Putnam-Northern Westchester Women's Resource Center gets new director

A Mahopac resident by way of Jamaica and NYC, Piaget Solpiaget, 43, stepped into his role as executive director in September, bringing with him a deep commitment to advocacy and support for survivors.

The Mahopac-based PNWWRC’s mission is to advocate, educate, provide, and support services to foster a safer community, eliminate violence against women and children, and promote gender equality. Counting full-time staff and volunteers, about 50 people work for the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which relies on donations and grants to keep its doors open to an estimated 1,500 women a year.

With April being Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, the PNWWRC is intensifying efforts to shed light on these pressing issues and provide much-needed support to survivors. It will hold its fundraising gala on Friday, May 16, from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Barn at Tilly’s Table in Brewster.

Solpiaget calls his work at the center deeply personal, having experienced the toll of domestic violence and suicide.

He believes his understanding of the challenges that survivors face is an asset when dealing with people in crisis.

After coming to the U.S. from Jamaica at age 14, Solpiaget grew up in Brooklyn and attended The City College of New York, where he was a Colin Powell Fellow and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and Jewish studies. As a student, he did clinical internships in Rwanda, where he studied trauma and reconciliation related to the genocide. He also studied abroad in Morocco (focusing on gender, culture, and religious issues) and in Argentina to improve his Spanish.

He then worked in NYC managing residential programs for adults facing mental illness, HIV/AIDS, low income, and substance use challenges. He also launched a program for men transitioning from state psychiatric hospitals back into society.

“It was a wonderful experience to be part of their transition back into society and back into sort of regular life, as regular as it could be for them living in a residential setting,” he said.

After nearly two decades in the field, Solpiaget took a hiatus when his children were born. During that time, he ran a ride-share car rental business until COVID-19 disrupted it. Seeking a change, he and his family moved to Mahopac during the pandemic—and he soon found his way to the PNWWRC.

“When I saw the shelter director position, I thought there's no way they're going to hire a man to direct a domestic violence shelter,” he said.

But he applied and got the job. Solpiaget said once there, he wanted to show he was ready to help any way he could.

“I rolled up my sleeves and helped install cabinets and floors and just whatever needed to be done, I did it,” he said.

Solpiaget was promoted from within to the executive director position, succeeding Ann Ellsworth, who led the organization for nearly 20 years. He called Ellsworth a “very close friend and mentor” who eased his transition into the lead role.

“She’s still a big supporter of our agency and our movement and is still guiding us from afar,” he said. “But she’s also given me a license to make it my own.”

When asked if he’s received pushback as the first man to lead the PNWWRC, Solpiaget said, “I think everyone is curious and mostly excited about the opportunity that it presents,” acknowledging that because he was promoted from within, he had his colleagues’ support.

“I know that there may be people who may be guarded or suspicious about me being a man,” he said. “However, I think while domestic violence has historically been addressed through a gendered lens, I think it is ultimately a human issue that affects individuals and families and entire communities, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, or religious beliefs.”

As director, he said he focuses on collaborating, being inclusive, and standing up for survivors. He also views this role as an opportunity to make more men stronger advocates for women and against domestic violence, challenge negative gender biases, and promote healthy behaviors among young boys and men.

“My clients have shared with me that, especially in the shelter, it was important for their children to interact with good, healthy men and for women to interact with good, healthy men,” he said. “It’s reassuring. It’s comforting, and for me personally, it’s living life at a higher standard—there’s just no room for error in my language, in my conduct.”

Assemblyman Matt Slater, whose wife serves on the PNWWRC board of directors, said Solpiaget is an asset to the agency. Slater said he’s the type of person who, when you meet and start talking, “you feel like you’ve known him for the last 10 years.”

In Slater’s words, Solpiaget is someone who is both warm and open-minded.

“He’s an amazing partner for us to have.”