Blog

This week, Bread for the City is introducing a new ongoing blog feature. “Team Encounter” will go behind the work of Bread for the City to introduce you to the staff members whose combined efforts get it all done!  This week, we learn more about Lina Permut, our new Associate Director of Development. Watch for a new “Team Encounter” next week!

What made you want to join Bread for the City’s team? What do you hope to contribute to the organization?

I am so very proud to have grown up in Washington, DC and to be able to contribute to the empowerment and betterment of this community with the skills that I have. Bread for the City’s reputation for being an organization that is committed to DC residents, especially those that need support in their lives, really matters to me. I am committed to working for Bread for the City because a legacy of doing the most good for the most people really matters to me. I hope to contribute to the legacy of good work, continue to build hope for my neighbors, and raise money for this necessary work.

Who is your hero or shero?

I have so many women that I admire and for all kinds of reasons. A short list would include Assata Shakur for her bravery and badassery; Michelle Obama for going high when they go low; Beyonce—because Beyonce; Zora Neale Hurston for writing about black people and humanizing our existence in this world so eloquently; Harriet Tubman for her conviction of the ideas of liberation, and a host of others.

What motivates you to work hard?

I have an internal desire to do good in this world. I want to see everyone be successful in whatever context that means for them. I hate suffering, and I am motivated to see its end. I’m also a mom and want to leave this world better than I found it. I am deeply driven by the desire to make sure that my children and the people that will run this world when I am gone have a world to run.

If you could change one thing about DC, what would it be?

EQUITY. It is a glaring issue.

If you were a superhero, what would your power(s) be?

Telepathy.

Do you collect anything?

BOOKS. I love to read. And good people. 

What is the most interesting thing you’ve ever seen out of an office window? 

On February 16, 2019, I was having a meeting with my development colleagues. As our meeting adjourned, I stood to stretch my legs, refocus my attention, and subsequently looked out the window. A fight had ensued between two gentlemen that would ultimately end in gun fire. I witnessed the entire incident without realizing it until it was too late to look away. It is ingrained in my memory forever.

What was your very first job, and how does that relate to what you’re doing today? 

I was a bookkeeper for my grandfather’s real estate appraisal business. I started in the 8th grade! I LOVE data analytics, and data is a big part of the science behind fundraising. 

What is something people never notice about you, but it’s always true about you? 

I have a large personality, but I am 4’11”. No one believes that I am 4’11”. Then we pull out the measuring tape, and some folks still don’t believe me …

When you’re not at work, who do you become?

I like to think I am the same person in both places, but I am a mom, so I become a chauffeur, cook, teacher, and all around caregiver.