Linda L. Burger, CEO of Alexander Jewish Family Service, is pleased to announce that Carl Josehart, Alexander JFS COO, has been awarded the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies Extraordinary Professional Leadership Award that will be presented during their virtual conference scheduled for April 20, 2021. The goal of this award is to illuminate the work of the most exemplary individuals within the 140+ member agencies of the Network across the United States, Canada, and Israel.

Carl’s recognition is based on his leadership of Alexander JFS’s exceptional response to COVID. Being the first in the city to deliver all its services virtually, Alexander JFS immediately offered trainings to other agencies, local and nationally, on how to make the transition, including technology, legal, HIPAA, and staff issues likely to been countered. At the height of the crisis, when agency executives had no time to spare, Carl invested significant time and strategic thinking on how to make the JFNA’s scenario planning exercise give the most benefit to the network and individual agencies. Lee Friedman (COO, JFCS Minneapolis) sees Carl as “a terrific champion of NJHSA and an even better resource for colleagues in the Network.” As Chair of the NJHSA COO Affinity Group, Carl is, according to Lee, “generous with his time and spirit, a thoughtful, kind, wise and supportive group facilitator. These meetings, along with email information exchanges, have provided a valuable lifeline during the pandemic.”

Alexander JFS was an early and lead COVID responder with $3,000,000 in financial assistance distributed (with the county asking case management to distribute over $1,000,000 in financial aid to particularly vulnerable and “off the grid” populations); 12,000 case management sessions; 7,000 telehealth sessions (with a 300% increase in requests for new sessions); 4,000 employment services sessions; ongoing home-based service for thirty employees with disabilities until they could be brought safely back to work; and a workforce of sixty working completely remotely within ten days of the early March 2020 appearance of the pandemic. Carl's leadership at Alexander JFS was instrumental in the successful transition.

“Carl Josehart is an extraordinarily positive asset for our agency and our clients,” said Linda L. Burger. “It has been an absolute pleasure to watch him use his extensive healthcare background and his management wisdom to not only transform our work in Houston, but also to take a central role in our national network engagement.”

Prior to Carl joining the Alexander JFS staff, he had served as CEO of TIRR Memorial Hermann for 11 years; in 2018, Carl was named Humanitarian of the year by the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Houston/Galveston; and in 2017, he was named Distinguished Alumnus of the Brown School of Social Work. Carl is active with many community organizations including currently serving on the board of Holocaust Museum Houston, The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship – Houston Galveston. Carl also serves on the Finance Committee for the American Leadership Forum Houston/Gulf Coast Chapter and previously served on the boards of the Anti-Defamation League – Houston and Congregation Emanu El.

Alexander JFS is a partner agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston and a beneficiary of the United Way of Greater Houston.