CED Program Specialists are responsible for programmatic aspects of your CED grant(s), including: issuing funding opportunity announcements; reviewing proposals and award grants; providing day-to-day guidance to grantees; connecting grantees to training and technical assistance; and assisting grantees in maximizing their performance.
Your CED Program Specialist can help you:
- Understand program design issues, compliance, and regulatory matters
- Receive or locate additional technical assistance
- Accurately report project status and grant achievements
CED Program Specialists
Chanel Jackson | 202-969-3633
Chanel C. Jackson is a proud U.S. Army Veteran with almost a decade of military experience and was deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom for 15 months. Chanel’s previous federal government experience hails from over 14 years of service to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in the Senior Executive Service and Performance Management group as a Human Resources (Policy) Specialist. One of her proudest moments at OPM is her involvement with writing regulation and guidance that recognizes federal civilian employees that have fallen in the line of duty . A strong believer in the power of the pen, she always knew she wanted to work in a field that would allow her to positively affect policy—especially those affecting women and children. In November 2023, Chanel was able to transition from the OPM to the Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). At OCS, she works as a Policy Program Specialist. Some of her duties include: managing discretionary grant portfolios, being the lead for the Community Economic Development Program (CED) Grants and the CED Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement (NOFO), drafting CED NOFO announcements submitted for first review, addressing NOFO questions from the public, collaborating with contractors for support to assist with the CED FOA, ensuring documents are correct, and reviewing NOFO announcements to ensure all applicable legislation and standards are correctly utilized. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy with a concentration in Social Policy and a Bachelor of Arts in History and Government. When she’s not working, Chanel enjoys creating memories with her husband and their young children. She stays active exercising, cooking, dancing, exploring new cuisines, and volunteering with organizations that address the needs of women and children. Among those organizations, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for Children in the District of Columbia is near and dear to her heart.
Regine Adrien | 202-205-9741
Regine Adrien is an Economic Mobility Fellow with the Institute for Research on Poverty. She is executing her fellowship as a Program Specialist with the Office of Community Services within the Administration for Children and Families. Ms. Adrien recently earned her master's degree in economics within the City University of New York system at John Jay College. Her resume highlights her experience in various agencies and organizations. Ms. Adrien has supported civil rights and family law firms as a paralegal; raised vital funds for the civil practice of a major legal aid organization as a Development Associate; and has organized and facilitated a range of projects and programs as a Local Government Capacity Building volunteer with the United States Peace Corps. During the Pandemic, Ms. Adrien had the privilege of serving the City of New York as a Community Engagement Specialist, sharing vital health and safety information and resources with vulnerable populations. Ms. Adrien plans to pursue a PhD in Economics and continually works toward greater understanding of systemic problems and the eradication of poverty.
Ann Pharr | 202-401-5191
Dr. Ann E. Pharr is a recent addition to the Office of Community Services (OCS) within Administration of Children and Families as a Program Specialist. Prior to her tenure with the Department of Health and Human Services, Dr Pharr accomplished the following achievements over a broad public service career that includes: spending over 20 years implementing grant reviews with several government departments, Personnel Security Specialist (US Department of Education), Academic Chair and Professor, Management analyst ( US Department of Labor), International Development (Unit administrator, Program assistant, Acting Executive Officer, Program Advisor - US Agency for International Development and CARE). Dr. Pharr currently lives in Washington, DC, where she enjoys photography, swimming/scuba diving, and traveling. Dr Pharr has a doctoral degree, and MPIA degrees from Graduate School of Public and International Affairs - University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and MS and BS degrees from Howard University, Washington, DC.
Harold J. Taylor, Jr | 202-401-5711
Mr. Harold Taylor, Jr. is a Program Specialist with the Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families. He has more than a decade of professional experience in the Community Economic Development program. He is a Washington, D.C. native and attended Shaw University before transferring to the University of the District of Columbia while earning a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1996, and pursued graduate studies at The George Washington University School of Business. Mr. Taylor started his career as a Statistician for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2003, Harold changed career paths and started working for OCS as a Program Specialist for the Community Economic Development (CED) and the Job Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals (JOLI) programs. Mr. Taylor has focused his energies on realizing the mission of the CED and JOLI programs through assisting grantees. Mr. Taylor really enjoys working with his local community and grantees nationwide to build healthy communities, and has received a number of awards over his tenure at OCS. Mr. Taylor has over 20 years of Federal service.
Sharon Williams | 202-401-6411
Mrs. Sharon Williams is a Program Specialist with the Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families. She has worked with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families for over a decade. Throughout her tenure within the federal government, she worked as a Program Analyst in the Office of Family Assistance (OFA), and Office of Administration (OA), and OCS, Division of Energy Assistance; a block grant program for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Program Specialist in the Office of Discretionary Grants. Within these positions, she provided policy guidance, and technical assistance and implementation of grants for states and tribes. Additionally, she served as the Federal Project Officer for the LIHEAP Clearinghouse that provides information on LIHEAP programs as well as a National Energy Assistance Referral Service. She also served as the federal representative for the National Low Income Energy Consortium (NLIEC). She performed several leadership positions in OA, Division of Materiel Resources, as a Management Analyst. She has also participated in the ACF and OCS Mentoring Program.
Emily Rome
Emily Rome is a Program Specialist with the Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration of Children and Families for Community Economic Development (CED) grant recipients. Prior to joining OCS, Emily worked on a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Education helping federally funded centers manage their federal grants. Over the course of her career, she has worked in local government and nonprofits, with a focus on raising voices for all in the communities she serves. Emily earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Colorado State University and has a Masters in Nonprofit Leadership. In her free time, Emily observes international elections for the Department of State, loves to read, and looks forward to gardening season.
Steven Seuser
Steve Seuser is a Program Specialist with the Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration of Children and Families. Immediately prior to joining CED, he supported the D.C. Department of Health’s response to the pandemic, focusing on supportive housing, homeless shelters, multifamily housing, and other nonprofit organizations and businesses. Mr. Seuser previously served as the Director of a nonprofit supportive housing organization serving families and individuals living with HIV/AIDS and other disabilities, helped lead an initiative to establish a public bank for the District of Columbia. Mr. Seuser also supported the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Housing’s Neighborhood Networks centers for low- and moderate-income residents of assisted housing. Mr. Seuser has a Master’s degree in Community Economic Development.
Olivia Barfield
Olivia Barfield is a Grants Program Specialist with the Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Ms. Barfield currently works on the Rural Community Development (RCD) and Community Economic Development (CED) programs. She joined OCS to assist in setting up and administering the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), which was authorized to provide emergency utility assistance in response to the COVID pandemic and was the first-ever national program to provide water and wastewater bill support to households. Before joining OCS, Ms. Barfield provided on-the-ground technical assistance to rural, low-income communities, assisting them with accessing clean drinking water and meeting further community economic development needs. She has an MBA from the University of Louisiana Monroe. Ms. Barfield loves working to improve community conditions with dedicated OCS partners across the country. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, dancing, and hiking, especially at U.S. national parks.