FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 3, 2018 —
Contact: Marlene Zarfes, 914-428-4507, mzarfes@wroinc.org —
Westchester Residential Opportunities Welcomes New Executive Director
White Plains, NY – Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. (WRO), a non-profit housing counseling organization, today proudly announced the promotion of Marlene Zarfes to the position of Executive Director. Marlene joined WRO in 2010, serving as Fair Housing Director and then as Deputy Executive Director. Before joining WRO, Marlene had a long career as a corporate attorney, most recently with Manhattan law firm Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, where she placed substantial priority on pro bono matters. Marlene replaces exiting Executive Director Geoffrey Anderson, who recently announced his resignation after more than eleven years at the helm of WRO to pursue other opportunities.
“The board and staff are so grateful to Geoffrey for everything he has done for the organization,” noted WRO board cochairs Leah Caro and Professor Gretchen Flint. “And we’re excited to have Marlene as our new Executive Director, and know that WRO will continue to do great work under her leadership.”
Marlene thanked the board and, noting that WRO just celebrated its 50th anniversary, said “I’m excited and humbled to be leading this wonderful organization, with such a rich history of service to our community.”
WRO also announced that Andrew Smith, currently its Fair Housing Program Coordinator, would be taking over from Marlene as Deputy Executive Director. Andrew joined WRO’s fair housing department two years ago and was previously a partner at the law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in Manhattan.
Founded in 1968, WRO is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote equal, affordable, and accessible housing opportunities for all residents of its region. Today WRO provides various housing-counseling services in the Lower Hudson Valley, including Eviction Prevention, Mortgage Default Prevention, First Time Home Buying, Senior Housing, Independent Living and Fair Housing.
