AFTER HOURS PROJECT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Leader
Abigail Olavarria is the Chief Operating Officer of the After Hours Project. She is responsible for overseeing all operational and administrative functions of the organization. This includes overseeing the functions that support all agency programs, setting comprehensive goals for performance and growth, and overseeing the organization's operations to make sure everything is moving in line with the organization's vision and strategy. She reports to the President/CEO and is an integral member of the senior management team.
Abigail Olavarria has over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She is a proven leader with a strong track record of success. She is passionate about making a difference in the world, and is committed to helping the After Hours Project achieve its mission.
Abigail is a highly effective leader with a strong commitment to excellence. She is a strategic thinker with a proven ability to execute. She is also a strong communicator and relationship builder. She is a valuable asset to AHP, and is playing a key role in the organization's success.
Brenda Watson is the Chief Program Officer of the After Hours Project. She works closely with the President/Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Operating Officer to oversee programs and program-related services. She is responsible for monitoring the progress and performance of multiple contracts, and her hands-on approach allows her to provide guidance, supervision, and assist with the professional development of staff.
In her role as CPO, Brenda is responsible for the daily oversight of activities within the agency. She provides support to staff to collectively and individually seek feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of all programs. She provides guidance and supervision to all Directors and Coordinators across the agency's multiple programs. She collaborates weekly with her colleagues to implement policies and procedures and develop improvements in program operations.
Brenda is a dedicated advocate for the causes that AHP supports. She is committed to making a difference in the lives of others, and she is devoted to helping AHP sustain its continued success.
Job Titles:
- Senior Housing Specialist
The Senior Housing Specialist works closely with the STRAP Director at the Rental Assistance Program. The Senior Housing Specialist supervises and provides support to program staff. He assists clients as they transition to permanent housing and is responsible for identifying permanent housing options, developing and maintaining housing resources, conducting individual sessions around housing issues, and providing referrals, advocacy, and follow-up. The Housing Specialist also develops partnerships with government and community agencies to help increase client access to permanent housing.
Job Titles:
- Mental Wellness Social Worker
The Mental Health Social Worker provides mental health services, connecting individuals with resources and supporting their mental health outcomes. She helps individuals and groups achieve maximum well-being by providing direct services and by connecting them with resources and outside referrals to appropriate mental health providers. She works with clients seeking asylum and individuals needing one-on-one therapy counseling; she also conducts couples counseling, group counseling, mental health summaries, and psychosocial evaluations. She works closely with the transition housing department and provides mental health assessments and ongoing therapeutic sessions as needed. In addition, she works in conjunction with the Buprenorphine program to provide clients with short-term therapy while they work together to create treatment readiness plans. She participates in weekly team meetings, including activity reports and monthly statistical reports.
Job Titles:
- Medical Transportation Coordinator
Elizabeth Burgos is a Medical Transportation Coordinator who serves people with HIV/AIDS in four boroughs of New York City (Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Bronx) as well as on Long Island. She targets people who are HIV positive and who are insured with ADAP. She also targets clients who are Medicaid-ineligible and/or out of care. She has a special focus on immigrants, both naturalized citizens and undocumented. Elizabeth ensures the documentation, management and oversight of all transport services and schedules clients for transportation via the fleet of agency vehicles. She also schedules clients who have Medicaid for MAS transportation.
Job Titles:
- AHP 's STRAP Director
- STRAP Director
Elizabeth Mosquera is AHP's STRAP Director and is responsible for overseeing the Rental Assistance Program that supports services to homeless and unstably housed PLWHA to obtain/maintain stable housing. She provides guidance and supervision to the housing team in order to ensure successful program implementation, development and excellent service delivery and audits. In addition, she prepares monthly reports to DOHMH which includes program accomplishments, services delivered, and challenges. Elizabeth's high level of expertise in housing has contributed to the flourishing of AHP's Rental Assistance Program.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder
- President
- Lead Spokesperson
Fernando is the President/Chief Executive Officer of the After Hours Project. He is responsible for setting forth the organization's long-term vision and is responsible for operational management, fundraising, and fiscal oversight to ensure the organization achieves its goals according to board-approved policies and procedures.
Fernando has been an advocate of disenfranchised communities for over 30 years, helping to provide equity to populations that have been historically underserved. His unwavering passion has modeled him as a trail blazer of human services under the Harm Reduction philosophy, as well as established his role as the leader & founder of the After Hours Project.
As President/CEO, Fernando is responsible for providing overall leadership and strategic direction for the organization. He focuses on long-range goals, strategies, plans and policies routinely exercising discretion and independent judgment in the performance of job duties.
Fernando serves as the lead spokesperson for this reputable organization in a variety of formats including panels, conferences and in the media. He is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to the care and services they need to live long, healthy lives. He is widely considered a role model for others who are working to make a difference in the world, and he is an inspiration to all who know him.
Ghassan Khalil has over 24 years of experience in the nonprofit sector providing one-on-one capacity building and developing as well as conducting financial management training on a local and national level. Mr. Khalil has trained hundreds of organizations on developing and customizing fiscal policies and procedures manuals, demystifying nonprofit financial statements/reports, and effectively managing government grants and contracts. He currently serves as the fiscal consultant for the After Hours Project, Inc. providing advisory services to the leadership team and overseeing all financial matters. Mr. Khalil had been a critical part of the leadership team and enabled the organization to maximize its indirect cost as well as overall funding.
Mr. Khalil earned his BA in Business Administration and Accounting from CUNY Baruch College and holds a Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional (CNAP) certificate and is a Certified Instructor/Facilitator - From LANGEVIN, World's largest Train-the-Trainer company. He is also a member of the NYS Society of CPAs.
The Housing Manager is responsible for providing support to the Senior Housing Manager in the day-to-day operations of AHP's housing facilities. The Housing Manager works directly with the Housing Manager to oversee the needs of all housing units.
Responsible for providing 24 hrs monitoring and supervision to all congregate and scattered-sites. Provide Supervision to the Housing Manager and conducts apartment inspections, reporting incidents and/or allegations to supervisors, completing incidents reports according to agency policy. Provides orientation to all new clients and collects co-payments and reports any medical emergencies. Light duties such as changing door locks, toilet seats, light bulbs and setting up room furniture and CLEAR TV. The Senior Housing Manager report to the program Coordinator.
Job Titles:
- Grants Associate
- Project Grants Associate
Joel Olavarria is the After Hours Project Grants Associate and is responsible for supporting and managing various administrative and financial functions related to grants management within the After-Hours Project (AHP). The GA interacts with program staff, regarding the administration of SHC and STRAP.
Job Titles:
- Case Manager
- Case Manager ( SCI )
The Supportive Counseling and Family Stabilization Case Manager addresses the needs of HIV-positive individuals and connects them to needed social and medical services. The Case Manager provides case management and supportive services to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The Case Manager performs intake needs assessment, service plan development, service plan implementation, service coordination, and medical monitoring and follow-up. She works with clients to create individualized service plans to meet clients' needs. The Case Manager is responsible for making referrals to needed social and medical services. The Case Manager engages in case conferences and care coordination with service providers to ensure optimal service delivery to clients. She works closely with the Patient Navigator to ensure clients receive all needed services. The Case Manager ensures documentation of all services for charting and reporting purposes to NYCDOH. The Case Manager coordinates assigned tasks with the team to assure that tasks are accomplished for all clients in the program.
The Lead Navigator is responsible for the daily coordination of the Prevention Navigation component for racial and ethnic minorities in Brooklyn. She conducts outreach and recruitment in the target communities. She identifies outreach venues for HIV/HCV and STIs, and pre-and post-test counseling, while assessing local risk factors. She works with a team of navigators to develop effective social marketing messages and campaigns. She works closely with the Program Manager to collect data for substance abuse, mental health services, and primary care services while providing ongoing support to encourage client retention.
Mary Pagan oversees and maintains the data for all programs for After Hours Project, Inc. In addition, she assists the administrative staff in compiling monthly statistical reports to ensure accuracy and comprehensiveness of the data. The Data Manager assists in the quality assurance process by assuring that what appears in client charts for every program has been entered into the agency's database systems. Lastly, other program-related tasks are carried out by the Data Manager, including providing guidance and hands-on training to the Program Assistant as needed.
Job Titles:
- Director of Prevention Services
Pedro J. Briones is the Director of Prevention Services at the After Hours Project. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge attributed to working with marginalized communities, and has a passion for helping people in need.
In his previous role, Pedro was instrumental in establishing and expanding programming that assisted a vulnerable population directly impacted by the opioid crisis within the Bronx. He worked tirelessly to raise awareness pertaining to health disparities within the community, and to provide resources and support to those who were struggling.
Pedro is now committed to bring his passion and expertise to the After Hours Project via oversight of AHP's prevention programs. Furthermore, He is devoted to working with disenfranchised communities to develop, implement and monitor qualitative prevention programs that will make a difference in people's lives.
Job Titles:
- Medical Director
- Nurse Practitioner
Ronald Dingwell works under the Medical Director and plays an integral part at the Wellness Center. He is the person that handles the day-to-day treatment of suboxone clients. His responsibilities include care coordination and medication management for all clients who are part of the recovery community. His guiding philosophy focuses on harm reduction and wellness, and to achieve those goals, he employs a patient-first approach to care delivery, treatment maintenance and providing clients and empathetic guidance through their journeys towards recovery.
The Outreach Coordinator coordinates all outreach activities and provides outreach, prevention/education and street-based services to active substance users, sex workers and the homeless. He conducts safer substance use education and strategies and provides referrals to assist individuals in gaining access to health care and social services. In addition, he promotes HIV counseling and testing and provides overdose training. He also promotes program services and recruits' clients for syringe exchange & ESAP. He compiles daily, weekly and monthly documents for statistical reporting.
Tara Diaz provides administrative support to staff members and clients throughout the implementation of program services. She directs the communication between staff members, program participants and managerial staff. The Program Assistant performs a variety of administrative and clerical tasks that impact the daily functions of the program including answering/directing phone calls, record keeping and assisting with conducting reviews of data submissions. She ensures that clients are able to easily navigate through program services and directs them to the proper staff member upon arrival. She works closely with other employees and provides assistance to programs with their data entry needs in order to properly document program services in databases including eShare and the AIDS Institute Reporting System (AIRS).
The Medical Director oversee' s all medical and treatment services at AHPs Wellness Center. He supervises the medical staff and participates in the process to ensure the appropriateness and quality of patient care. The Medical Director assists in the recruitment and management of all Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants and other medical staff. He is also responsible for examining and coordinating the facility's activities to ensure they comply with medical protocols.