FACES, Inc.
Family and Community Engagement Services, Inc. (FACES) is a New York State and New York City Certified Minority Business Enterprise that supports and works collaboratively with organizations to help build clients’ organizational and financial capacity through fund development, technical assistance, capacity building, and training.
FACES is a consulting firm committed to helping diverse social organizations by heightening clients’ understanding of their collaborative role in society.
MISSION
FACES mission is to support individuals, families, and organizations by utilizing client insight, logic model design approach, anchored in evidence-based practices while providing intentional and quality service.
vision
FACES envisions communities where differences are validated, respected, supported, and given equal access to the resources needed to become successful. FACES is committed to strengthening families and communities to achieve transformative change.
ABOUT
Economic Development
FACES works with organizations by providing resources for business creation, expansion, retention, new business recruitment, and community development.
Education
FACES works with academic institutions to prepare underserved students by re-engaging students in culturally relevant, competency-based instruction.
Public Sector and Government
FACES works with government institutions and organizations to enhance their organizational effectiveness which includes diversity, equity, and inclusion.
SERVICES
TEAM
Edward Lawson
FACES, Inc. is led by Founder and President Edward Lawson, Jr., JD, MBA, a committed change agent and transformative leader with over 25 years of experience in community-mobilization. A strategist and sought-after speaker, Edward has procured over $60 million in direct service and grant writing of federal and major foundation grant proposals for Department of Education, Health and Human Service, and Department of Justice programs. He has designed and managed Fatherhood initiatives, Healthy Marriage and Relationship programs, and Re-entry programs.
Playing an active role in the promotion of President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge, he was instrumental in establishing the Yonkers MBK Plan, MBK Stakeholder Summit, and the Lower Hudson Valley MBK Alliance. He served as the grant writing team lead and the inaugural Program Manager for Yonkers MBK Impacting Communities Grant, which was selected as 1 of 10 of the Obama Foundation MBK National Impact Communities.
An expert in change management, Edward has developed a diversity, equity, and inclusion framework which has effectively assisted law enforcement agencies to envision, develop, and implement comprehensive local action plans to increase agency communication and connection with the public. Edward is a family mediator and adjunct professor at SUNY New Paltz in the Black Studies Department.
Samuel Washington
Samuel Washington is an adjunct professor and doctoral student in Mental Health Counseling at Pace University. He is a retired NYS Parole officer (DOCCS) and a Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) certified General Topics Instructor. As an adjunct instructor for DOCCS Samuel taught various subjects ranging from health and safety to case management topics and strategies. He specializes in counselling system development, curriculum design services, staff development and training, program evaluation and research, and diversity, equity, and inclusion action plan development.
Jea Edman
Jea Edman, owner and founder of Johnson Edman Advertising is a full service public relations, event planning, marketing, strategic and communications firm, providing an extensive range of branding and media services, with an astute cultural awareness and expertise. Johnson Edman Advertising was established to blend traditional advertising and marketing services into a single, new, and comprehensive message that better reflects consumers and the channels they target.
Stanford Carpenter
A creative thinker and educator, Stanford Carpenter, PhD integrates media and organizational culture to communicate in a variety of formats to different audiences. He has extensive research using anthropology, archives, data mining, ethnographic methods, and interviews to reconstruct and track cultural phenomena, creative processes, events, distribution networks, and institutional practices. He has authored numerous articles and cartoon-based projects that address research related topics.
Sandra Lawson
An experienced leader and educator, Sandra Lawson, RN, BSN has led numerous healthcare and community-driven programs to improve students’ learning outcomes and employment prospects. She now leads initiatives in organizational structure focusing on policy, procedure, and implementation for community organizations.
RESULTS and PARTNERSHIPS
A partial list includes the following:
Established MBK Local Action Plans and coordinated MBK Local Action Summits for multiple NYS school districts including Yonkers Public Schools, Peekskill City School District, Monticello School District, Mt. Pleasant Cottage School District, and Newburgh Enlarged City School District.
Mentoring in Medicine's mission is to inspire and equip disadvantaged and low-income students to become health care professionals through academic enrichment, leadership development, civic engagement and mentoring programs.
Bouncing Back: The Vin Baker Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the impact of addiction and promoting sobriety. The Foundation was founded in 2018 by U.S. Olympian and four-time NBA All-Star Vin Baker as a way to use his own experience in recovery to help others.
Blacc Vanilla Café/ Blacc Vanilla Community Foundation- Centers on the youth, underserved and veterans with programming aimed at promoting education, skills training, and economy self-sufficiency.
National Institute on Race and Equity (NTIRE) at Morehouse College is a social-impact and educational entity. NTIRE assists individuals and organizations with identifying, understanding, and managing the content, skills, and behavior needed to create diverse, equitable, and inclusive organizations and communities through training and development.
Real Dads Network- Recognizes and promotes positive aspects of fatherhood through media. Provides fathers with a support system through connections to resources that empower them to be ‘Real Dads’: present, providers, protectors, and peacemakers.
Counseling Systems Design & Research, Inc. (CSDR) provides a range of consultation services including the design and evaluation of counseling program prototypes, curriculum design, and training services.
YES (Youth Education through Sports) foundation uses basketball to teach kids leadership skills in Harlem
The Wealth & Values Initiative is an organization dedicated to ensuring the successful intergenerational transfer of wealth and values.
Child Find of America- Professional service designed to prevent and resolve child abduction and the family conflicts that can lead to abduction and abuse.
Los Andes Construction is a full service construction company in the tri-state area.
