Douglas H. Lasdon
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| Douglas H. Lasdon | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 15, 1955 [1] New York City, US |
| 🏫 Education | Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Cornell Law School |
| 💼 Occupation | Lawyer |
| Known for | Founder, Urban Justice Center |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Marisa Morán Jahn |
| 👶 Children | 1 |
| Family | Lasdon |
Douglas H. Lasdon is an American legal aid attorney, non-profit executive, and law professor. He is the founder and executive director of the Urban Justice Center.[2]
Early life and education[edit]
Douglas H. Lasdon was born in New York to businessman Lloyd Lasdon and Sandra Rubin Lasdon. He has one younger sister, Laurie.[3] Lasdon earned his undergraduate degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. from Cornell Law School.[4]
Career[edit]
Building the Urban Justice Center[edit]
Lasdon's first job out of law school was at Covenant House, a Manhattan-based charity that provides housing and other services for homeless youth. There he learned that at age 18 teenagers were forced to leave foster care and fend for themselves. For many, this meant being forced onto the streets or into adult homeless shelters. Lasdon was convinced the state was required to do more. Unable to pursue the case at Covenant House, he resigned and started holding pro bono legal clinics at soup kitchens while spearheading a lawsuit on behalf of homeless teenagers who'd been discharged from foster care. Out of that was born the Urban Justice Center, then known as the Legal Action Center for the Homeless, and Lasdon's first legal victory. The case led to a major change in the system, with the state Supreme Court ruling that the city must provide housing, supervision, and job training for those in foster care until age twenty-one. [2][4]
In 1984 Lasdon's organization was a solo operation working out of a burned-out building in Harlem. As of 2013 he had grown the Urban Justice Center to a staff of over 100 with an annual operating budget of over $7.5 million. Despite its institutional growth, under Lasdon's direction, the center has remained known as a home for groundbreaking progressive programs and initiatives, and for being a constant and powerful advocate for New York's poorest, most vulnerable and underserved populations, including the mentally ill, low-income veterans, victims of domestic violence, street vendors, asylum seekers, and sex workers.[2]
Unique non-profit management[edit]
Lasdon's approach to non-profit management is also of note. The Urban Justice Center has a unique structure, serving as an umbrella for a wide range of projects. Some programs, like those devoted to the mentally ill and to homeless LGBTQ youths, have stayed under the center's banner. Others have spun off into independent ventures, as the International Refugee Assistance Project did in early 2019. And though known as an unofficial incubator for decades, Lasdon recently formalized this role by launching the Social Justice Accelerator competition which selects five early-stage advocacy projects to enter a two-year program designed to help them evolve into fully functioning nonprofits.[4]
In addition to bringing the incubator and accelerator concepts to the non-profit space, Lasdon has also been a trailblazer in non-profit real estate management. In the 1990s he realized that with some negotiation of prices and broker fees, the UJC could pay less per square foot of commercial real estate in yearly mortgage and maintenance payments than on rent. He therefore convinced his board to take the risk on buying rather than leasing office space. Lasdon purchased the UJC office space at 666 Broadway in 1997 and in 2007 sold the property for $5.7 million, close to 10 times the initial amount he paid. The UJC's current headquarters are located on Rector Street, and were purchased with its real estate profits and a $5 million grant from New York City.[5]
Personal life and family[edit]
Lasdon is married to artist Marisa Morán Jahn; they have one son. Through his father he is a member of the Lasdon family, and through his mother he was a nephew of Barbara and Stephen M. Peck.[4][6][7]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Lasdon Birth Notice". The New York Times. September 18, 1955.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Wadler, Joyce (31 October 2000). "Ferreting Out the Legal Rights of the Poor". The New York Times.
- ↑ "Sandra Lasdon Scrapbook". Sarah Lawrence Archive Collections. May 30, 1958.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Salerno, Heather (April 2020). "Fair Fight, A JD alum strives to protect some of New York's most vulnerable people, from immigrants to homeless teens". Cornell Alumni Magazine.
- ↑ Pristin, Terry (4 April 2007). "Nonprofit Doesn't Mean You Can't Wheel and Deal". The New York Times.
- ↑ "Sandra Rubin Bride of Lloyd Lasdon" (PDF). The New York Times. March 2, 1952.
- ↑ "Barbara Rubin Bride of Stephen M. Peck" (PDF). The New York Times. May 30, 1958.
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