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Alice Woods
Executive Director
Alice came to Ocean’s Harbor House in March of 2020 and has navigated through a year of change and challenge in the pandemic. Alice has a BS in Psychology with a minor in Women’s Studies and comes to the agency with over 20 years of nonprofit management experience. She began her career in a residential program to harbor women and children who were victims of domestic violence. She then joined the United Way of Atlantic County to launch an early childhood program. She spent over 13 years in various roles in the United Way system in New Jersey and Pennsylvania before serving youth in a higher education setting and then serving seniors in a grass roots agency. Having journeyed her own road of addiction, trauma and recovery in her earlier years, her passion is serving young people and helping them build bright futures. Alice is responsible for all aspects of the agency and works closely with members of the staff and board to enable the needs of youth to be met both now and for years to come. Alice is the single parent to a teenager named EJ.
Mary Teresa Bijeau
Director of Administration
Mary Teresa came to Ocean’s Harbor House in March 2003 and manages the agency’s daily office operations, special projects, and employee files. She also organizes the agency paperwork for local, state and federal government grant compliance and grant applications/proposals. She has an Associate in Applied Science and has over 34 years of experience in the administration field. Mary Teresa was promoted to Administrative Director in 2005 and her title was changed to Director of Administration in 2014. Originally from Havertown, PA (outside of Philadelphia), Mary Teresa moved to New Jersey in 1998. While working in Philadelphia, Mary Teresa started out in 1987 as a sales secretary for a Fortune 500 Company, then moved to a Senior Administrative Assistant to Executive Assistant. Mary Teresa loves working for Ocean’s Harbor House and helping to create wonderful and successful futures for our youth. Mary Teresa and her husband Bob have been married for 22 years and she is a great “dog mom” to Bonnie.
Donna Carlson
Grant Writer Development Associate
Donna came to Ocean’s Harbor House in November of 2022 as Grant Writer/Development Associate. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from Felician University in Lodi, New Jersey, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where she served as Development Director and Grant Writer for a local non-profit that served disabled children and adults.
In her nursing and non-profit careers, she has focused on creating and initiating collaborative and dynamic relationships between people and communities. She is skilled in the utilization and application of the nursing process to analyze, problem-solve, and implement standards of practice that reflect her values of respect, hope, perseverance, compassion and professionalism.
She and her husband are both nurses, and proud parents and grandparents to a combined family of five adult children and 11 grandchildren. She is also the proud Labrador mom to Molly, Maggie, Pippet and Buck.
Dawn Samaritano
Director of Finance
Dawn came to Ocean’s Harbor House in July 2016 after working in Public Accounting as a corporate tax accountant/manager. She has a BS in Accounting with a minor in Business Administration and comes to the agency with over 30 years of accounting experience. As a resident of Toms River since 1988, Dawn decided to make the change from Public Accounting to a non-profit organization after learning all about Ocean’s Harbor House. It was an agency and cause that she believed in, and it was a perfect fit as she stepped into the job. Dawn provides oversight of agency funds and adheres to the agency’s systems, procedures, and policies to ensure that funds are used and accounted for properly. She is responsible for the day-to-day financial operations including accounts payable and receivable, bank reconciliations, payroll, financial statements and a multitude of reports needed throughout the year. She also works closely with the Executive Director regarding budgeting, business planning, administration and IT. On a personal note, Dawn has been married since 1988 and is the proud mother of two grown sons named Anthony and Jesse, and her adopted dog, Lucy.
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