JESPY House names Audrey Winkler as new executive director

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The JESPY House board of trustees announced Aug. 18 that Audrey Winkler has been unanimously selected to serve as the South Orange organization’s executive director. Winkler had been serving as the organization’s interim executive director since Ed Spauster resigned from the position in June.

Until her appointment as interim executive director, Winkler had served on the JESPY House board of trustees for four years. She is the principal of OMG! Organizational Management Group, a nonprofit consulting firm, and has more than 30 years of experience in the nonprofit sector specializing in organizational management and business operations.

Winkler is also the director at Seton Hall University’s Nonprofit Sector Resource Institute and its Center for Community Research and Engagement, and serves as an adjunct professor in Seton Hall’s Department of Political Science and Public Administration where she teaches graduate courses in organizational and leadership management.

“Audrey’s deep experience in the nonprofit sector and real passion for helping nonprofits reach their full potential are unmatched,” Elaine Katz, president of the JESPY House board of trustees, said in a release. “As a board we were impressed by her enthusiasm and professionalism as she guided the organization through its recent transition. We are confident she is the right person to lead JESPY into an even more dynamic and family-oriented future.”

Prior to starting her own company in 2002, Winkler was vice president of operations and real estate for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and director of operations for the Liberty Science Center. She has a BS in environmental planning and design from Cook College at Rutgers University and an MS in urban planning from Columbia University.

“Although I knew many of the clients during my years on the board, getting to know and work with so many more clients and experience the impact JESPY has had on their lives has been a gift,” Winkler said in the release. “As interim executive director have I gained a deeper appreciation for the families, staff and community members who have a stake in our success and support our work in such selfless ways. I’m honored to lead this remarkable organization and ensure that we always make our community proud.”

JESPY House is a program for adults with learning and developmental disabilities who demonstrate the ability to live independently and gain competitive employment. Located in South Orange, JESPY House opened its doors in 1978 with four clients and three staff people. Today, more than 70 skilled staff members are devoted to meeting the needs of more than 150 clients.

  JESPY House, Seton Hall University