Henry Street Settlement opens doors of opportunity for Lower East Side residents and other New Yorkers through social service, arts, and health care programs.
David Garza, President & CEO
David Garza has been president & CEO since July 2010. He joined Henry Street’s Workforce Development Center in 2001 and was promoted to its chief administrator in 2005. Prior to Henry Street, David worked as a retail management executive and an independent producer for film, television, and corporate marketing projects. David is a graduate of Harvard College and the Institute for Not-for-Profit Management at Columbia Business School. He serves on the executive committee of the board of directors for the New York City Employment and Training Coalition, on the external advisory board of the Dalio Center for Health Justice of NewYork-Presbyterian, and on the boards of the Betances Health Center and Citizens Committee for Children. In 2018, he was named by City & State New York to the inaugural Nonprofit Power 50 List. He is also a member of the NYC Regional Economic Development Council and of the Trinity Church Wall Street Neighborhood Council.
Renee Epps, Chief Officer for Facilities and Operations
Renee Epps joined Henry Street in August 2009. She supervises the facilities, business services and information technology departments, and manages Henry Street’s capital projects. Prior to joining the Settlement, Epps spent 17 years at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, where she most recently served as Executive Vice President. A graduate of the University of Kansas, Epps is active in many professional and civic groups including the Municipal Arts Society.
Kristin Hertel, Vice President for Health and Wellness
Kristin Hertel is responsible for primary and behavioral health services at the Settlement. Hertel, who joined Henry Street 23 years ago, graduated from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany with a degree in social work and obtained a Postmasters Certificate in advanced clinical work from the Hunter College School of Social Work.
Barbara Kancelbaum, Vice President for Marketing & Communications
Barbara Kancelbaum joined Henry Street in 2018. She is responsible for branding, publications, and media relations. Previously, Barbara worked with multiple nonprofits, including several universities and foundations, as a writer, editor, and strategic communications consultant in the areas of health care, social justice, and law. A former communications director of Doctors Without Borders, she has a B.A. from Northwestern and M.S. in journalism from Columbia University.
Josephine C. Lume, Chief Financial Officer
Josephine Lume is responsible for the agency’s finances and business systems. She joined Henry Street in 2002 as Controller, bringing 16 years of finance experience to the Settlement. A graduate of Pace University, she is a Certified Public Accountant.
Matthew Phifer, Vice President for Education & Employment Services
Matthew Phifer’s passion for social services began in 1999 at Binghamton University. Upon graduation he joined the Henry Street Settlement as a Case Manager for the New Beginnings Alternative High School at the Boys and Girls Republic. He was responsible for counseling youth with severe attendance issues and one-year suspensions, as well as providing referrals and managing academic interventions with students. During his tenure at Henry Street Matt worked as the coordinator for the Summer Youth Employment Program, Director of Adolescent Education Services, and eventually Director of Education Services where he oversaw Henry Street’s adolescent, early childhood and after-school elementary educational services, which provide results-driven academic enrichment programming to more than 2000 youth annually. In his previous role as CollegeSpring’s New York Executive Director, he oversaw partnership development, fundraising, site management, and program execution. Matthew holds two BAs in Africana Studies and Sociology, as well as a Masters in Social Science with a concentration in Public Administration.
Jeremy Reiss, Executive Vice President–Partnerships and Innovation
Jeremy Reiss joined Henry Street in March 2013. His responsibilities include creating opportunities for programmatic resources development, attracting financial support, maximizing the contributions of volunteers and advancing public policy agendas. A graduate of Wesleyan University, he also has a master’s degree in social policy and planning from the London School of Economics. He most recently served as the Vice President of Communications and External Affairs at East River Development Alliance and was also a member of its Board of Directors. He also served on the Urban Policy and Labor/Employment Advisory Committees for President Obama’s 2008 election campaign.
Ali Rosa-Salas, Vice President, Visual and Performing Arts
As an interdisciplinary curator at Abrons, including serving as the center’s artistic director for the past two years, Ali has contributed powerfully to the programming that has taken on an increasingly community-oriented focus during her tenure. In collaboration with the entire Abrons team, she has played a key role in helping to create the tremendous momentum that the arts center is now experiencing. Ali’s artistic and curatorial vision is reflected in such successful initiatives as Rainbow Shoe Repair and the Matriarchs of NYCHA; dance performances like that of Jerron Herman that have brought both diverse representation and critical acclaim to our center; La Residencia, an artist residency program with Pública Espacio in San Juan, Puerto Rico; residencies by local artists; and of course Dick Rivington and the Cat!.
Jan Rose, Chief People Officer
Jan joined Henry Street in July 2018 and leads our Talent Development Initiative. Having been most recently a partner in AchieveMission, a nonprofit leadership-development and talent-management organization, Jan has more than 25 years of experience strengthening organizational effectiveness in nonprofit and for-profit settings. Previously, she worked in talent management at Mercer and Aon Hewitt, both global consulting firms. She has performed extensive volunteer and pro bono service; working at Henry Street fulfills a life-long dream of applying her talent-management skills to our mission. Jan has a B.A. Economics and M.B.A. in Industrial Relations from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Ellen Schneiderman, Vice President for Special Events and Individual Giving
Ellen Schneiderman, who joined Henry Street as a grant writer in 2007, assumed the newly created position of Deputy Development Officer, Special Events and Individual Giving in July 2013. In her new role, she manages a comprehensive program to attract gifts through direct solicitations, special events, sponsorship and planned giving. Previously at Henry Street, she focused on institutional giving for the Abrons Arts Center and complex government social service proposals. She is a graduate of Brown University with a degree in visual arts and community health.