About Us

Spencer Kline, JD, M.Ed, LPC-S

Senior Director of Treatment, Prevention & Recovery Services

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Mission, collaboration, education, and service are driving forces for Spence Kline, senior director of Treatment, Prevention and Recovery. He joined Catholic Charities in 2019 as a member of senior management, directing behavioral health services within five service sites in Cuyahoga County, including Residential Treatment, Intensive Case Management, Outpatient and Prevention Services in a culturally sensitive manner to include Spanish speakers.

Spence comes with a wide variety of experiences, both professionally and academically. Prior to joining Catholic Charities, he worked at several non-profit organizations. An advocate for union members and their families, Spence worked for both the Ohio Teamsters Service Bureau and the United Labor Agency, Inc. In his capacity as the Agency Director at the Ohio Teamsters Service Bureau, he managed statewide an employee assistance program. During his tenure at the United Labor Agency, Inc., he held two positions: Manager of Employment and Training Division, and Associate Director of Special Projects. As Manager, he supervised and directed a $3.5M department with employment and training programs for adults, dislocated workers, and older workers. As Associate Director, he provided administrative leadership to all staff in Ward Council offices for Cleveland neighborhoods providing housing, storefront renovation, and referral assistance. He was also the Employment Supervisor at Hill House, Inc.

Becoming the first Chief Executive Officer at Beacon Health, he stewarded the smooth merger between two health organizations. He continued in this position after Beacon Health became affiliated with the nonprofit Crossroads. His seventeen years at Beacon Health were impactful and robust: he implemented and expanded CARF accreditation and Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services certification; and put into operation new systems for Management Information and Electronic Healthcare Records. Through managing multi-agency programming, he was able to enhance services to clients. In addition to fundraisers, Spence helped run successful levy and United Way campaigns.

At Cuyahoga Community College, Spence launched and supervised the development of a $6M program, The Cuyahoga Training Academies. There he directed, managed, and provided leadership for daily operations. He was also able to coordinate programmatic collaboration across departments and campuses within the college, and between educational and governmental systems. While program director, he researched, wrote, and monitored all program policies and procedures.

Spence holds both a B.A. in Psychology and Interpersonal Communications, and a Masters of Education in Counseling from Cleveland State University. Additionally, he has been a Licensed Professional Counselor, with Supervisory Designation, since 1986, and has received multiple certificates in General and Domestic Relations Mediation. In 1999, Spence earned a JD from the Cleveland State University College of Law; he practices probate, estate planning, guardianship, civil commitment, behavioral health, mediation, and nonprofit law. At the local, state, and national levels, Spence speaks at conferences and runs workshops for nonprofit organizations. He also continues to provide consultation services.