Service Announcements

Naomi Post to Lead Children’s Defense Fund-New York Marian Wright Edelman Names Executive Director for CDF-New York

For Immediate Release
Thursday, April 21, 2016

For More Information Contact:

Samantha Levine
Director of Communications, CDF-NY
212-697-0775 office
Slevine@childrensdefense.org


Washington, D.C.
– Today the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) announced Naomi Post as the new Executive Director of the Children’s Defense Fund-New York. Post brings to the organization nearly 30 years of professional experience in advocacy and community organizing; executive level policy work; budget development and oversight and strategic planning. She joins CDF-NY from the United Way of New York City where she served as a Senior Fellow supporting its partnership with the New York City Office of Community Service to expand community schools throughout the district.

“Naomi Post is a powerful advocate for vulnerable children and families and we are fortunate to have her lead our New York office,” said Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children’s Defense Fund. “Her track record of changing the odds to give poor children and children of color hope for a better future comes at a crucial time with child poverty in New York still near record levels. We’re delighted to welcome her.”

“I am thrilled to serve with the Children’s Defense Fund, an organization I have long admired,” said CDF-NY Executive Director Naomi Post. “I am eager to advance the organization’s hard-fought progress to level the playing and change the odds for our most vulnerable children to ensure every child has an equal opportunity to meet their potential.”

Prior to the United Way, Post was the Head of Community Based Programmes at Atlantic Philanthropies where she managed a portfolio of over $100 million in grants supporting community schools and school based health centers in four diverse states. Before serving with Atlantic, Post led a child and youth public/private advocacy effort to expand robust prevention programs, including the replication of Beacon programs, afterschool programs and research-based home visitation for first-time mothers in Philadelphia and co-founded the Philadelphia Youth Violence Reduction Partnership.

Previously her decade-long tenure with the Philadelphia Family Court reforming the juvenile justice system was recognized by the Juvenile Court Judges Commission as the best community based program in the State. Post holds a Bachelor of Arts from SUNY Binghamton and a Juris Doctorate from Cornell University Law School. Her predecessor, Melanie Hartzog, served for three years then returned to city government as Deputy Director for Health and Social Services with the New York City Mayor’s Office of Management Budget.

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The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Startin life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.