For Immediate Release:
January 10, 2022
Contact:
Rachel Noerdlinger, rnoerdlinger@actumllc.com
Emma Brodsky, ebrodsky@actumllc.com
FPWA APPOINTS RAYSA S. RODRIGUEZ AS NEW CHIEF PROGRAM AND POLICY OFFICER
FPWA is pleased to welcome Raysa S. Rodriguez to our team as our new Chief Program and Policy Officer.
“Dismantling the structural inequities that are woven into the systems intended to support New Yorkers has been my life’s work,” says Ms. Rodriguez. “I consider it a great privilege to join FPWA at a time when racial justice and equity are so urgently needed, and I am humbled by the opportunity to serve the nonprofits that are in this fight, day in and day out, on behalf of New Yorkers.”
“I’m thrilled Raysa is joining our team at a critical time for our city and country. This moment is ripe for real change and her commitment to achieving greater, sustainable impact for individuals, families and communities who are challenged to get ahead here in New York City is crucial as we fight to come back stronger from the pandemic,” says Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and Executive Director, FPWA.
As Chief Program and Policy Officer, Raysa will strategically lead the development, implementation and evaluation of all policy, advocacy, research, and programmatic activity working with multiple stakeholders in the community and human services sector. She will also lead the organization’s nonprofit programming and capacity building.
Raysa brings more than twenty years of experience in government and nonprofit leadership and service to this role. Most recently, Raysa served as Associate Executive Director for Policy & Advocacy at Citizens’ Committee for Children, an independent child advocacy organization working to ensure all children are healthy, housed, educated and safe.
Some of her most notable accomplishments include successfully advocating for city legislation that raises the value of rent subsidies to dramatically increase the availability of affordable and permanent housing for families; improving education equity for students in temporary housing with expanded city-level funding; and effectively advocating for youth justice reform with state legislation that ends the arrest and prosecution of children under 12. While at Win, the city’s largest provider of family shelter and supportive housing, Raysa led the development of performance metrics to enhance service delivery and successfully expanded the organization’s focus on client-centered approaches including trauma-informed care to better meet the needs of families with children. During Mayor Bloomberg’s administration, she served as Senior Advisor on Children’s Issues for the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, supporting strategies aimed at reducing poverty and strengthening early care and education.
Raysa earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development from Cornell University and a Master of Social Work from Columbia University, where she is an Adjunct Professor.
About FPWA
This year FPWA, an anti-poverty policy and advocacy organization committed to advancing economic opportunity and upward mobility for low-income New Yorkers, is celebrating 100 years of fighting for equity and justice. FPWA has long served New York City’s human services sector, providing grants to help individuals and families meet their basic needs, and advocating for fair public policies on behalf of people in need and the agencies that serve them. FPWA’s member network of 170 human-service and faith-based organizations reach more than 1.5 million people in New York’s communities each year. Join us at fpwa.org, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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