeRenee worked at the New York City Board of Education for three years as a Records Room Assistant, and then a District Office Assistant. She was also previously a House Manager at Trinity House and a Senior Manufacturing Operator at Pfizer. She attended Borough of Manhattan Community College and focused her studies on Business Management. Among her myriad of responsibilities, HopeRenee oversees our reception of clients and guests. If you ever visit The Family Center, you will have the pleasure of being greeted by HopeRenee’s team!