{"id":3608,"date":"2020-07-07T09:36:37","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T09:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pots.mmgclients.com\/?page_id=3608"},"modified":"2025-12-29T15:36:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T15:36:53","slug":"leadership","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/potsbronx.org\/english\/about-us\/leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Christina\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Christina Hanson<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Executive Director<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Christina Hanson joined Part of the Solution (POTS) in 2012 and became its Executive Director in 2019. Under her leadership, POTS has strengthened its mission to address hunger and poverty through personalized, comprehensive services that respond to the real and complex challenges facing individuals and families in the Bronx. Christina has guided the organization in deepening a client-centered approach rooted in dignity, respect, and an understanding of lived experience. Since becoming Executive Director, Christina has led a period of significant organizational growth, expanding POTS\u2019 reach, resources, and impact while ensuring the organization remains focused on creating lasting stability for the community. She views POTS as a deeply human place where staff, clients, and volunteers work together to overcome hardship, and she is committed to fostering inclusivity, elevating community voices, and creating pathways to a better future for all.<\/span><\/p>

Christina holds a bachelor\u2019s degree from Brown University and an MBA from UNC Chapel Hill. She has been recognized by City & State as a 2025 Nonprofit Trailblazer and 2025 Crain\u2019s New York Business Notable Leader in Philanthropy and PoliticsNY 2025 Nonprofit Power player.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Kelly Garvey<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Director of Development<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kelly joined POTS in 2023 and brings over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, both in development and programs. Before joining POTS, Kelly served as the director of individual giving at Feeding Westchester, where she oversaw major donor strategy and designed a mid-level giving program. Earlier in her career, Kelly held leadership roles at a variety of nonprofits including Metro United Way of Louisville, Neighborhood House, and Columbia Business School. Additionally, Kelly held multiple roles at City Harvest. Through her programmatic work at City Harvest, Kelly has worked in the Bronx addressing health and food security and led one of the first community food assessment studies in the Melrose neighborhood. Kelly earned her B.S. in Urban Geography and Analysis from the University of Louisville, and her certificate in major gift fundraising from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She is excited to be working in the Bronx again and helping to connect supporters, advocate, and volunteers alike to the important mission and work of POTS.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Ann Marie Macdonald\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Chief Operating Officer<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ann Marie joined POTS as the Director of Finance and Operations in August 2019 following a career of more than 20 years in the for-profit space, including work in auditing, tax services, banking, and strategy and data analytics. She moved to the non-profit space to pursue her passion for addressing the issues of food instability and income inequality.\u00a0 POTS, with its mission to support every individual on their journey from crisis to stability, turned out to be a perfect fit for her. Ann Marie started her career at KPMG working in auditing and tax services. She then worked as a commercial banker at Wells Fargo. At Moody\u2019s Analytics, she built teams focused on data and analytics and improved operational strategies. Just before coming to POTS, she worked at a management consulting firm, where she led teams that utilized market research and client and business knowledge to enable better strategic decision-making. Ann Marie has an undergraduate degree in Accounting from Fairfield University and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Jack Marth<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Director of Programs<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Jack was a student at Fordham University when he first volunteered with the original POTS soup kitchen in 1982. He\u2019s stayed connected with POTS in a variety of roles ever since that time. In 2000, he graduated from law school and was one of 25 people nationwide to be awarded a legal public interest fellowship from the Skadden Fellowship Foundation, which led to the creation of POTS\u2019 Legal Clinic. Jack served as the clinic\u2019s director until his promotion in 2012 to Director of Programs. Before attending law school, Jack worked with the Jesuit Refugee Service in El Salvador and as a case manager at a shelter for seniors struggling with mental illness. Jack earned his bachelor\u2019s degree from Fordham University and received his J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University. While the needs that POTS serves often seem overwhelming and intractable, Jack is inspired by the vision of POTS\u2019 founders; every day we work with those in need is a reminder that each of us can be part of the solution.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Diego Padilla<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Director of External Relations and Communications\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Diego joined POTS in October 2021. Within over 15 years of professional experience, he has worked in the non-profit, public, and private sectors on a variety of issues, including the fight against poverty and food security, as well as sustainable development. His very first job was in the non-profit sector, and he\u2019s been coming back to that field ever since. In between, he\u2019s worked for the United Nations system in a variety of roles, including contributions in strategic planning, coordination skills, and international negotiations and events. Over the course of these diverse experiences, he developed his passion for creating positive impacts in social, economic, and environmental matters, and this passion eventually brought him to POTS. He has a Master of Law Degree in Public Law from the University of Costa Rica.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Josef Aguilar<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Associate Director of Long-Term Stability Services<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Josef joined POTS in 2015 as its Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) coordinator. He was promoted to Program Manager in 2017 and to Associate Director of Long-Term Stability Services in 2019. Currently, he oversees POTS\u2019 workforce development, case management, and mentoring teams, which annually secure nearly $12 million in client benefits each year. Josef has created partnerships to deepen client access to healthcare-related benefits, mental health services, workforce programs, and many other services. He and his staff work to expand each client\u2019s vision of what their future can hold by helping them create opportunities and believe their goals are attainable. He feels fortunate to be able to share with clients the kind of guidance and encouragement that he has received from the people in his life and is inspired by the positive change POTS helps its clients achieve. Before joining POTS, Josef worked as a healthcare navigator at Food Bank For New York City. He holds a degree in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Marshall Castaneda<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Associate Director, Operations & IT<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Marshall joined POTS as Operations Manager in 2022 and became the Associate Director, Operations & IT in 2023. After pursuing a career in music, he entered the for-profit sector specializing in sales and back of house operations where he climbed into management within 2 years. Marshall oversaw multiple locations, earning several accolades for achieving goals in numerous KPI categories and ranked among the top locations in the country. Since joining POTS, Marshall has helped facilitate the expansion to our new Grand Concourse location and has begun transitioning POTS into a more energy efficient and sustainable non-profit organization. Marshall holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology from Iona University.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Elizabeth\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Elizabeth Maris<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Supervising Attorney<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Beth joined POTS in 2015 as its Supervising Attorney. Since then, she has led the legal clinic in preventing more than thousands of evictions. In 2017, The New York City Bar Association presented her with a Legal Services Awards, which recognizes attorneys and non-attorneys who provide outstanding civil legal assistance to New York\u2019s poor. Before joining POTS, she worked as an attorney at Bronx Legal Services and The Legal Aid Society. Beth chooses to work at POTS because it provides her the opportunity to work with a diverse range of clients and co-workers in a setting that provides holistic services that support and affirm the dignity of all. She holds a bachelor\u2019s degree from Brown University and a law degree from Columbia University.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Taina Rodriguez<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Associate Director of Food and Dignity Programs<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Taina first came to POTS in 1993 as a beneficiary of its services when she was just 11 years old. She began to volunteer shortly thereafter, and her dedication to POTS eventually led to a part-time paid position in 1996. Since then, Taina has worn many hats for POTS; she\u2019s worked as the weekend dining room manager, volunteer coordinator, pantry intake worker, dignity and wellness services \u201cfloater,\u201d and part-time cook. Since 2011, she has overseen the operation of POTS\u2019 Food Pantry and Community Dining Room and was promoted to her current role as Associate Director of Food and Dignity Programs in 2019. In the Food Security Program, she helped implement nutrition guidelines, improve food safety standards, and create processes and procedures that allow POTS to serve more than one million meals a year. Above all, Taina sincerely loves helping and connecting with POTS\u2019 clients each and every day.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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About Us<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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