Carmen Hernandez

Carmen is a housing assistant at African Services Committee, working under the Social Services Block Grant Program and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS.  Carmen’s work at ASC includes assisting with housing issues, processing housing forms, helping with housing placement and developing relationships with landlords and brokers. Additionally, Carmen assesses clients’ eligibility for housing, supervises home visits and facilitates housing workshops. Before working at ASC, Carmen provided housing assistance and monitoring for The Hispanic AIDS Forum, working as a resource specialist where she assisted clients with entitlements, housing and helped with the process of navigating institutions (such as healthcare) they were having problems with.

Born in The Bronx, New York, Carmen received her B.A. at The College of New Rochelle where she majored in psychology and minored in social work. Having spent the last two years of high school studying in Puerto Rico, Carmen is fluent in both Spanish and English.

Deirdre Stradone

Deirdre is one of African Services Committee’s staff attorneys working with the Super Storm Sandy Social Services Block Grant. Deirdre’s work includes providing legal services for people living in Staten Island and southern Queens affected by Hurricane Sandy, specifically in dealing with immigration, housing, labor and employment and benefits issues.

Prior to ASC, Deirdre worked in corporate law and later became an ASC volunteer where when a position opened up, she officially joined ASC’s staff. A graduate of Loyola University in Maryland where she studied political science and history, Deirdre earned her law degree at Hofstra University. She is originally from Rhode Island and speaks English and is learning Spanish.  Aside from ASC, Deirdre also works with Minds Matter, a mentoring program for low-income, high-achieving students in New York City. 

Steven Sacco

Steven is a staff attorney at African Services Committee representing clients living with HIV and or AIDS. Also acting as a Ryan White attorney, Steven represents Ryan White clients in various cases ranging from housing, immigration to discrimination and public benefits. Before joining ASC’s staff, Steven interned with The New York Civil Liberties Union, Immigration Legal Services of Catholic Charities of Newark, New Jersey and The Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center as well as The Legal Aid of Northeastern Newark. A native of Utica, NY, Steven graduated from Albany Law School in May 2013, earning his Masters in Social Work from the State University of New York at Albany. Along with English, Steven speaks some Swahili and is beginning to learn Spanish.

Ralph Goulbourne

Ralph is the Fiscal Manager responsible for processing and maintaining all financial activities which directly impacts the mission, programs and the financial/operational aspects of African Services Committee. He is responsible for preparing and submitting financial reports, vouchering of payments on contracts to the various governmental agencies and private foundations, while managing, all general ledger activity, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll accounts. Additionally, Ralph coordinates the annual financial audit and tax filings with the CPA firm while supporting senior ASC management and colleagues with the day-to-day operations of ASC. Ralph has a wide range of accounting/finance related experience over the span of his career. He is a dedicated non-profit professional with over 15 years experience within the non-profit sector.