Stephan Russo

Stephan Russo is an expert in the management and delivery of human services in New York City, and a leader in the settlement house field.  He has been the Executive Director of Goddard Riverside Community Center since 1998.  His roots run deep at the agency, a highly regarded New York City settlement house.  In the summer of 1976, he began working at Goddard Riverside as a youth outreach worker.  Except for a brief stint in New York City government and as a consultant in the housing field, Russo has held positions of increasing responsibility at Goddard Riverside, serving as a project supervisor, Youth Services Director, Associate Director for Homeless and Housing programs, and Deputy Director.

From 1993-1996, he served as Assistant Commissioner in the newly created New York City Department of Homeless Services. He has worked as a consultant to organizations operating supportive housing and helped found the SRO Providers Group in 1989, which later became the Supportive Housing Network of New York, a leading advocacy organization for the development of affordable, supportive housing for special needs populations. He has also been a Lecturer and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Social Work, where he completed his Master of Science degree in 1980.

From his days as a youth worker, Russo’s philosophy has been consistently focused on the value of community-based approaches to addressing some of our toughest social problems. Russo says, “Everything at Goddard Riverside is accomplished with the idea of building community by connecting ourselves to each other, and reducing barriers that usually separate people. We want every participant in our programs to feel uplifted and enriched by their experiences at Goddard Riverside.”

A remarkable history of developing groundbreaking programs to meet community needs has been a hallmark of the organization under Russo’s leadership.  In order to create new programming, Goddard Riverside’s budget has increased from $12 million to $30 million in the last 10 years. Among the achievements during his tenure are the construction of a fifth residential facility providing permanent housing for formerly homeless mentally ill adults; completion of an extensive renovation and innovative refinancing of Phelps House, a residence for older adults; the merger of Goddard Riverside with St. Matthew’s and St. Timothy’s Neighborhood Center; the creation of the College Access Professional Development Institute (CAPDI), the training arm of the highly regarded OPTIONS Center, a college counseling program for low-income and disconnected youth that has been replicated widely; and a successful bid to become the lead agency delivering outreach services and making housing placements for homeless people in the borough of Manhattan.

Prior to accepting his first job at Goddard Riverside, Russo completed a two-year Peace Corps assignment in Colombia, South America.  Russo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/Policymaking from Brown University where he was an All-American lacrosse player, and inducted into the Brown Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982.  He is married with two children and lives on the Upper West Side.

Most recent presentations given by Mr. Russo:

“Contemporary Settlement Houses: Innovative Models,”with UNH Executive Director Nancy Wackstein and hosted by The Women’s City Club of New York February 10, 2011.

“Success Stories of Nonprofit Mergers & Collaborations” in Chicago on Wednesday, February 9,2011, hosted by Fiscal management Associates.