Isabel McDevitt

About Isabel McDevitt

Isabel is an expert in developing highly effective solutions to address homelessness, unemployment, and criminal recidivism. Isabel has a passion for creating economic development interventions that yield social impact. With 23 years of experience in launching and leading initiatives that bring fresh perspective and achieve new outcomes in communities across the United States, Isabel is a successful innovator and thought leader in areas of homeless services, workforce development and reentry from incarceration. As a social entrepreneur Isabel has led numerous efforts to create employment opportunities for marginalized populations including founding and operating four social ventures that employ people transitioning out of homelessness and returning from incarceration. Isabel is experienced with real estate acquisition and development as well as initiatives to improve the delivery of shelter services for people experiencing homelessness in multiple regions. Isabel has a unique ability to convene unlikely stakeholders for a common purpose and has significant experience with coalition building, community affairs, and government relations. Isabel is currently leading Work Works America, a capacity building effort to bring the award winning Work Works employment-based solution to communities seeking to disrupt, reimagine and enhance their approach to addressing homelessness. Isabel recently served as Executive Vice President for The Doe Fund, a leading not for profit provider of housing, workforce development and social enterprise in New York City with 470+ employees and a budget of $70 million. At The Doe Fund, Isabel oversaw strategy and execution for programs and initiatives addressing homelessness, unemployment and recidivism empowering more than people annually. Prior to joining The Doe Fund, Isabel was the Chief Executive Officer of Bridge House – a Colorado-based non-profit organization. At Bridge House, Isabel founded the Ready to Work program which breaks expensive cycles of homelessness, joblessness and incarceration through employment and housing. Under Isabel’s leadership Bridge House grew substantially and Ready to Work is widely recognized as a fundamental homeless solution in Metro Denver. Isabel is an accomplished speaker and writer. Isabel advises communities on how to develop social enterprises and serves on numerous boards related to improving homeless policy, economic development, and creating effective new models for impact. Isabel graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Sociology.

Experience

1. Executive Director of Community Wellness and Recovery

   City of Philadelphia

   Nov 2024 — Present · US

   The Executive Director of Community Wellness and Recovery is a newly created role to work with key City departments and with community stakeholders to develop and implement Mayor Parker’s Wellness Ecosystem to tackle the interrelated challenges of homelessness and substance use disorder.

Education

• University of Pennsylvania

  BA, Sociology

  1996 — 1998