Executive Team
Senior Management Team
Natalie D. Richardson | Vice President/Managing Director of Housing, Shelter, and FTS (Facility, Transportation, and Security)
Natalie D. Richardson, PhD, is the Managing Director of Operations for Shelter Housing and Facilities at VIP Community Services. She is a graduate of the College of New Rochelle, NYU Robert Wagner Graduate School, NYU School of Social Work, Capella University and Coro Leadership Program, NYC. She is an advocate for the homeless and has successfully propelled nonprofit organizations to meet and exceed their strategic plan goals and government assigned targets for over 25 years. Her areas of special interest include affordable, transitional and supportive housing for the homeless and vulnerable populations as well as economic stabilization for the less fortunate.
She previously served as the Vice President, Programs for Homeless Families for the nonprofit, Urban Resource Institute, where she provided expert oversight of a portfolio of 10 shelters ensuring best practices and compliance with OTDA Part 900 and other regulatory guidelines. She served as the Director of Residential Programs and Community Services for Heritage Health and Housing, overseeing a portfolio of 19 programs (over 300 beds) with funding from NYC Department of Homeless Services, HPD, HUD, HASA, HRA, NYS Office of Mental Health, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Medicaid billing operations. She oversaw the Hurricane Sandy Operation with 22 commercial hotels at SCO Families of Services, housing over 500 families and individuals. In addition, she provided leadership for a 200-bed single adult shelter that housed men experiencing mental health challenges and behavioral health issues. As the Executive Manager at Care for the Homeless she provided leadership and guidance over a 200-bed shelter for single adult women that were medically frail, active substance users, experiencing mental illness, and living with physical impairments. As the Deputy Executive Director and Compliance Officer for Veritas Therapeutic Community she provided oversight for multiple NYS-OASAS funded and licensed residential, outpatient and prevention programs serving on the executive team ensuring contract compliance.
Dana Coleman | Assistant Vice President of Housing and Shelter
Dana Coleman, MSW, CASAC-T, CARC, is the Assistant Vice President of Housing and Shelter at VIP Community Services. She has over 25 years of clinical and administrative experience, with over 15 of those years at VIP. She has held various positions at VIP such as Health Education Coordinator, Social Worker, Program Coordinator and Program Director. Dana has been an integral part of the VIP support team at most of the VIP programs and has been involved with SAMHSA grants throughout her VIP years. Before joining VIP, she worked as a social worker in a renal dialysis program and at a Ryan White hospital-based program. She received her MSW from Hunter College School of Social Work and her undergraduate degree from Herbert H. Lehman College. Dana is responsible for the oversight of VIP’s supportive and affordable housing sites, sanctuary facilities and shelters. Dana enjoys watching sports and playing basketball.
Ellen Hoffman | Assistant Vice President of MAT
Ellen Hoffman, CASAC-G, SAP, MAC, CARC, FDC, joined VIP Community Services in 1998. Ellen dedicated her time and attention to addressing the needs and care of VIP’s vulnerable population, consisting of individuals with substance abuse issues and co-occurring disorders as a clinical counselor. She sought out continuing education opportunities to develop the necessary skills and comprehensive understanding of the OASAS/CARF regulations to take on a supervisory position in 2010. While aiding OTP consumers, Ellen enhanced her CASAC license to further service gambling addiction issues and was then promoted to Clinical Director in 2013. Ellen later pursued her M.S. in Human Behavior Studies, as well as obtaining her SAP (Substance Abuse Professional, CARC (Certified Addiction Recovery Coach), MAC (Master Addiction Counselor) and FDC (Family Development Credential).
In 2016, Ellen was promoted to Senior Director of MAT and in this role, she provides direct supervision and oversees the advancement of the Opioid Treatment Program and all Medicated Assisted Treatment Services as well as overseeing grants for the following programs: MAT-PDOA, Bronx Hope, NY Community Trust and the 350-hour CASAC curriculum, offered through the continuum, in an effort to advance MAT in the community. She also oversees the OOPP (Opioid Overdose Prevention Program), providing training on how to properly use NARCAN to outside and in-house providers.
In her spare time, Ellen likes to spend time with her children and is very family-oriented.
Nicholas Jefferson | Assistant Vice President of Admissions
Nicholas Jefferson, LMSW, CASAC-G, FDC, CARC SIFI, joined VIP Community Services in 2012 as a supervisor in the Opioid Treatment Program (OTP), later becoming Director of the Admissions Department. Currently he serves as Assistant Vice President of Admissions.
Nicholas is a licensed social worker in New York and a clinical supervisor for Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) services. Nicholas has been in the human services field since 2002 and specializes in working with individuals with substance use and mental health diagnoses, at-risk high school-aged youth/young adults, and people without homes. Nicholas also specializes in program development and educating addiction treatment and recovery professionals.
Nicholas earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice at John Jay College and a Master’s in Social Work at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College-CUNY. Nicholas has more than 18 years of experience with a diversity of patients and settings, including both long-term and brief interventions. For 14 years, Nicholas has taken his field experience to the classroom as an adjunct instructor and lecturer at colleges and training centers across New York City, including Fordham University and John Jay College.
Outside of work, Nicholas enjoys sports and reading.
Alison Maling | Assistant Vice President of CCBHC
Alison Maling, LCSW serves as Assistant Vice President of our CCBHC. Her responsibilities include the operational and clinical services for outpatient mental health and substance use programs.
Alison has worked in the Bronx since moving to New York in 2005 and enjoys working with communities that are often overlooked and watching the resiliency shine. Her passion is to bring creative ways to help people make a difference in their own lives and the lives of those they care about.
Alison has been a master’s level clinician for 25 years and has worked with a variety of organizations and agencies whose focus has been the mental health of people in those communities. Whether it was working with at risk youth identified by their school system in the DC area, to running residential programs and working on crisis teams in the Boston area to now merging her skills to address substance use and mental health in a holistic way, teamwork and the commitment to healing has been her clinical focus.
She has a “kitchen table” full of friends and family who support and guide her; she holds a MSW from the Catholic University of America and a BSW from Trinity College of Vermont.
Victoria Robinson | Assistant Vice President of Residential Services
Victoria Robinson, LMSW, CASAC-M, joined VIP Community Services in November 2020, as Program Director at the 764 Residence. Victoria has worked in residential treatment settings for the past 20 years servicing populations with substance use and mental health disorders. Victoria has strong leadership skills as evidenced by a unique ability to motivate others to take pride and quality in the work that we do while leading by example. Victoria holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Brooklyn College, CUNY, a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Hunter College, CUNY, and is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) and Certified Master Level Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC-M). Victoria strives to provide quality care by developing systems to enhance a positive treatment experience and promote a healing environment. Victoria’s passion, dedication, and commitment propelled her to her new role as Assistant Vice President, Residential Services.