Long-time employee now leads Children’s Home of Jefferson County

WATERTOWN — The new president and CEO of the Children’s Home of Jefferson County (CHJC) has only been working in the role since early January but is very familiar with the organization. Michelle Monnat, who has worked at CHJC for 16 years, most recently served as its CFO. CHJC describes itself as northern New York’s longest continuously running nonprofit organization. Monnat succeeds Marianne DiMatteo in the role. Prior to serving as CFO, Monnat worked in several departments within CHJC, including residential, non-secure detention, and the community clinic. The organization sees Monnat as having a “comprehensive understanding of all aspects of CHJC programming and operations,” per the organization’s announcement. As CFO, Monnat oversaw all aspects of the agency’s finance department, aligning financial operations with program services and the overall organizational strategy, CHJC said. A native of Lewis County, Monnat earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in mental-health counseling from St. Lawrence University.