Liz & Michael – Class of 2025
Liz Roberts and Michael Ryan – Class of 2025 – came into the Greater NY Partnership as seasoned leaders navigating complex institutions. Roberts, CEO of Safe Horizon, brought deep expertise in victim services and public systems, while Ryan, recently retired as a Partner at Cleary Gottlieb, brought decades of experience advising executives and organizations through governance and strategic inflection points. Ryan has served on a variety of nonprofit Boards, including Greater NY’s Board, and has completed five Greater NY Partnerships. Their Partnership offered a confidential space to think through the nuances of leadership— one that paired Roberts’s nonprofit perspective with Ryan’s insight into Board culture and organizational change.
Safe Horizon is the nation’s largest victim services agency, supporting more than 250,000 New Yorkers each year. Its work spans domestic violence shelters, child advocacy centers, legal and mental health services, and 24-hour hotlines. The organization serves survivors of violence, abuse, and exploitation— providing trauma-informed support that helps clients navigate recovery, rebuild stability, and pursue justice.
When their Greater NY Partnership began, Roberts was confident in her ability to lead vision and staff but was looking to strengthen her approach to strategic planning and deepen her understanding of Board dynamics. Ryan offered a steady, thoughtful presence — someone who could listen, challenge with care, and provide perspective. Over the two years of their Partnership, the pair developed a rhythm of trust-building conversations, often over lunch or dinner, that helped Roberts process key leadership moments.
During a tense strategic planning process, Ryan helped Roberts interpret competing expectations from staff, consultants, and Board members.
“Even if I didn’t follow his advice, the process of talking it through helped me find my way,” says Roberts. “We really became friends. Something about his way of showing up—his directness and his experience with Boards—it gave me a shot of energy when I needed it.”
“The Partnership Program is not what I expected,” says Roberts. “I thought it would be more formal, more structured. But the kind of benefits I got make perfect sense with Greater NY’s more relaxed, in-the-moment approach. I’m grateful for the connection to Michael. I would absolutely recommend the Program to anyone thinking about it.”
“At my level, it can be lonely,” says Roberts. “Talking to Michael made me less lonely and, as a result, I became more intentional about reaching out to other people when I wanted to talk something through.”
Greater NY connects leaders in strategic service to the people of New York City. For Roberts and Ryan, the Partnership created a trusted space for honest reflection on leadership, governance, and decision-making— supporting Roberts as she led a complex organization in service of the New Yorkers Safe Horizon supports.