About Us

Executive Director of Grants Administration
(212) 217-3625

Lucia DeRespinis joined FIT in 2016 with 25 years of senior management experience at leading nonprofit cultural and educational institutions.  For most of that time, she has supervised Advancement offices with a focus on raising support from foundations, government agencies, corporations and individuals. Lucia's hands-on knowledge of grantsmanship extends from program development, pitching, research and grant-writing, to serving on grant review panels.  Lucia received her BA in Art History from Sarah Lawrence College and her MS in Non-profit Management from The New School's Milano School of International Affairs, Management & Urban Policy; and she was a Smithsonian Institution Palmer Leadership Fellow.

Grants Manager
(212) 217-3622

Sabrina Lenzen joined the Office of Grants & Sponsored Programs in 2017. She has more than a decade of experience in grant writing and grants management in higher education, plus 20 years experience in the financial services and executive recruiting industries. She received a BBA with a finance concentration from Pace University in New York City. 

Grants Coordinator
(212) 217-3624

Deborah Stein has worked in the Grants Office at FIT for more than 30 years. In addition to FIT, Deborah has worked at nonprofit organizations in program development and assessment. She received an MPA from New York University and an MA in Anthropology from the University of Arizona, Tucson.

Grants Administration
(212) 217-3623

Jennifer Jones joined the FIT Office of Grants & Sponsored Programs in 2017. She has close to 10 years experience working in higher ed grants administration. Jennifer holds a BA in Art History and is currently working towards her Master of Arts degree. She also holds a Certified Research Administrator [CRA] certificate.