Jenny Zhou

Jenny Zhou is JobsFirst NYC’s Director of Education Solutions. In this role, she leads the organization’s education solutions portfolio, working alongside schools, community partners, and key workforce stakeholders to connect students to pathways for postsecondary success. Jenny brings a passion for advancing economic mobility and building systems that enable all young people to achieve their full potential.

Prior to joining JobsFirst NYC, Jenny served as the Director of Career Readiness and Services at Harlem Children’s Zone as part of the organization’s Wealth Builds economic mobility initiative. She has also consulted with large urban school districts to implement professional development programs that accelerate student outcomes and build teacher capacity.

Jenny holds a BA from Northwestern University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Muhammad Amin Uddin is a Certified Salesforce Administrator and Project Manager bringing extensive experience in design, advertising, and business operations to JobsFirst NYC. In this role, he optimizes internal systems, streamlines complex data workflows, and develops user-friendly solutions that enhance operational efficiency across the organization. Amin combines project management with creative design to turn high-level strategy into clear, practical workflows. He works closely with internal and external partners to maintain data accuracy and drive successful project outcomes.

Sirrea Reeves is the Communications Associate at JobsFirst NYC, where she supports the organization’s messaging, branding, and digital outreach efforts. She contributes to content creation across platforms, helping to amplify JobsFirst NYC’s mission and connect with key audiences.

Sirrea comes to JobsFirst NYC from the Marcy Lab School, a rigorous, college-alternative software engineering program focused on preparing young professionals for high-growth careers in tech. She brings a multidisciplinary background in software, technology, graphic design, and project management — pairing technical skills with a creative, community-centered mindset. She is committed to making meaningful contributions to JobsFirst NYC’s mission by utilizing strategic communication to amplify its work and impact.

Celia Lin is a Policy Fellow at JobsFirst NYC, focusing on workforce development policy. Previously, she served as a Policy and Strategic Initiatives Associate at the NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, collaborating closely with city officials, diplomats, and ambassadors.

Celia holds a BA in Political Science and International Studies with a concentration in Comparative Public Policy from CUNY City College and is currently pursuing an MA in Human Rights at CUNY John Jay College.

Steve Jorgensen is JobsFirst NYC’s chief financial officer. Prior to forming his consulting firm in 2015, he served as principal and managing director of N. Cheng & Co., a CPA firm serving nonprofits. During his 12-year tenure there, he created innovative and cost-effective approaches to financial management that enabled the rapid growth of the firm.

Coupled with his financial expertise, he has first-hand experience in leading nonprofit organizations. He was co-founder and executive director of Discipleship Outreach Ministries/Turning Point, a multiservice and multifunded agency in Brooklyn. Under his 20-year leadership, the organization grew to be an important social service provider in southwest Brooklyn. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College (CUNY).

Christine James-McKenzie is JobsFirst NYC’s Director of Communications and Policy. In her role, she helps to lead the work to develop and implement sophisticated storytelling that communicates the organization’s impact. She works with the policy and project teams to support the development and direction of an institutional learning strategy, which will drive content development for policy and communication purposes. Christine supports the organization’s policy and advocacy work at a city and state level. Christine has had over three decades in communications, public relations, advertising, marketing, and sales.

Amongst her work prior to joining JobsFirst NYC, Christine served as head of public relations for Sandals Resorts International and Appliance Traders Group, where she led an award-winning public relations team; coordinator for print publication at Uniworld Group, focused on planning and preparing advertising and promotional communications; founded and led Zen Communication, which developed and managed marketing campaigns; and, as an account manager for special projects at Staples Inc., where she piloted and tested new initiatives. She is well versed in audio-visual and print media and has written broadly for a range of work-related publications.

Christine studied at the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain, holds a Bachelors in Journalism and Spanish Studies and is pursuing a Masters in Journalism at Fordham University.

Jeremy Greenfield, PhD, serves as the Vice President of JobsFirst NYC. In this role, he leads the organization’s education, community, and impact initiatives—designing, implementing, and evaluating programs that advance economic mobility for young adults and their communities. 

A former English teacher and instructional coach, Jeremy has spent his twenty-plus year career in the education and nonprofit space supporting young people and the systems that support them. This work has included building bridges among high schools, colleges, workforce training providers, and philanthropies to support student engagement and promote educational equity.

Prior to joining JobsFirst NYC, Jeremy was Managing Director of Programs at Shared Lane, where he co-founded the Expanding Pathways Collaborative. Jeremy also worked at New Visions for Public Schools where he was responsible for leading the organization’s citywide postsecondary advising work.

Jeremy holds a BA from Skidmore College, an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a PhD from the CUNY Graduate Center.

Evy Gonzalez is JobsFirst NYC’s Chief Administrative Officer. She is responsible for overseeing the organization’s operations including the management of grants and contracts, finance, human resources, and office management. She also works closely with JobsFirst NYC’s board of directors and senior advisors.

Evy joined the organization in 2014, after 23 years at VCG Governance Matters, where she rose from executive assistant to director of program reporting and funds development. There, she was closely involved in every aspect of VCG’s work, especially grant-writing and reporting, research, and internal structure. Prior to her role at VCG, Evy worked at Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, where she served as a liaison for participating plans in the greater New York area. She also held a position in McCann Erickson’s in their media department.

Hope Ghazala is the Director of Community Solutions at JobsFirst NYC. In this role, Hope leads strategies that strengthen partnerships across community-based organizations, public systems, and workforce stakeholders to expand economic opportunity for young adults and their communities. Hope brings expertise in systems-level transformation, utilizing education and access-centered community development to drive cross-sector collaboration.

Prior to joining JobsFirst NYC, Hope served as Program Director at the New York City Network of Worker Cooperatives, providing citywide programming and partnerships supporting over 70 worker-owned businesses. Hope has also served as Program Director at PeoplesHub, where she designed and facilitated multi-session training programs focused on disability justice, leadership development, and organizational strategy. Earlier in her career, she was the Network Director at Power Shift Network, leading national training strategies for a network of over 85 youth-led climate justice organizations.

Hope holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Francis College and a Masters of Social Work with a concentration in Community-Based Practice from Fordham University.

Stephany is the Director of Community Inspired Networks for Change (CommunityINC) at JobsFirst NYC, where she leads national efforts to design, launch, and scale workforce funder collaboratives and community-driven intermediaries across the United States. She partners with local leaders, educators, philanthropy, and public systems to build the infrastructure communities need to advance economic mobility and create long-term change.

Previously, Stephany managed JobsFirst NYC’s Community Solutions initiatives, advancing place-based strategies, infrastructure development, and community engagement in New York City. Prior to joining JobsFirst NYC, she served as Director of Core Services at The Knowledge House, building tech talent pipelines and opening doors for high-tech careers for young adults in the Bronx. With nearly a decade of experience in workforce development and the nonprofit sector, Stephany specializes in partnership development, cross-sector collaboration, and strategic stakeholder engagement. Stephany has also served as the Chapter Director (Portland, OR & New York City) of ChickTech, a national organization dedicated to increasing female representation in technology.

She holds a BA in Art History with a concentration in Philosophy from Columbia University.