United States

Helen Neuborne

Director New York

Helen Neuborne is Ford's director of Quality Employment. Her work supports effective strategies for U.S. workforce development designed to improve access to quality training and jobs for low-wage and disadvantaged workers, particularly immigrants. Her grant making also focuses on improving the quality of jobs held by low-wage workers and expanding availability of and access to work supports, which promote greater job stability. She joined the Ford Foundation in 1994 as a program officer focused on women's rights.

Prior to joining the foundation, Helen was executive director of Legal Momentum (formerly the National Organization for Women's Legal Defense and Education Fund) for six years. Under her leadership, the group led a national and grassroots campaign to pass the Violence Against Women Act, a 1994 bill that authorized more than $1 billion for efforts to reduce and prevent domestic violence and sexual assault.

Helen was trained as a lawyer and started her career with the Legal Aid Society, representing children in family court. She also held public policy positions with the New York City Mayor's Office under Ed Koch, including director of the Operations Unit that managed the city's seven human services agencies.

Helen has a J.D. degree from Brooklyn Law School, where she was articles editor of the Law Review, and a bachelor's degree from Cornell University.