We partnered with Commonwealth on the search for a Senior Vice President of Impact & Research. Commonwealth is a national nonprofit building financial security and opportunity for financially vulnerable people through innovation and partnerships.

Our work resulted in the recruitment of Brenda Velazquez to the role.

In this role, Velazquez advises the development and tracking of metrics to measure outcomes, organizational impact, and how that impact contributes to system change for low to moderate income communities.

Prior to joining Commonwealth, Velazquez served as the Executive Director of Research at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. She has a proven record of utilizing data and research in collaboration with stakeholder partners to improve justice policies and implement community-centered public safety initiatives that enhance well-being for underserved populations. Her work has examined racial and gender disparities in justice policies and practices and measured the impact of criminal justice programs and initiatives.

Velazquez is a National Science Foundation Fellow and holds a Doctorate in Criminology, Law, and Society and a Masters in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree from New York University.