Degan Mercado Leopold

Degan Mercado Leopold

Board Member

Chief Partnerships Officer at the New York Jobs CEO Council


Degan Mercado Leopold is Chief Partnerships Officer at the New York Jobs CEO Council, an organization dedicated to leveraging the power of the business community to increase access to high-potential jobs and accelerate economic mobility for low-income New Yorkers. In this role, she leads public-private partnerships across the workforce development ecosystem to advance the Jobs Council’s mission to hire 100,000 New Yorkers into family-sustaining jobs by 2030.

Prior to joining the Jobs Council, Degan worked at Bloomberg L.P. for over a decade in various leadership roles across diversity recruiting and corporate philanthropy. She also has extensive public sector experience, having served as Chief of Staff for the National Constituencies and Coalitions team for Mike Bloomberg 2020, and in the New York City Mayor’s Office during the Bloomberg Administration for 7 years.

In addition to her professional endeavors, Degan is passionate about service and advancing equity for communities of color. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT and is a co-chair of the Alumnae Diversity Committee for the Spence School in NYC. She also sits on the boards of NYC-based nonprofits, BASTA and Green City Force.

Degan received her MPA in Public & Nonprofit Management from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and holds a BA from Wesleyan University. A native New Yorker, Degan lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children.

Pronouns: She, Her, Hers



GCF Board