Title: Associate Director of Institutional Giving
Company: The New York Foundling
Location: New York, New York, United States
Yuby Hernandez, associate director of institutional giving at The New York Foundling, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in nonprofit planning and filmmaking.
Ms. Hernandez has established herself across a career of nearly 15 years, beginning as a community canvasser with the New York Public Interest Research Group in 2011. While attending school, she worked as an office associate for various areas of Wellesley College, followed by taking on the position of parent coordinator with the New York City Department of Education. Starting in 2017, Ms. Hernandez contributed as a community outreach associate for United Palace, one of the largest theaters in Manhattan. She later became a program manager for the same location, marking a shift into embracing film and the arts.
In 2019, Ms. Hernandez accepted the role of program manager in charge of the Neighborhood 360 Grant for the Washington Heights Business Improvement District. For several months in 2020, she coordinated Spotlight on Documentaries Week at The Gotham Film & Media Institute, collaborating with more than 100 filmmakers and 250 film industry representatives. Building off that experience, Ms. Hernandez became an associate producer for “Aftershock,” a documentary on maternal mortality risks in the United States. In 2021, she served as an industry coordinator for the Tribeca Film Festival, aiding in registration and application for over 250 companies and ensuring a strong return for one of the world’s most iconic film festivals following cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continuing her journey into the world of film, Ms. Hernandez spent one year as an operations manager for Independent Documentary Directors, a nonprofit where she assisted 200-plus members. Her extensive work history includes time with Catapult Film Fund, Ghetto Film School, the San Francisco International Film Festival, and The Chocolate Factory Theater. Since 2023, Ms. Hernandez has served as the associate director of institutional giving at The New York Foundling, a nonprofit devoted to helping community members overcome such issues as poverty, developmental disabilities, and lack of access to health care and mental health services. She is also working on her first feature film, “Casabe As Inheritance,” a documentary examining indigenous Dominican culture and history through the lens of casabe, a traditional flatbread.
Prior to embarking upon her professional journey, Ms. Hernandez sought solid academic footing, beginning with a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Wellesley College in 2013. The next year, she obtained an Associate of Science in bartending, food service and dining room management from ABC Bartending School. Subsequently, Ms. Hernandez earned a Master of Fine Arts in social documentary from the School of Visual Arts, graduating cum laude in 2020. She has further solidified her expertise through various certification programs, including project initiation, the foundations of project management, and diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Long dedicated to civic advocacy, Ms. Hernandez has volunteered with the Brown Girls Doc Mafia and has sponsored the Dominican Day Parade. She contributed as an attendance fellow at Margaret Brent Elementary School for several years, and as a youth adviser at the High School for Media and Communications through Catholic Charities USA. Ms. Hernandez previously offered her guidance on the steering committee for Northern Manhattan Art and Culture. She believes diversity in the arts generally and film specifically can have a huge impact on people and seeks to advocate for other emerging filmmakers like herself.
With that goal in mind, Ms. Hernandez’s next career milestone will be launching her own production company, an achievement she hopes to reach within the next five to ten years. She intends to continue giving back to the culture and community through her nonprofit work in the meantime, making sure she’s financially stable as she builds toward her dreams. Ms. Hernandez looks forward to becoming a full-time filmmaker in the future. She aims to create meaningful features that can find success on the festival circuit and through distribution deals.
For more information, please visit:
Contact Ms. Hernandez:
