New York, NY (May 4, 2010) – The Board of Directors of Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City, Inc. (NHSNYC) today announced that it has appointed interim chief executive officer Bernell K. Grier as the organization’s CEO, effective immediately.  

Grier joined NHSNYC in 2004 as its chief operating officer.  Prior to joining NHS, Ms. Grier enjoyed a 30-year career in banking beginning at Chase and spanning through Bank of America and its predecessor banks, NatWest USA and Fleet Bank.  At Fleet, Ms. Grier successfully launched the 67-branch Fleet Community Bank network in New York and New Jersey and served as the Director of

Community Development for New York, New Jersey and parts of Florida.  In that role, she worked across the bank’s small business, mortgage lending, real estate and philanthropic foundation units to ensure the bank’s compliance with the U.S. Community Reinvestment Act, which resulted in outstanding CRA ratings.  Prior to that, Ms. Grier spent the majority of her banking career in commercial middle market lending before transitioning into the field of Community Development in 1995.  

Board President Howard C. Bluver said, “Bernell’s wealth of management experience and strong background in the financial industry has been a critical asset for helping NHSNYC steer through the economic crisis.  She has earned a reputation as a stellar team-builder across our neighborhood offices and brought an important business discipline to our activities.  Bernell’s ability to cultivate truly collaborative relationships with both community and industry partners –coupled with her proven leadership and longstanding commitment to underserved communities – make her a clear and outstanding choice for CEO.”

Parallel to her career in the banking industry, Grier has over twenty years of experience serving low-income communities and volunteering with a variety of not-for-profit organizations.  Most recently, she traveled to South Africa to work with Emmanuel Baptist Church, Brooklyn in developing a community resource center in the Wintervelt area.  Her very first job at the age of 14 was as a community organizer, where she helped Harlem residents fight against illegal evictions.

Ms. Grier said, "This is a critical time for New York City neighborhoods, and I am honored and pleased to lead such a dedicated, talented team working tirelessly on behalf of our communities.   Our immediate priority is to work with our partners to improve access to affordable capital, green innovations and financial education so our communities are more vibrant, greener and sustainably strong.”

Grier was recently appointed to the advisory board of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York.  She currently serves on the advisory board of the New York University Furman Center for Real Estate and Public Policy, on the board of Neighborhood Restore, and serves on various committees with the National NeighborWorks Association (NNA).  Grier is a graduate of the City University of New York, City College and a graduate of the James A. Johnson Community Leaders Program and the NeighborWorks\Harvard Achieving Excellence Program class of 2010.  Ms. Grier has received numerous awards for career and community service, including the 2006 Career Achievement Award by the City College of New York Business Alumni Association and the New York Women’s Agenda STAR in 2001.  Ms. Grier is also a Partnership for NYC David Rockefeller Fellow class of 2000.

NeighborWorks America awarded NHSNYC with the 2009 Top Producer Award for being #1 in the network for Direct Investment into the community.  NHSNYC programs and services resulted in the investment of $161 Million in New York City neighborhoods in 2009, which is more than any of the 230 NeighborWorks chartered organizations across the country. This is the third year in a row that NHSNYC has ranked #1 in the network for direct investment.

About NHS
Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City, Inc. (NHS) serves the metropolitan area of New York City.  In addition to providing services throughout New York City, NHS is a community-based organization with targeted impact in the following Neighborhoods: Bedford-Stuyvesant, East Flatbush, North Bronx, Northern Queens, South Bronx and Staten Island. Through financial empowerment and affordable lending, NHS enables individuals and families to invest in, preserve and improve their Neighborhoods, their Homes and their Future. NHS is a HUD-approved housing counseling agency, a NeighborWorks® Chartered organization, a National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling program (NFMC) grantee and a program partner of the Center for New York City Neighborhoods (CNYCN).  Please visit our website at www.nhsnyc.org to learn more.