Trinity Church Wall Street announced the appointment of two new members of its Grants and Mission Investing team: Susan Shah joins as Managing Director of Racial Justice and Beatriz (Bea) de la Torre will be Managing Director of Housing & Homelessness.
Shah joins Trinity after 13 years with the Vera Institute of Justice where she was the Director of Programs and Strategy. She oversaw six programmatic units that are developing and scaling reforms to make criminal, juvenile, and immigration systems deliver on their promise of justice and equity.
“I believe we can achieve social justice through policy, practice, and partnership,” Shah said. “I have a deep admiration for Trinity’s enduring commitment to social justice through spirituality and community building, grant making, and national influence.”
De la Torre brings years of experience addressing the housing crisis in New York City, most recently as the Managing Director of Housing & Homelessness for Robin Hood.
“I look forward to building on the vision laid out by the Vestry and the senior leadership team at Trinity Church that has identified affordable housing and homelessness as a main area of focus. The need for solutions is undeniable, and Trinity Church will continue to lead the way to help those in most need”
Trinity’s Chief Philanthropy Officer, Neill Coleman, said he sees Shah and de la Torres as “change-makers, not just grant-makers.”
“Their deep experience and knowledge on the issues of Racial Justice and Homelessness will serve to deepen the relationships with our partners and take us to new levels in our mission to build up our neighborhoods.”
The Grants and Mission Investing team at Trinity Church Wall Street is focused on four strategic initiatives: Racial Justice, Housing & Homelessness, Leadership Development and Mission Real Estate Development.
“Trinity’s grantmaking program has been reorganized to align with the church’s mission framework of neighborhood, leadership, and capacity,” said Coleman. “I’m particularly excited that Susan and Bea will be starting these roles on the same day and will be working closely together going forward: racial justice and housing and homelessness are deeply connected and our efforts to address both must be closely aligned.”