; Home About CFI About CFI For more than 80 years, the Centers for Independence has strengthened communities by helping people advance their total health. CFI is dedicated to assisting people of all ages and abilities achieve their fullest level of independence through a supportive environment that fosters hope. CFI’s unmatched breadth of services and resources allows others to find value in themselves and see a path forward. What We Do The Centers for Independence integrates health care and social services. CFI’s commitment to total health with a trauma-informed care approach results in a framework of wellness that improves lives, families, and communities. CFI’s programs serve people who need: mental health and substance-abuse treatment and care job-training and placement services rehabilitative help following a brain injury or neurological condition day programming and activities to fully engage in life in-home personal care services assistance managing finances and employment for long-term care needs medical day care services and education for children with complex medical conditions early education programming and therapies Who We Serve The Centers for Independence assists people of all abilities, ages, and socioeconomic standing. CFI’s vast array of services and programs are based on community needs and are offered to every client, patient, and consumer who seeks them. In many cases, CFI brings solutions to people who might not find assistance anywhere else. “Speaking for the entire team, I can say unequivocally that we found your organization to be exceptional in terms of service quality and its commitment to realizing its mission.” ‐ George Molano CARF SURVEYOR History CFI has been providing life-changing programs for people struggling to gain independence since 1938. It began as Jewish Vocational Service to help new immigrant families fleeing oppression in Europe settle in our community. Since then, the agency has grown to 30-plus programs, 700 employees, 340 volunteers and 125 interns. We help 20,000 individuals annually on their path to independence. See our annual report here. Leadership Teri Zywicki CEO and President Bridget Fassett Chief Financial Officer Dennise Lavrenz Chief Clinical Officer Denise Banks Vice President of Human Resources Margaret Fischbach Vice President of Legal and Compliance Pamela Latherow Chief Information Officer, Information Technology John Chianelli Vice President, Whole Health Clinical Group, Behavioral Health Katherine Kasabuske Vice President - Home and Community Based Services, Long-term care services Heidi Chada Vice President of Employment & Commercial Services, Food service and employment training Our Mission; Our Vision; Our Values Mission: Partnering with people of all abilities to advance their total health. Vision: Healthy and hopeful communities. Values: Understanding PEOPLE. LEADING Success. Working TOGETHER. Those are the values that drive CFI and its staff. At CFI, you can trust us to: Treat you with empathy and respect. Listen to you with purpose. Act in your best interest. Advance knowledge and champion innovation. Recognize, celebrate and share in your success. Welcome your unique strengths, backgrounds and challenges. Engage you in planning and decision-making. Foster partnerships to achieve outcomes. Our Board of Directors Dr. Mary Spencer, RN, MSN, Board Chairperson, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Career Service Jeff Fleming, Past Chairperson, Redevelopment Authority, City of Milwaukee Antonio Riley, Vice Chairperson Teri Zywicki, Secretary, MCFI President and CEO Bridget Fassett, Treasurer, MCFI CFO Rebecca (Riv) Goldman, General Counsel, Optimas Bruce J. Betters, CEO and CIO of Marshall Street Capital Morris Cain Jim Henry Dr. Lyah Holmes Norah L. Johnson, PhD, RN, CPNCP-PC, associate professor of nursing at Marquette University Dr. Tobias Kaemmerer, Clinical Neuropsychologist, Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center The Honorable Joan Kessler, Court of Appeals Elliot Lubar Michael McCann Dan Neely, Associate Professor of Accounting, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Robin Reese, Executive Director, Thirty Six Blocks Inc. Morgan Tilleman, Senior Counsel, Foley & Lardner LLP Tim Voigtman, Attorney, Foley & Lardner LLP Success Stories and Results Behavioral Health: Hitting the reset button At age 45, Joe got a rare gift: a chance to hit the proverbial reset button on his life. To say the year... LEARN MORE Children's Services: A super hero Born prematurely at 29 weeks, Lukas spent the first 351 days of his life at a hospital instead of his... LEARN MORE Employment Services: A 'natural leader' Noah Butler arrived at CFI in July 2016. When he did, a mix of a cognitive disability and fear of talking... LEARN MORE Home Care: Changing a life Kristina Garcia had been working with Jessica Schluter for several years. Schluter suffered a brain injury... LEARN MORE Brain Health: Remote control Ronnie Fuller’s life changed dramatically in 2018, when he experienced a brain injury and lost oxygen... LEARN MORE Partners We are committed to our many partners who help us strengthen our community. Compliance CFI is dedicated to delivering health care and social services that strictly conform to the highest standards of accountability for administration, clinical, business, marketing and financial management. Our Code of Ethics contains general guidelines for providing services and conducting business with the highest standards of ethics. We are committed to an environment where open, honest communications are the expectation, not the exception. We believe in and practice self-directed care, meaning that those we serve, or their representatives or guardians, have the authority to make decisions about the types of services they receive. If you believe there has been a violation of policies or standards, please feel free to contact our corporate compliance officer, Margaret Fischbach, 414-290-7834. If you prefer to make an anonymous report about possible workplace violations, please contact EthicsPoint, 855-612-7055 (TTY 866-294-9572), or click here. To file a complaint about a client incident, contact our help line at 414-290-2025 ext. 7525 or vergehelp@mcfi.net. If you are in need your records, please call 414-937-2065 or email caserecords@mcfi.net. To access your records, you will need to fill out one of the following forms, either electronically and emailed back or one that can be printed, filled out and faxed. Click here for the electronic form. Click here for the printable form, which is also available in Spanish. Diversity The Centers for Independence is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and culturally competent culture that best reflects and serves our clients, our staff and our community. Diversity is fundamental to every aspect of CFI, from the mission, vision, and values to the governance and business planning of the organization. CFI is a pioneer in cultural competency and widely recognized for initiatives that advance and welcome people of color, the LGBTQ community, veterans, and people of all ages and abilities. As a strong community partner, CFI is among other Milwaukee nonprofit organizations that have pledged to take steps to dismantle structural racism in the community, including diversifying their boards and staff. Please read more here. Frequently Asked Questions Why are early intervention programs successful? ▼ What does person-first and person-centered mean? ▼ How are MCFI’s programs funded? ▼ Does MCFI only serve people with disabilities? ▼ Is my donation tax-deductible? ▼ Home Programs & Services Get Involved About MCFI Donate News Contact Us Diversity & Inclusion Trauma Informed Care Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Site Map Donate Now DONATE Sign up for our newsletter Email By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Centers for Independence, 2020 W. Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI, 53233, US, http://www.mcfi.net. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact. SUBMIT Copyright 2021 - Milwaukee Center for Independence - All Rights Reserved