Kimberly Somaroo-Rodriguez has been with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) for 24 years. Her career began in direct services in the areas of Child Protection, Mental health and Voluntary services. Later Mrs. Somaroo-Rodriguez expanded into administrative roles such as a supervisor within the bureau of Quality Improvement. There she was instrumental in the implementation of the agency’s compliance with the court mandated 22 Outcome measures set forth in the Juan F. Consent Decree.  Mrs. Somaroo-Rodriguez was later promoted to Program Supervisor 2006 providing managerial oversight of the statewide Supportive Housing for Families Program (SHF) program.  This nationally recognized program provides child welfare reunification/preservation services with permanent housing solutions.  Mrs. Somaroo-Rodriguez passion for housing and homelessness prevention has helped DCF develop partnerships with several non-profit housing advocacy groups such as is the Reaching Home Campaign, Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness and the Corporation for Supportive Housing. She also is the DCF representative on the CT State’s Inter-Agency Committee on Supportive Housing Next Steps Initiative that provides support to housing developments across the state for homeless adults, youth and families. In October 2009, she established the CT Family Unification Program (FUP) Voucher Taskforce to apply and receive federal housing vouchers for DCF families and youth aging out of foster care, which resulted in over 200 new FUP vouchers equaling millions of dollars in federal housing assistance. In 2012, Mrs. Somaroo-Rodriguez helped DCF receive $5 million in a five-year federal grant initiative for DCF involved homeless families. Mrs. Somaroo-Rodriguez work has also included program oversight of Child First an in-home program that heals families from the effects of trauma and abuse. She is also the Chairperson of the Parents with Differing Cognitive Abilities Workgroup, a state-wide partnership among private and public agencies to advocate, educate, and provide resources to professionals working with parents of all types of cognitive abilities.

Residing in Ellington and with her husband and two daughters, Mrs. Somaroo-Rodriguez became interested in the attainment of homeownership for all individuals and families regardless of income, race, or financial barriers. In 2022, Mrs. Somaroo-Rodriguez became a part-time Real Estate Agent for Sentry Real Estate Services.

Jacqueline McLean is a licensed independent clinical social worker working with a broad spectrum of clients. She can accept referrals for individuals, couples, and families.

Jacqueline is an interactive, solution-focused therapist. Her therapeutic approach is to provide support and practical feedback to help clients effectively address personal life challenges. She is certified in CBT, coaching, and EAP and has extensive post-graduate training, and she is very familiar with and experienced in CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing.

Jacqueline integrates complementary methodologies and techniques to offer a highly personalized approach tailored to each client. With compassion and understanding, she works with each individual to help them build on their strengths and attain personal growth. Her goal is to provide you with tools and interventions in an efficient manner.

Jacqueline began working as a practitioner for a variety of healthcare institutions and organizations in the areas of behavioral medicine, psychiatry, and in-patient and out-patient treatment. She completed a one-year clinical placement at McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate in Belmont, Massachusetts. This began her specialization in dual diagnosis, working on an in-patient addiction unit with an emphasis on treating comorbid disorders, especially those involving anxiety and mood disorders.

Jacqueline then joined the staff of St. Vincent Health Care System and worked in the psychiatric unit, in outpatient addiction services, and in all the inpatient medical units. In these medical settings practicing behavioral medicine, she was a clinical director, both in the area of family practice and pediatric services, working with families dealing with a variety of both medical and behavioral health issues.

One of the primary goals and major accomplishments she achieved there was helping to establish the eating disorder team within the pediatric department. Also, she received, and to this day continues to receive, many referrals from both pediatricians and specialists for the management of anxiety, depression, and relationship issues as well as other stress symptoms.

She continues to receive referrals from primary care physicians as well as specialty providers to address the behavioral elements that needed to be addressed before the client could become physically better.

To this day Jacqueline continues to work closely with those in the medical community, and some of the referrals Jacqueline is responsible for include diabetes, heart disease, chronic pain, obesity, migraine headaches, and a variety of cancer diagnoses. In addition, she receives referrals for patients being seen prior to their bariatric surgery.

A successful career-changer herself, prior to being in the behavioral health profession, Jacqueline had been a successful business professional. By bridging these two careers for the past 24 years, she is able to work with people, not only around behavioral health issues but major mental health issues, and guiding them in their own career-changing and strategic life planning.

She was an accomplished business professional working in a variety of sales, sales training, and sales management positions, including in the area of lending. She is a former loan officer for J.P.Morgan Chase.

 

Born in Hartford and a third generation Hartfordite.  My father’s parents lived in North Hartford, owned a grocery store and some apartments.  My mother’s parents owned a fur store in the city, where grandma, a poet/entertainer entertained her patrons.  My father put himself through Yale and Columbia Business school.  My mother graduated from Dean  Junior College.  Education, cultural arts and civic duty were values I learned from family.

I graduated from Conard High School, class of 1958, attended Wheaton College, Norton, MA. for two years. During the summer I attended Harvard Summer School, where I met a young man who convinced me to transfer to Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois, where I graduated in 1962.  He was the man who later became my husband.  We lived in Philadelphia where I taught junior high school.  Teaching wasn’t for me. I then wrote a grant and received money to unite two neighborhoods, a Black community and an Italian community through an after-school tutorial program.  The success of this program excited me.  When we moved to New Haven, CT. I attended Southern Connecticut State University and received a Masters degree in Urban Studies.  Next I worked at CHIF, Connecticut Housing Invest Fund, a nonprofit whose mission was to counsel first time home owners in the Asylum Hill neighborhood.

 

By this time, I had two children. My husband, a psychiatrist, saw that I enjoyed counseling people and convinced me to get my MSW.  This was one of the best choices I have made.  I graduated from UCONN School of Social Work in 1985, followed by 6 years at Wheeler Clinic counseling individuals and families as well as helping corporations with their EAP programs.

Presently I supervise third year psychiatric residents at the IOL, Hartford Hospital.  My experiences have provided me with in-depth knowledge of people from many backgrounds as well as a solid knowledge of greater Hartford.

I am enthusiastic about serving on the board of the School of Social  Work.  It is my way to give back.

 

Jaime Waldman Seltzer (MSW ’78) is currently the Director of Development for Voices of Hope, an organization whose purpose is to promote a culture of courage to stand against hatred through Holocaust and genocide education and remembrance.

Prior to that she served as the Executive Director of American Friends of NATAL: Israel’s trauma and resiliency center from 2019-2023.

Jaime was Director of Major Gifts Management for National Hadassah from 2013-2019, overseeing Major Gifts Officers and activities throughout the U.S. and Chief Development Officer for the New England Arthritis Foundation, from 2009-2013.

Upon graduation from UCONN SSW in 1978, Jaime joined the staff of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford where she completed her 29-year career as the Chief Development Officer.

Jaime volunteers her time for many social services and non- profit organizations and currently serves on the Development Committee of the Mandell Jewish Community Center, the Board of Directors of Ben Bronz Academy and as chair of its development committee.

She is married to Mark Seltzer, the mother of Amanda (UConn MSW 2013) and Aaron Katzman, Brittny and Matthew Seltzer and the proud grandmother of 2 grandchildren.

 

Amos Smith is the President and CEO at the Community Action Agency of New Haven, Inc., since May 2006. He manages a budget that serves approximately 25,000 individuals covering 5 towns across the New Haven regions. Mr. Smith currently serves as the 1st Vice President of the Connecticut Association for Community Action, a member of the Community Research Engagement Steering Committee at Yale, the Community Advisory Committee at Southern Connecticut State University School of Social Work, the Board of Advocates to the Dean of Social Work at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, former member of Governor Malloy’ Health and Human Services Committee, and lead connector to a new initiative between Smillow Cancer Center at Yale & Community Action Agency of New Haven’s commitment to explore ways to collaborate, serve, support, treat, educate and  improve community engagement.

Amos has served on the boards of Friends Center for Children in New Haven. Institutes for Community Research in Hartford, and the first man, to Chair the Board of Planned Parenthood of Connecticut. Amos was appointed to serve on by the Connecticut Department of Public Health – Human Investigations Committee as a non-medical Advocate and Community Representative.

Before joining Community Action, Mr. Smith served as Director of Health Grantmaking at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (TCF). In addition to his Grantmaking duties, he served as the Principal Investigator for the New Haven Healthy Start project, whose focus is to eliminate infant morality among African American women, improve Maternal and Child Health Outcomes in New Haven. He has frequently demonstrated the intellectual acuity and temperament for addressing uncommon, chaotic, and complicated programs and organizations. He has often worked on issues and challenges that are cross- disciplinary and highly levels of rigor and complexities. Mr. Smith has been a panelist at the first National Institutes of Health (NIH) Summit: The Science of Eliminating Health Disparities with a focus on Health Disparities among Men of Color (National Harbor, Maryland). It is in this area where he has published in The American Journal of Public Health, entitled “Health Policy and the Coloring of an American Male Crisis: A Perspective on Community-Based Health Services.” Amos is a former adjunct instructor at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work where he taught required courses entitled: Human Oppression from the African American and Puerto Rican Perspectives. Analysis of Social Welfare Policy and Social Services System.