Dr. Lisette Nieves

Dr. Lisette Nieves is a visionary leader and a steadfast advocate for public service innovation. As President of the Fund for the City of New York, she has dedicated her career to pushing boundaries and redefining what’s possible in government and nonprofit effectiveness. Through her leadership, countless initiatives have flourished, blending technology, policy, and human impact to uplift communities both locally and beyond.

Driven by a passion for education and opportunity, Dr. Nieves is also a Distinguished Clinical Professor at New York University (NYU), where she co-founded a groundbreaking doctoral program in Leadership and Innovation at NYU Steinhardt. Her commitment to building a better future is evident through her co-founding of the Center for Youth and the Future of Work, where she not only advances leadership training and innovative research but also ensures that the voices of young people are at the forefront of shaping workforce development opportunities.

An accomplished author and thought leader, Dr. Nieves continues to inspire through her writing. Her most recent articles include A Marshall Plan for the Nonprofit Sector, which calls for bold, strategic investments to strengthen the sector’s infrastructure and workforce, and How Apprenticeships Can Give Employers an Edge, which advocates for leveraging apprenticeship programs to build a stronger, more adaptable workforce. She has also authored two influential books: Working for a Future: Equity and Access in Work-Based Learning for Young People (2024) and Working to Learn: Disrupting the Divide between College and Career Pathways for Young People (2020), both of which challenge outdated practices and offer transformative approaches to education and career readiness.

Her academic journey reflects the same dedication and excellence, with a B.A. from Brooklyn College, a B.A./M.A. from the University of Oxford, an M.P.A. from Princeton University, and a doctorate with distinction in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania.

Throughout her career, Dr. Nieves has embraced roles that amplify her commitment to public service, including appointments to the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics and the Board of AmeriCorps. Honors such as Truman Scholar, Rhodes Scholar, Aspen Pahara Fellow, and Richard P. Nathan Public Policy Fellow speak to her lifelong dedication to equity and leadership.