Executive Director: Jena Mottola
Nonprofits each have a culture of their own, but what doesn’t change is the skills needed to run one smoothly. Learning to play nice in the sandbox lends nicely to strong partnerships and a healthy organization. Jena Mottola comes to NHPA with over 25 years in the nonprofit arena. When Jena first started her career her focus was on family and immigrant literacy education and outreach. Her years working in Cambridge, Massachusetts gave her the foundation and experience to understand a broad range of social and economic issues that communities continue to face today.
Moving back to the Midwest was when Jena began leading a team of professionals at a nonprofit museum. Jumping in with her sleeves rolled, she quickly took the organization from a marginal number of visitors to over fifteen thousand per year. No small feat. She did this by raising additional grant funds, gaining memberships, expanding educational programming and hiring a supporting staff. That sounds simple on paper but what it means is that Jena’s professional strategy focuses on three main areas when aligning herself with any organization; partnerships, fiscal preparedness and leading a thriving team.
Jena is passionate about nonprofit work and has a personal and lifelong respect for mental health. In her spare time she immerses herself in all things health and nutrition. She loves hiking and hanging out with her husband, two kiddos and the family dog. Jena holds a dual master’s degree in nonprofit management as well as negotiation and conflict resolution.
Email: jena@nhpsychology.org
Assistant Director: Leslie Gould, MSW
Leslie joined NHPA in January of 2016. She received her MSW from New York University. Following graduate school, she worked in NYC doing substance abuse education in public schools. In addition, she was a medical social worker at a large teaching hospital in the West Village of NYC during the crack epidemic and AIDS crisis. After leaving NYC, Leslie worked with families in an ICU, was a clinician in a Methadone Maintenance program, and worked with students in a college counseling center. She decided to step away from clinical work while raising two young children, and she began working as an Office Manager of a busy internal medicine practice. In supporting the work of psychologists, assisting the public with accessing resources, and promoting the mission of NHPA, Leslie utilizes her background in mental health and management.
Email: office@nhpsychology.org