Teal Inzunza, LMSW, the newly appointed Associate Vice President of Justice Initiatives at the Urban Resource Institute (URI), stands at the forefront of advocacy for survivors of domestic violence and homeless families. In her newly created role, reporting directly to Amanda Eckhardt, Chief Program Officer, Inzunza assumes a pivotal position within URI’s Senior Team.

With a robust background as the Director of Economic Empowerment at URI for the past five years, Inzunza has been a steadfast advocate for economic justice in New York City, demonstrating expertise in coerced debt, LGBTQ survivor support, and navigating housing and public benefits systems. In her new capacity, Inzunza will lead a team overseeing ten programs  with a $7 million budget, encompassing People and Animals Living Safely, clinical support, economic empowerment, legal services, crime victim services and prevention and intervention as solutions to end domestic violence and homelessness.  URI’s Justice Initiatives will work in partnership with survivors and impacted communities at the intersection of poverty and racism to end the cycles that fuel homelessness and violence.

A licensed social worker, Inzunza’s commitment to creating pathways for survivors to overcome economic challenges is evident in her co-chair role in the Domestic Violence and Economic Justice Task Force. Beyond her role at URI, she co-founded the Economic Justice for Survivors Collaborative and is an active member of the National Coerced Debt Working Group.

Inzunza’s impact extends nationally, with authored reports and op-eds, including “Reinvesting in Economic Justice, Equity, and Solidarity for Survivors in NYC.” Her dedication has earned her recognition, receiving the Systems Changer Award from Her Justice in 2023 and the Change Maker Award from the Anti-Violence Project in 2022.

A Licensed Master Social Worker, Inzunza most recently served as the Program Director of the Economic Empowerment Program at URI, focusing on serving homeless families, including survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence. Her advocacy extends to co-chairing the NYC Domestic Violence & Economic Justice Taskforce and active participation in city and nationwide working groups. Notably, Inzunza played a pivotal role in creating the Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) Leadership Academy at the Anti-Violence Project, empowering TGNC survivors to become leaders in the movement for justice and equity. Inzunza’s profound commitment lies in creating an economically just and equitable world, addressing the economic impact on survivors of domestic violence, and fostering meaningful change on intersecting issues of oppression.

A proud alumna of Fordham University, Inzunza holds a BA in Social Work and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Service.

Tania Jospitre is the Vice President of Quality Improvement, Evaluation, and Training at the Urban Resource Institute. In her role, she is responsible for measuring program quality and effectiveness, and manages the development and implementation of client-centered, trauma-informed staff training. Prior to joining URI, Tania was the Assistant Commissioner of Quality Management and Control at the New York City Department of Small Business Services. She led the quality assurance, outcome validation, and fiscal management teams within the workforce development division. She has extensive experience evaluating program data to assess impact, improve performance, and drive future programming for domestic violence and workforce development programs. She holds a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from John Jay College, a Master of Public Administration from Baruch College, and is certified in Customer Experience Management by the Medallia Institute.

Len Leach is the Senior Vice President of Information Technology at Urban Resource Institute. In this role, he is responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic vision of IT. Len has more than 30 years of experience managing information technology and ran his own IT consulting business where he led, implemented, and supported many for-profit and non-profit organization initiatives in the entertainment, corporate real estate, and non-profit industries. He served as the Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Information Technology and Services for National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc., and spent 13 years working for MTV as an on-air Technical Director and IT Director.

Len earned his MS in Technology Management from Columbia University and a BS in Computer Science from City College of New York. Len has served as Chair of the Board of Riverside Church and is currently a board member. He is also Treasurer of Teaneck, Englewood, Hackensack, Bogota, and Bergenfield Crime Stoppers.

Beverly M. Riddick is Chief Operations Officer at Urban Resource Institute where she is responsible for providing strategic leadership for the Operations Division by working with the CEO and senior management to establish and execute the goals, strategies, plans, and policies of the Operations Division, including real estate project management. Prior to joining URI, Ms. Riddick served as Executive Director at Ready To Work Business Collaborative where she built and launched a national nonprofit organization that connected employers to upskilled but overlooked members of the work force to help them achieve their profit and performance goals. Riddick spent the prior twenty years as Executive Director championing Montclair, NJ community values through affordable housing development and community revitalization. She holds a Master’s of Arts degree in Public Policy Analysis from Claremont Graduate University. Riddick earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies from Mount Holyoke College.

Lesley Samuel-Young, LMSW, was promoted to  Vice President of Domestic Violence Residential Programs at Urban Resource Institute (URI) in 2023, from her previous role as Senior Director, providing leadership to five domestic violence (DV) residential sites. As Vice President, she now oversees 16 residential programs in four boroughs of New York City, including emergency, transitional, and rapid rehousing. Ms. Samuel-Young serves as a champion of URI’s clients and team, helping advance partnerships, program and financial management, and strategic planning and implementation across its portfolio of services. In 2016, Lesley joined URI at Urban Women’s Safe Haven, initially as Social Work Supervisor. Her growth extended to Interim Program Director at Women’s Survival Space 1 (WSS1) in 2018, to Program Director at PALS Place in 2019, and most recently to Senior Director in 2020, overseeing five DV residential sites including WSS1, WSS2, UCC, PALS Place, and Brighter Days.

Described as a formidable leader in the social work and residential fields in New York City, Ms. Samuel-Young began her career at Community Access on the Lower East Side, at a mental health clubhouse model program, whose philosophy allowed for mentally ill clients to actively participate in “work” at its day program, in partnership with staff. She was a recipient of a scholarship from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where she completed her one-year residency program within the agency.

Ms. Samuel-Young then worked for Weston United’s Transitional Living Community in Harlem before becoming the Program Director at Club United, serving mentally ill adults in a 125-unit psycho-social day program, which also followed the clubhouse model. Ms. Samuel-Young received commendation from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for her service at the site.

Ms. Samuel-Young proudly served in a variety of clinical and leadership roles at partner organizations, most notably Jewish Board of Family & Children’s Services, with a tenure starting as an Assistant Director at a supportive housing program for mentally ill adults on the Upper East Side. She continued her work at the agency working alongside Met Council staff – in a joint-initiative with the Jewish Board – at Hillside House, a shelter serving homeless families in Queens. She also served simultaneously as an administrative clinician, at a start-up clinic project at the Bayridge Clinic in Brooklyn, when the Jewish Board acquired the site. She was promoted to Program Director for a DV shelter in Queens in 2002, and later added a Tier II to her portfolio to become Director of Queens DV Services for the Jewish Board from 2008 through 2014. She received commendation from the Executive team for leading her staff who mobilized and provided services for clients who were placed in evacuation sites during Hurricane Sandy.

Ms. Samuel-Young holds a bachelor’s degree in Media Communications and Sociology, from Hunter College; and received her master’s degree in Social Work from Hunter School of Social Work. She also received her Doctorate in Theology from Mount Olive Bible Institute and Seminary in 2012.