Yesterday we reported that David Garza has been named the new executive director of one of the Lower East Side’s most venerable institutions, the Henry Street Settlement. Now a bit more about his background (via a news release).
Since 2001, he’s worked at Henry Street’s employment service, the Workforce Development Center (WDC). Henry Street’s board chairman, Robert Harrison said, “David’s success in building the WDC into one of the city’s preeminent centers and his deep understanding of the Henry Street community will serve the agency well going forward.”
“Today, the services Henry Street provides are more vital than ever,” said Garza. “I am honored and quite thrilled with the opportunity to build on the Settlement’s remarkable legacy as we move into the future.” Before joining the settlement house, Garza was a retail management executive and an independent producer for film, television and corporate marketing projects.
More from the news release:
Raised in a single-parent working-class home in Brooklyn, Garza graduated from Harvard College in 1986 and later from the Institute for Not-for-Profit Management at Columbia Business School. Although he lives in Brooklyn, his Lower East Side roots run deep: his mother, a nurse; his aunt, a social worker; his brother, a police detective; and his sister, a teacher, all worked and were very involved in the neighborhood.
Garza replaces Verona Middleton-Jeter, who’s retiring after 38 years at Henry Street. The non-profit has a $38 million budget and offers an array of social services to 60,000 New Yorkers every year. She said, “I know that I’m leaving Henry Street in good hands; I’m confident that David will excel at leading the Settlement in the years ahead.”
