March Edition 2011 - New York Nonprofit Press

18 New York Nonprofit Press www.nynp.biz March 2011
PEOPLE SERVING PEOPLE
Elijah New Executive Director
at Correctional Association
Guevara Named ED for NY
at Peace First
J. Soffiyah Elijah has
been appointed to be the new
Executive Director of the
Correctional Association of
New York.
An accomplished advocate,
scholar and educator,
Elijah brings decades of
experience addressing the
urgent needs of the marginalized,
silenced and indigent
people in our criminal and
juvenile justice systems. “I
am deeply honored by the J. Soffiyah Elijah
opportunity to lead this vitally
important organization with such a rich and
accomplished history,” says Elijah, who will serve
as the Association’s first African-American executive
director.
Elijah comes to the Correctional Association
from the Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard Law
School, where she has been a clinical instructor
for the past 11 years and the Deputy Director for
the past eight years. At the Institute, she trained
hundreds of law students to become effective and
ethical lawyers and to engage in local and national
reform of criminal and juvenile justice policies.
A native New Yorker, Elijah practiced criminal
and family law in New York City for more than
20 years. Before moving to Harvard, she was a
member of the faculty and Director and supervising
attorney of the Defender Clinic at the City University
of New York School of Law. She was a
supervising attorney at the Neighborhood Defender
Service of Harlem, where she defended indi-
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gent members of the Harlem
community, and worked as a
staff attorney for the Juvenile
Rights Division of the Legal
Aid Society.
Peter Cobb, Chair of
the Correctional Association,
calls her “a passionate advocate
for social justice who
uses her remarkable skills and
intellect to promote equality
and fairness for all people—
especially people in prison.
In Soffiyah, we have found a
thoughtful, deeply dedicated
and visionary leader who is the right person to
lead the CA into the future. I am looking forward
to working with her in the years to come.”
Elijah will join the staff of the Correctional
Association on March 14, 2011. She will succeed
Robert Gangi, who has served as Executive
Director since 1983. During Gangi’s 29-year
tenure, the Correctional Association has grown
into a powerful and effective multi-million dollar
advocacy organization. “At the heart of the Correctional
Association’s mission is promoting the
inherent dignity of all people. Soffiyah is deeply
committed to this principle and to the mission
and values of all the CA’s projects. I am gratified
to pass along the responsibility for guiding
the organization’s vital activities to an individual
whose abilities and world view so imminently
qualify her for the task,” says Gangi.
“I am grateful for Bob’s tremendous contribution
to the Correctional Association and for his
warm and receptive support in assuring a smooth
transition,” said Elijah.
Honored by the Massachusetts chapter
of the National Lawyers Guild in 2010, Elijah
has dedicated her life to human rights and
social activism. She is a recognized national
and international authority on human rights issues
and has served as a justice on several people’s
tribunals focused on the government’s
response to Hurricane Katrina, the testing of
bombs in Vieques, Puerto Rico, and conditions
of confinement. A highly respected scholar,
she has authored several articles and publications
on U.S. criminal and juvenile justice
policy and prison conditions and is a frequent
presenter at national and international forums.
Elijah earned her Bachelor of Arts from
Cornell University and Juris Doctorate from
Wayne State University Law School.
“Ms. Elijah has dedicated her life to public
service and addressing the ills and inequities in
the criminal justice system. I have been very fortunate
to draw on her skills and passions for the
past decade,” says Professor Charles J. Ogletree,
Jr., Director Emeritus of the Criminal Justice Institute
at Harvard Law School and Executive Director
of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute
for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School.
“Leading the Correctional Association is a
life’s aspiration come true for me,” says Elijah.
“I look forward to partnering with the CA’s talented
board and staff to engage a new generation
of advocates and supporters in the national and
local conversations about the impact of prisons
and incarceration on our society.”
Alicia Guevara has been
named as the new Executive
Director for New York at
Peace First. Formerly known
as Peace Games, Peace First
aims to create a generation of
morally engaged young people
with the ability and inclination
to create positive social change
in their schools and neighborhoods.
Guevara will be responsible
for building, growing
and sustaining New York
Alicia Guevara
operations, including securing
local fundraising, maintaining strong school partnerships,
and ensuring excellent program delivery
across our New York City partner schools.
Peace First is a national non-profit organization
that works with schools in Boston, Los
Angeles, and New York to empower children,
as young as four years old, with the skills to
become peacemakers in their schools and communities.
Through Peace First, children are
empowered to speak up, to include others, to
make positive decisions, and to solve problems
at school and in the community through service
learning projects.
“Peace First is dedicated to working with
teachers and administrators to give students the
essential tools of conflict resolution, communication,
and civic-engagement,” says Eric D.
Dawson, president of Peace First. “Alicia will
spearhead our efforts to bring these vital skills to
more New York City students.”
Guevara joins Peace First during a time of
growth and change, as the organization partners
with four new schools in the New York region
this year: PS 64, PS 335, PS 189, and MS 584. In
Fazio New CFO at GMHC
David Fazio has joined
Gay Men’s Health Crisis
(GMHC) as Chief Financial
Officer. He has served as interim
CFO since September.
For over 20 years, David Fazio
has worked to improve and
strengthen New York City’s
not-for-profit and government
agencies. As a Client Manager
with BTQ Financial, Fazio
David Fazio
has served as CFO for several
social and health services agencies. He specializes
in fiscal oversight for housing programs serving
underserved and vulnerable populations and for
social services and health services programming
targeting low-income children and families. He
has served as interim CFO for Gay Men’s Health
Crisis since September 13, 2010.
Prior to BTQ, Fazio founded a consulting
company to provide individual and team consulting
services to organizations and government
agencies. He was also the Chief Financial Officer
for Common Ground Community and the Children’s
Aid Society, one of the largest and highest
rated non-for-profits offering the full spectrum of
support services to New York’s children. From
addition, Peace First continues
its work with the students,
teachers, and staff at PS 84.
“Peace First was founded
on the belief that young
people have the power and
responsibility to change the
world as problem solvers and
peace makers” says Guevara.
“As the New York Executive
Director of Peace First, I am
honored and inspired to lead
this critical effort that builds
effective school climates and
provides access for nurturing our children’s
cooperation, communication and conflict resolution
skills in order to unleash their potential
as civically engaged peacemakers and problem
solvers in communities where they live and
learn across this City. “
Guevara brings to Peace First over 15
years of experience in the areas of nonprofit
leadership, policy and business development,
and fundraising. Most recently, as the Director
of Development at the Osborne Association, an
organization providing individuals and families
with prison and community-based programs
for reform and rehabilitation, Guevara led program-driven
fundraising operations and created
innovative, evidence-based programs and thriving
advocacy projects. She has also worked as
a consultant to community-based organizations,
advising in the areas of strategic planning, organization
and board development, program design,
and fund development. Guevara received
a B.A. in Political Science and History from
Columbia University.
Photo credit: Stephan Pacheco
1989 to 2001, Fazio held several
important roles in New York City
government. As Chief Financial
Officer for the Administration
for Children’s Services (ACS),
he managed the agency’s $2.4
billion annual budget and as
Deputy Commissioner at ACS,
he oversaw all of the City’s
publicly-funded child care and
Head Start programs. Prior to his
tenure with ACS, Fazio served as
Budget Director for the Department of Homeless
Services and as Supervising Budget Analyst
for NYC Office of Management and Budget.
Fazio attended the University of North
Carolina Chapel Hill and received a Bachelor
of Arts in English and earned a Master of Public
Policy from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy
School of Government. He serves as the
Board Treasurer for the National LGBT Cancer
Network and has remained throughout the years
a community advocate for better child care services,
improved mental health and substance
abuse treatment, and more informed HIV/AIDS
and cancer research.