Queens Community House, one of the borough’s largest social service organizations, has hired two new associate executive directors (AEDs): Takiyah Weekes as AED for Community Services and Ane Foerg as AED for Older Adult Services.
Both are expected to lead and shape the overall vision and strategy of their divisions, as well as contribute to the strategic leadership of the multi-location, multi-service settlement house. QHC currently features 51 programs in 15 different neighborhoods across the borough serving 25,000 people each year.
“QCH is committed to ensuring all children, youth, families and older adults are supported by our programs and services, so this change provides additional leadership that is essential as QCH continues to grow,” QCH Executive Director Ben Thomases said. “Takiyah and Anne are both seasoned leaders with significant experience in the human services sector. We are excited to have them bring their expertise and energy to our executive team.”
Weekes has more than 15 years of experience in workforce development and human services. As the director of career readiness for the city Department of Education (DOE), she provided coaching and professional development to school teams tasked with implementing work-based learning and postsecondary preparation. She also supported capacity building for schools in the network, ensuring industry exposure and engagement for Black and brown students, those with disabilities and more.
Before working at the DOE, Weekes served as director of youth employment at Henry Street Settlement; she continues to have a passion for the settlement house model in which QCH was founded.
“My ultimate goal is to help prepare underserved communities with the skills to transition to self-sufficiency and connect them with resources that will facilitate their growth along the way,” Weekes said. “I am particularly excited to be joining QCH’s Community Services team, where I will have the opportunity to support programs that are at the heart of the organization’s mission.”
Foerg is a licensed geriatric social worker who has focused her career on supporting the needs of older adults and the people who care for them. Before joining QCH, she was the director of Penn South Program for Seniors, the nation’s first Naturally Occurring Retirement Community Supportive Service Program (NIRC-SSP).
Prior to that, Foerg was the director of social work at CaringKind, the Heart of Alzheimer’s Caregiving, supporting individuals with dementia and their families. She began her career in New York City settlement houses, leading case management programs at Hartley House and Lenox Hill Neighborhood House.
“As a geriatric social worker for the last two decades, I have been committed to supporting older adults successfully age in place in the communities they have built,” Foerg said. “I am thrilled to be joining QCH and bringing my experience to serve the older adults in my home borough of Queens. This also marks my return to the settlement house network, a model for community support and engagement of which I am proud to be a part.”
