FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR “UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO LEAD THE FHJC INTO ITS NEXT CHAPTER”

The Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC) is thrilled to announce that Marie Winfield has been appointed as the organization’s new Executive Director.

A longtime member of the FHJC community, Ms. Winfield previously served the organization in several capacities, including as Legal Director and Deputy Director. She has also served as a member of the FHJC Board of Directors. Her connection to the FHJC dates back nearly to its founding, when she was hired as a summer legal intern in 2008.

Beyond her work with FHJC, Winfield has built a career at the intersection of civil rights law, land use, and community planning. As a long-standing consultant for George M. Janes & Associates, she has conducted research and analysis on citywide land use and zoning proposals to help community boards and local organizations engage in New York City’s land use and environmental review processes. Other civil rights legal experience includes work as a Community Lawyering Fellow at the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, as well as clinical experience with the Immigration Justice and Human Rights & Genocide Prevention Clinics at Cardozo.

Winfield has a long-standing dedication to community engagement, as reflected in her extensive civic leadership. She served on Manhattan’s Community Board 11, contributing to committees on land use, planning, parks, and environmental issues, and participated in the East Harlem Neighborhood Plan. She has also served on advisory bodies addressing public health and municipal planning, including the Community Advisory Board for Metropolitan Hospital and as a Borough President appointee to an advisory group working with the New York City Department of Sanitation.

Winfield holds a Juris Doctor from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she was recognized as a Public Interest Scholar and received the Jacob Burns Medal. She also holds a Master of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and multiple undergraduate degrees from Washington University in St. Louis.

“We were thrilled with the number of highly qualified applicants we encountered during our extensive search process, but Marie’s extensive fair housing expertise, her fierce commitment to fighting discrimination, and her equity-centered and inclusive leadership style quickly moved her to the top of the list,” said FHJC Board President Kaaron Briscoe. “Add to that her long association with the FHJC, and we really couldn’t ask for a better candidate. Marie is uniquely positioned to lead the FHJC into its next chapter as we continue the fight to eliminate housing discrimination in an increasingly hostile environment.”

“The FHJC remains the preeminent fair housing organization representing New York City and the surrounding counties due to the resilience and tenacity of its dedicated staff, Board and partners,” said Winfield. “It is an honor to be chosen to lead the organization during a time when the current rollback of civil rights threatens fair housing protections on all levels. I am looking forward to moving the FHJC forward in its mission now and in the years to come.”

Winfield will take over as Executive Director on April 13, replacing Interim Executive Director Michele Cortese who joined the organization in 2023. Board President Briscoe had high praise for the outgoing director, stating, “I join the entire Board and staff of the FHJC in expressing our heartfelt thanks to Michele for her leadership during this time of unprecedented attacks on civil rights and on fair housing rights in particular. Thanks to her clear-eyed direction, the organization is primed to pursue its important mission even more forcefully under our new leadership.”

The mission of the FHJC, a nonprofit civil rights organization, is to eliminate housing discrimination; promote policies and programs that foster open, accessible, and inclusive communities; and strengthen enforcement of fair housing laws in the New York City region.