Categories: Member News
11.28.2023
After 34 years at CUCS, Joe DeGenova has stepped down as the organization’s CEO having started at the organization as assistant Program Director in 1989. Before becoming CEO, Joe worked alongside CEO Tony Hannigan as Deputy Director for 19 years, helping to grow the organization from four programs with a budget of five million dollars to one with 24 programs and a budget of $39 million. He helped grow CUCS affiliate Janian Medical Care among a raft of accomplishments. He and Tony were bedrocks of the supportive housing community and saw its growth from a handful of projects and providers to its well-earned reputation for the most effective means of helping those most in need into homes and health. His tenure as CEO was all too brief and he shall be deeply missed.
Said acting CEO and Janian Chief Medical Officer Van Yu: I think one of Joe’s obvious and outstanding characteristics is that there is never any doubt about his integrity or motivation. His sole “North Star” as he liked to call it is always to do the right thing in any situation. I think he’d be the first to admit that it’s not always easy to know what the right thing is, and that the right thing is often a complicated thing, but that is always the goal. For me, being confident of this always made it easy for me to work with Joe. Even in the rare instance when I disagreed with him, I was always comfortable with and 100% certain of Joe’s integrity. Furthermore, this obviously rubbed off on everyone around him. There’s a culture of integrity at CUCS that flowed directly from Joe.
Chief Program Officer Adina Barbosa added “Joe left a legacy at CUCS of providing thoughtful, high-quality services, positively impacting the lives of thousands of New Yorkers. Joe is a mentor to me, as he was to many at CUCS. He taught me the importance of great leadership and management, transparency, and always learning and growing as a person, leader, and as an organization. He inspired many, including myself to always strive to do our best. He always said, ‘we want our services to be what we would want for our family members’. That resonates within CUCS for all who carry out our mission and will continue.”
Network Executive Director Pascale Leone said “Working alongside Joe during my first year as Executive Director at the Network has been an absolute honor. His decades of unwavering dedication and compassionate leadership has left an indelible mark on the supportive housing community. As a trusted member of the Network's Board of Directors, Joe's impact transcends words, and I extend my deepest gratitude for his invaluable support and guidance. Wishing him a retirement filled with all the joy and fulfillment he so richly deserves.”
Breaking Ground President and CEO Brenda Rosen said “Under Joe’s leadership, CUCS' invaluable partnership with Breaking Ground helped support thousands of individuals and families experiencing homelessness access critical services and housing in New York City. Further, Joe devoted his entire career to developing high quality programs and services for those most vulnerable to become healthy and stable for the long term.”