Kimberly L. Andres, LMSW
Chief Operating Officer

Kimberly Andres is a New Orleans native and the mother of two beautiful children, ages 26 and 19. Kimberly has a Master’s in Social Work and an immense passion and love for helping and working with people. She currently serves as the Chief Operations Officer of The First Step Youth & Family Services (TFS), LLC. The First Step was founded in March 2014 and began servicing clients in November 2014 with 3 members and has grown to over 100 members, presently. TFS is a Medicaid-funded program.

Kimberly has over 22 years of experience and has served in numerous Social Work positions as a:

• Social Worker/Life Skills Educator for the United States Department of the Navy for 6 years.
• LA Department of Corrections Social worker/ Addictions counselor for 6 years.
• Dialysis Social Worker for 7 years.

Kendra L. Alexis, M. Ed
Chief Executive Officer

Kendra L. Alexis, M.Ed is the Chief Executive Officer of The First Step Youth & Family Services, LLC. Ms. Alexis has worked with various agencies throughout the area providing parenting and anger management groups, counseling to at-risk youth, the mentally challenged, and those with a history of substance dependency. Prior to partnering with Kimberly Andres to open The First Step, Ms. Alexis was a Program Director for Orleans Parish Juvenile Court. In the mental health arena, Ms. Alexis has been able to draw from her experiences as the Transition Specialist for the Office of Juvenile Justice, a counselor at Family House, and the Child Care Specialist for Odyssey House of Louisiana.

Kendra graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Louisiana State University, and a Master’s in Counseling from the University of New Orleans.