STAFF

Joanne Derwin
Executive Director

Joanne fosters links between labor and community organizations, and she provides research and policy analysis to support our advocacy campaigns. Previously Joanne was a program associate in governance and civil society at the Ford Foundation where she concentrated on bridging policy analysis and community organizing and worked to develop new tools for participatory evaluation. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder and Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute.

Naomi Fatt
Managing Director

Naomi brings advocacy and organization development skills to Urban Agenda. Her previous experience includes working to improve women's and adolescent health, decrease child mortality in under resourced countries, and prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS in the U.S. For seven years, she directed District 65, UAW's Occupational Safety and Health Department serving its factory, warehouse and office worker members. She is committed to bringing groups with varied perspectives together to find common ground. Naomi is a graduate of Connecticut College and lives in Brooklyn.

Juan Alduey
Policy and Research Associate

Juan is a graduate of the City University of New York (CUNY). His background includes working for the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR - SEIU) in their New York City headquarters. CIR is a national union of over 12,000 resident physicians. Juan represented CIR on the steering committee of the Save Our Safety Net Campaign, a statewide coalition of over 120 community, labor, and religious groups mobilized to prevent the closing of hospitals in low-income, underserved areas across New York. Here he gained the valuable experience in statewide legislative campaigns that he brings to Urban Agenda.

Jack Dafoe
Policy and Research Associate

Jack was born in New York City and attended school in Greenwich Village and Brooklyn.  A graduate of Yale College, Jack was a co-chair of the Yale Student Environmental Coalition, and a student membe of the University Advisory Committees on Investor Responsibility and Environmental Management.  Working with Clean Water Action and students across Connecticut, Jack worked to promote climate change legislation in the Northeast.  Jack has also organized around electoral issues with MoveOn PAC.  He is excited to bring his interest in working to promote renewable energy and lessen fossil fuel use back to New York City.

Myles Lennon
Policy and Research Associate

Myles, a native New Yorker, believes that cities can be vehicles toward equity and long-term sustainability. He has previously worked for transitional, legal aid and family support organizations for adjudicated people. In addition, he's done research and organizing around multilateral aid, microfinance and human trafficking. Myles is a graduate of Brown University.