Sarah Ludwig
Sarah Ludwig is NEDAP's founder and co-director. Since launching NEDAP in 1995, she has worked with hundreds of grassroots groups to organize and advocate for neighborhood equity and financial justice, and has spoken frequently at community forums and public hearings on a wide range of economic justice matters. In 2000, Sarah co-founded the coalition, New Yorkers for Responsible Lending, which has secured major state-level policy changes and now includes more than 160 organizational members. Sarah received the 2000 Rockefeller Foundation's Next Generation Leadership fellowship; the 2002 Union Square Award; the Ford Foundation's 2004 Leadership for a Changing World award; New York Lawyers for the Public Interest's 2008 Felix A. Fishman Award; and Chhaya CDC's 2011 Architect of Change award. She served on the Federal Reserve Board's Consumer Advisory Council from 2006-2008, and serves on the boards of directors of the Center for Responsible Lending, Consumer Federation of America, and North Star Fund. Sarah received degrees in law and urban planning from NYU, and since 2003 has taught a course on community equity in NYU's urban planning program.
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 Josh Zinner
Josh Zinner has been a leading advocate for more than a decade on issues related to abusive and discriminatory lending. He joined NEDAP’s staff as Co-Director in December 2007. He has trained numerous attorneys, community advocates, and policy-makers around New York City and State, and is a frequent speaker at conferences and forums. He previously served as long-time Director of the Foreclosure Prevention Project at South Brooklyn Legal Services (SBLS). While at SBLS, Zinner litigated numerous cases in federal and state court, and was at the forefront of policy and advocacy work around abusive lending practices. Before founding the Foreclosure Prevention Project, Zinner worked at Legal Services for the Elderly, where he litigated housing and consumer law cases. Prior to law school, Zinner worked for five years as a social worker, primarily with the homeless. In 2001, Zinner was awarded the Denison Ray Award by the New York State Bar Association, given to a New York State attorney who demonstrates “extraordinary commitment to providing zealous and skilled representation to low income and disadvantaged clients.”
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 Deyanira Del Río
Deyanira Del Río, NEDAP's associate director, has worked for economic justice in immigrant and low income communities since 1997. She leads the NYC Immigrant Financial Justice Network, provides training and strategic support to community groups and community development financial institutions, and recently designed a model revolving loan fund for DREAMers applying for Deferred Action. Deyanira is the board chair of the Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union, and also serves on the boards of directors of the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions and New Immigrant Community Empowerment. She is the recipient of the 2005 Revson Fellowship on the Future of the City of New York; 2007 Coro Immigrant Civic Leadership Program fellowship; 2009 Mujeres Destacadas (Outstanding Women) award from El Diario/La Prensa; and 2012 Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Thought Leader Fellowship from the Insight Center for Community Economic Development.
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 Claudia Wilner
Claudia Wilner joined NEDAP's staff in September 2005 and is a Senior Staff Attorney with NEDAP's Law Project. She directs the NYC Financial Justice Hotline and Consumer Law Clinic. Claudia previously worked as a Skadden Fellow at the Mental Health Project of the Urban Justice Center and as a law clerk for Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She graduated from New York University School of Law in 2002. |
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 Alexis Iwanisziw
Alexis Iwanisziw, NEDAP's Research and Policy Analyst, joined the staff in 2008. She leads NEDAP’s research initiatives and is co-author of several reports, including the "Paying More for the American Dream" series of national fair lending reports. Alexis also staffs NEDAP’s NYC Foreclosure Prevention Gap Loan Program, and coordinates the Insurance Working Group of New Yorkers for Responsible Lending. Alexis completed a master’s degree in Community Organization and Planning at Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work in 2008 and previously worked in the Research and Statistics Group at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
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Susan Shin
Susan Shin joined NEDAP's staff in October 2008 as Staff Attorney with NEDAP's Law Project. She coordinates the Consumer Law Clinic, which provides legal assistance to members of community groups in NYC. Susan previously worked as a Skadden Fellow and Staff Attorney at The Legal Aid Society in New York City. She graduated from New York University School of Law in 2006.
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 Herman De Jesus
Herman De Jesus joined NEDAP's staff as Senior Program Associate, in July 2009. He serves as Paralegal to NEDAP's Law Project, helps manage its NYC Foreclosure Prevention Gap Loan Fund, and works on special research, policy, and advocacy initiatives. Herman previously served as Supervising Paralegal of the Foreclosure Prevention Project at South Brooklyn Legal Services, where he interfaced with hundreds of homeowners, investigated complex predatory mortgage lending cases, negotiated and resolved cases, and worked with attorneys to build cases for litigation in state and federal court.
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 Joby Thoyalil
Joby Thoyalil joined NEDAP's staff as a Program Associate in July 2010. He is responsible for coordinating NEDAP's coalition work and contributing to its media advocacy, web-based communications and community organizing campaigns. He spent four years working at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts Office of Special Programs, most recently as the Assistant Director of Admissions. Joby recently earned his Master's in Public Administration from NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. He previously worked at NEDAP as both a summer intern in 2003, and as a staff member in 2004 and 2005.
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 Monica M. Garcia
Monica M. Garcia began working with NEDAP in 2012 as the Community Education Coordinator. She spent the previous 8 years working on community development issues in a variety of contexts, including food security, education, healthcare and anti-racist youth leadership. She was inspired to pursue community development work as the result of her time as a Peace Corps volunteer in the central African nation of Chad. Monica received her master's degree in Community Organization and Planning at Hunter College School of Social Work.
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Ben Hagen
Ben Hagen began working with NEDAP in 2011. He graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2010 and is currently earning a master's degree in Urban Planning from New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, concentrating on Housing and Economic Development policy. Ben works on various projects at NEDAP, including mapping and video editing.
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 Samuel Oakford
Samuel Oakford joined NEDAP as a Program Associate in June 2012. Among his responsibilities, he conducts community outreach, corporate research, and GIS mapping. A native New Yorker, Samuel first interned at NEDAP during the summer of 2009 and worked in various capacities for a year after graduating college in 2010. He has watched the city change greatly during his lifetime and values efforts to maintain vibrant and varied communities. Samuel attended Binghamton University, where he dual majored in Geography and African Studies. In 2008 he studied Urban Development in Ghana. Sunday Oliseh’s goal against Spain in the 1998 World cup is his favorite. It is his opinion that Sal and Carmine’s has the best pizza in New York.
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 Conchita Campos
Conchita Campos joined NEDAP’s staff in September 2012 after completing her MPA degree at Baruch’s School of Public Affairs. As Office and Communications Manager, she is excited to put her obsession with task management systems and social media platforms to good use. She is interested in the intersection between race, politics and media, and has worked to encourage youth civic engagement in NYC, particularly for youth of color. Conchita is also a songwriter and musician and has performed in multiple venues across the city. She loves Nina Simone, Filipino food and Battlestar Galactica. |
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