Laura Rodgers, LCSW is Chief Impact Officer for JFS in Atlantic & Cape May Counties, New Jersey. She has over 25 years of experience providing and developing programming in the areas of counseling, mental health outreach, ending homelessness, aging in place activities, justice involved services, and supportive housing-all with a focus on promoting social connection. Laura oversees grants, program evaluation, and advocacy at JFS. She is the co-founder of Garden State Leaders, a leadership and advocacy-training program for individuals with lived experiences of poverty. Laura believes that those who are most affected by poverty have the insights, analysis, and leadership to drive policy change. She is currently leading a project implementing the social work best practice intervention called Connecting People. Laura has a BS Degree in Public Health and an MSW Degree in Social Work.