Safe Horizon CEO and leadership

Greg Brooks joined Safe Horizon in 2014. Greg was previously the associate executive director for finance and administration at the 92nd Street Y. He has held positions in New York City government, including deputy comptroller for policy, audit, accountancy, and contracts and executive assistant/chief of staff to the Brooklyn Borough President. Greg was also the Brooklyn member of the New York City Board of Education and a member of the Board of the Directors of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. He received an MPA from New York University's Graduate School of Public Administration, an MA in English from Hunter College and a BA from SUNY Plattsburgh.

Kelly Coyne joined Safe Horizon in 2013 as the Director of Domestic Violence Shelter Prelude House. She became Deputy Chief Program Officer in 2019. Kelly leads program operations and ensures that services integrate a trauma-informed, client-centered, and anti-oppressive lens while spearheading quality assurance and improvement efforts. She has over 19 years of experience working to end domestic violence in the lives of families in a variety of leadership positions. Kelly has specialized experience working with survivors of domestic violence and their children who are living in a domestic violence shelter. She serves on the Board of the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and is currently the Board Vice-Chair. Kelly was appointed to the Governor’s Domestic Violence Taskforce in 2019. She received an MBA from Queens University, an MS in Higher Education from Appalachian State University.

Dr. Lisa A. O’Connor was promoted to the roles of Deputy CEO and Chief Program Officer as of March 2021. Lisa joined Safe Horizon in 2013 as the Deputy Chief Program Officer and was later promoted to Chief Program Officer. She is a psychologist by training and has spent most of her career in service to children and families impacted by violence. During her time at Safe Horizon, Lisa has led efforts to address the needs of young men of color who have been harmed by violence; implemented client-centered, trauma-informed practices that recognize the impact of racism in the lives of survivors; and led the successful fulfillment of a five-year strategic plan.

Prior to Safe Horizon, Lisa spent almost a decade in child welfare developing and implementing new program models and policies, first as an Assistant Commission at the Administration for Children’s Services and later as Vice President for Children and Family Services at the New York Foundling. In these roles, she designed innovative programs that brought evidence-based models to preventive services and for children in foster care and residential placement. She also developed policy and specialized foster care programming to help reduce child welfare’s use of residential placements for young people approaching adulthood.

Lisa has devoted most of her career to working on behalf of vulnerable populations. She has provided direct service to families in crisis: those experiencing family violence, impacted by poverty, and involved in systems. She received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University and a BA in Psychology from Smith College.

Vagnes De La Rosa joined Safe Horizon in 2014. Vagnes has over a decade of management experience in the non-profit sector, specializing in youth development and leadership programs. Vagnes was previously a deputy director of the Sports and Arts in Schools Foundation, where he was responsible for 24 college readiness programs. He has also worked as a management consultant, trainer and motivational speaker. Vagnes is passionate about working with the community, especially for those who sometimes need a little extra support. He received a MPA in Non-Profit Management from Baruch College's School of Public Affairs and a BA in Psychology from the University of Rochester.