We’re looking forward to introducing you to Torbin Green. Check out our conversation below.
Torbin, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
We had a returning Youth Worker joining us for Summer this year and he started early as a volunteer in order to get his service hours for High School. He ended up helping me build a bee hive deep chest to expand on our colonies. Seeing him step up and take charge of the task made me proud, including his awareness of volunteering before his YouthWork assignment.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Torbin Green, and I proudly serve as the Executive Director of St. Francis Neighborhood Center (SFNC) in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1963, SFNC is the oldest youth enrichment center in the city, rooted deeply in the Reservoir Hill community. Our mission is to break the cycle of poverty through education, mentorship, and community development, and we do this by providing free year-round programming for youth and families.
What makes our organization truly special is the way we center community voice in everything we do. SFNC isn’t just a service provider — we’re a movement powered by relationships, resilience, and a deep belief in the potential of every neighbor. Over the last decade, I’ve led the Center through a historic $10.6 million capital campaign and campus expansion. But more than bricks and mortar, our focus is on building futures. Whether it’s through after-school enrichment, summer internships, food distribution, or advocacy, we’re creating safe spaces where young people are seen, supported, and equipped to lead.
Our story is one of transformation — not just of a building, but of generations. And we’re just getting started.
Learn more at www.stfranciscenter.org.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was a curious, observant kid who saw the power in community and the value in people others often overlooked. I was the one asking why things were the way they were — and wondering how they could be better. I didn’t have the language for it back then, but I had a heart for justice, a desire to protect the vulnerable, and an instinct to lead by lifting others up.
Before titles, expectations, and systems shaped my role, I was simply someone who cared deeply. Someone who believed that every person — no matter their zip code — deserved opportunity, dignity, and a place to belong. That kid is still with me today, quietly guiding the work I do, reminding me of who I am, and why it all matters.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
“You don’t have to be everything for everyone — just be true to who you are, and that will be more than enough.”
There’s power in your empathy, strength in your silence, and purpose in the way you see the world. Trust that the things that make you different are actually the gifts that will guide you. Keep going — you’re becoming exactly who you’re meant to be.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
A cultural value I protect at all costs is authenticity.
In every space I lead — especially at St. Francis Neighborhood Center — authenticity is the foundation. It means showing up as you are, honoring where people come from, and creating an environment where truth, transparency, and lived experience are respected. Authenticity builds trust, and trust builds community. Without it, real change is impossible.
We don’t water down stories. We don’t perform for funders. We don’t mask our struggles or our brilliance. We stand in the truth of who we are — as individuals and as a community — and let that truth shape everything we do.
If I retired tomorrow, I believe our community — the families, youth, partners, and staff — would miss the relentless commitment and heart I bring to the mission every day.
They’d miss knowing that someone was in their corner, not just managing a nonprofit, but living the work with integrity, passion, and deep connection. They’d miss the way I listen, the way I advocate, the way I push systems to do better — and the way I make sure everyone, from a 5-year-old in our after-school program to a neighborhood elder, feels seen, valued, and heard.
What they’d miss most is the consistency of someone who showed up — no matter what — with vision, accountability, and love for the people we serve.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stfranciscenter.org
- Instagram: @StFrancisBmore
- Twitter: @StFrancisBmore
