JENNIFER KAAKE, PROGRAM DIRECTOR OF COMMON UNITY

After having spent the past eleven years working in human services throughout New England, Jennifer couldn’t be more excited to have arrived at Exodus Transitional Community starting in the Common Unity program, then leading the Alternatives to Incarceration program and finally becoming the Chief of Housing Operations managing- at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic- six hotel program locations throughout NYC.

Her career began working as a Child Counselor and Advocate a Sexual Assault Crisis Center in Connecticut. It was there that she learned about the resilience and strength of the human spirit in ways that she never thought possible and sparked her passion for working with trauma survivors. After several years in that role, Jennifer began graduate school at William James College and obtained her Masters in Forensic and Counseling Psychology.

During her master’s program, Jennifer worked as a clinical intern in a residential treatment program for the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services as well as the Merrimack County Department of Corrections.

Jennifer is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Massachusetts and most recently worked as the Clinical Director for a hardware secure residential facility near Boston.