On Monday, June 2, over 150 guests gathered at the Grand Hall on the fifth floor of NYU’s Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life for the ninth occurrence of the McSilver Awards, the McSilver Institute’s signature gala. The Awards honored nine vanguards for social justice, including Nathaniel Fields, Chief Executive Officer of the Urban Resource Institute; Mara Gay, New York Times editorial board member and MSNBC analyst; Dr. Lisette Nieves, President of the Fund for the City of New York; Hon. Ronald Richter, CEO and Executive Director of JCCA; and, of note this year, five Champions for Black Maternal Health: New York State Senators Samra Brouk and Lea Webb, Assembly Members Michaelle Solages and Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, and New York City Council Member Farah Louis.
The trailblazing honorees represent the heights of their diverse fields — from nonprofit leadership to journalism, from philanthropy to public service. For the first time, McSilver also honored a group of elected officials in New York City and New York State who have demonstrated a strident commitment to addressing the Black maternal health crisis, an urgent issue identified as a key priority for McSilver that is rooted in racial inequity.
During the 2025 McSilver Awards, awards were presented to honorees by impressive change-makers in their own rights, many of whom are previous McSilver Awards honorees. Presenters included Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and Executive Director of the FPWA; Dr. James Rodriguez, NYU McSilver’s Senior Director of Clinical Initiatives; Dr. Jeffrey R. Ginsburg, President and CEO of Volunteers of America — Greater New York; and Maria Hinojosa, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and founder of Futuro Media Group.
NYU McSilver Executive Director Rose Pierre-Louis presented the Champions for Black Maternal Health with their awards, while also emceeing the event. Afterwards, honorees and guests remained at the Global Center to celebrate and converse, with a playlist curated for the event backing up the revelry. The evening was made possible through the generosity of numerous sponsors. Additionally, their contribution bolsters the McSilver Institute’s innovation-driven approach to serving poverty-impacted communities.
Gold Sponsors
The Fund for the City of New York (FCNY)
JCCA
NYU Silver School Silver School of Social Work
Noxid Group
Dr. Lisette Nieves and Greg Gunn
Bronze Sponsors
Urban Resource Institute (URI-NYC)
Landing Light Strategies
Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law at the NYU School of Law
Photos
See photos captured at the event: browse a selection of images below or in a Google Photos album.
Inaugurated in 2013, the McSilver Awards recognizes outstanding individuals who are transforming systems to address the needs of individuals, families, and communities living in poverty, locally and globally. This latest cohort of McSilver Award recipients joins an illustrious group including Yamiche Alcindor, Tarana Burke, Jelani Cobb, Anna Deavere Smith, Erica Ford, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Maria Hinojosa, Karine Jean-Pierre, Malcolm Jenkins, Ana Oliveira, Reshma Saujani, Reverend Al Sharpton, Jose Antonio Vargas, and Robert “Meek Mill” Williams. Visit our archive to learn more about past McSilver Awards, and follow #McSilverAwards on social media to continue the conversation.
Video Recording
Sponsors
