Josh Lowe, MSN, RN-BC, PMH-BC

(He/Him/His) 

Founder, ROC Youth Community Engagement

|Founder & Executive Director| 

Provides overall organizational leadership, program development, crisis response coordination, and systems advocacy across mental health, education, and youth support services.

|Behavioral Health & Youth Systems Leader|

JJ’s academic background reflects the breadth of his work across human services, behavioral health, leadership, youth systems, and organizational management.

He holds:

• Master of Arts (M.A.), Human Services Administration — St. Joseph’s University New York
   
• Master of Arts (M.A.), Human Services, General — St. Joseph’s University New York
   
• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) —  Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse - Board Certified St. John Fisher
   
• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) — Nursing Leadership St. John Fisher
   

• Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN), St. John Fisher
   
• Bachelor of Arts — Human Services (Child & Family Services with focus in Juvenile Intervention), SUNY Empire State University
   

• Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN)
   

• Eastridge High School — High School Diploma
   
• Leadership Academy for Young Men — High School studies
   

Throughout his educational journey, JJ remained actively engaged in leadership, student service, peer support, and youth programming. His school involvement included JROTC leadership, student government, peer mentoring, community service, HOSA, Champion Academy, ROC Youth Community Engagement, Roc2Change (BIPOC/BLM), GSA, Student Council, Lion’s Council, and My Brother’s Keeper.

His academic and youth leadership journey was recognized through honors including:

• MLK Award / MLK Legacy Award
   
• Golden Apple Award
   
• Monroe County Young Citizen of the Year
   
• NYSPHA Speaker & Service Award
   
• My Brother’s Keeper Alumni recognition

Josh “JJ” Lowe is the Founder and Owner of ROC Youth Community Engagement (RYCE), a community-driven organization committed to empowering youth and families across the Greater Rochester region. He is a behavioral health specialist, child and adolescent psychiatric care professional, human services advocate, trauma-informed educator, youth mental health leader, and systems reform strategist whose work bridges clinical care, crisis response, leadership development, community engagement, and operational management.

With more than a decade of experience across youth mental health, crisis response, education advocacy, public systems, human services, and community-based leadership, JJ has built a career centered on one mission: ensuring that young people and families navigating complex systems are not left to do so alone. His work is rooted in equity, compassion, accountability, and action, with a strong emphasis on creating safe, empowering, and culturally responsive spaces where youth, families, and professionals can thrive.

JJ’s philosophy is simple, but powerful:

Youth are not the problem — they are a vital part of the solution when they are supported, informed, and empowered.

That belief drives both his leadership and the mission of ROC Youth Community Engagement.

JJ’s passion for advocacy is not abstract. It is deeply personal.

Growing up with exposure to mental health systems, foster care, school system challenges, and the juvenile justice system, JJ developed firsthand insight into the barriers that many young people face when trying to access care, consistency, dignity, and opportunity. These early experiences gave him a clear view of what happens when systems fail to communicate, when youth voices are dismissed, and when support arrives too late or without cultural understanding.

Rather than allowing those experiences to define his future, JJ transformed them into purpose. He committed himself to becoming the kind of advocate, leader, and stabilizing presence he wished more young people had in their corner. That lived experience continues to shape the way he leads today — with urgency, empathy, precision, and an unwavering commitment to equity.

His ability to connect with youth comes not only from professional training, but from a genuine understanding of the environments many young people are forced to navigate. That combination of clinical expertise, lived experience, and community accountability has made him a trusted voice among youth, families, clinicians, educators, public agencies, and community partners.

JJ’s work is strengthened by extensive training across nursing, behavioral health, psychiatric care, pediatric care, emergency care, trauma response, and crisis intervention.

His professional credentials and certifications include:

• Registered Nurse (RN)
   
• Board-Certified Registered Nurse (RN-BC)
   
• Psychiatric Mental Health Board Certification (PMH-BC)
   
• Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN)
   
• Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN)
   
• Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN)
   
• Certified Charge Nurse (CRN)
   
• Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
   
• Trauma Nurse Certification
   
• Temporary Nurse Aide (TNA / COVID-era CNA)
   

He is also formally trained in:

• Psychological First Aid
   
• Mental Health First Aid (Youth & Adult)
   
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
   
• Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
   
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
   
• First Aid Training
   

These credentials reflect his dual specialization in pediatric and psychiatric mental health care, positioning him to support youth across both medical and behavioral health systems.

JJ is a compassionate and purpose-driven human services professional dedicated to advancing trauma-informed, equitable, and person-centered care. He is known for blending clinical insight, operational leadership, cultural competence, and hands-on advocacy in ways that strengthen both individuals and systems.

His leadership style emphasizes:

• relationship-centered care
   
• cultural responsiveness
   
• youth empowerment
   
• trauma-informed practice
   
• operational excellence
   
• staff development and mentorship
   
• measurable, evidence-based outcomes
   
• collaboration across sectors and systems
   

He is widely recognized as someone who can remain grounded under pressure, build trust quickly, lead teams through complexity, and create environments where both youth and staff feel supported, challenged, and empowered.

He is known for being:

• a critical thinker under pressure
   
• a resilient and strategic leader
   
• deeply approachable and community-centered
   
• compassionate while remaining fiercely dutiful in advocacy
   

At his core, JJ believes that leadership begins with compassion, accountability, and action.

JJ is a compassionate and purpose-driven human services professional dedicated to advancing trauma-informed, equitable, and person-centered care. He is known for blending clinical insight, operational leadership, cultural competence, and hands-on advocacy in ways that strengthen both individuals and systems.

His leadership style emphasizes:

• relationship-centered care
   
• cultural responsiveness
   
• youth empowerment
   
• trauma-informed practice
   
• operational excellence
   
• staff development and mentorship
   
• measurable, evidence-based outcomes
   
• collaboration across sectors and systems
   

He is widely recognized as someone who can remain grounded under pressure, build trust quickly, lead teams through complexity, and create environments where both youth and staff feel supported, challenged, and empowered.

He is known for being:

• a critical thinker under pressure
   
• a resilient and strategic leader
   
• deeply approachable and community-centered
   
• compassionate while remaining fiercely dutiful in advocacy
   

At his core, JJ believes that leadership begins with compassion, accountability, and action.

 Throughout his career, JJ has worked in high-acuity environments serving vulnerable youth and families, including state psychiatric hospitals, emergency mental health settings, pediatric environments, public agencies, nonprofit systems, educational partnerships, remote leadership roles, and community-based youth programs.Within these roles he has provided:

• crisis intervention and behavioral stabilization  
• trauma-informed care and youth de-escalation  
• mental health case management  
• systems coordination for families navigating multiple services  
• youth leadership and therapeutic group facilitation  
• staff training in trauma-responsive practice  
• policy design and implementation support  
• program redesign and performance monitoring  
• quality improvement and compliance oversight  
• workforce development and burnout prevention training  

He frequently works with young people experiencing trauma exposure, severe emotional distress, suicidal ideation, behavioral crises, psychosis, family conflict, housing instability, and justice system involvement.

His ability to navigate high-stakes environments while centering dignity, safety, and long-term outcomes has made him a respected leader among clinicians, educators, law enforcement ty Engagement (RYCE).

ROC Youth Community Engagement

November 2012 – Present

JJ founded ROC Youth Community Engagement (RYCE) to respond to the major gaps he saw between education systems, mental health services, community agencies, and youth/family realities. 

RYCE was created to support youth and families who too often feel unheard, unsupported, or overwhelmed when trying to navigate the very systems meant to help them

.He currently manages a caseload of 40+ clients at a time, providing comprehensive support focused on:

• life skills development  
• socialization  
• independence  
• school completion  
• transition planning into adulthood  
• behavioral and emotional stabilization  
• personalized care planning  

His work includes collaboration with:

• New York State Office of Mental Health  
• Monroe County Office of Mental Health  
• University of Rochester Medical Center CPEP  
• URMC 4-9000  
• Golisano Children’s Hospital  
• Florida DCFS  
• District of Columbia CFSA  
• Monroe County Sheriff’s Office  
• Rochester Police Department  
• City of Rochester  
• Orlando Police Department  
• Orange County Sheriff’s Office (Florida)  
• Autism and Applied Management programs in multiple states  
• Champion Academy  
• Rochester City School District  

Through RYCE, JJ and his team focus on three core principles:

Advocacy Coordination Empowerment

• Youth Advocacy through Monroe County and NYS Systems of Care  
• School Advocacy including IEP and 504 support  
• Disciplinary advocacy and school re-engagement  
• College and career planning including applications, FAFSA, and workforce pathways  
• Mental health resource coordination and systems navigation (non-clinical) 

RYCE acts as a bridge between youth, families, schools, and community agencies, aligning services, elevating youth voices, and reducing the gaps that too often exist between systems.

November 2022 – July 2025

In a remote statewide leadership role with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, JJ oversaw program coordination, quality assurance, workforce development, and strategic initiatives supporting youth, families, and community-based providers across New York.His work focused on:

• optimizing operations  
• strengthening cross-agency communication  
• integrating trauma-informed and behavioral health frameworks  
• designing educational programs for clinical leadership and crisis communication  
• improving service continuity and reducing system fragmentation  

This role allowed him to merge nursing education, crisis management, and human services operations in ways that modernized care systems and strengthened statewide support structures.

JJ’s professional background also includes direct work in public health operations, patient safety, payroll processing, customer service leadership, staffing oversight, and large-scale team management.

He incorporated therapeutic and diversionary interventions to maintain patient safety, assist with daily living tasks, identify escalating behaviors, and support behavioral interventions in a clinical setting.

He collaborated with state and county health departments during the COVID-19 pandemic to conduct case investigations, support families, connect households to emergency resources, train staff, audit quality, and improve compliance and support systems.

He responded to HR inquiries, processed employee changes, supported payroll and onboarding operations, managed documentation, and ensured compliance across multiple HR systems.

He supervised associates, led store operations, improved workflows, coordinated staffing, handled conflict resolution, and strengthened leadership, logistics, and customer service skills at scale.

He led hiring, onboarding, coaching, scheduling, policy enforcement, shopper development, morale-building, and process improvement in a fast-paced retail environment.

He built strong client relationships, managed independent scheduling, conducted presentations, and achieved strong sales results through trust-based communication and strategic engagement.These diverse roles strengthened JJ’s abilities in:

• organizational leadership  
• project management  
• customer service  
• onboarding and training  
• staffing and team supervision  
• data entry and documentation  
• flexible scheduling and operations  
• conflict resolution  
• communication and relationship-building  

Since the age of 15, JJ has served as both a national and regional instructor of Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid, delivering trainings across Upstate New York to:

• law enforcement agencies  
• school districts  
• public health departments  
• community-based organizations  

His trainings go far beyond traditional instruction. They are designed to equip frontline professionals with the tools to:

• recognize mental health warning signs  
• intervene safely during crises  
• respond with compassion and cultural awareness  
• reduce stigma  
• strengthen trauma-informed practice  
• sustain empathy and prevent compassion fatigue  

He also facilitates workshops on:

• youth engagement  
• de-escalation  
• trauma-informed communication  
• compassion fatigue prevention  
• leadership development  
• staff resilience  
• crisis response readiness  

Through these trainings, JJ has helped expand trauma-informed practices across multiple sectors, ensuring more adults who interact with youth are equipped to respond effectively and respectfully to mental health needs.

In addition to his direct service work, JJ has contributed to youth mental health reform and systems transformation through leadership and consulting roles.From 2022–2024, he served as Project Manager for MHAME’s national initiative “Do YOU See ME?”, helping oversee:

• national policy alignment  
• youth-centered care models  
• culturally responsive mental health frameworks  
• protocols expanding access for marginalized youth  

This work focused particularly on improving access for:

• BIPOC youth  
• LGBTQ+ youth  
• youth involved in foster care  
• youth involved in justice systems  

JJ also maintains an independent consulting practice, partnering with:

• schools  
• nonprofits  
• public agencies  
• justice-centered organizations  

to design and implement:

• trauma-informed systems  
• crisis stabilization protocols  
• equitable access strategies  
• staff development models  
• human services operations support  
• program and workflow redesign  

His lens is rooted in equity, resilience, cultural accountability, and lived-experience leadership.

February 2013 – Present

Since 2013, JJ has been an active member and now Alumni Team Lead with Spreading Wellness Around Town (SWAT) under the Monroe County Office of Mental Health. SWAT empowers youth and young adults with lived experience in child-serving systems to influence policy, improve community wellness, and promote mental health advocacy throughout New York State.Through SWAT, JJ has:

• transformed lived experience into youth leadership  
• participated in policy forums and youth summits  
• engaged in discussions on trauma-informed care and systems reform  
• guided new members in leadership development and project planning  
• co-facilitated youth-led discussions  
• coordinated outreach initiatives  
• supported county-level strategies that amplify youth voice  
• helped plan events centered on suicide prevention, wellness, and stigma reduction  

This work has been foundational to his path in crisis response, psychiatric nursing, youth advocacy, and human services leadership.

April 2020 – Present

Beyond human services and behavioral health, JJ is also the founder of Eat With Chef Josh, a full-service catering brand built from passion, creativity, hospitality, and community connection.What began as a love for cooking evolved into a growing business serving clients across New York and beyond through:

• private event catering  
• weddings  
• corporate functions  
• community gatherings  

As Founder and Executive Chef, JJ oversees:

• menu design  
• client relations  
• event coordination  
• vendor partnerships  
• team supervision  
• hospitality experience design  

His culinary approach blends comfort, creativity, Southern influence, global flavor, and modern presentation. The brand also remains community-oriented, partnering with youth programs, nonprofits, and neighborhood initiatives to provide meals and mentorship opportunities.For JJ, food is another form of care, connection, and celebration.

JJ’s advocacy work centers on populations historically underserved or misunderstood by traditional systems. His primary focus areas include:

• Youth Crisis & De-escalation  
• Pediatric and Adolescent Mental Health  
• Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Care  
• Behavioral Health Nursing  
• Psychiatric Care  
• Child Mental Health  
• Adolescent Mental Health  
• Trauma-Informed Education Systems  
• Law Enforcement & Justice System Training  
• Foster care and justice-system-impacted youth  
• BIPOC & LGBTQ+ healing frameworks  
• Systems Reform & Community Consulting  
• Human Services Administration  
• Crisis Counseling and Crisis Intervention  
• Emergency and Acute Pediatric Care  
• Nursing Leadership and Healthcare Management  
• Youth Leadership and Youth Development  
• Compassion fatigue prevention  
• Community engagement and public speaking  
• Project management and organizational leadership  

Additional skills reflected throughout his work include:

• communication  
• leadership  
• team leadership  
• supervisory skills  
• public speaking  
• research  
• strategic planning  
• project management  
• relationship building  
• program development  
• onboarding and workforce training  
• documentation and compliance  
• data evaluation and quality assurance  
• customer relationship management  
• meeting facilitation  
• scheduling and coordination  
• flexible adaptation across sectors

JJ’s work reflects a deep commitment to causes including:

• Children
   
• Civil Rights & Social Action
   
• Health
   
• Human Rights
   
• Poverty Alleviation
   
• Science & Technology
   
• Education
   
• Social Services
   

Through his leadership, advocacy, entrepreneurship, and training initiatives, JJ continues working toward a future where:

• youth mental health is prioritized
   
• systems collaborate rather than compete
   
• marginalized youth have equitable access to care
   
• staff are better trained and supported
   
• communities invest in prevention rather than punishment
   
• youth voice is treated as essential, not optional
   
• families can access support without having to fight for it alone
   

He leads with the belief that young people deserve more than crisis response — they deserve stability, dignity, opportunity, and systems that actually work on their behalf.

At the center of all of this work remains the same guiding belief:

When young people are supported, informed, and empowered, entire communities benefit.