Who We Are

Matthew Lenaghan, Deputy Director

Matthew Lenaghan has been the Deputy Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC) since December of 2006. In his twenty years at AFC, he has become a recognized leader in New York City's education and special education law fields. As Deputy Director, he works with the Executive Director to coordinate the day-to-day operations and program management of the 50-staff organization. Matthew also supervises the staff in case work and participates in AFC’s ongoing class action lawsuits seeking education reform.

Matthew is a longtime member of AFC's staff, joining the agency in 1999 as a NAPIL (now Equal Justice Works) Fellow. Prior to becoming Deputy Director, Matthew served as AFC’s Director of Legal Services, where he was responsible for the supervision of all direct legal services provided to hundreds of clients each year.   

Matthew was profiled in the June 2011 issue of The National Law Journal for his exceptional longstanding commitment and achievement in education reform. Matthew’s supervision and coordination of AFC’s internship program earned the organization the ‘2011 Best Places to Intern’ Vault Award.

Matthew was a high school teacher and baseball coach with Teach For America in the Houston Independent School District in Houston, Texas. Matthew holds a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.