Nonprofit Power Players

Clare Reichenbach is the CEO of the James Beard Foundation (JBF), the country’s preeminent culinary arts organization dedicated to celebrating, supporting, and elevating the people behind America’s food culture, and championing a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability. As CEO, Clare directs the foundation’s strategic, programmatic, financial, and management operations. Prior to JBF, Reichenbach was EVP of strategy and business development at the BBC for over 10 years, as well as working as a media strategy consultant to clients such as New York Public Radio.

Was there something or someone that inspired you to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector?
We dedicate so much of our lives to our jobs and careers that it’s always been very motivating for me to ensure that I’m channeling my energy towards a bigger purpose, rather than just personal return. For me, my work is a core expression of my values and an important way to give back.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
The pandemic was profoundly challenging for the restaurant industry and, in turn, for the James Beard Foundation. Although there were many things we would do differently, we were decisive in shifting our center of gravity to support our community to get through the crisis. We took the opportunity of ‘no business as usual’ to really re-examine all that we do, from our Awards, to our events to our industry programming, and we have emerged stronger and with a renewed commitment to our mission — to celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind America’s food culture and champion a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and Sustainability.

What policy changes could be made to aid in your work within the nonprofit sector?
As the country’s foremost nonprofit in support of the culinary and independent restaurant industry, we believe it is our responsibility to advocate directly for policies that encourage a more equitable and sustainable food system—what we call “Good Food For Good”. Recently, our team worked with hundreds of chefs to outline issues that most greatly impact the food and beverage industry. Stemming from these conversations, the James Beard Foundation announced a set of policy priorities that will guide our advocacy work through 2023. These priorities fall under three focus areas of racial and gender equity; sustainability; and industry culture and practices. We believe policy changes in the following areas would significantly help to encourage a healthier, more sustainable, and thriving food system:

• Nutrition security and SNAP expansion;
• A living wage and equal pay for all those involved in the restaurant supply chain;
• Conservation programs that prioritize soil and water health, as well as food waste and composting;
• Tax credits for independent restaurants that offer specific benefits to their employees;
• Accelerated visas for foreign food service work;
• Funding and market-access for BIPOC farmers and small producers.

Ronald Richter has dedicated his career to serving at-risk children and families. He is the executive director and CEO of JCCA and is a former New York City Family Court judge and Commissioner of New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). At ACS, Richter led the Juvenile Justice Initiative, reducing the court’s reliance on juvenile detention centers by 200 percent. During his time as executive director and CEO he has spearheaded educational efforts and community-based support programs for children and families.

Liz Roberts currently serves as CEO of Safe Horizon, the largest nonprofit victim services agency in the United States. Liz joined Safe Horizon in 2010 as chief program officer and served as deputy CEO from 2014 to 2020, prior to her appointment as CEO in 2021. Liz is a social worker with more than 30 years of experience addressing the needs of survivors of violence and abuse. Liz received an MSW from Salem State University and a B.A. in social anthropology from Harvard/Radcliffe.

Alexander Roque is the president and executive director of the Ali Forney Center, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to housing and caring for LGBTQ youth who are unhoused, facing family rejection, and other societal detriments. Over the past four years, he has elevated the organization’s profile, work and expanded its reach internationally including 50 partners in the United States. He also serves as board secretary to Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation.

Was there something or someone that inspired you to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector?
My experience accessing social services from a very young age shaped my life and defined this career path and calling for me. I was fortunate to have nonprofit organizations in my life, supporting me through the many social detriments I faced as a young person who grew up in an immigrant family at the intersections of poverty, child abuse, and neglect.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
I’ve no shortage of proud moments in my work, from leading fundraising and capacity-building work to becoming the nation’s first 24-Hour Drop-In Center for LGBTQ youth to expanding housing and support services. Most recently, my proudest moment has been the expansion and redesign of our Drop-In Center which is taking a fresh new approach to providing care and services centered around eliminating barriers and enhancing services.

What policy changes could be made to aid in your work within the nonprofit sector?
Key policy changes to expand the provision of housing options for unhoused, unaccompanied minors are vital for the care and well-being of young people throughout our city. Policy changes to child welfare systems that treat homophobia and transphobia as child abuse are also vital to changing the narrative and ways LGBTQ youth are cared for and treated in the system.

Brenda began her career with the Department of Homeless Services before joining Breaking Ground in 1999 and advanced to the director of property management in 2006. In her role as president and CEO since 2011, Brenda leads Breaking Ground in its mission to address homelessness. Brenda is board chair of the Supportive Housing Network of New York, on the board of Homeless Services United, and an advisory member of the New York Housing Conference.

Was there something or someone that inspired you to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector?
I grew up in the Bronx and moved to Roosevelt Island when I was nine years old. We had barely settled in before a fire tore through our unit. Fortunately, my parents were at work and my brother and I were outside at the time, so no one was hurt. But watching how poorly we were treated by our landlord and how beautifully we were treated by our community inspired my career in public service.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
Without question, the completion of 90 Sands, our newest permanent support residence. Accomplishing a hotel conversion and creating nearly 500 units of supportive and affordable housing in DUMBO took guts, grit, and creativity. It was the most complicated project we have done in more than 30 years. Today, over 300 formerly homeless New Yorkers have a home there, and I could not be prouder of the Breaking Ground team that made it happen.

What policy changes could be made to aid in your work within the nonprofit sector?
The single greatest policy change that could have an impact on reducing homelessness would be a significant expansion of housing vouchers. Only 25% of households who qualify for Federal Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers can access that precious resource, creating long or in many cases closed waiting lists. Rental assistance programs that are reliable and dependable, for both tenants and landlords, are vital to making the experience of homelessness rare, short, and non-recurring

Eric Rosenbaum is president and CEO of Project Renewal. Previously, Eric was COO of Win, Inc., an executive with Colgate-Palmolive, and consultancy Arthur D. Little. He serves on boards for the Center for the Business of Health at UNC Chapel Hill, Reconstructing Judaism, and Vital Strategies, and is the former president of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah. He has an M.S. in public health, an MBA from UNC Chapel Hill, and a B.S. in biology from UCLA.

Was there something or someone that inspired you to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector?
After 9/11, I was out of work for a year and became involved with my synagogue, eventually becoming president and initiating a successful capital campaign to acquire a permanent home for the congregation. The rabbi suggested that I could put my business skills to use in service of a community institution. That insight allowed me to make the career shift into nonprofit leadership. I’ve never felt so blessed in my work as I do today.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
Leading Project Renewal through the pandemic, including supporting our employees and clients in those early days without COVID-19 tests, masks, or treatments. Thankfully, we lost no staff to COVID-19, and only one client out of thousands succumbed to the disease.

What policy changes could be made to aid in your work within the nonprofit sector?
Human service workers need a living wage as the minimum, and wage parity with City employees doing the same work.

Dawn Saffayeh is the newly appointed president and CEO of HeartShare Family of Services, overseeing the three nonprofits: HeartShare Human Services of New York, HeartShare St. Vincent’s Services, and The HeartShare School. Saffayeh is thrilled to lead HeartShare into the next phase of its mission, providing transformative support to its clients while working collaboratively with its employees. Saffayeh has worked with HeartShare for over nine years, previously serving as executive director of HSVS since 2014. 

Was there something or someone that inspired you to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector?
I have always had a strong interest in community work. I’ve been volunteering and working with nonprofits since I was a teenager. Serving people and communities facing barriers and providing a voice for the voiceless was what I was called to do.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
I’ve been grateful to have a collection of proud moments throughout my career. When I joined HeartShare St. Vincent’s almost 10 years ago, we worked to expand our educational program for youth, the American Dream Program. Now, we see our youth thrive and step into their lives as leaders and advocates. I feel proud and lucky to be involved in a small part of their journey.

What policy changes could be made to aid in your work within the nonprofit sector?
Funding a nonprofit and providing for its employees is one of the biggest and constant struggles. The people on the front lines of human services are genuine heroes who go above and beyond for the community, often with little recognition and compensation. They deserve all the acknowledgement and praise but, more importantly, a living wage that reflects the professionalism, caring, and integrity they exhibit daily.

Sapreet K. Saluja is the executive director of New York Cares, NYC’s leading volunteer management organization. Sapreet leads the vision and strategy behind mobilizing 30,000 volunteers on volunteer programs that address a wide range of pressing community needs at 400 nonprofits and schools. Before New York Cares, Sapreet held senior management roles at Girl Scouts of the USA, The Sikh Coalition, and Teach for America. She received her B.S. in marketing and international business from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at NYU and is a member of the board of directors at the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation.

 Was there something or someone that inspired you to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector? 
As a twenty-two-year-old idealist in the Peace Corps, I set out to change the world, and in the end, the world changed me. While spending time in East Africa, Uganda, and Kenya, I learned many life lessons that were deeply profound and others that were unbelievably simple. Community-led impact is the most sustainable and equitable approach to problem-solving. Once you can recognize the humanity in another person, there is no difference you can’t bridge. 

  What is the proudest moment of your career so far? 
A decade-long campaign I led at the Sikh Coalition, leading to a policy change in 2017, is front of mind as it involved fighting for equal rights and had such far-reaching impact. This campaign sought to change a decades-old uniform and grooming policy in the US Army, ensuring that no American had to choose between adhering to their deeply held religious beliefs and serving their country.

  What policy changes could be made to aid in your work within the nonprofit sector? 
New York Cares works across all five boroughs alongside hundreds of nonprofit partners on a wide range of volunteer programs addressing pressing community needs. Many policy changes could impact our partners, from affordable housing to educational inequities and the environment. When thinking about our mission and what could impact all partner organizations and issue areas, it would be policies that incentivize businesses to give their employees more time to volunteer in their community.

Rabbi Joanna Samuels, named CEO of The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan in January 2022, sees tremendous opportunity to strengthen the diverse population of one of the largest Jewish community centers in the world. In her previous role as founding executive director of Educational Alliance’s Manny Cantor Center and in varied positions revitalizing Jewish organizations, Rabbi Samuels’ leadership has been celebrated both within and outside the Jewish community. She graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College and received Rabbinic Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Was there something or someone that inspired you to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector?
I am inspired by the Jewish tradition, which obligates each individual to work to bring about a redeemed world. This means that we can not succumb to despair or inertia when we see the brokenness around us. We have to join together to try to bring repair, support, and consolation to all that is broken, and to all who suffer.  

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
Can I name two? The first is leading Educational Alliance’s Manny Cantor Center, where we created one of the only economically integrated early childhood programs in the entire country.  The second is leading the JCC, particularly in this anguish-filled time. In the month following the October 7 attacks in Israel, we hosted 4,000 people at 30 public programs. I am proud to lead the largest JCC in the country and to be able to offer space for our community’s grief, fear, curiosity, togetherness, and pride.

What policy changes could be made to aid in your work within the nonprofit sector?
Nonprofits need to be reimbursed more quickly from city contracts! I have heard that some nonprofits have to take out short-term loans to pay their staff while they wait for the city to reimburse them.  I also wish it were easier to build affordable housing. I think the city is at least partially to blame for how difficult it is to work productively in this arena.  

Jessica Santana, CEO and co-founder of America On Tech (AOT), empowers marginalized communities by guiding 16 to 24-year-olds into the tech industry. AOT’s impact, featured in Forbes, CNN, and more, attests to her commitment. With prior consulting roles at Accenture and Deloitte, her achievements include Forbes 30 Under 30, Crain’s NY 40 Under 40, and Compass Leader recognition. A sought-after speaker at events like SXSW Edu, Santana is a graduate of Syracuse University and Columbia Business School.

Was there something or someone that inspired you to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector?
Evin Robinson, my co-founder, has been instrumental in my nonprofit journey. In the early days of AOT, when rejections, fundraising struggles (still ongoing, lol), and skepticism abounded, it could have been tempting to give up. Evin’s unwavering support and our partnership offered the emotional strength to persist. I’m grateful for someone equally committed who checks in during the toughest moments, reinforcing our mission’s importance and the value we bring to our young beneficiaries.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
My proudest moments at America On Tech are when our young participants secure jobs or internships through our network and support. These moments shine the brightest because they signify our youth realizing their full potential in our programs. Recently, an alumni landed a $190K job at a global tech firm at just 21 years old, embodying my wildest dreams for our youth and communities, and inspiring me to keep pushing forward.

What policy changes could be made to aid in your work within the nonprofit sector?
I believe it’s crucial to move beyond mere integration of computer science and tech education in schools. With generative AI looming, we must expand beyond just computational thinking as the sole learning outcome. Focused policy initiatives should include AI curricula in all American high school programs, ensuring students acquire skills for future careers. Many schools lack comprehensive tech education, an injustice in our tech-driven world.