Bio
Born and raised in the Bronx, Darryl Rattray was inspired to work with the youth in his community from a young age, garnering leadership experience as a youth group leader, where he participated in nonprofit and city agency meetings, wrote grants, and attended non-violence seminars as a high school student. Currently, as the Associate Commissioner of Youth Services and Strategic Partnerships at the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), Mr. Rattray manages a multitude of youth development programs and centers in the city, including 92 Beacon Centers, 99 Cornerstone Centers in New York City Housing Authority developments, and oversees almost all of DYCD’s recreational and event offerings for New York City youth. Additionally, Mr. Rattray supervises the Runaway and Homeless Youth programs that provide essentials like food, clothing, showers, and laundry for youth that are in unstable or unsafe housing situations.
“You can’t have a conversation about youth development in New York City without Darryl’s name coming up,” says Deep Ghosh, Director of Deep Impacts, a youth development consulting organization, and a former colleague of Mr. Rattray’s at DYCD. “That’s not just because he has his hand in almost every piece of DYCD’s youth development arm, but also because he is so invested and involved in each program. Go with Darryl to any Beacon Center in New York City and young people and staff will immediately recognize him. He has a deep, personal connection to the programs he manages.”
