Professionals Behind The Change
Wediko Children’s Services is home to some of the country’s most passionate and dedicated child development professionals who help children and families increase safety, strength, and resiliency. Our leading professionals come from a broad spectrum of educational backgrounds including clinical psychologists, social workers, neuropsychologists, mental health counselors, guidance counselors, special educators, and more. This diversity of training disciplines and life experiences adds richness and flexibility to Wediko’s therapeutic capabilities, spanning across various psychodynamic and behavioral models. Wediko then hones the evidence-informed practices from each discipline and blends them into an approach that is uniquely Wediko. Integrating these models of clinical treatment into academic settings helps avoid duplication of services and discourages the artificial split between academic and clinical needs. The addition of Wediko’s psychopharmacology practice ensures that a truly integrated team serves each child’s needs in natural, healthy environments.
Leadership Transition and Appreciation to Amy Sousa
It is with sincere gratitude that the Board of Trustees thanks Amy Sousa, Ph.D. for her successful 5 years of service to the children and families that we serve.
At Wediko Children Services, since 1934, we are fortunate to have been working with some of the country’s most passionate and dedicated child development professionals. This was certainly the case with Dr. Sousa, who announced her departure this summer.
Dr. Sousa has been with Wediko since June 2012 making a huge impact on many agency processes. She successfully updated operational infrastructure, introduced new leadership practices and programming opportunities for the organization.
“I have such a profound gratitude for my time at Wediko. I have grown as a leader, service provider, and as a person. The commitment and dedication of the students, staff, and community is inspiring and unparalleled”, said Dr. Sousa
Wediko’s Board President, John Hennessy, commended Dr. Sousa for providing strategic and operational direction during her tenure. “Amy has been a truly transformative leader in her five years at the helm of Wediko; the organization is stronger and healthier from top to bottom because of her leadership and service”.
The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce Michael Clontz, Director of Boston Programs and Ivette Rodriguez, CFO and Director of Operations as the interim executive directors. Together they will be responsible for the organization through the conclusion of the executive search process.
A national search being led by CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP is currently underway. Interested parties may contact the search Director, Maureen Salkin at maureen.salkin@claconnect.com
Michelle Kohut, LCSW
Director of Wediko Summer Program
Education:
B.A., Boston College
MSW, Boston College
Ed Zadravec, Psy.D.
Interim Director of Wediko School; Clinical Director
Education:
Psy.D., Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology
Sc.B., Brown University
Year Hired: 1986
Dr. Ed Zadravec’s work at Wediko is focused on helping Wediko staff to learn, grow, and provide the best services to children, families, and schools. As an administrator, supervisor and consultant, he is fortunate to meet with many interesting and dedicated professionals who share the goal of improving learning environments. Ed loves working with teams and finding ways to make use of the diverse strengths in every group. He looks forward to helping Wediko expand its role as a leader in school-based mental health services.
Liora Schwartz, LMSW
Director of New York-Based Programs
Education:
M.S.W., Hunter College
B.S., Ithaca College
Year Hired: 2014
Liora Schwartz joined the Wediko NY team after more than fifteen years’ experience working with non-profits serving New York City public schools, both providing direct services and as a supervisor and program director. She is committed to incorporating best practices in the areas of creative expression, youth development, trauma-informed practices, positive behavioral supports, and social and emotional learning into programs for youth. In addition to her clinical experience, Liora’s strengths lie in program development and quality implementation, evaluation, staff training and support, and grant-writing.
Tamara Laine
Manager, Finance
Education:
B.A., Loyola University
Year Hired: 2013
Tamara Laine started as the Accounts Receivable Coordinator at Wediko in December 2013. She has her BA in Accounting from Loyola University New Orleans. Tamara currently resides in Burlington, MA. She is looking forward to increasing her skill set and growing personally and professionally as part of Wediko’s finance team.
Board of Directors
(From left to right) Randy Bell, Sheila Murphy, Ellen Janos, C.C. Chapman (president), Amy Sousa (Executive Director), Vahid Ownjazayeri, Pat Grant, Karan Paruvangada, Peter Johnson, Jake Bullock, Andrew Russell, Patty Fries (Former Director of Operations), John Hennessy, Bill Cornish, Judi King