October 16, 2019

UM Global Headquarters• 100 W 33rd St, 8th Floor Cafe • 6:00-8:00pm 

The JAR Forum serves to create dialogue and spark change by bringing together community leaders, city government officials, nonprofit staff, academics, and other important stakeholders to discuss issues of safety and wellbeing in NYC.

Join us for an evening of facilitated conversation around safety issues disproportionately faced by women. Hear from local nonprofits that are working towards a better and safer city for women through female youth empowerment, domestic violence and other gender-based violence prevention and support, ending street safety and harassment, and providing critical services for the homeless. The experts will explore these critical issues through describing the work they are doing and the impact they are making for the wellbeing of women across NYC, the challenges they face, and how we, as collective and individual New Yorkers, can help them in those efforts. 

Voices: 

Yasmeen Hamza, Director of Community Programs, Womankind 

Yasmeen Hamza is Womankind’s  Director of Community Programs  and oversees Womankind’s Community Program division , which encompasses all community based program.  Yasmeen hails from a direct service background, earning her Masters of Social Work from New York University and gathering a breadth of experience in working with both survivors of domestic and sexual violence and on the preventive side of the spectrum.  Her work has centered on outreaching to small, ethnic-immigrant enclaves in New York City and providing culturally-specific services.

Emily May, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Hollaback!

Emily is an international leader in the gender justice movement. In 2005, at the age of 24, she co-founded Hollaback! in New York City, and in 2010 she became its first full-time executive director.

Under her leadership, the organization has scaled to over 20 cities in 15 countries, and launched HeartMob, Hollaback! is a global people-powered movement to end harassment -- in all its forms. Emily believes that by having each others backs in deep and meaningful ways, we can disrupt cycles of hate and create a world where everyone has the right to feel safe and confident.  

Emily has a Master’s Degree in Social Policy from the London School of Economics, is an Ashoka Fellow, a Prime Movers Fellow, and has won over ten awards for her work including the TEDCity 2.0 Prize.

Delores Druilhet Morton, CEO, Step Up

Delores Druilhet Morton is the chief executive officer of Step Up, the nonprofit that works with high school girls in after-school and weekend programs on becoming confident, college-bound, career-focused, and ready to join the next generation of professional women.

Delores is an accomplished nonprofit executive with 20 years of experience designing and leading creative enterprises that make a lasting difference. Prior to joining Step Up in 2019, she served as vice president for the West region of City Year. In that role, Delores was responsible for a $30 million annual budget, a staff of 177 nonprofit professionals, and nearly 800 AmeriCorps members.

Before City Year, Delores was the chief program officer for Points of Light, where she designed and delivered programs that mobilized thousands of volunteers to meet education, economic opportunity, emergency response and preparedness needs in communities. She helped Fortune 500 companies drive their philanthropic platforms, including L’Oreal’s Women of Worth and Walt Disney Company’s Give A Day Get a Disney Day, and was honored by President Barack Obama as a 2012 Champion of Change.

A Louisiana native, Delores now resides in the Los Angeles area and is based in Step Up’s national office in downtown Los Angeles. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature and a graduate degree in human resource management.

Manisha Shah, Senior Director, Crime Victims Assistance Program, Safe Horizon 

Manisha Shah, LMSW, is a Senior Director with Safe Horizon’s Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP). She possesses more than 18 years of experience within diverse victim services settings in New York City. At Safe Horizon, she plays an instrumental leadership role within the agency’s newest and now largest program, CVAP. This innovative effort places domestic violence and crime victim advocates within every New York Police Department precinct, offering trauma-informed support to tens of thousands of victims each year.

Manisha previously oversaw shelter services for survivors of domestic violence in the Bronx at the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, and she planned and executed a first-of-its-kind initiative to support immigrant survivors of sexual and domestic violence at Manavi & Christ Hospital. In various capacities, Manisha has worked with domestic violence and sexual assault survivors providing crisis intervention, advocacy case management and counseling to empower them on their journeys to safety.

Dr. Darlene Williams, Chief Program Officer, Win (Women in Need)

Dr. Darlene Williams is an executive and community leader, agent of change, author, professor, and unwavering advocate for issues related to social injustice, inequity, disparities and the community. She currently serves as the founding Chief Program Officer at Women in Need (Win) overseeing Win’s extensive programmatic portfolio of transitional homeless shelters and supportive housing facilities across New York City as well as their associated programs and mental health services. Her previous roles include Assistant Commissioner at the NYC Department of Veterans Services (DVS), and executive positions at the NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS), and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).

She is author of FPS: Freedom Positioning System, a spiritual roadmap to mental health wellness, and Associate Adjunct Professor of Diversity & Health Disparities at Long Island University Brooklyn Campus. Dr. Williams earned her PhD in Public Policy & Administration with honors from Walden University, her Master's Degree in Public Administration from Metropolitan College of NY, and her Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from Audrey Cohen College.

Moderator: 

Allison Arden, Founder and CEO, Soul + Co

Allison Arden is a purpose driven entrepreneur, media executive, advisor and author. She is the Founder and CEO of Soul + Co, helping leaders build companies and cultures fueled by creativity, purpose, well-being, and success. 

Allison spent nearly a decade as publisher of Ad Age, building new businesses and brands to support the journalism critical to an industry undergoing seismic change. She led the brand through the most volatile period in its 80-year history by creating a culture of psychological safety that helped fuel innovation amidst the economic downturn and the digital revolution.

A recognized corporate executive turned entrepreneur, Allison now advises legacy companies and start-ups working to evolve and grow existing brands and bring new products to market.

Allison's first book, The Book of Doing: Everyday Activities to Unlock Creativity and Joy, is for anyone looking to inspire curiosity, reignite passion, and find delight in all they do. She serves as Vice Chair for the John A. Reisenbach Foundation, supporting programs to make New York a safer city, is a member of the American Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement, and a Mentor for BeyondSKU, an accelerator for early stage startups. A three-time New York City marathoner, Allison is a Brooklyn native, now living in Manhattan with her husband, their two children, and their chocolate lab Rosie. 

Free with RSVP to Korenet Brown, Program Officer: forum@reisenbachfoundation.org