Women's History Spotlight

DYCD Women's History Spotlight

In Celebration of Women's History Month we shine a spotlight on some remarkable and hardworking women within the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD).

Gloria Chin

Gloria Chin, the Chief of Staff at NYC’s Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), is a passionate leader who understands the power of positive interventions for young people. Growing up in The Bronx, she saw countless friends and family members fall into cycles of violence, addiction, and poverty. Her life changed when a high school guidance counselor gave her the support that she needed to complete the college application process, allowing her to attend Fordham university on an almost full scholarship. Gloria shared part of this experience in an Op-Ed she wrote while in graduate school which was published in the New York Daily News, emphasizing the important role that guidance counselors can play in supporting inner city youth. She began her career in broadcast television, and eventually pivoted into public relations roles at nationally recognized organizations and government agencies. She served as press secretary to the Mayor of Austin, Texas, leading his covid-19 response and shaped his branding as a national thought leader in the space before returning to New York to serve as Deputy Communications Director for Mayor Eric Adams. As Chief of Staff at DYCD, she helps to inspire change, liaises with partners locally and nationally, and advocates for equity to help lift others out of challenging environments like the one that she experienced growing up.

Ebony Jordan-Wilson

Ebony Jordan-Wilson is Assistant Commissioner for Community Development at the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). She has responsibility for the management, operational planning, coordination, and implementation of neighborhood-focused community development programs that provide services to adolescents, adults, and older adults. Target populations for these programs range from in-school high school students, to budding entrepreneurs and seniors living in NYC Housing Authority buildings. Across her more than quarter-century of operational experience, Ebony has a proven track record of meeting and exceeding goals and objectives, and successfully established and maintained a creative and collaborative work environment with both internal and external stakeholders. In addition to being a Certified Community Action Professional (CCAP) candidate, Ebony is a nationally certified Results Oriented Management & Accountability (ROMA) trainer, Family Development Credential graduate, and certified instructor. Additionally, she is a Prosci Change Practitioner, certified to drive change success by preparing, equipping, and supporting individuals to thrive through change. Ebony is a proactive problem solver who continually looks for ways to develop the talents of her team.

Angelina Martinez-Rubio

Angelina Martinez-Rubio, the Executive Change Manager and Special Counsel to the Commissioner at NYC’s Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), boasts extensive familiarity with city government, cultivated through her tenure across various municipal agencies. She started her career as Associate General Counsel for the NYC Department of Buildings in 2005 after completing a prestigious post-graduate fellowship on City government at New York Law School’s Center for New York City Law. Over her career, she has worked in senior roles for the city’s Department of Transportation, the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, the New York City Council, and as General Counsel for former Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. In her current role, she uses her experience to navigate relationships between DYCD and the many governmental and nonprofit partners that make the agency’s work possible. Her responsibilities include overseeing DYCD’s Intergovernmental Affairs unit and Legal unit, which plays a significant role in executing the over $1 billion in agency contracts that provide essential services to youth, families, and communities, including afterschool programs, shelter for homeless youth, workforce training, and literacy education. In addition to her legal skills, Angelina is also a dancer who uses her talents to give back to the community. She works as a part-time ballet and yoga instructor for the nonprofit YAI, where she delivers classes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Nevita Bailey

Nevita Bailey is an Associate Commissioner and Chief Financial Officer at the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). She leads and supports the management, operational planning, coordination, and implementation of financial and budget contracting policies of DYCD. Nevita played a major role in the city’s Clear the Backlog initiative, which freed up billions of dollars for nonprofits to provide high-quality services for New Yorkers. Nevita began her career in City government at the Office of Management and Budget, where she managed the Medicaid budget during implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and has risen to her current role through her unwavering dedication to collaboration and fostering a positive and productive environment where everyone’s contributions are valued. Nevita’s commitment to excellence has allowed DYCD to succeed “in the trenches” and at a strategic level due to her expertise in both financial and policy work. Nevita is at the forefront of her field, ensuring that DYCD programs flourish and remain on solid fiscal and contractual footing, as well as shepherding the agency through critical Citywide changes such as the transition to PASSPort to streamline the city’s contracting process.

Denise Ramirez

As the Associate Commissioner for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), Denise Ramirez works across the agency to evaluate DYCD’s investments and identify opportunities to increase access to underserved communities. Since joining DYCD in January 2023, she has made significant strides to improve and modernize the agency’s data collection and analysis processes. Denise spearheaded the use of geographic information software to help visualize and analyze DYCD programs and services, which stretch across the five boroughs and serve over 300,000 people each year. The results of this analysis are used to identify gaps and opportunities, and influence decision making. She and her team also develop maps to support community outreach and discussions with stakeholders. They have prioritized map analysis in the six police precincts in the city with the highest number of recorded shootings, and their work is helping to guide investment in DYCD’s Office of Neighborhood Safety programs, which aim to prevent violence through street-level violence intervention, supportive services for at-risk youth, and coalition-building among residents and community leaders. In addition to her work for the community, Denise also launched a mentorship program for DYCD staff. The program aims to help the agency build and retain high quality leaders who are adaptable, and who inspire, motivate, and guide others to produce tangible results.

Susan Haskell

For over 30 years, Susan Haskell has been serving the youth of New York City in many capacities. She began her career as a math teacher, but in 1996, she plunged into the nonprofit world at the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, where she served as Vice President for Youth Services. Susan began her city career as the Assistant Commissioner of Vulnerable Youth Programs at the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) in 2005. In 2011, she returned to the nonprofit human services realm at the University Settlement for a stint as the Director of the Houston Street Center. In her current role as the Deputy Commissioner for Youth Services at DYCD, Susan has helped to develop and improve programs that support the well-being of youth. Her work expanding DYCD’s continuum of Runaway and Homeless Youth services has won her admiration from colleagues, and she continues to work for better services for vulnerable and at-risk youth. She also helped to develop DYCD’s SONYC afterschool program for middle schoolers, which includes educational enrichment, social support, and life skills coaching, as well as the Summer Rising initiative. Susan worked to incorporate cutting-edge research on social-emotional development into these programs, and she also helped DYCD to develop stronger relationships with its school-based partners. She is continually at the forefront of youth advocacy in New York City, and she is constantly looking for ways to innovate and improve services for young people in need.

Denice Williams

Denice Williams is a Deputy Commissioner at the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). Denice started her long career in nonprofits and public service as the first consultant of color at the Community Resource Exchange. When she joined DYCD in 2005, her strong vision and leadership skills quickly made her a formidable force at the agency. She oversaw a $254 million investment as the Assistant Commissioner for the Comprehensive Afterschool System of NYC (COMPASS,) and launched 271 new programs before taking over as the head of the newly created bureau of Planning, Program Integration, and Evaluation (PPIE) in 2015. In this role, Denice helped to develop a new web-based-evaluation system that streamlined the agency’s contracting process, establishing greater transparency and consistency between DYCD and its many community-based partners. She is dedicated to helping the agency fulfill its mission of alleviating the effects of poverty and allowing communities to flourish, with a focus on racial, gender, and economic justice. She is known by her colleagues as a mentor, a strategic thinker, and a dedicated, compassionate public servant.