Board Members

ELVIRA JACOBS

Ms. Elvira Jacobs, the board chair of JHS for the past five (5) Years, has been attached to this agency since the inception of the thought. The vision was shared with Elvira, and in her own words she stayed with it from “It’s conception to its birth”. Elvira left the land of her birth Trinidad & Tobago in the year 1986 and migrated to the USA, which was a life-changing event for her and her family. While in Trinidad, Elvira describes her education as being interrupted without many Jobs opportunities, but her migration made all the difference. Elvira’s main goal in a new land of opportunity was to obtain her education and do what she loved best, help others.

She started working at the Catholic Charities but quickly left and perused nursing. She continued her studies in Social Work and obtained a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in 2000. In 2004 she further received her Masters, and two years later received her Clinical in Social Work. Elvira worked at varied levels in the city. She worked in places such as ACS & HRA from 2001-2014 and retired at the age of 66. Elvira serves as JHS chair with all her might. This mighty woman is the proud mother of two (2), grandmother of (5) five and great grandmother of ten (10). Elvira spends her days doing what she always loved, helping family and others both here and back home in the country of her birth.

TERRY WINSTON

Terry Winston has successfully combined” Real Estate Investing” with “Christian Community Development” to strategically fund social and community change. Mr. Winston is the President of the “ New York Leadership Foundation” which is an IRS certified 501(c) (3) tax -exempt organization. For over 15 years, he has worked tirelessly to alleviate the effects of violent crime, poor health, and poverty for East New York Brooklyn residents through ongoing program development and business coaching projects. The New York Leadership Foundation is a Christian-based community organization with a community development strategy focused on building under-resourced communities. By implementing leadership training and development, small groups, and strategic coaching that develops potential leaders, this foundation seeks to restore, rebuild, and renew neighborhoods and communities economically, spiritually, and socially. Mr. Winston has created a ministry center that has transformed the community by transforming the lives of the people in that community. Whether it’s the “House of Hope” a residential housing program for the homeless, or the “ Winston Christian Daycare”, a daycare learning center for single moms, the lives of many in that community will never be the same. Mr. Winston continue to identify creative ways to use the vehicle of real estate to strategically find social change within communities.

WAYNE CLARKE

Wayne Clarke is the Co-Founder of My Time Inc. along with his wife Lucina Clarke. My Time Inc. focuses exclusively on the parents, grandparents and caregivers of a child with autism and developmental disabilities. Wayne have received awards with Lucina including Autism Organization of the Year, for their work at My Time Inc from New York Families for Autistic Children, an award from Sesame Flyers and Children of the
Light Ministries Inc. In the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy, Wayne helped formed Canarsie Disaster Relief Committee (CDRC) along with Debbie Tiamfook (Community Leader) and Lucina to help the victims of Canarsie. CDRC is a special committee of My Time Inc. Wayne is a member of the Community Advisory Board at Brookdale Community Hospital. He is a member of Children of the Light Ministries Food Pantry where he drives the truck on weekends. Wayne has an MS degree in TV/Radio from Brooklyn College and received his undergraduate Degree in Liberal arts from The College of New Rochelle. Wayne lives with his wife of 35 years (August) in Canarsie. He is the father of two Wayne Jr (33) and Keya (27) also the proud grandfather of 5; Eric Jr (12) Ashton, (6) Charli (5) Alaina (3) and our newest member Aniyah (2 days old).

ERVIN FRANCIS

Ervin Francis received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina. He received high recognition of completion from the Insurance Institute of American Management, the American College and American Society of CLU, ChFc and CPCU and the Security Exchange Commission where he held investment designations Series 63, 62, and 7. He was employed at Allstate Insurance company as a Claims Manager in 1967 and worked toward advancement in the company. He was promoted to Human Resource Manager and eventually became an Executive Sales Manager. He retired from the company in 2007. In 2008, immediately after Ervin retired from Allstate he became the Chief Financial Officer of the Greater Allen AME Cathedral of Jamaica, New York. The Cathedral had over 25,000 members and an operating
budget of over $ 13,000,000. Ervin sits on several nonprofit boards. He is currently the Board Treasurer of the Jewel Human Services, Inc.

MICHELLE D. ROBINSON

Michelle D. Robinson is the Chief Executive Officer of Jewel Human
Services, Inc. Michelle is distinguished by the love and compassion she possesses for others. She is characterized by her ability to maintain composure in the midst of any situation. A strong passionate woman with a desire to see people live the life they dream of. Michelle inspires others to become productive, strong, and self-sufficient members of society. Her background includes extensive work in the social service communities as an advocate for individuals with developmental disability. Her experience spans several years in the not-for-profit sector. Michelle is both an excellent mentor and coach, who is frequently called upon for her knowledge and experience in the non-for-prof-
it sector. Michelle leads mainly by example, always doing her best and encouraging others to do the same. While easy going by nature, no one doubts her authority, she is direct and decisive when she needs to be. She is respected not only by her team but by her peers and those up the ranks. Michelle completed her Bachelor’s degree in psychology at York College and plans to further her educational career in the near future.

HYACINTH MCPHERSON

Hyacinth McPherson’s passion and love for working in the field with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities have extended for over 30 years in various capacities. She has moved up the ranks from Direct Support Professional to Director of Residential Services, overseeing the first freestanding Respite in Brooklyn, ICF, Individualized Residential Alternative (IRA), In-Home crisis Respite, Waiver, and MSC (Care Manager) Department. Mrs. McPherson has served on the Standing Incident Committee, Corporate Compliance Committee, and the Human Rights Committee Chairperson. Her leadership skills have led the Residential Department to pass fiscal audits, successfully scoring 500 out of 500. Her education and knowledge of OPWDD regulations have enabled her to write policies and procedures and training curricula.

Mrs. McPherson’s success with the staff is driven by the five emotional intelligence elements of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Mrs. McPherson has her Master’s degree in Public Administration/Public Affairs Administration from the Metropolitan College of New York and is an Honor society recipient, PI Alpha Alpha. Mrs. McPherson has been overseeing the Jewel Human Services HR department for over five years. As the HR Manager, Mrs. McPherson has written numerous policies and procedures to align with the New York State Department of Health, OPWDD, and OSHA. She has extended the Workforce and worked seamlessly with the executive staff and supervisors.

DEVON PARKES

Devon is a Certified Public Accountant, with over twenty-five years of experience in the field of auditing, accounting and taxation. Devon graduated from the Bernard Baruch College with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting and worked with International Business Machines (IBM) as a corporate accountant for five years. Devon spent several years in audit working with a mid-sized audit firm Mitchell & Titus, LLP, located in New York, where he began his audit career as a staff accountant and worked his way up to audit manager. As audit manager he supervised multiple audit engagements including engagements with Ernst & Young. At the time, Mitchell & Titus was a member-firm of Ernst & Young Global. Devon accounting and auditing experience spans several industries including not-for-profit, real estate, financial services and employee benefit plans.
Devon is licensed in the State of New York and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

AYISHA ABDUL-ALIM

Ayisha Abdul-Alim has been a Jewel Human Services team member for over six years. She has over 18 plus years of experience working with various diverse populations in the Human Service field. She exemplifies strong Ethical Moral Standards, Commitment, and Passion with providing High-Quality Services to people in need of services and working with Vulnerable Individuals with Developmental Disabilities. Mrs. Abdul-Alim’s educational achievements include earning a BA Degree in Sociology/Brooklyn College and a MA Degree in Health Care Administration/Brooklyn College. Her Certification Attainment includes Child Abuse and Maltreatment Program from H.R.A./Agency for Child Development, Emotional Maltreatment of Children and Adolescents from NYC Dept. of Health, HIV Pre/Post Counseling from NYC Dept. of Health, Investigator Certificate Course from Interagency Council, Conducting Serious Incident Investigations, Labor Relations Alternatives. Among her many careers that depict her expertise and passion in serving the underserved Mrs. Abdul-Alim’s journey and commitment contain serving the needs of underserved recipients, which included administrative employment for persons with HIV/AIDS as the is Program Supervisor at St. Johns’ Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway. She was Social Worker and Special Care Coordinator at St. Mary’s Hospital in Brooklyn and a Program Coordinator at Institute for Community Living (formerly known as Catholic Charities). My responsibility was to oversee the entire Mental Health Population in two units, reinforcing Regulatory Compliance and supervising employees on both units. At Evelyn Douglin Center in Brooklyn, she served as Senior Day Habilitation Program Coordinator, Compliance Specialist, Incident Investigator, and Admission / Discharge Committee Chair Person.
Her mission is to ensure the current individuals’ needs are met by enforcing State and Federal Regulatory Guidance and providing quality training for all agency personnel across the board at Jewel Human Services.