Alexander “Ozer” Herzog, LCSW
As Executive Director of JFS Clifton-Passaic since 2021, Alexander “Ozer” Herzog has focused the Agency on providing topnotch clinical care, that is affordable or of no cost to clients. In addition, he regularly checks the pulse and responds to the needs of the community, by working closely with local lay leaders. This is embodied in the Agency’s new tagline, “Expert Care. Here for you.”
Before coming to JFS Clifton-Passaic, Mr. Herzog was the Chief of Social Work Service for the Veterans Administration Health Care System New Jersey. In that position, he oversaw 160 employees comprised of social workers, psychologists, nurses, and administrative staff located across two medical centers and 10 community-based clinics, working in a range of programs from the emergency room, med-surg and primary care to acute, residential and outpatient mental health programs.
As a senior leader in the VA, Mr. Herzog regularly wrote and implemented medical center policies and procedures, as well as responded to Congressional and White House inquiries. He worked closely with HR, compliance and risk management and utilized metrics such as SAIL, RVUs and other productivity measures. Mr. Herzog was recognized for his leadership and high scores on annual employee surveys and became a regular instructor at New Supervisor’s Orientation.
After earning a BA in Psychology from Emory University, Mr. Herzog lived in Israel for six years where he completed an intensive 2-year study of Gestalt Therapy. He then returned to America to attend Wurzweiler School of Social Work.
Mr. Herzog received extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Drs. Aaron and Judy Beck in Philadelphia and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) from Dr. Marsha Linehan. Mr. Herzog also received in-depth instruction of Motivational Interviewing to become a trainer.
