Our Team
Joseph T. Jones, Jr., Founder, President and CEO
Joe Jones is founder of The Center for Urban Families. Prior to founding CFUF Joe developed and directed the Men’s Services program for the federally funded Baltimore Healthy Start initiative and replicated the Baltimore affiliate of the nationally recognized STRIVE employment services program. His ability to engage and provide hands-on services to fathers garnered him the reputation of trailblazer in the field.
Joe Jones is now a national leader in workforce development, fatherhood, and family services programming, and through his professional and civic involvement influences policy direction nationwide. Joe has received numerous awards and honors for his leadership and programming, including the Johns Hopkins University Leadership Development Program’s Distinguished Leadership Award. He has also served on President Bill Clinton’s Work Group on Welfare Reform, was an advisor on fatherhood issues to Vice President Al Gore, and contributed to First Lady Laura Bush’s Helping America’s Youth initiative. He is a Weinberg Fellow and serves as a board member of Open Society Institute-Baltimore, the Development Training Institute, and several other professional, governmental, and civic organizations.
At the age of 50, he became a cum laude graduate of the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Cassandra Codes-Johnson, Chief Operating Officer
Cassandra Codes-Johnson is the Director of Family Services at CFUF. She also doubles as the Program Director for the Baltimore Building Strong Families Program. Mrs. Codes-Johnson’s expertise in the Human Resources arena provides her with the unique ability to not only manage a direct services program, but to provide guidance on how to operate a flourishing non-profit organization. She holds a seat on the Baltimore City Head Start board and has served as a board member on the Juvenile Justice Advisory Council for the State of Maryland. Cassandra Codes-Johnson received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Morgan State University and her Master in Public Administration degree from the University of Baltimore.
Danielle Torain, Director of Program Planning and Evaluation
Danielle Torain serves as the Director of Program Planning and Evaluation at CFUF. Ms. Torain is responsible for overseeing the organization’s grants and contracts, programming and evaluative activities, and public policy initiatives. Ms. Torain also acts as the Senior Technical Specialist for the Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Technical Assistance Project and as lead coordinator for the organization’s Community Conversation series. Ms. Torain holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Leadership Studies from the University of Richmond and is currently a 2010 Juris Doctorate candidate at the University Of Maryland School Of Law. Prior to joining our staff, Ms. Torain gained valuable experience through her work as a Criminal Justice Associate with the Baltimore City Office of the Mayor, specializing in juvenile justice program coordination, research, and grants and contractual activities. Ms. Torain also worked as a Software Control & Research Assistant with the CSSC Division of the American Institutes for Research in
Moses Hammett, Director of Workforce Development
Moses Hammett serves as the Director of Workforce Development, where he oversees 4 programs, including the STRIVE Baltimore program. For the last 15 years, Mr. Hammett has worked with federal offenders during their pre-trial, incarceration, probation, and transitional phases. His specialties include working with youth services and assisting clients who face multiple barriers. Mr. Hammett serves as a counselor and consultant with expertise in substance abuse at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He has worked on the United Way of Central Maryland’s Strengthening Families Committee and he currently serves on the Park Heights Community Health Alliance Board of Directors. Mr. Hammett earned his Master of Human Services degree from Lincoln University. He is a life-long resident of Baltimore, married, and the father of six children.
James Worthy, Director of Responsible Fatherhood Program
James Worthy is CFUF’s Director of Responsible Fatherhood. He oversees the organization’s responsible fatherhood activities including the Baltimore Responsible Fatherhood Project, CFUF’s responsible fatherhood-focused advocacy activities, and the organization’s contributions to research and evaluation in the field of responsible fatherhood. Mr. Worthy has been with CFUF since 1999, when he served as workforce development trainer for the STRIVE Baltimore. James Worthy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Penn State University.
Afra Vance-White, Director of Building Strong Families
Afra Vance-White is the Director of the Baltimore Building Strong Families Program, at The Center for Urban Families. Ms. Vance-White is technically proficient and well rounded in a variety of disciplines, to include healthy relationships and marriage, male involvement, working with culturally diverse populations from around the world, and other activities related to advocacy. Her educational achievements include: Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Clark Atlanta University and she is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Public Administration at the University of Baltimore.
Board of Directors
Operating as a steering committee that provides organizational oversight for all activities, the CFUF Board of Directors consists of leaders in financial services, information technology, business development, leadership development, law and legislative affairs.
Click here for a current list of CFUF’s board members