Mel Cohen, executive director of the Jewish Family and Children’s Service in Asbury Park since the agency opened 30 years ago, will retire on Dec. 31.

As an agency committee searches for his successor, Cohen and his staff have been reminiscing about his stewardship of an agency that has served more than 100,000 Monmouth County residents since 1976.

“This gentle soul has done so much for the people of Monmouth County,” said Ben Wistreich, the agency’s director of development since 2002. “He has always said that care and concern for others is not only the Jewish way, but the only way to stay true to yourself and your people.”

Cohen is regarded as the driving force behind the growth of an agency that began operations in a one-room office on Bond Street in Asbury Park, with Cohen and a secretary its only employees. Now, JF&CS has 27 fulltime and part-time employees, many of whom are licensed social workers. The agency also operates more than 30 programs — from operation of a used-furniture store to individual counseling and support groups, and services for children, families, and the aged — from its headquarters in a suite of offices on Summerfield Avenue and from satellite offices in Morganville and Red Bank.

“And none of this could have happened were it not for Mel,” Wistreich said. “He quickly identified the needs of the people of Monmouth County and established programs to address those needs. He has been extraordinary in his dedication.”

But in typical fashion, Cohen said he has been the major beneficiary of the efforts of a dedicated core of staff members and volunteers who taught him the true meaning of commitment. A recent agency analysis revealed that the average length of service among the professional and support staff and volunteers has been approximately 16 years.

“I’ve always felt that I’ve had everyone’s support, and that includes our 35-member, all-volunteer board of trustees,” he said. “You need that support to establish a successful partnership with the staff and the community. I’ve had this type of support and confidence for 30 years, and as a result, JF&CS has become a successful entity. When I review the past three decades, I know that all the elements are in place for a successful transition. This agency will continue to grow.”

Cohen, who lives in Ocean Township with his wife, Sandy, a social worker (the couple has four grown children and three grandchildren), was born in Brooklyn. He graduated from Brooklyn College and received a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University. His parents, who had come to the United States from Russia, taught Cohen about the value of tikun olam, and the lesson has been a central part of his work and personal life, he said.

His values and a sense of humor have also propelled him through his 30 years with the agency.

“I don’t think you can do this job if you don’t have a sense of humor,” said Cohen. “It has helped me personally, and it has also helped my relationships with the staff and the people we serve. Sometimes, you have to break the intensity a little, but at the same time, you have to show respect and let people know that you are taking their issues seriously.”

Forming a strong partnership with the community at large is also an important element of the job; that partnership has been forged, often during times of great difficulty, he added.

For example, JF&CS has a longtime relationship with United Way of Monmouth County. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, United Way asked JF&CS for help with relief efforts, including counseling for individuals and families who were touched by the tragedy.

“We were there to help people through a very difficult time,” said Cohen, “but we couldn’t have done it if we hadn’t been a familiar resource within the general community. All of the credit for what this agency does belongs to the staff and volunteers who give so much of themselves every day.”

Staff members and volunteers respond that the agency’s success is a direct result of Cohen’s leadership skills and management style. Barbara Marshall, office administrator who has worked side by side with Cohen since 1976, said the executive director has been a mentor as well as an administrator.

“For the past 30 years, we have been learning, growing, and helping JF&CS to become the agency that it is today,” Marshall said. “It is through Mel that I have come to love Jewish communal service. His retirement will signify the end of an era.”

Elaine Swanger, the agency’s statistical secretary, came to Cohen for marital counseling in 1976; his warm and caring approach brought her out of the throes of despair.

“He put me back on the path of the living,” Swanger said. “For that, I will thank him forever. And then, when I came here in 1988 to apply for a job, Mel interviewed me and then gave me a new career, where I learned to use a computer. He really turned my life around —twice!”

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