He’s a focused businessman. A passionate advocate. A dedicated community leader. And an unabashedly Type A personality. Yet, somehow Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D., CEAP, SAP, still manages to be the guy you’d want living next door.
He came to prominence in his former role as the head of the Long Island Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence, and is credited with raising awareness on just how serious heroin addiction is here in the suburbs. In 2014, Reynolds became CEO and president of the Family & Children’s Association, which is one of Long Island’s largest health and human organizations, and quickly busied himself with finding new ways to combat today’s emerging and evolving public health challenges.
If you’re thinking a guy with all those degrees can’t possibly have a sense of humor, yeah, well, you’re not alone. But the truth is, he’s the first to see the humor in everything. Read on to find out more about Reynolds…
FMC: What are the 3 best things you’ve done in your life?
JLR: Married my wife, had my kids and at the age of 45 took up running marathons and competing in triathlons.
FMC: What mistake did you make that turned out to be your best learning experience?
JLR: My last conversation with my mom before she died suddenly 20 years ago wasn’t our finest and is a persistent reminder that tomorrow is never promised, that you don’t always get a second shot at making peace with another person and that absent that opportunity, you have to find it within yourself.
FMC: When you were 5 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up, and why?
JLR: Important. Isn’t that what we all want?
FMC: Why do you do what you do?
JLR: I enjoy it, I’m good at it and what I do matters.
Nonprofits have been asked to do more with less for as long as I can remember and while we have developed great survival skills, our daily struggles increasingly parallel the lives of those we serve.
FMC: What’s your guilty pleasure?
JLR: Judging the FMC Folio Awards
FMC: (Sigh.) What gives you hope for the future?
JLR: New technologies, young entrepreneurism and a growing awareness that what we do today helps shape tomorrow.
FMC: What’s your idea of a great day off from work?
JLR: A what?
FMC: Coke or Pepsi?
JLR: Water
FMC: Who was/is the most influential person in your life?
JLR: My wife and kids, hands down, though my awesome team at FCA and triathlon coach have a pretty big impact as well.
FMC: Favorite restaurant (anywhere)?
JLR: Morton’s
FMC: Last book read?
JLR: Just finished the three books written and published simultaneously last month by the Lafazan brothers from Syosset. They are: Political Gladiators: How Millennials can Persevere through the 21st Century Political Minefield and WIN! by Joshua Lafazan; What Wakes You Up? Designing Kick-Ass Lives Through Entrepreneurship by Justin Lafazan and What Middle School Didn’t Teach Me by Aaron Lafazan
FMC: Where do you get your news?
JLR: Newsday, News 12 and Long Island Press
FMC: What five people, living or dead, would you want to have dinner with?
JLR: A dinner party with Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz with Chris Christie thrown in for good measure would be a blast right about now, but my top choices would probably be Tony Robbins, Jay Z, John F. Kennedy, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk.
FMC: Favorite drink?
JLR: Cabernet Sauvignon
FMC: What’s the biggest misconception people have about you?
JLR: That the ‘drug and alcohol guy’ is straight-laced and boring.
FMC: Define leadership and tell us, who is your favorite leader and why?
JLR: A leader is someone who inspires others to do things they never believed possible and then gives them the tools, the support and the encouragement to dream even bigger.
The leaders that do that best aren’t necessarily running for public office and you probably won’t see their names in the paper, but there are thousands of effective leaders on Long Island who are behind the scenes, working with kids in schools, nonprofits and sports leagues, volunteering in senior centers and fire houses, organizing community groups to improve our neighborhoods, running small businesses, and making other important contributions while simultaneously supporting and strengthening their own families.
FMC: What are the biggest issues nonprofits are facing today?
JLR: Nonprofits have been asked to do more with less for as long as I can remember and while we have developed great survival skills, our daily struggles increasingly parallel the lives of those we serve.
FMC: What’s your idea of success?
JLR: Living a life where you genuinely love who you are, what you do, why and how you do it.
FMC: What’s the best business advice anyone ever gave you?
JLR: ‘Not-for-profit’ is a tax status, not a business plan.