Robyn has worked at CDF-NY since 2002. As Director of Development, Robyn is responsible for raising our nearly $2 million budget. She is charged with leading the development of resources and relationships to fund, further and strengthen CDF-NY’s agenda. Additionally, she leads CDF-NY’s Beat The Odds® Program working with advocates, educators and Board members to select and honor NYC public high school students with college scholarships. Robyn has more than 13 years development experience and, prior to her move to the nonprofit sector, taught 7th-grade language arts in the South Bronx and worked in corporate communications at an advertising agency. Robyn is a member of the Friends Committee of the Cornelia Connelly Center which works to transform the lives of the city’s most vulnerable girls through holistic education and comprehensive support. Robyn is a former Advisory Council Member and Vice President of the Children’s Aid Society and former Junior Board President of the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families.

Olga started her career in the Office of the Manhattan Borough President. When David Dinkins was elected mayor, she transitioned to a position with his newly created Mayor's Office for Children and Families, where she worked until being asked to serve as the mayor's secretary - a position she held through the remainder of his term and into the next administration. Drawing upon her public sector experiences supporting efforts to ever better serve New York's children and families, Olga joined CDF-NY in 1994 as one of the office's first employees. She currently serves as Sr. Manager of Administration. She is responsible for office operations and manages all of CDF-NY's grants, financial accounts, HR and IT responsibilities.

Lorraine has been working in the arena of public health for the past 11 years, focusing on initiatives to provide access to affordable, quality health care for children and families, while ending racial and ethnic disparities in the health care system. In her role as the Director of Health Policy of the Children’s Defense Fund-New York (CDF-NY), Lorraine leads the office’s policy analysis, advocacy, technical assistance, outreach and education efforts around ensuring access to affordable, quality health care for all children in New York State. Prior to her role at CDF-NY, Lorraine managed public health coalitions, social service programs, and mental health services at The Children’s Aid Society and The Institute for Family Health. Ms. Gonzalez is a former Board Member of the New York City Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, and an active, current member of the New York State Coalition for School-based Health Centers.

Melanie leads the Children’s Defense Fund-New York office and brings extensive knowledge and expertise of policy development and analysis and advocacy in the not-for-profit and government sectors to the organization’s efforts to improve outcomes for New York’s children through research, public education, and community organizing and advocacy. Prior to joining CDF-NY, Melanie was appointed the Family Services Coordinator in the New York City Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services where she oversaw several city agencies responsible for the delivery of human services and justice programs. She also served as project director for the Young Men’s Initiative, a bold and innovative public/private partnership aimed at reducing disparities between the economic and social outcomes of young men of color and other demographic groups in New York City. Before joining the Mayor’s Office, Melanie was the deputy commissioner for early childhood services at New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services. Melanie also led a social services unit in the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget, and was director of policy and advocacy for the Human Services Council of New York City, Inc. She has a Master of Science degree from the New School’s Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy and Bachelor of Arts from Eckerd College.

Erin is a recent graduate of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and has a Masters in Health Promotion from Indiana University, the combination of which led her to pursue a career in Health Policy. During law school, Erin represented low-income clients in administrative and housing matters through her participation in the Bet Tzedek Legal Services Clinic. She also worked for Volunteers of Legal Service, advocating for the rights of New Yorkers denied unemployment insurance benefits. Erin’s commitment to public service began before law school when she worked for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training program, assisting participants with fundraising to help find a cure for blood cancers. Erin is also a member of the Junior Board of the Center for Family Representation and volunteers regularly at Bottomless Closet. In her free time, Erin enjoys biking around Brooklyn and learning Spanish.

Jaime is the Director of Youth & Education Justice at CDF-NY. In this role, she supports the efforts of CDF-NY’s Youth Justice team, focused on ensuring meaningful education and juvenile justice reforms. Jaime has experience in the fields of child welfare and public education, alumni relations, and fundraising/development. While living in Honduras from 2001 - 2003, Jaime founded BECA, a nonprofit organization committed to collaborating with local communities in providing community-run, BECA-staffed and resourced bilingual schools. In addition to her nonprofit management and education experience with BECA, Jaime served as Chief of Staff for the Executive Deputy Commissioner of New York City's Administration for Children's Services. During her time with Children's Services she managed over $3.5 million dollars in grants; was nominated for the selective NYC Management Academy and served as the agency's liaison to a not-for-profit that supports the needs of young people in foster care. In 2007, Jaime was selected as a New York City Education Pioneers Fellow. Jaime has a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), with a concentration in Economic and Political Development. At Columbia University she was awarded the Harvey Picker Prize for Public Service for her demonstrated commitment to serving others.

Elizabeth recently joined Children’s Defense Fund New York as our Senior Juvenile Justice Policy Associate. Beth comes to CDF-NY by way of The Legal Aid Society where she worked as a forensic social worker alongside attorneys representing children in New York City’s Family Court in both Brooklyn and the Bronx. Most recently, she worked on class action law suits on behalf of children in the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice systems as part of The Legal Aid Society’s Special Litigation and Law Reform Unit. Beth earned her Master’s in Social Work degree from Fordham University in 2008, specializing in research. She completed her Master’s Thesis as an intern for the Department of Health, analyzing a pilot mental health treatment modality for inmates held in punitive segregation at Rikers Island. Beth is an active volunteer in her community. For the past 5 years she has volunteered for Right Rides, providing free late night safe rides home to women and members of the LGBT community. She is also an active volunteer and core member of Earth Matter, an environmental non-profit dedicated to reducing the waste stream in New York City.