Meet Our Team

Mindi Jacobson has a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University and an undergraduate degree in health services management with a minor in business and personnel management from the University of Rochester. Mindi’s area of expertise is grant writing, building and developing programs, and developing relationships with other organizations and community professionals. She is the founding Executive Director of Future Link and has been in nonprofit management since 2006. Prior to this, Mindi spent 10 years in academic administration and health services management. Mindi devotes her time to capacity building activities, developing relationships, and building infrastructure and resources for Future Link, Inc. She is proud that the organization’s budget and participants served has more than doubled over the last five years. Future Link was featured in U.S. News & World Report highlighting the supportive program model of the organization. Mindi is passionate about education, addressing access and inequity issues and assisting vulnerable youth succeed. Mindi was awarded an honorary degree by Montgomery College in May 2019 for her commitment and dedication to students and the community at-large. She has also received recognition and service awards for outstanding contributions to the community from the Collaboration Council, the Community Action Board, the Montgomery County Executive, the Maryland General Assembly, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Commission on Children and Youth.

Sarah Kessler joined the staff of Future Link in 2019 after working in the Development and Quality Assurance Departments at Family Services, Inc. for the past decade, specializing in grant writing, resource cultivation, and program improvement. After obtaining her Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University, Sarah began her career with the New York City Health + Hospitals Corporation. She is currently on the board of the Montgomery County Council of PTAs and the Germantown Alliance and is a 2018 graduate of Leadership Montgomery. She is excited about combining her professional development experience with her personal interest in educational advocacy to expand the capacity of Future Link to provide additional career opportunities for young adults.

Allison Reznick joined the Future Link staff in April 2018, having previously volunteered for the organization as a mentor and board member. In her role, Allison oversees the mentorships, manages the seminar, and engages volunteers from the community. Prior to Future Link, Allison founded Advanced Interactions LLC with a mission to connect associations with their communities and served as Director of Corporate Relations for The Optical Society. Allison has a proven ability to develop and launch new programs, cultivate and motivate qualified volunteers, educate teams on project management and train staff on volunteer engagement techniques. In collaboration with executive staff, committees, and subject matter experts, Allison has led dozens of committees from inception to developing and executing highly-regarded and impactful programs. Allison received her bachelor’s degree in management, with a concentration in marketing, from Binghamton University (NY).

Katie Young served as a facilitator for the Future Link seminar for several years, beginning spring 2014. As Student Outreach Coordinator, Katie follows up with seminar alumni, connecting them to one another through networking, encouraging them along their educational and career journeys, and connecting them with needed resources. She manages Future Link’s internship program. A native of Montgomery County, Katie graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ithaca College. She enjoys building relationships with the students and creating a space for them to flourish and reach their goals.

Cathy Galasso-Schwartz initially connected with Future Link as a mentor in 2017, and joined the staff part-time in 2018 after a 16+ year career at Montgomery College as Assistant to the Deans. Her position at MC encompassed a variety of duties, including office management, project coordination, event planning, and participation in numerous collegewide committees. Previously, she worked in human resources management in the manufacturing sector, and before that she provided direct patient care in a psychiatric hospital. She is an MCPS graduate and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Loyola University, Baltimore. Cathy's focus is on outreach to Future Link seminar graduates and connecting them with the support they need to move forward with their education and career goals.