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We partner with human services providers, workforce development organizations, and community-based nonprofits helping individuals and families build stability, access opportunity, and thrive. Please reach out through the form to schedule a time to speak with our team about your search needs.
Girls Who Code needed its third Chief Executive Officer, following founder Reshma Saujani and Dr. Tarika Barrett, to lead the organization into its next chapter of innovation, growth, and impact. The mandate: advance the mission to close the gender gap in technology and reach 5 million girls, women, and nonbinary individuals by 2030, while evolving programming to meet the demands of a rapidly changing technology landscape, with artificial intelligence being defined in real time.
Two experienced Partners from Bridge Partners co-led the search, ensuring senior-level engagement at every stage. We began with extensive conversations, including organizational leadership, Board members, staff, and external partners, to understand Girls Who Code's culture, priorities, and ambitions for its next chapter. Following that process, we defined a clear mandate for a mission-driven leader with the ability to innovate, scale, and navigate a rapidly evolving technology landscape.
Rather than limiting the search to a traditional nonprofit CEO pool, we engaged leaders across education, workforce development, technology, and other mission-driven sectors. We prioritized executives with a proven record of driving innovation and growth, building programs and organizations at scale, and using technology to expand impact. Structured interviews allowed us to evaluate each candidate consistently against the capabilities and experience most critical to Girls Who Code's future.
Bridge Partners placed Susan Gouijnstook as Chief Executive Officer of Girls Who Code, identifying a leader whose career sits at the intersection of education, workforce development, technology, innovation, and growth. Susan will lead Girls Who Code into its next chapter of innovation, growth, and impact, advancing the organization's mission to close the gender gap in technology and its ambitious goal of reaching 5 million girls, women, and nonbinary individuals by 2030.
Susan brings more than two decades of experience leading strategy, innovation, digital transformation, and growth across education and workforce development. Most recently, she served as Chief Solutions Officer at Jobs for the Future (JFF), where she led a 200+ person team spanning fundraising, program design and delivery, and research, while shaping an $80–$100 million portfolio and revenue strategy. Previously, she spent more than 15 years at McGraw Hill Education, ultimately serving as Senior Vice President of Innovation Strategy, Product Management, and Program Management for its $700 million+ Higher Education division. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from Queens College, CUNY, and is a founding member of Chief in Chicago.
Susan brings together what this moment at Girls Who Code calls for: deep commitment to mission, a track record of technology-driven innovation, and the ability to build and scale for impact.
An international nonprofit working to close the gender gap in technology. Girls Who Code has served over 860,000 students, including 425,000 alumni who are now college- or career-aged, and is at the forefront of equipping the next generation to thrive in emerging fields like artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
Bridge Partners is delighted to announce the appointment of Leslie Abbey as Chief Executive Officer at Hot Bread Kitchen.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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