The Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia (AVP) has announced Natasha Danielá de Lima McGlynn as its new executive director.

She is the first Latina to hold the top leadership position in the organization’s 38-year history.

To de Lima McGlynn — a Brazilian and naturalized U.S. citizen — her new role and the distinction of being the first Latina in the position are both great honors. 

“Latinos are the fastest growing minority group in the United States, yet we remain largely underrepresented in leadership roles in both private and public sectors. My hope is that we’ll see more diversity in leadership roles, especially within the nonprofit sector,” de Lima McGlynn told AL DÍA.

Her appointment as AVP’s new executive comes after she spent the past nine months in an interim role. During her time as interim executive director, she has successfully led the organization through pandemic challenges, organizational restructuring and reshaping organizational culture. 

Efforts and initiatives during that time included AVP’s first published research report, which identified the circumstances faced by survivors and crime victims in the aftermath of a homicide in Philadelphia; an enhanced intern program; and a pivot towards data-centric management and advocacy, which includes AVP’s acceptance into and participation in The Scattergood Foundation’s RISE Readiness program, as well as AmeriCorps VISTA program as a host site.  

“Natasha has demonstrated an innovative vision for AVP. Her efforts have substantially raised AVP’s public profile at City Council hearings, discussions with policymakers, community events and rallies, and local/national media,” said Brett Roman Williams, chair of the board of directors for the Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia, in a press release.  

She originally joined the AVP’s Board of Directors in March 2020, before being appointed interim executive director in August and beginning her tenure the following month. Currently, the Board is 100% BIPOC for the first time in its history. 

“In Philadelphia, where violence is disproportionately impacting communities of color, we need diverse leaders in organizations that are supporting communities of color,” de Lima McGlynn said. “The empathy, cultural understanding, and authenticity that diverse leaders can bring to the table are what is needed — and largely missing — to build meaningful connections throughout our communities and, consequently, drive impactful social change.”

Founded in 1983, the Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia (AVP) is a victim service agency that works to support youth and adult victims and co-victims of violence and co-victims of violence in the city. 

Her involvement with the organization was largely motivated by the murder of her best friend, Wendy Martinez, in 2018. A Nicaraguan, Martinez had just become the Chief of Staff at a prominent tech company in Washington, D.C. at the time of her death. 

“She was a fierce advocate for women in leadership roles, especially for Latinas,” de Lima McGlynn reflected. “I know she would be proud of me. This work is about her and the countless victims like her.”

While the appointment of her new executive leadership role might be celebratory on one hand, de Lima McGlynn describes the work she is faced with as “urgent and serious.”

According to statistics from The Office of the Controller, there have been over 1,000 shootings in Philadelphia this year alone — 836 nonfatal and 235 fatal shooting victims, as of Jun 29, 2021.

In addition, there have been 271 homicides in the city in 2021, a 35% increase from this point in 2020.

“Families are being torn apart, children are growing up fearful of their lives — this is not okay, this is not normal, and we cannot treat this crisis as ‘normal’ by any means,” said de Lima McGlynn. 

In her new role, she hopes to lead the organization in finding ways to expand its capacity to provide the critical counseling services so many youth, teens, adults and families in the city need. 

“It takes a community to save a community,” she said.