Starfish Family Services appoints ‘excited’ new Chairman of the Board

Published by Heritage Newspapers Press & Guide – December 15, 2009

INKSTER – Starfish Family Services, a private, nonprofit agency serving at-risk families in Southeastern Michigan, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jonathan Citrin as its new Chairman of the Board. Citrin will succeed William Mitchell, who has served as the chairman since 2003.

Jonathan Citrin is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Southfield-based CitrinGroup, a financial investment company. He is also an adjunct professor of finance at Wayne State University's School of Business Administration. Prior to starting CitrinGroup, Citrin managed investment portfolios at Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. Before entering the investment industry, he worked as an educator in both New York and Texas. Citrin received his B.A. from Tulane University and his M.A. from New York University.

A Starfish volunteer since 2006, Citrin worked with children and parents in a number of agency programs before joining the board of directors in 2007. He will serve a one-year term as chairman of the board. In addition to his work at Starfish, Citrin’s philanthropic work spans board and committee positions including the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit and the Jewish Community Centers of Detroit.

Citrin’s father, Bob, has also been a volunteer for Starfish for several years. He visits the children in one of the agency’s early childhood programs each week to read stories. His philanthropy inspired his son to get involved.

“I am excited to assume the role of Chairman of the Board of Starfish Family Services,” Citrin said. “I look forward to leading the board, employees and volunteers as we expand our programs and services for at -risk families so that children start kindergarten ready to learn and parents have the proper skills and resources to help their families prosper.”

Former Chairman Bill Mitchell was a member of the Starfish Family Services Board of Directors for seven years and a supporter for nearly 16 years. He worked closely with the agency’s late founder Ouida Cash, and upon her passing assisted in the establishment of a strong leadership team and staff.

Mitchell’s other accomplishments with the agency include creating a three-year Strategic Plan; growing the agency from a $9 million budget in 2003 to its current $14 million annual budget; launching the Family Success Model, resulting in the Family Success Program; opening the Westland Lifespan clinic with specialized services for kids in the child welfare system; opening the Family Resource Center and growing the agency from serving 7,000 individuals and families to more than 9,000 in 2008.

“We are extremely fortunate to have passionate leaders such as Bill and Jonathan in our Starfish family,” said Ann Kalass, CEO of Starfish Family Services. “Bill has helped shape the agency into one of the leading non profits for families and children in Southeastern Michigan and we are confident that Jonathan will help us continue to provide exceptional programs and services to vulnerable children and families in our community.”

Citrin is a resident of Birmingham. Mitchell resides in Brighton.

Starfish Family Services, headquartered in Inkster, offers programs to help educate and empower vulnerable families and children in western Wayne County.

These include free preschool and other early childhood development programs, parenting programs, a crisis shelter for teens, after-school and summer programming and a comprehensive array of family mental health services.

Last year the agency provided services to nearly 9,000 children and their families at its numerous service sites throughout western Wayne County. Starfish is able to provide exceptional services to families due to strong support from the community.

For more information on donation opportunities please visit www.starfishonline.org.

CitrinGroup is an investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (notice filing in the States of Michigan and Texas). CitrinGroup does not offer tax or legal advice. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Information and/or opinions are those of the authors/presenters and do not necessarily represent that of CitrinGroup and/or its affiliates. Content is prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances of readers/viewers. Information and/or opinions are not intended as actual investment advice and may not be suitable for everyone. CitrinGroup makes every effort to provide you with useful information, but makes no representation that it is accurate or complete. CitrinGroup has no obligation to tell you when information and/or opinions change.