Grace Marie Louisis the Assistant Director for Asset Building Programs in the Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE) at the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs. A self-described chaos conqueror and professional do-gooder, she believes that helping individuals and communities build wealth is fundamental to addressing racial, gender, and socioeconomic inequality in NYC and beyond. In her current role, Grace Marie manages initiatives to help New Yorkers increase their financial stability, access safe and affordable financial products and services, and develop community-based resources for generating wealth. Previously, she was the Senior Program Officer for Taxes and Income Supports and coordinated theNYC Annual Tax Season Initiative and NYC Free Tax Prep Program,efforts to increase awareness of and access to free tax preparation services, valuable tax credits, and tax time connections to asset building and financial health resources.

Prior to joining OFE, Grace Marie served as the Senior Manager of Corporate Relations and Events at Dress for Success Worldwide, where she worked with some of the world’s largest and most recognized companies to coordinate more than $13 million in annual support for Dress for Success affiliates globally. Previously, Grace Marie was the Events and Communications Manager of Girls Inc. of Alameda County in Oakland, California. There, she inspired participation in the Girls Inc. community by creating dialogue online and hosting opportunities for donors to engage with the organization’s programs and the girls they served.

Grace Marie is a 2015 graduate of the New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and received the Robert Berne Award for Leadership. While at NYU Wagner, she led the student group Bridge: Students for Social Innovation and co- founded Latch, a breastfeeding advocacy organization that won the 2014 University of Pennsylvania-Fels School of Government National Public Policy Challenge. Grace Marie was a 2014 Education Pioneers Graduate Fellow at Teach For America and was in the inaugural class of the NYU Leadership Initiative Social Sector Leadership Diversity Fellowship. She holds a B.S.B.A. from the Kogod School of Business at American University.