Debra Sue Lorenzen, Director of Youth and Education, joined St. Nicks Alliance in July 2015, bringing more than 25 years of nonprofit experience to her leadership position. She oversees a nearly $6.5 million portfolio and 150 staff persons. St. Nick’s Youth and Education serves thousands of North Brooklyn children, teens, and adults via 13 after school programs, year-round youth employment programs, two attendance drop-out prevention programs, two community schools, and five community centers. Previously, Ms. Lorenzen served as the Director of Education at City Parks Foundation for 3 years, and the department grew from $750K to nearly $2M in order to provide longitudinal environmental science education to more than 2K at-risk youth in targeted NYC communities. As co-founder and executive director of Making Books Sing (now NYC Children’s Theater), she grew an idea into a $1M organization that served more than 100K youth through theatre performances and education. Her roles as Development Director at Dance Theatre Workshop and development associate at Theatre Communications Group broadened her experience. Ms. Lorenzen holds a MSEd in Leadership in Community-based Learning from Bank Street College of Education and an MFA in Performing Arts Management from Brooklyn College.
