Leslie Abbey

February 2022 - Bridge Partners is delighted to announce the appointment of Leslie Abbey as Chief Executive Officer at Hot Bread Kitchen.

Hot Bread Kitchen (HBK) creates economic opportunity for immigrant women and women of color through jobs skills training, food entrepreneurship programs, and an ecosystem of support in New York City. Founded in 2008, HBK has grown into a hub of economic opportunity in New York City, generating over $100 million in regional economic impact and sustaining a highly regarded workforce development program and small business incubator. HBK is dedicated to enabling thousands of women to take the first step on a path to career advancement and financial security.

Leslie Abbey comes to HBK from Covenant House New York, the City’s largest organization dedicated to serving youth experiencing homelessness. She spent four years as Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer where she oversaw seven sites and 260 staff, created strategies to improve youth outcomes, and was instrumental in creating an agency-wide DEI strategic plan. Prior to Covenant House New York, Leslie held senior leadership roles at Lantern Community Services and New York City Administration for Children’s Services. Leslie started her career advocating for youth as an attorney at The Legal Aid Society and is Founder of Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT).

“I've always been motivated to work with women and children and have found that the success of families lies very much in women’s empowerment. Hot Bread Kitchen’s core mission to break down the silos of access and opportunity for women, and to position members to seize opportunities for income generation, pulled me in initially, and our growth strategy to deepen our impact were what made me really excited to join the team.”

Leslie has an undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College where she majored in Political Science and Women’s Studies. She received her J.D. from New York University School of Law.