Last month, Joan Grayson Cohen, executive director of Jewish Community Services, announced on social media she will retire in July 2027. That work at JCS evolved, and she took on many roles over the years until 2016, when she became executive director. “When I took the job, I never had any notion that I’d one day be the executive director,” she said. Before becoming executive director, she served as the director of economic services, overseeing the agency’s career center, financial assistance and service coordination. As with any large agency, Cohen said JCS has faced many challenges with funding.