Jewish Family Service of Colorado (JFS) is pleased to welcome Chandra Matthews, MSW, as director of the Jay and Rose Phillips Senior Solutions Center. She is responsible for providing leadership, vision, strategic direction, and program development to all JFS programs serving seniors, including Boulder JFS.

Debra Zimmerman, JFS chief operating officer, says, “We are so excited to have such an engaging, enthusiastic leader to head up our Senior Solutions programs. Chandra brings 20 years of leadership and management experience focused on improving the lives of older adults.”

Matthews spent 12 years at Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) within the Area Agency on Aging, first as a long-term care ombudsman and later as compliance program manager. Most recently, she worked for Colorado Access as the executive director for Access Long Term Support Solutions for three years. She also serves on several boards, stakeholder groups, and advisory committees that support the older adult community. Matthews received a bachelor of arts in psychology from Texas Tech and a master of social work from the University of Denver.

“I am really excited to be working with such a dedicated staff and for such an amazing organization,” says Matthews. “JFS has always had an outstanding reputation in the community and I’m happy to be part of it.” In her previous positions, Matthews worked closely with many of the current and past Senior Solutions staff members. She says, “It was appealing to return to a network of people with whom I have strong, positive connections.”

Matthews feels it is a priority to take care of the growing aging population. In her position, she will focus on maintaining the services offered through the Senior Solutions department and finding additional ways to better meet the needs of the older adult community.

“I am drawn to programming that’s focused around health promotion, education, and disease prevention. I want to help people understand what ‘aging well’ means and provide some support to allow them to do just that.”

Jewish Family Service of Colorado (JFS) believes in strengthening the community by providing vital services to people in need.  Every day, JFS helps people overcome life’s challenges to live fuller, more meaningful lives.  Founded in 1872, JFS is a nonsectarian, nonprofit human services agency serving metro Denver and Boulder. JFS helps seniors live independently at home, provides quality mental health counseling, offers training and job placement to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other barriers to employment, and provides food and financial aid to people in crisis. Every year, the agency benefits nearly 25,000 people of all ages, faiths, incomes, and abilities. For more information, call 303.597.5000 or visit www.jewishfamilyservice.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!