Bridge Partners Recruits CEO for Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City
September 18, 2020 – New York City-based Bridge Partners has placed Derrick Griggs and the new CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City (NHSNYC). Partner Toya Lawson led the assignment along with co-founder and partner Tory Clarke.
“We are pleased to successfully recruit a seasoned leader such as Mr. Griggs to lead NHSNYC,” said David S. Bagatelle, board president. “Our entire organization welcomes his expertise and vision. We wish to thank the NHSNYC leadership team and entire staff for their dedication not only during this interim period but also during the global COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “I also want to thank our board, the CEO search committee and Bridge Partners for a successful search that resulted in a phenomenal next leader at NHSNYC.”
Mr. Griggs is an experienced executive with demonstrated success in management, organizational development, strategic planning, corporate restructuring, real estate development and asset management. He brings to the role deep experience in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. He joins NHSNYC from Affordable Housing Alliance in Eatontown, NJ, where he served as chief operating officer. Previously, he was real estate director at HANDS Inc. Prior to that, he served as director of financial global operations at Cendant Corp.
As CEO of NHSNYC, Mr. Griggs will provide direction and leadership for the organization’s mission and vision, communicate the goals of the organization both internally and externally, and oversee the organization’s strategic plan, programs and initiatives.
“I am excited to step into the role of CEO at NHSNYC,” said Mr. Griggs. “NHSNYC has a long history of providing quality affordable housing options to families and individuals in New York City. The team and I will build upon the organization’s strong history and brand recognition to expand the products and services offered to our clients and stakeholders. Our goal is to make NHSNYC the leading CDFI in the New York City Metropolitan area,” he said.
NHSNYC is a federally certified community development financial institution (CDFI), a housing counseling agency certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and a chartered member of NeighborWorks America. Through financial empowerment and affordable lending, NHSNYC enables individuals and families to invest in, preserve and improve their neighborhoods, their homes and their future. Working in partnership with the private sector, government agencies and local residents and businesses, NHSNYC offers a range of services based on the needs of each individual community they serve, to support the attainment and sustainability of homeownership for underserved New Yorkers.
Respected Recruiters
Bridge Partners is a certified minority supplier and a minority business enterprise. Based in New York, with offices in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago and Boston, the firm has completed higher education/academia senior leadership searches for roles such as head of human resources, head of finance, head of audit and deans. Its non-profit clients include non-profit and for-profit clients include the Denver Housing Authority, Women In Need, TIAA-CREF, Freddie Mac, Accion, Colgate-Palmolive, YWCA, Starbucks, The Federal Reserve System and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Ms. Lawson has 20 years of experience working in retained and contingency search, corporate human resources/talent acquisition and staffing agency recruitment environments. She partners with non-profit and for-profit (multiple sectors) clients, with a particular expertise in conducting chief financial officer, chief accounting officer, controller, VP finance and VP financial planning and analysis searches. Before joining Bridge Partners, Ms. Lawson was a managing director at Philadelphia-based boutique Attolon Partners, focusing on the placement of senior-level accounting and finance professionals.
Ms. Clarke supports senior global search assignments for private sector, public sector and international non-profit/social venture clients, across all functions. A 20-year veteran of the executive search industry, she has recruited diverse executives, including CEO/presidents and their leadership teams, at both head office and regional locations around the globe.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media