Our Staff

Jim Schuyler

Jim Schuyler is a graduate of New York University and Harvard Law School.

His career has been as an attorney and lobbyist, in the New York City Mayor's Office, as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Housing and Urban Affairs, as Legislative Counsel to the National Association of Home Builders, as a Partner in a law firm, and as Principal in his own lobbying and strategic planning firm.

Jim moved to Richmond in 2001 and served as Interim Executive Director of Equality Virginia and Executive Director of the Beth Ahabah Museum and Archives. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Virginia Fair Housing Board and is a member of the curriculum team for Leadership Metro Richmond. He serves on the Board of Managers of Congregation beth Ahabah and is Chair of its Council on Social Justice.

Jay Andrews

Jay Andrews is the Executive Assistant with the Virginia Community Action Partnership. In addition to his duties as an office administrator, Jay also is the Information Technology Specialist for VACAP. He currently directs and develops the vacap.org and vaeitc.org websites. He is also a technical advisor for the VirtualCAP.org website. He manages all technology, including software and hardware purchases and installation for VACAP.

Jay is currently project leader for the Public Information Exchange Project (P.I.E. Project) which began in February 2008. The P.I.E. Project is an initiative developed by VACAP to provide dynamic and current website for all VACAP members.

Carolyn P. Spohrer

Carolyn P. Spohrer is the Earned Income Tax Credit Project Manager with the Virginia Community Action Partnership (VACAP), and works with communities throughout Virginia to develop local EITC coalitions.

Carolyn is a graduate of Ithaca College with a BS in education and taught at the high school level for many years. Before joining VACAP in March 2004, Carolyn spent 12 years with Consumer Credit Counseling Service of VA, most recently as Area Director for Virginia and the Carolinas.

Ken Ackerman

Kenneth Ackerman is the Project Manager for the national Virtual CAP project funded by the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services/Office of Community Services to support sharing of information among Community Action Agencies and to promote replication of successful CAA initiatives. Ken’s involvement with Community Action began in 1971 as a VISTA volunteer in rural Virginia. He then directed a desegregation program in Prince Edward County (VA) where the public schools had been closed from 1959-1963 as a measure to fight school integration. He subsequently served as Executive Director of the Monticello Area CAA from 1976-2000 after initially working as the agency’s Chief Planner.

Ken has also provided leadership with numerous state, regional and national organizations including Virginia Community Action Partnership, Comprehensive Health Investment Project of Virginia, Virginia Statewide Human Services Information and Referral Advisory Council, Governor’s Job Training Coordinating Council, Southeast Rural Community Assistance Program, Project Discovery, Inc., Virginia Housing Coalition, and National Low-Income Housing Coalition. Ken is certified as a peer reviewer for the Award for Excellence/Pathways to Excellence in Community Action.