JFS Leadership Team
Angela DeWilde
Executive Director & CEO
|Angela DeWilde began her career as a teacher before becoming the founding Executive Director of Start at Zero, a Kansas City nonprofit dedicated to partnering with parents to foster healthy early childhood development. After leading Start at Zero for seven years, Angela served as Interim Executive Director at Show Me KC Schools during that organization’s transition, shoring up community support and programming for this vital component of Kansas City’s educational system. Angela then became a full-time consultant and Program Director at SchoolSmartKC, a local philanthropic collaborative, where she launched a series of innovative programs to bridge the gap between schools and social service agencies in the areas of food security, housing stability, and mental health.
Most recently, Angela has served as Chief Development Officer for Avenue of Life, where she led fundraising efforts and built partnerships to strengthen community networks and enhance services for families facing housing insecurity.
Originally from southeast Missouri, Angela earned her degree from Webster University in St. Louis and has called Kansas City home since 2007, where she lives with her husband, Anthony, and their two children.
Jodie Cottrell
Controller
|Jodie Cottrell started with JFS in 2025, charged with leading the Accounting and Finance Department. She has worked in many facets of accounting, including public accounting and for-profit organizations, before finding her calling in non-profit work. She has a passion for helping the vulnerable populations of Kansas City, having focused on older adults in her prior roles at John Knox Village and Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association. Jodie received her Accounting degree from Montana State University and earned her SHRM-CP certification to enable her to work in dual roles of Accounting and Human Resources. She relocated to Lee’s Summit, Missouri in 2018 where she lives with her daughter.
Hayden Rand, MSW
Director of Program Monitoring and Evaluation
|Hayden Rand came to JFS in 2019, tasked with growing program data collection and reporting processes. Expanding to the role of Director of Program Monitoring and Evaluation, she oversees the program data infrastructure that informs program strategy and helps tell the story of powerful life-change among individuals and families. She is passionate about equipping direct service staff with the tools needed to deliver efficient, equitable, and human-centered services. Hayden holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Business Economics and a Master of Social Work.
Dayton Isbell
Chief Technology Officer
|Dayton started with JFS in a contracting position during the height of the pandemic and a major transitional period for the Organization. As a contractor, he spearheaded a major file systems upgrade to bring JFS’ outdated infrastructure to a fully cloud-based entity that better supported not only the staff, but the communities we serve. Shortly after the project’s completion, Dayton was hired full time as the Director of Technology in early 2021. Since starting full time with JFS, Dayton has played a pivotal role in the Organization’s strategy and implementation surrounding technology, security, and advancement of JFS.
Melanie Hayden
Senior Development Director
|Melanie’s background includes the Manager of Corporate Giving role at the Kansas City Symphony, and development and partnership development work for several healthcare organizations, including PeerView Institute for Medical Education (NYC), the American Academy of Family Physicians (KC), Southcoast Health System (Boston), and the National Institute for Children’s Healthcare Quality (Boston).
Debbie Bass
Chief Development Officer
|Debbie Bass is responsible for spearheading all fundraising initiatives at JFS. During her thirty-year fundraising career, she has been responsible for raising $68 million. For eight years, Debbie served as Vice President of Development of the National WWI Museum and Memorial, where she led the $25 million Call to Duty Centennial fundraising campaign and initiated the $50 million Second Century campaign. Previous roles have been Associate Director/Director of Major Gifts of both the Foundation for the Shawnee Mission Medical Center and the Truman Medical Center Charitable Foundation. Debbie has been involved with JFS in various ways since elementary school. She and her family especially enjoy their involvement in the JFS Hanukkah project.
Maggie Haghirian
Chief Program Officer
|Maggie Haghirian came to JFS in 2018 from Safehome, Inc., where she was the Shelter Director. In her role of Chief Program Officer, Maggie oversees the agency’s core program areas, including KesherKC, Older Adult Services, Mental Health, and Volunteer Engagement. Before taking on this role, she served as Director of KesherKC, where she used her experience with client-centered care to launch our integrated approach to connecting clients to food, housing, employment, and financial resources they need for a more secure future. Maggie holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Kansas, and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Missouri Western State College.
