Welcoming Evelyn Ortiz to NYATEP

The New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals (NYATEP) is pleased to announce the addition of Evelyn Ortiz to our team! Evelyn will be joining NYATEP officially on June 4th as our Deputy Director and downstate lead.

“As an Advocacy Academy alum and as a firsthand witness to the role NYATEP played in paving the way for New York to finally make a clear investment in workforce development, it is an honor to come on board as the Deputy Director," said Evelyn about her new role. "I look forward to working closely with our Members & partners within the coming months to learn about their challenges, innovations, and where we can continue to work on your behalf downstate as well as across the State."

"The NYATEP staff and Board are thrilled to welcome Evelyn to our intrepid team," shared Melinda Mack, Executive Director of NYATEP. "She brings with her deep knowledge and experience in serving young adults and understanding of the City workforce system. Her incredible advocacy experience -- and sense of humor will make her a valuable asset to the staff and also to the Members. I am personally looking forward to her ideas, energy and passion for the field."

Evelyn comes to us from NYATEP Member organization Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, a leading youth serving agency in Brooklyn and Queens. She is also an alumnus of the NYATEP Advocacy Academy, and was a huge part of the Invest in Skills NY campaign this legislative season. Her full biography is below.

Starting on June 4, Evelyn can be reached at eortiz@nyatep.org.

Evelyn Ortiz Biography:

Evelyn Ortiz will be joining NYATEP as the Deputy Director where she’ll be leading the development, execution, and evaluation of NYATEP’s New York City and Long Island-based policy priorities; membership engagement; innovation projects and partner collaboration.

Most recently, Evelyn held the position of Chief External Affairs Officer at Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT), a leading youth and adult workforce development agency serving over 4,000 residents throughout Brooklyn and Queens. While in this position, Evelyn oversaw a team of dedicated professionals who worked tirelessly to educate and connect residents throughout the five boroughs to numerous services including educational classes, job training, job placement, and immigration services. While at OBT, Evelyn was able to partner with stakeholders, community-based organizations, and leaders to better understand the needs of local communities throughout New York City and then advocate for specific programs and policy solutions to elected officials across all levels of government. Through her advocacy, she was able to triple the amount of discretionary funds OBT secured, ensuring the sustainability of OBT’s critical programming for years to come.

While Evelyn always loved helping people – she acted as a translator for residents in her building as a child – she later realized the power of advocacy while working in her first job as the Director of Constituent Affairs for New York State Senator Kevin Parker. In this role, she came face to face with constituents who were experiencing alarming unemployment rates and risked eviction due to the mortgage crisis and recession. In order to help strengthen the community, she established key partnerships with local organizations, government agencies, and employers to coordinate workforce development initiatives that alleviated her constituent’s financial burdens and enhanced their access to economic success.

Inspired by this experience, Evelyn has continued to spend the last decade advocating tirelessly for New Yorkers in need. For her talent and dedication, Evelyn was selected to participate in the Senior Leaders Program for Nonprofit Professionals at Columbia Business School, which she completed in April, 2017.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Evelyn grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn. She went on to obtain her Master’s Degree in Social Work from SUNY Stony Brook University where she was a founding member of the Alpha Delta Chapter of Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority. As a founding member, she championed the importance of giving back to the local campus community and to NYC residents in need.