Our Team

George A. Jones

Chief Executive Officer

George A. Jones has been Chief Executive Officer of Bread for the City (BFC) since January 2, 1996. He is responsible for managing all administrative, financial, and programmatic aspects of the organization and its 100 full-time staff.

Mr. Jones has led Bread for the City’s growth from a $1.2 million operation in 1996 to a $10.6 million operation in 2014. This growth included overseeing the development of a new center in Southeast DC in 2002, as well as the 11,000 sq. ft. expansion of BFC’s Northwest Center, which opened for service in December 2010.

In 2015, Georgetown University recognized Mr. Jones as a local leader working to solve some of the city’s most pressing challenges and honored him with the John Thompson, Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award.

Mr. Jones was appointed to the Access to Justice Commission in 2014 and was also recently selected to be a member of one of Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser’s transition committees on poverty and homelessness in DC.

From 1999 to 2007, Mr. Jones served as Chairman of the Board of the DC Primary Care Association (DCPCA), a non-profit which advocates for the expansion of healthcare access and reduction of healthcare disparities among low-income DC residents. He currently serves as the DCPCA’s Vice Chairman, is on the Center for Nonprofit Advancement Board, as well as the Board of the Capital Area Food Bank. Mr. Jones is also a 2011 winner of the Center for Non-Profit Advancement’s Gelman, Rosenberg, & Freedman EXCEL Award.

While serving as CEO of Bread for the City, the organization has been recognized for excellence by Johnson & Johnson, the District of Columbia government, the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (DC), DC Bar Pro Bono Program, and the District of Columbia Primary Care Association. The agency was also a two-time finalist and one-time winner for the Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management.

In addition, Mr. Jones was recognized by Mayor Anthony Williams for 10 Years of Dedicated Service in April 2006 and received the Haynes Rice Award from the DC Hospital Association in 2011.

Mr. Jones holds a B.A. in Psychology from Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia.

Phone: 202.386.7602

Email: gjones@breadforthecity.org

Jeannine C. Sanford, Esq.

Chief Operating Officer

Jeannine C. Sanford is the Chief Operating Officer of Bread for the City, where she has worked in several different capacities for two decades. Ms. Sanford is responsible for daily operations including administrative and program oversight. Prior to accepting the position of COO, Ms. Sanford was the Deputy Director since 1999.

Before becoming Deputy Director, Ms. Sanford served as Bread for the City’s first official Legal Clinic Director. From her start in that role in 1993, Ms. Sanford fostered the development of Bread for the City’s volunteer program into a professional civil legal services practice. Under her direction, the clinic received the 1998 Fredrick B. Abramson Award.

Ms. Sanford graduated from The Ohio State University College of Law and moved to Washington, D.C. to accept a staff attorney position with Neighborhood Legal Services Program, where she worked for several years both in Northwest and Southeast offices. Ms. Sanford has served on the District of Columbia Bar Board of Governors and, on several occasions, has been the Co-Chair of the Consortium of Legal Services Providers.

In 2005, Ms. Sanford received the Jerrold Scoutt Prize in recognition of her long-standing commitment to civil legal services and in 2012 she received the DCPCA “Unsung Hero Award”.

She is currently the Vice-Chair of the District of Columbia Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure and serves on the Board of Directors of the D.C. Employment Justice Center.

Phone: 202.386.7007

Email: jsanford@breadforthecity.org

Randi Abramson, M.D.

Chief Medical Officer

Since 1991, Dr. Abramson has provided direction and management on all aspects of Bread for the City’s medical program. She manages the recruitment of medical volunteers; cultivates relationships with medical schools to establish residency programs; oversees and coordinates the development and operation of medical clinics; and conducts patient examinations and referrals.

In 2008, Dr. Abramson was awarded the DC Primary Care Associations “Caregiver of the Year” Award and she was also the recipient of the American Medical Association Excellence in Medicine Award in 2009.

Dr. Abramson also serves as Assistant Clinical Professor at George Washington University Medical Center, and holds a M.D. from Rush Medical College in Chicago, Illinois.

Phone: Please contact Medical Front Desk at 202.386.7020

Sekou “Koe” Murphy

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Murphy became CFO in March 2010. Prior to this, Sekou served as CFO/COO of a media technology company, Investment Officer of a private equity firm, and audit manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers serving many of the firm’s flagship not-for-profit clients. He has also served on the boards and finance committees of several not-for-profit organizations. Sekou received his BBA in Accounting from Howard University and his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Sekou is also the winner of the 2012 SmartCXO Award for Chief Financial Officer at a non-profit.

Phone: 202.386.7603

Email: smurphy@breadforthecity.org

Andrea Messina

Chief Development Officer

As Chief Development Officer, Andrea is responsible for Bread for the City’s annual fund, communications and capital projects fundraising. Andrea previously served on BFC’s development team during which time she took on multiple roles including Volunteer Coordinator, Marketing and Events Coordinator, Grants Manager, and Associate Director of Development. After leaving BFC in 2008, she worked for Reading is Fundamental, For Love of Children and National Geographic. Most recently, she spent five years as a management consultant at Accenture. Andrea holds an MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Her graduate studies focused on non-profit management and social enterprise, and included consulting engagements with Cisco Systems, Coca-Cola Enterprises and TechnoServe Swaziland. Andrea graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Catholic University of America with a B.A. in Psychology.

Phone: 202.386.7613

Email: amessina@breadforthecity.org

Lynda Brown, MA

Center Director, Social Services Director (SE)

Ms. Brown joined the Social Services program in October 2002 after serving as the program director at the Mellwood House for Women and Children. Throughout her twenty-year career, she has focused on child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment. Ms. Brown holds an M.A. in Human Development/Child & Family Studies from Syracuse University and is a certified addictions counselor.

Phone: 202.587.0531

Email: lbrown@breadforthecity.org

Melissa Frazier

Food, Clothing & Facilities Director

Melissa Frazier serves in a multi-faceted role as Bread for the City's Food, Clothing, and Facilities Director. Not only is she responsible for supervising the operations, inventory, and distribution of the organization's Food, Clothing, and Sustainable Agriculture divisions and the work of their associated staff, but she also oversees all aspects of facilities maintenance and operations, repair, and renovation for Bread for the City's Northwest and Southeast Centers. Working with care and enthusiasm, Ms. Frazier is known as a problem solver among staff and clients, often going above-and-beyond to ensure needs for multiple spaces are efficiently met. Ms. Frazier has served as Director since January 2011 and has worked for Bread for the City since 2003.

Phone: 202.587.0522 (SE) 202.386.7090 (NW)

Email: mfrazier@breadforthecity.org

Su Sie Ju, Esq.

Legal Clinic Director

As Legal Director, Su Sie Ju oversees the legal work and advocacy efforts of 16 attorneys, loaned associates, attorney volunteers, and 5 non-attorney staff.

Prior to becoming Legal Director, Su Sie was a Bread for the City attorney, practicing primarily in the area of family law and serving on several family law-related DC Bar and Court committees, including the DC Bar Family Law Task Force and the Paternity & Support Subcommittee of the Family Court Implementation Committee as its Co-Chair. She also served six years as a member of the DC Access to Justice Commission and four years as a member of the DC Bar Pro Bono Committee. She co-founded and directs the Child Support Community Legal Services Project, which provides same-day legal advice and representation to parents in child support cases.

In 2003, Su Sie received the Community Service Award from the Asian Pacific American Bar Association Educational Fund, and, in 2013, she was the recipient of the Jerrold Scoutt Prize from the DC Bar Foundation, awarded annually to an attorney “who has worked for a significant portion of his or her career at a non-profit organization providing direct hands-on legal services to the needy in the District of Columbia; has demonstrated compassionate concern for his or her clients; and has exhibited a high degree of skill on their behalf.”

Prior to joining Bread for the City in September 2000, Su Sie was a court law clerk with the DC Court of Appeals and a National Association for Public Interest Law (now Equal Justice Works) Fellow at the National Partnership for Women and Families.

Su Sie received her BA, cum laude, from Yale University and her JD from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Phone: 202.386.7010

Email: sju@breadforthecity.org

Tracy Knight, LICSW

Social Services Director (NW)

Tracy Knight has led Bread for the City's Northwest Social Services program since 2002. She is responsible for the overall operations of our Behavioral Health services, Housing Access Program, Representative Payee Program, SOAR SSI application assistance program, MSW student training program, and our NW Center’s generalist social work practice. She also leads our agency Trauma Informed Care implementation team and is active in the DC social services and behavioral health community, where she currently serves as the Vice President of the DC Behavioral Health Association. She serves on the advisory board of DC PACT, and she represents Bread for the City as a board member and officer of the Clinically Integrated Network. Each of these groups work to improve the health outcomes and social needs of DC residents.

Ms. Knight also serves as a consultant for the National Council for Behavioral Health and works as part of their national Practice Transformation Team, which is tasked with creating a trauma informed change package for primary care practices. She received her MSW from the University of Pennsylvania.

Phone: 202.386.7012

Email: tknight@breadforthecity.org

Edie Oliver

Human Resources Director

Edie Oliver serves as Bread for the City’s Human Resources Director. In this multifaceted role, she advises the director team on the implications of change and growth, including working to develop a strong recruitment and training program, ensuring a safe working environment, helping employees navigate challenges, developing competitive compensation and benefits packages, ensuring compliance with local and federal regulations, and creating training and professional development opportunities for employees. Edie has worked at Bread for the City since November 1992, previously offering her expertise as Payroll & HR Manager, Accounts Receivable Manager, and other roles. Edie has an AA in Business Administration from Strayer University and a BA in Human Resources Management from Ashford University.

Phone: 202.386.7614

Email: eoliver@breadforthecity.org

Aja Taylor

Advocacy Director

Ms. Taylor joined Bread for the City as a Community Organizer in the Community Lawyering Project in 2012, and became the organization’s first-ever Advocacy Director in the fall of 2015. In this role, she oversees BFC’s Affordable Housing Campaign, including managing a staff of five community organizers. In addition to her work at Bread for the City, Ms. Taylor is on the steering committee for the Fair Budget Coalition, a project of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless that advocates for policy initiatives that address the human needs of DC residents. For leadership in the passage of the Fair Criminal Records Screening Act of 2014, she was awarded the Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizens’ Partner Award and Washington Peace Center Activist Award. As the co-founder and President of the NAACP Youth Council, she was awarded the Medger Evers Youth Leadership award.

Phone: 202.587.5919

Email: ataylor@breadforthecity.org