WJCS Appoints Shannon Van Loon Assistant Executive Director​

From WJCS: WJCS announces the appointment of Shannon Van Loon as assistant executive director, Children, Youth and Family Services.

Prior to joining WJCS, Shannon Van Loon spent 15 years in non-profit social services management with a focus on child development and at-risk communities. She was vice president of strategic development for the New York Center for Child Development and the New York Center for Infants and Toddlers, Inc. which serve children with special needs, ages birth to five.

“We’re delighted to welcome Shannon to WJCS. Her expertise in serving children, including those with special needs, and her experience in the non-profit sector will be major assets to our agency,” said Bernie Kimberg, chief operating officer, WJCS.

Van Loon led the development and deployment of growth initiatives of home, community and school-based programs, increasing their outreach and capacity, and helping the organizations double the number of children and families served.

Before NYCCD, Van Loon spent five years at The Doe Fund, New York's largest anti-homelessness and criminal recidivism agency, where she oversaw several self-funding, work-training and business ventures for homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals.

Van Loon has been a consultant to several socially conscious startups, including an educational nonprofit with a focus on literacy and Common Core learning tools, and a naturalistic health education start-up. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Tree of Life Guild, and previously served on the board of Mark Lamb Dance.

She earned her BA in Child Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her M.Ed. at Harvard University Graduation School of Education. She lives in Hastings-on-Hudson.

WJCS is one of the largest non-profit, non-sectarian human services agencies in Westchester, serving 20,000 people annually at 70 clinic, school, community and home-based locations throughout the county. The agency’s integrated network of services includes mental health treatment and counseling, child and youth development programs, residential and non-residential programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, home health and geriatric services. The highest level of professional development and training is offered through the WJCS Educational Institute. For more information on WJCS, go to www.wjcs.com.

Photo courtesy of WJCS