Staff
This group of thoughtful, committed individuals are uplifting and empowering the Greater Harrisburg Community.
Executive Team
Rachel Kuhr, MSW, LCSW
Chief program officer
Rachel Kuhr is the Chief Program Officer. She oversees all services to children in foster and pre-adoptive homes approved by JFS and provides private home study services. Rachel also coordinates and supervises services provided by program staff to children through the Statewide Adoption Network (SWAN). This includes coordination with county providers and other foster care agencies as well as work with the state contract agency on policy and planning for these services. She supervises services in the Post Permanency support program, for families after adoption or guardianship. Rachel was instrumental in developing the Family Based Mental Health program at JFS.
Prior to joining JFS in 2003, Rachel worked in an Intensive Family Preservation program locally, as well as in a Child Welfare agency in California. She was an outpatient therapist from 2000-2016. Rachel holds a LCSW from the School of Social Work at the University of California, Berkeley.
Jessica Fox, MA, NCC, LPC
Director of Family Based Mental Health
Jess is responsible for directing the Family Based Mental Health Services program at JFS. She started as a family based mental health professional in 2020 and took over as director in 2022. Jess and the Family Based teams are committed to helping families that have children/adolescents who are at risk of out of home placement (such as in-patient hospitalization, residential treatment facilities, or foster care) due to emotional/behavioral struggles.
Jess has a master’s degree in counseling with a specialization in marriage, family, and couples counseling from Kutztown University.
Hazem A.L
Immigration Consultant
Hazem serves as the Immigration Consultant for JFS and has spent more than 10 years working in the resettlement field. In his most recent position, he served as the Resettlement Educator for the largest Private Sponsorship Agreement Holder in Canada, where he educated and trained the public on the refugee private sponsorship program in Canada and where he helped resettle more than 500 refugees. Hazem has also worked in Amman, Jordan for a number of international not-for-profit organizations, where he helped refugees from different backgrounds and nationalities.
