New Leader Brings Extensive Advocacy and Philanthropic Leadership to $150+ Million Organization’s Effort to Combat Poverty and Address Homelessness and Mental Health Crises in New York Area.
NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2023 — Volunteers of America-Greater New York’s (VOA-GNY) Board of Directors today announced Jeffrey R. Ginsburg, M.P.A, a highly experienced nonprofit leader, policy advocate and educator, will join the organization as its new President and CEO effective March 1, 2024. Noelle Withers, VOA-GNY’s Executive Vice President and Chief Program Officer and a 20-year veteran of the organization, will serve as Acting President and CEO until Mr. Ginsburg’s arrival.
Mr. Ginsburg’s appointment comes as the organization has been further innovating and quickly expanding its reach to address the growing homelessness and other challenges facing the New York region. VOA-GNY’s nearly 1,000 employees work year-round to support over 30,000 adults and children across 65+ programs in New York City, Westchester County, and Northern New Jersey. Each year, the organization deploys its $150+ million budget through multiple critical programs to address the homelessness and mental health crises facing the region.
“After a thorough search, we are pleased to welcome Jeff as our new President and CEO. Together with the existing extremely talented leadership team, including Noelle, we know Jeff will continue to build upon the organization’s success and innovations, even in the face of unprecedented challenges. He is the perfect person to lead our organization and accomplished team,” said Gerry Cunningham, Chair of the VOA-GNY Board of Directors. “His creativity, vision, values, deep advocacy experience and relationships across New York and beyond will be an enormous asset and further strengthen VOA-GNY’s critical services to the region’s most vulnerable populations.”
“I am deeply honored to join the extraordinary VOA-GNY team and grateful to the leaders, staff and Board for this opportunity,” said Mr. Ginsburg. “Given the urgent crisis facing thousands of adults and families, I look forward to working with VOA-GNY’s team and clients to ensure we continue to expand proven strategies that directly support our fellow community members in need.”
VOA-GNY will continue to work in close partnership with government officials, community leaders, philanthropists and clients to further extend its proven approaches to providing supportive housing, affordable housing, trauma-informed health services, early education, street-to-home interventions and generational wealth-building.
Since 2008, Mr. Ginsburg has been CEO of East Harlem Tutorial Program (EHTP) and CEO and Co-Founder of East Harlem Scholars Academies, where he led 15 years of extraordinary expansion, including the launch of five new schools and construction of new facilities. He also helped launch the East Harlem Teaching Residency in 2014, in partnership with Hunter College. From 2015-2020, he led the “Campaign for East Harlem,” raising more than $100 million and building East Harlem’s first new public high school building in 60 years. In these roles Mr. Ginsburg has been supporting homeless or formerly homeless families and addressing systematic inequities.
Mr. Ginsburg is a recognized advocate for racial and economic justice, as well as a champion for expanding mental health services. In 2021, New York Theological Seminary named Mr. Ginsburg a “Restorative Essential Angel,” and he received the prestigious McSilver Award for Social Justice from New York University’s School of Social Work in 2023.
In her current role, Ms. Withers oversees more than 65 programs and close to 900 program employees that serve more than 30,000 adults and children annually, including through Operation Backpack®. She currently oversees VOA-GNY’s transitional and emergency shelters, domestic violence shelters, permanent supportive and affordable housing, medical and behavioral health services, supervised independent living services for youth, services for adults and children with developmental delays and disabilities, and workforce development programs. Ms. Withers is driving a first-of-its-kind initiative to better identify and address brain injury in domestic violence survivors.
Mr. Ginsburg is a graduate of Trinity College and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and expects to complete his Doctorate from Fordham University in 2024. He serves as a member of the EHTP Leadership Council, the Trinity College Board of Fellows and the Dean’s Council at Columbia University’s School of Social Work.
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About Volunteers of America-Greater New York
Volunteers of America-Greater New York (VOA-GNY) is an anti-poverty organization with a rich 125-year history of serving its neighbors in need. The organization’s vision is fueled by its experience as a leading provider of services to families and individuals experiencing homelessness in the greater New York area. Through more than 65 programs located in New York City, Northern New Jersey, and Westchester County—including emergency shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing—VOA-GNY delivers services to more than 30,000 adults and children annually. It is also the largest provider of residential services for veterans within a coalition that has virtually ended chronic homelessness for veterans in New York City. Recently, the VOA-GNY board of directors adopted a strategic plan with the goal to end homelessness in Greater New York by 2050.
Media Contact:
Rochelle Heinrichs, AVP of Marketing & Communications
rheinrichs@voa-gny.org
646-531-0975