The 2018 Nonprofit Power 50; 11-50

As head of the largest state immigrant rights coalition in the United States, Steve Choi is a key advocate for issues such as education, health care and civic participation. Since 2016, he and his staff at the New York Immigration Coalition have been vocal opponents of several anti-immigration initiatives led by the Trump administration. Choi is a recipient of the New York Law Journal’s 2013 “Rising Stars” Award and the Korean American Association “Man of the Year” Award.

As CEO of Community Access, Steve Coe oversees the delivery of housing, advocacy and crisis support services to New Yorkers with mental health challenges. Coe has helped build Community Access since 1979, when he was hired as its second full-time employee. Since then, it has developed more than 20 supportive housing projects. Earlier this year, Coe was named to the NYC Crisis Prevention and Response Task Force launched by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and first lady Chirlane McCray.

In her 22 years as state director of AARP New York, Beth Finkel has overseen a wide range of lobbying efforts on behalf of the organization’s 2.6 million members – advocating for assisted living, family leave and financial reforms. Earlier this year, her efforts led to the passage of New York’s Paid Family Leave Program, which covers not only new parents but also caregivers who need to care for a family member, such as a grandparent recovering from an illness.

Bowery Residents’ Committee President Muzzy Rosenblatt was recently named one of the 50 most influential nonprofit leaders in America by The NonProfit Times. For nearly two decades, the former first deputy commissioner of the New York City Department of Homeless Services has expanded the organization's services, which now reach more than 10,000 New Yorkers annually. It recently opened the HomeStretch project, a combined homeless shelter and low-income housing facility for individuals leaving the shelter system.

When YMCA of Greater New York broke ground in August on a facility in the Bronx’s Edenwald neighborhood, it was the culmination of nearly 30 years of effort by activists to locate a facility in the area – and part of a strategic plan recently launched by Sharon Greenberger, its president and CEO. Greenberger, who joined the organization in 2015, previously spent 20 years in leadership roles in health care, education and economic development, including New York City’s School Construction Authority.

When Monsignor Kevin Sullivan took the helm of Catholic Charities of New York in 2001, his first major responsibility was to coordinate the organization’s response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He drew from his decades of human services experience and training, including as founder of two neighborhood development organizations, board member of several health care organizations and graduate of New York University’s Doctorate in Public Administration program. Sullivan, also an alum of St. Joseph’s Seminary, hosts a weekly radio show on satellite radio – it’s called JustLove.

If the name Sister Paulette LoMonaco sounds familiar, it’s probably because the executive director of Good Shepherd Services has recently been featured in The New York Times, New York magazine’s The Cut and Brooklyn Daily, among other publications. In these stories, the Columbia University graduate weighs in on her work leading an organization that runs more than 80 programs assisting New York City’s most vulnerable populations. And no, LoMonaco tells reporters, she hasn’t worn a religious habit in 40 years.

In her role as CEO and executive director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, Jennifer Jones-Austin is following in the footsteps of her father, a civil rights leader and pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Brooklyn. The organization reaches more than 1.5 million New Yorkers each year with its anti-poverty policy programs and faith-based initiatives. In her time away from FPWA, Jones Austin guest hosts the nationally syndicated radio program “Keepin' It Real with Rev. Al Sharpton.”

An op-ed columnist who pens the bi-weekly “Urban Agenda” for New York Amsterdam News and El Diario/La Prensa newspapers, David Jones uses his platform as president and CEO of Community Service Society of New York to advocate for low-income New Yorkers – as he has done throughout his career. Prior to joining the nonprofit in 1986, Jones served as executive director of the New York City Youth Bureau and as special adviser to Mayor Ed Koch.

Ronald Richter’s work has touched the lives of vulnerable children and their families for much of his career. Before he was CEO of the Jewish Child Care Association, overseeing foster care and family support programs that reach more than 16,000 children and families every year, Richter was a family court judge and commissioner of New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services. He began his career as an attorney with the Legal Aid Society.

Correction: An earlier version of this profile misstated Ronald Richter's title at the New York City Administration for Children’s Services.

As head of Coalition for the Homeless, Dave Giffen continues to push New York City officials to make more housing resources available to low-income New Yorkers. Giffen, who started volunteering in 1988 for the organization that helps homeless individuals and families navigate the shelter system – through crisis services, job training and housing assistance – became its executive director in 2012. He was previously vice president of Mercator Corp., an agricultural technology supplier, handling financial analysis, public relations and project development.

When Phoebe Boyer was named president of Children’s Aid in 2014, she knew she had to overcome several challenges – among them managing the organization’s existing funding sources and reaching more donors. Boyer’s work paid off last year, when Children’s Aid received an award for overall excellence from the New York Community Trust. Previously Boyer oversaw grantmaking for the Robertson Foundation, which supports issues including education reform, and was executive director of the Tiger Foundation, an anti-poverty organization.

Sean Delany works at the intersection of law, community-based organizations and the public. As executive director of Lawyers Alliance for New York, every year he oversees more than 1,800 volunteer attorneys doing pro-bono work for nonprofit clients throughout the five boroughs – providing legal advice on issues including corporate structure and governance, tax and intellectual property. Before Lawyers Alliance, Delany worked at the Charities Bureau of the state attorney general's office and at Bronx Legal Services.

In more than 15 years of working at nonprofits, Catherine Trapani’s advocacy efforts on behalf of homeless New Yorkers have been built on skills gained by working with the city’s most vulnerable populations. The executive director of Homeless Services United, which advocates for solutions to homelessness, previously assisted domestic violence survivors and led training workshops on housing resources at New Destiny Housing. She was also a crisis intervention advocate at one of Safe Horizon’s emergency shelters.

Tony Hannigan, CEO of Center for Urban Community Services, has worked for the organization since 1983, when it was known as Columbia University Community Services. He oversaw the transformation of the neighborhood-based program for homeless individuals into a $70 million organization that reaches 56,000 people with various needs. The licensed social worker also served as the city’s regional coordinator of community support programs at the New York State Office of Mental Health, among other positions.

With a network of nearly 100 Latino grassroots organizations, the Hispanic Federation manages and implements a wide range of initiatives to support its members. As the organization’s president and spokesman, José Calderón divides his time between strategic planning and advocacy and communicating the Hispanic Federation’s message not only to the media but to community members who can benefit from critical services. He is also co-chairman of the Immigration Committee of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda.

David Garza calls Henry Street Settlement – the 125-year-old Lower East Side social services organization – his “professional destiny.” After joining in 2001 as a job developer helping people build work skills, he took on additional responsibilities in strategic planning, and within a few years was managing fiscal and employment programs across the agency. Under his leadership, Henry Street Settlement’s Workforce Development Center drew recognition as one of the city’s best employment programs - and that's just one of nine program areas for the nonprofit. He has also deepened local community partnerships and created an innovative homeless aftercare program.

Cecilia Clarke’s signature projects since joining the Brooklyn Community Foundation follow a similar model: allowing community members to play a key role in shaping the grants that come into their neighborhoods. Since joining the nonprofit in 2013, Clarke applied this grantmaking model in a couple of education and justice-based initiatives – and funders took notice. In recognition of its novel approach, the foundation received the 2015 Impact Award from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.

Susan Stamler, executive director of United Neighborhood Houses – a federation of settlement houses and community centers that serves more than 750,000 New Yorkers every year – uses her political influence to advocate for funding for issues like early voting, homelessness services and youth summer camps. Stamler, who came to lead UNH in 2015 with more than 35 years of experience in advocacy, received recognition for her work leading a national campaign for juvenile justice reform in her previous role as a senior vice president at M+R Strategic Services.

Correction: An earlier version of this profile contained an incorrect budget figure.

When Services for the UnderServed organized a reading of the Greek tragedy "Philoctetes" last year, CEO Donna Colonna described the event as an effort to draw a parallel between the ancient drama and the experiences of homeless individuals in New York City today. Last year, Colonna received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Autism Spectrum News and Behavioral Health News for her advocacy work on behalf of people with disabilities and people living in poverty.