Arielle Kandel
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Arielle Kandel is the Founder and Executive Director of New Women New Yorkers (NWNY), the first nonprofit in New York City dedicated to empowering immigrant women through workforce development and community building.
A daughter and granddaughter of immigrants and refugees, Arielle was born and raised in Paris and immigrated to the U.S. in her early thirties. Her personal journey informs her deep commitment to creating pathways of opportunity for immigrant women—regardless of country of origin, immigration status, or educational background.
Arielle holds a Master’s Degree in Law, specializing in Humanitarian Action and International Law, from the University of Aix-Marseille III. Before founding NWNY in 2014, she worked in India and Israel with think tanks and NGOs focused on refugee services and and diaspora engagement.
Under Arielle’s leadership, NWNY has evolved from a grassroots initiative into a citywide organization dedicated to advancing immigrant women’s access to meaningful careers, leadership opportunities, and community engagement. In light of recent federal policies that have introduced funding uncertainties and heightened challenges for immigrant communities, Arielle remains steadfast in her commitment to fostering inclusive opportunities. She believes that immigrant women are not only integral to the social and economic fabric of our communities but are also powerful agents of change.
Arielle is a 2015 Centre for Social Innovation Agent of Change, a 2016 PresenTense NYC Fellow, a 2018–2019 alumna of Coro’s Immigrant Civic Leadership Program, and a member of the 2022 Workforce Policy Strategy Council of the NYC Employment & Training Coalition.
Arielle lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their three children. She enjoys meaningful conversation, stinky French cheese (and plenty of other good food), adventurous travels, and has a deep love for dance and theater.
Abbey Longyear
Chief Operating Officer
Abbey Longyear currently is the Chief Operating Officer at New Women New Yorkers. Starting as one of the organization’s first volunteers, Abbey has also held the title of Chief People & Culture Officer over her decade of work with the NWNY community. A native New Yorker, Abbey is driven by a deep commitment to creating values-driven workplaces that reflect and support the mission they serve—both internally and externally.
She holds a degree in Psychology with a focus on human behavior research and a minor in Evolutionary Studies from SUNY New Paltz. After graduation, she lived abroad, working with refugees and asylum seekers from Northern Africa, before returning to New York to pursue a career across both nonprofit and corporate sectors.
Abbey’s experience spans human resources, operations, learning & development and employee engagement. At the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), she held several roles including HR Project Specialist, gaining broad expertise in nonprofit operations. Later, she worked at National Debt Relief as Director of People Engagement & Experience, where she built and led the company’s first employee engagement function.
At New Women New Yorkers, Abbey is committed to our organization’s culture where the employee experience reflects the same care, dignity, and opportunity that the organization advocates for externally. She is passionate about building equitable, supportive work environments and ensuring NWNY continues to be an employer of excellence.
Abbey lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband, son, and two cats. She can often be found out running or getting completely lost on a hiking trail in the mountains.