August 1st marks a start of a new era at the Riis Settlement House, with the transition of executive directors to Christopher Hanway from William Newlin. Mr. Newlin has led Riis Settlement in its growth into three strong core programs, seen expansion from one main site to four, and the implementation of innovative technology, evaluation and arts programs.
Why “the House that Newlin built?” In the early 1920’s the owners of the New York Yankees were looking to build a stadium for their organization after the team improved mightily with the acquisition of Babe Ruth. One of the areas highly considered for constructing this stadium was our very own Long Island City (which would have led to a drastically different history of the Mets), but instead the original Yankee Stadium was built in the South Bronx in 1923. The stadium quickly gained the nickname “The House that Ruth Built” after the Yankees won their first World Series in the stadium’s inaugural year. In Mr. Newlin’s time as executive director he has built the organization and brought aid to an ever growing and changing community. The journey has been a marathon to reach a never ending finish line of success, and similar to the impact of Ruth on the Yankee organization, Mr. Newlin has laid a sensational foundation with an expectation of constant performance at the highest level. One can honestly say Riis Settlement is now “The House that Newlin Built.”
Upon interviewing Mr. Bill Newlin, I asked what he viewed as his greatest accomplishment as the executive director of the Jacob A. Riis Settlement House. His response was strengthening the organization while steering it through the peaks and valleys of constant changes to the social, economic, and political landscape for nonprofit settlement houses. Mr. Newlin has been the executive director for over 23 years now, and oversaw the growth of the organization’s staff from 5 members to over 100. The budget has multiplied from $100,000 to just under $3,000,000 and Riis Settlement now serves an average of 750 individuals each day. The statisticsmeasure some of Mr. Newlin’s successes, but cannot represent the lives he has changed in the process.
Mr. Newlin graduated from Queens College of the City of New York and received his MSW from Hunter College of CUNY. He has always participated in community activity, as he firmly believes that involvement is needed for change. His views line up directly with the mission statement of the Riis Settlement House: he creates a positive impact by acting as a “catalyst for change.” Among other positions prior to joining Riis Settlement, Mr. Newlin worked at the New York City Commission on Human Rights for nine years, serving as director of field services and director of the Bias Prevention and Response Team. The combination of Mr. Newlin’s approach to helping others and his leadership experience, made him a great fit to build the existing youth program at Riis Settlement while also instituting senior and immigrant services programs as executive director.
When asked what he will miss most about being the executive director, he responded “watching the children grow and change and being a part of the process.” He continued to discuss how such emphasis must be put on the youth because they are the future and the leaders of tomorrow. Next, I asked him “what will you not miss so much?” Mr. Newlin began his answer with a laugh. After a minute of joking he responded good naturedly, “the things that take the fun out of the position,” and began to elaborate.
“Many challenges in this position are a double-edged sword. For example, the stresses of fundraising were the same challenges that forced me to be creative.” This mentality has driven his success, as he has faced many challenges and learned from each in order to better handle future adversity with even more composure. He describes the position as an emotional roller coaster. At the end of his tenure at Riis, the best advice he can give his successor is to keep their emotions in check because the job is about constant decision making, and the high quality of work is a direct reflection of a consistent concentration on the task at hand. Mr. Newlin has kept his good humor throughout the ride, and when asked about his plans for retirement he responded, “I have no experience (with retirement). I am just going to figure out what it means.” He has spent a lifetime and career making plans, and has decided that this chapter of his life will begin without any planning. One thing we all can be certain of as Mr. Newlin retires, is that his impact on Riis Settlement and the community of Western Queens has been deep and strong, and will continue for generations to come.
Story Written By: Daniel Diez
