NYN Insights Podcast on Navigating Leadership Changes
Leadership transitions can be a major shift and a challenge for nonprofits. This week we speak with two directors powering through their own changes.
In part one, we speak to Dr. David Benke of Lutheran Social Services of New York. In March, he replaced Ronald Drews, who after 13 years left to become the CEO of Lutheran Social Services of Southern California. Benke has been a pastor of Brooklyn’s St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church since 1975. With roots that stretch back to 1886, LSSNY how helps more than 7,000 people seeking child care, foster care, hunger prevention, immigration help, housing and social education services. Now as interim director, Benke told us about how the organization has evolved, and about the work LSSNY is doing to help New York’s most vulnerable.
In our second half, we spoke with Stephan Russo of Goddard Riverside Community Center. He joined in 1976 as a youth worker and became its third executive director in 1998. He came to our offices shortly before he stepped down in December after 40 years with Goddard leaving an agency that annually serves about 17,000 people and offers 26 programs at 21 locations. The organization, originally the product of a merger, merged with two nonprofits a decade ago and another, the Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center last year.
New York Nonprofit Media regularly interviews nonprofit leaders to discuss their professional experience, lessons learned, perspectives on the industry and more. To recommend a candidate for our CEO Corner, contact Dan Rosenblum at drosenblum@nynmedia.com.
If you don't see our podcast on iTunes, it should appear once you subscribe to the NYN Media Insights channel. You can also listen to our podcast via the embedded player above, using Stitcher on your web browser, or via your podcast app on iPhone and Android. Search for NYN Media Insights.