Jennifer White-Reid, Esq.
Jennifer White-Reid, Esq. has dedicated her career of more than two decades to the empowerment and wellbeing of underserved individuals and families. She brings her expertise and experience in leadership, management and advocacy to her current role as Senior Vice President of Domestic Violence Residential and Legal Programs at Urban Resource Institute (URI).
In July 2023 Jennifer will take on the new role of Chief of Staff & Senior Advisor to the CEO for URI, joining the Executive Team and expanding her impact on the organization and the mission.
Jennifer serves as a member of URI’s senior leadership. In her Senior Vice President role, she has been responsible for the strategic direction, design, implementation, and operation of URI’s domestic violence programs, including community education, legal services, and fifteen residential programs that accommodate over 1,800 adults and children every day, providing safe shelter and comprehensive services. She also oversees URI’s pioneering People and Animals Living Safely Program (PALS), which she created in 2013 and has guided to become a nationally recognized program. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2023, URI PALS remains the only New York City program allowing domestic violence survivors and pets to stay together and heal together, while delivering training and tech assistance to service providers across the U.S. and beyond.
Previously Jennifer served as the Director of URI’s Legal Education and Advocacy Program, which she created in 2006 to ensure that survivors of domestic violence residing in shelter had access to free legal assistance.
Jennifer’s career has been devoted to ensuring that the most vulnerable in society have access to justice, services, and support. Prior to joining URI, she served as a Senior Staff Attorney at South Brooklyn Legal Services where she represented individuals impacted by domestic violence in matrimonial, family court and immigration proceedings.
Jennifer has spoken publicly about intimate partner violence throughout her career, and has served on various boards and committees. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the NYC Coalition of Domestic Violence Residential Providers, and is a former Board member of the NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Jennifer obtained her Bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Certificate in Executive Leadership in the Not-for-Profit Sector from New York University. She is a proud graduate of Fordham University School of Law, where she was a Stein Scholar. Jennifer was honored with the 2003 Stein Scholars Public Service Alumni Award and the 2019 Louis J. Lefkowitz Public Service Award, and recognized by Fordham’s Black Law Students Association during Black History Month as a trailblazer in 2019 and 2022. Jennifer was also honored as an Advocate of New York City in 2020 by the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence. She is among the 2023 honorees of the Fordham University School of Law – Feerick Center for Social Justice.
