Patricia Burns Harwood, LICSW
Chief of Programs
Patty oversees the coordination, integration, and delivery of all programs and services at JCS. She also works to promote collaborative relationships between program areas and to ensure that services consistently meet or exceed the expectations of clients, family members, funders, partners and other stakeholders.
With credentials in RI and MA, Patty has been helping clients as a licensed independent clinical social worker for more than 20 years. Her experience includes work at the Rhode Island Department of Elderly Affairs, Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, and Roger Williams Hospital in Providence. She started with Jewish Family Service of RI in 1999, taking on increasing responsibility to become Director of Older Adult Resources before becoming Chief of Programs at JCS.
Patty brings a combination of professionalism, skill, knowledge, and good humor to her work that makes her a favorite among clients and staff. In the community, she serves as co-chair of the Special Ed Advisory Committee for the East Greenwich School District. As a sister and mom of two wonderful people with learning disabilities, she finds it a labor of love to advise the school committee on policy and to support other parents in the district.
Patty received her BA in psychology, cum laude, from Boston College. She earned a Master of Social Work from Rhode Island College School of Social Work, with a concentration in health, aging, and disability.