DSNI Makes A Leadership Transition

Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) is pleased to welcome our new Executive Director Juan Leyton, a long-time Boston resident. We welcome Juan as the new Executive Director as we build on 31 years of community building and innovative successes in engaging residents in developing and strengthening the Roxbury and North Dorchester neighborhood. Juan’s extensive experience in community organizing, advocacy and leadership development reflect his deep commitment and alignment to the values and mission of DSNI.

We are excited to welcome Juan Leyton as we continue to engage our community in the work of development without displacement and success for every child. We are fortunate to have him join us and he follows in the footsteps of some extraordinary leaders like Chris M. Jones, John Barros, Greg Watson, Ro Whittington, Gus Newport and Peter Medoff.

Juan Leyton was selected after a rigorous search and will join DSNI in May 2015. Juan has distinguished himself in the fields of community economic development and community building in Boston and Massachusetts. He holds master’s degrees in community economic development and public policy from Tufts University and Southern New Hampshire University. Most recently, he worked as a consultant with the Local Enterprise Assistance Fund and some of Boston’s leading nonprofits like Sociedad Latino, Family Independence Initiative and the Greater Boston Latino Network. He honed his skills as Executive Director of Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts and CityLife/Vida Urbana.

Juan Leyton comes to DSNI as Chris M. Jones completes his two year tenure of moving the organization into implementation of the Promise Neighborhood opportunity called the Boston Promise Initiative. Chris is leaving Boston to join his wife and daughters in the DC/Maryland area.

“This has been an amazing opportunity to uphold the community values, honor the history of this community and its voice in its future. This is the neighborhood where my wife and I bought our home and where our daughters were born. I am proud of the great strides we have made and excited about the future which holds great promise and challenges. I am honored to be passing the torch into Juan’s more than capable hands,” stated Jones, outgoing Executive Director.

DSNI continues to accomplish great things including the following successes: implementing the first two and a half years of the Boston Promise Initiative (BPI), an innovative federal US Department of Education initiative to link neighborhood revitalization and the success of children and their families; turning over more than $500,000 to neighborhood partner organizations to increase the impact of BPI; doubling the staff size; raising over $3 million from a range of funding sources; developing a technology and data infrastructure to support our work and initiating the Fair Chance for Family Success initiative which has empowered over a hundred families to develop strong community relationships, set financial goals and receive education and training to strengthen their economic security. Juan Leyton is well positioned to build on DSNI’s success and progress while leveraging long-term financial commitments to realize continued neighborhood change and growth.

Please join us in officially welcoming Juan to the DSNI family!