Title: Program Director
Company: Transitional Services for New York, Inc. (TSINY, Inc.)
Location: New York
Education: Pursuing MS in Clinical Social Work, Touro College (Present); BS in Social Work & Psychology, Queens College, Summa Cum Laude with Presidential Honors; AA, Queensborough College
Career History: Program Director, Transitional Services for New York, Inc. (TSINY, Inc.) (2022-Present); Assistant Program Director, Transitional Services for New York, Inc. (TSINY, Inc.) (2018-2022); With, Martin de Porres Group Home (Five Years); Paralegal, Law Office of Michael Cohen (Two Years); Mental Health Professional, SCO Family of Services (Five Years)
Jorgonne M. Ellis, Program Director at Transitional Services for New York, has been recognized as a Marquis Emerging Leader for her contributions and achievements in the fields of counseling and mental health.
Born and raised in Haiti, Ms. Ellis gravitated toward her professional path at a young age when she saw how people in her country suffered violently due to mental illnesses, having experienced it firsthand as her own aunt was physically beaten because of her mental health struggles. In her eyes, she believed that they needed a voice to advocate for them. She was also greatly inspired by her mother, who went through a lot and worked hard in order to support her four children. At 13 years old, Ms. Ellis immigrated to the United States determined to study and work hard in order to pursue a career in mental health, so she could achieve her goal of being a clinical social worker and make her mother proud.
Ms. Ellis took her first step toward making a difference by receiving an Associate in Arts from Queensborough College before earning a Bachelor of Science in social work and psychology from Queens College, where she graduated summa cum laude with presidential honors; she had obtained the highest honors. She entered the field as a mental health professional at SCO Family of Services for five years and then worked for the Martin de Porres Group Home for another five years. She also spent two years as a paralegal at the Law Office of Michael Cohen. She subsequently joined Transitional Services for New York, Inc.—a community-based mental health group geared toward helping those recover from mental illness and transition to independence—as an assistant director, a role she held from 2018 to 2022. In January of this year, she was promoted as program director of the organization. Among her myriad responsibilities, Ms. Ellis provides crisis intervention and manages incidents; trains, guides, and supports members of the program staff and those within the program; ensures that program services are effective in helping individuals maintain their current housing; and monitors program performance, among several other duties.
Looking toward the future, Ms. Ellis endeavors to have her own practice and open a home for women and children suffering from domestic violence. She has remained passionate about her community efforts and has, since 2014, found success as co-sponsor, along with her cousin, a priest, of a children’s orphanage in Haiti called “An Ede Ti Moun Yo,” which translates to “Let’s help the children.” Driven by her motto to “never stop learning,” she recently earned a scholarship to Touro College, where she is currently pursuing a Master of Science in clinical social work.
