United States

Chauncy Lennon

Program Officer New York

Chauncy Lennon focuses on helping low-income workers gain economic security through access to good-quality jobs that offer benefits and opportunities for promotion. The goal of his grant making is to help working families overcome poverty and achieve self-sufficiency through improved work supports such as the earned income tax credit, and building employer support for policies that promote retention and advancement.

Before joining the Ford Foundation in 2009, Chauncy was senior vice president for Asset Building at Seedco, where he was responsible for the growth and operation of national initiatives that connect low-wage workers to income-enhancing benefits and services. He has more than 10 years of experience researching the mobility patterns of the working poor and organizing and implementing workforce development programs. He was research director for a study of these patterns among low-wage workers in New York City that was featured in two books written by Katherine S. Newman, "No Shame in My Game: The Working Poor in the Inner City" (Vintage, Russell Sage Foundation, 2000) and "Chutes and Ladders: Navigating the Low-Wage Labor Market" (Harvard University Press, Russell Sage Foundation, 2008).

Chauncy earned his Ph.D. in anthropology from Columbia University, master's degree from the University of Chicago and bachelor's degree from Williams College. He has taught urban studies at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs and at Barnard College.