Dina Maniotis

Director, Human Services Unit
New York City Office of Emergency Management

As a native of Canada, Dina came to New York in 1986 to pursue graduate studies at the New School, but soon became involved in providing youth services to pregnant and parenting unescorted/undocumented minors in Long Island City through the Western Queens Family Center of Catholic Charities. After obtaining a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at CUNY/ Queens College, Dina did post graduate work at Family Studies Inc. under the tutelage of Salvador Minuchin, the father of Structural Family Therapy, while also working as a therapist for CCBQ in special projects targeting adolescent, family and homeless outreach services.

After a 5 year stint abroad in Athens, where she was in private practice and working with survivors of human trafficking, Dina returned to NYC in 2000. In 2004, Dina received a MPA from Baruch College while working as the director of all Catholic Charities Community Centers in Queens. In 2006 Dina was hired at the NYC Office of Emergency Management as the director of the Human Services Unit in charge of citywide planning for Mass Care including planning for populations with special needs. In the year since, the Human Services Unit has developed a training curriculum for thirty four thousand NYC shelter staff and trained sixteen thousand NYC employees as StormStaff, built a Staff Activation and Notification System and overseen the purchase of a Zone A sheltering stockpile.