Stephen Schaffer

Trained as a clinical social worker, Steve has been at Children’s Friend since 1987. Steve has committed the agency to services that are professional, caring, accessible and responsive.. The agency has become closely knit into the fabric of the community, providing services in schools, day care settings, homes, head starts. And no child or family is turned away for lack of resources.

Suzanne Gruhl

Suzanne is a CPA with over 20 years of nonprofit auditing and operational experience. As Director of Nonprofit Services for a Boston-based CPA firm and as CFO for a major nonprofit organization, Suzanne has not only advised but managed nonprofit organizations for most of her professional career. She is active in the North Shore nonprofit community and has served on the Boards of a number of organizations. She holds an MBA from Boston University. Suzanne joined Children's Friend in August 2005.

Julie Becker, PhD

Trained as a Clinical Psychologist and also a parent of a youth with challenges, Julie Becker brings a unique perspective to her specialization in System of Care and Wraparound development. For the past 15 years, Julie has developed policies, Wraparound programs and training curriculum to support the work of Family Support Partners, Care Managers and Managers. As a member of the National Wraparound Initiative she is able to use her practical experience to bear on developing high quality standards for Wraparound practice. Other areas of interest include developing clinical programs for specific ethnic groups.

Julie joined Children’s Friend in Mid-March of 2008.

Diane Young, LMHC

Diane is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with Master’s Degrees in Counseling Psychology and Early Childhood Education. She has been at Children’s Friend for 6 years. During the past three years, she had been Site Director of the Salem Site where she managed the largest site and had a clinical staff of 15 Master’s level clinicians. Currently, Diane is now the Vice President of Clinical Services and oversees four Site Directors and a staff of 70 clinicians, as well as oversight for our Youth Mentoring, Teen Parent and Juvenile Court Clinic Programs. Diane has a strong background in emergency psychiatric work and was trained in an inpatient psychiatric unit. In addition, Diane is the Program Manager for the organization’s Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) program, which is based on a family systems approach in treating families with acting out children and adolescents. She went through a rigorous training program and is now a Certified BSFT therapist. Finally, Diane specializes in treating youth who have both learning disabilities and mental health issues.

E. James Kraus, Jr.

Jim brings nearly 30 years of development experience to his role as Vice President of Development at Children’s Friend. He has just finished a year as Senior Associate/Consultant with the Copley Harris Company, Inc. in Danvers, MA. For the past ten years, Jim served as Senior Vice President for Development at the North Shore Medical Center in Salem, MA, part of the Partners Healthcare System. Jim formed the NSMC Foundation and is credited with increasing philanthropic revenue from $1m to more than $5.5m annually, successfully completing three capital campaigns.

Jim has an accomplished track record of: establishing high performing philanthropy programs; recruiting talented staff and board members to partner in the achievement of program goals; increasing endowments through effective planned giving programs; and expanding donor and board involvement, while often serving as the chief community relations officer. He has also been a frequent speaker at both regional and national fundraising conferences.

In addition to his professional work, Jim has also held numerous community volunteer positions serving various Chambers of Commerce, Rotary Clubs, and the Newburyport Harbor Commission. Jim resides in Newburyport, MA and received his B.A. from Saint Michael’s College and M.A. from George Washington University. He is accredited by CFRE International and the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.