Senior Case Manager
BJ Weaver

BJ graduated from Lock Haven University with a major in Social Work and minor in Psychology. She has worked for several nonprofits in Centre County including Family Intervention and Crisis, the Youth Services Bureau, and Bridge of Hope which provides support to single mothers facing homelessness. In 2015, BJ began working for Interfaith Human Services as a caseworker. Since then, her duties and responsibilities have covered many different aspects of client care. In addition to serving as a representative payee, she has been a money management counselor, and provided staff support at Limerock Court, an income-restricted apartment community in State College. In 2021, BJ was promoted to Supervisor and Senior Case Manager, overseeing the daily operations of the Financial Care Program, supervising caseworker staff, managing new client intake, providing updates and collaborating with the Executive Director, and managing her own case load as a representative payee.

BJ is proud to work for one of the oldest social services nonprofits in Centre County and believes that IHS has stood the test of time due to its diligence and commitment to meeting the changing needs of the community. She also values the faith-based foundation of IHS that allows her to walk out her own personal faith by treating people with dignity and respect exactly where they are as they work together with IHS towards the goal of financial stability.

Case Manager  Jessica Laird

Jessica graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Psychology. Before joining IHS in January 2025, she worked for Merakey, a nonprofit providing services within the developmental, behavioral health, and education fields. At Merakey, she worked closely with clients diagnosed with serious mental health and intellectual disabiities, helping them to navigate complex systems and overcome barriers to services. This experience provided a good foundation for taking on the case manager position at IHS where she works one-on-one with representative payee clients helping them maintain financial stability. Her responsibilities include prioritizing the basic needs of her clients and making sure their funds are allocated accordingly. For each client, she keeps detailed records of all benefits they receive and how their money is spent or saved; and she provides reports to the Social Security Administration to protect their benefits.

Beyond all the case notes and record keeping, Jessica feels the most important part of her job is building trust and establishing a good rapport with her clients. As a single mom, she has struggled financially in her own life, so she has a genuine desire to help her clients maintain financial stability in their lives. She also feels blessed to have co-workers who support and care about each other, and is grateful for the amazing office volunteers who are “the glue that keep us afloat!”

Furniture Coordinator 
Todd Hawbaker

Todd took on the part-time job of Furniture and Appliance Program Coordinator at IHS after retiring from a career in the property management field. He began as a volunteer in 2021, training under the former Furniture Program Coordinator, then was was hired when the position became available in 2022.

Todd graduated from Penn State in 1995 with a B.A. in Philosophy and obtained his Pennsylvania Real Estate Brokers License in 2010. During the 25 years that he worked as an associate broker and full-time property manager, he learned not only how to interact professionally with the general public, but also how to work with low-income residents in the Section 8 Housing Assistance program. This experience has been a tremendous asset to managing the IHS furniture program. When it comes to IHS clients, Todd knows what furniture and appliances are most needed, and what donations are most suitable given the available storage space in the warehouse.

His job also entails, quite literally, a lot of moving parts. Much of Todd’s time is spent driving the IHS truck to pick up donations, then hauling and off-loading items to the warehouse. He also handles all the communication and scheduling for items to be picked up, and works directly with IHS clients when the items they need are available.

Todd’s work with the furniture program provides him the opportunity to give back to the community. Moreover, as he meets and works directly with people throughout the week, he is a tremendous advocate and ambassador for IHS.

Office Administrator
Elli Bragg

Development Coordinator
Sue Forster