James Venza, PhD
Executive Director
Dr. James Venza serves as executive director of Adventist HealthCare The Lourie Center for Children's Social & Emotional Wellness. Dr. Venza provides strategic direction for the Lourie Center's core programs: The Parent-Child Clinical Services Program; Lourie Center School; Therapeutic Nursery Program; and Early Head Start Program.
Dr. Venza joined the Lourie Center in 2003 to complete his postdoctoral training in the Therapeutic Nursery and Parent-Child Clinical Services programs. In 2004, Dr. Venza became director of the Therapeutic Nursery Program (TNP), a mental health and early childhood education program that provides integrated educational and therapeutic support for preschool children exhibiting emotional and behavioral disturbances. Dr. Venza has extensive experience and training with children, adolescents and families from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic populations, often dealing with trauma, abuse, crisis management and a wide range of mental health issues. Dr. Venza has presented at local and national conferences on topics such as attachment theory, child placement consultation, social-emotional development of children and families and therapeutic interventions for social, emotional, and behavioral disturbances in children.
Dr. Venza earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology and history from the University of Notre Dame, and a doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Long Island University's Brooklyn campus.
Kesso Diallo
Vice President, Special Education and Early Childhood Programs
Jill Brown, LCSW-C
Director, Clinical Services Program
Anna Curtin, PhD
Director, Therapeutic Nursery Programs
Alan Ezagui
Development Director, Philanthropy
James Herrera, MD
Medical Director (Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist)
James Cowan
Educational Director, Lourie Center School
Stella Akello
Operations Director
Myesha Carter
Director, Montgomery County’s Infant & Toddler’s Program
Chrystal-Starr Brown
Director, Head Start
Officers
Daniel Cochran
Chair of the Lourie Center’s Board of Directors; President, Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center
Members
Todd Cohen
Associate Vice President of Facilities and Real Estate, Adventist HealthCare
Josh Jacobs
Community Member
Brenda Jones Harden, PhD
Alison Richman Professor for Children & Families: Director of the Prevention & Early Adversity Research Laboratory, University of Maryland, School of Social Work - Baltimore
Gwendolyn Mason
Retired Chief of the Special Education and Student Services Division, Prince George's County Public Schools
Kandy McFarland
Vice President, Behavioral Health Services, Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center
Victorien Singhe
President, Head Start Policy Council
Martha Velez
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center
Robert C. Wehner Jr.
Executive Vice President, M&T Bank
Retail Market Manager l Greater Washington
