On August 1, 2013, Christopher Hanway became the new Executive Director of Riis Settlement. Mr. Hanway has over 15 years of professional experience in the not-for-profit sector, most notably he worked in development at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Mr. Hanway was hired as a Grant Manager for Riis Settlement and eventually came to spearhead the agency’s fundraising and marketing efforts as Director of Development & Communications. Riis Settlement intern Kandi Johnson checked in with Mr. Hanway after his first few weeks on the job to find out more about the man behind this challenging new role.
When asked what influenced him to take on the new position, Mr. Hanway recalls considering two paths. “I knew it was time to go in a new direction, which either meant doing fund development at a bigger organization or taking it to the next level and applying for the Executive Director position at Riis Settlement.” As news of former Executive Director Mr. William Newlin’s impending retirement spread, a few friends and colleagues encouraged him to apply for the position. “I listened to the voices of those closest to me and it worked out well in my favor,” he said. “Sometimes, you just have to take risks.”
Mr. Hanway grew up on Long Island and has been living in New York City since the age of 17. He is a proud graduate of Hunter College (CUNY), and holds a Masters of Public Administration from Baruch College’s Executive MPA program. He loves travelling and Vietnamese food. But more importantly, Mr. Hanway loves to laugh. “If you can make me laugh and are a good-hearted person- you are good in my book.”
So it makes sense that Mr. Hanway got along well with Mr. Newlin, who, after 23 years of extraordinary leadership, stepped down on July 31, 2013. “Mr. Newlin has a great sense of humor – and he was not shy to laugh loudly. Some days I recall being stressed out in my office and all of a sudden hearing him next door laughing hysterically. I would think to myself, ‘Okay Chris, I am stressed and I know that he is stressed ten times more than I am. If he can take the time out to enjoy the moment and laugh, so can I.’”
What’s a typical day in the life of our new Executive Director like? “It involves a lot of community engagement. I am always communicating via email and in-person, which is the most important when leading an organization. Building new relationships with funders, non profits and staff is integral to my everyday schedule, especially preparing my staff for the next steps in their journeys as well. Also let’s not forget one of the many facets of being an ED – there is lots of document signing involved.”
Future Plans
Mr. Hanway looks forward to continuing to work hard serving this community. For starters, he wants to develop programs for adults who are not seniors or immigrants. There are a lot of adults who are disconnected from school and work but Mr. Hanway wants to make sure they are not disconnected from the community. He is looking for ways to reach them such as basic job readiness workshops. It will take “a huge investment, lots of staff and collaborations with other organizations,” Mr. Hanway said, but he understands that this demographic is an important asset to our community, and must be served.
Values
When asked what he felt was more important to him, challenges or comfort, Mr. Hanway chose challenges. “Comfort is safe. [A] challenge is more important to understanding life. You will make mistakes, move forward and move on. If the mistakes you made hurt people, do whatever it takes to fix it.” When it comes to choosing friends Mr. Hanway values decency. “You can have faults and make mistakes, but you should always have the best interests of others at heart.”
Mr. Hanway loves working for Riis Settlement and is very passionate about changing people’s lives. He is admired for his honesty, intelligence and intellectual curiosity and respected for his dedication to making positive change. We are confident that Mr. Hanway will be an effective leader for our community and wish him the best of luck in his new role!
This interview was conducted by our Marketing Intern, Kandi Johnson. To learn more about Riis Settlement, please check out our website or our Facebook and Twitter accounts.
