Barbara Dwyer Gunn Named President and Chief Executive Officer of Seedco

NEW YORK, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Barbara Dwyer Gunn, a longtime nonprofit and government leader in New York City, has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Structured Employment and Economic Development Corporation (Seedco), the New York City-based national nonprofit organization.

Ms. Gunn will join Seedco on April 1, 2010, succeeding Diane Baillargeon, who announced last year that she would step down as Seedco's President and CEO after 12 years at the respected nonprofit.

Ms. Gunn comes to Seedco from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. There she served nearly 15 years as the Senior Vice President for Operations and Government Relations, with responsibility for the Museum's extensive operations and related workforce; capital projects such as the renovation of the Museum's important 77th Street castle entrance; and oversight of the Museum's first office of intergovernmental relations through which the Museum raised significant government support for Museum programs, such as the famed fossil dinosaur halls and an after-school program for middle school students. Ms. Gunn began her tenure at the Museum as the Vice President of Finance where she managed financial operations and the issuance of the Museum's first bond financing.

She also brings to Seedco extensive public service experience, working in numerous capacities in the administration of New York City Mayor Edward I. Koch, including Director of the Mayor's Office of Operations from 1986 to 1989.

"Barbara is an acknowledged nonprofit leader who has shown strong and effective management skills in complex organizations. Both her work at the world-famous American Museum of Natural History and her public service career have demonstrated a deep commitment to the people and communities Seedco serves," Dr. George A. Pruitt, president of Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, N.J., and chairman of the Seedco Board, said. "These are the very traits that Seedco needs from a leader as it enters this next phase of growth, while strengthening infrastructure and delivering high-quality services in these challenging economic times."

Seedco is a national nonprofit organization that develops and oversees programs to create new economic opportunities for low-income people and communities, as well as those recovering from disasters. The organization is involved in workforce development and asset-building programs in six states, as well as important anti-poverty initiatives such as the innovative Opportunity NYC conditional cash transfer program in New York City.

Seedco has a $65 million operating budget and works with more than 100 active community partner organizations with support from government agencies, foundations and corporate sponsors. Seedco also manages $200 million in assets through its community development subsidiary, Seedco Financial Services.

"It is a privilege to be asked to serve as chief executive of Seedco, which has become an important leader in asset building and economic development in the nonprofit world," Ms. Gunn said. "The organization has grown tremendously in recent years in both the scale and the quality of its innovative programs. With the Seedco Board and the organization's strong staff, we will build on that growth and increase Seedco's reach.

"Daily, we are reminded of the stark economic challenges facing so many Americans. In these difficult times Seedco will continue to work closely with its partners in government and community organizations, at foundations and corporations to help individuals, families and communities thrive."

While part of the Koch Administration, Ms. Gunn oversaw social service programs in the Mayor's Office of Operations. She was the first woman appointed to serve as First Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Transportation and later, as head of the Mayor' Office of Operations, assisted city agencies, including the Human Resources Administration, Juvenile Justice and Corrections, in performance measurement, crisis management and strategic development of new and coordinated programs.

Ms. Gunn received a B.A. in English literature at the College of St. Rose in Albany and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A Manhattan resident, currently she is a member of the Board of Visitors for the University of North Carolina.

Diane Baillargeon has been with Seedco since 1998 and served as chief executive since 2005. She will remain actively involved with Seedco as a senior policy fellow, continuing to play an important role in shaping and developing the organization's respected policy work. She will also continue to serve in President Obama's Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

"There is a new focus nationally on issues affecting low-income Americans, and I am pleased that I can continue to be a part of those policy discussions," Ms. Baillargeon said.

Seedco has grown enormously since Ms. Baillargeon first joined the organization as its vice president, going from 15 employees in 1998 to 225 today, and expanding beyond its initial focus in New York City to be working today in six states.

"Diane has been an extremely capable leader for Seedco and has increased our work and visibility," Dr. Pruitt, Seedco's chairman, said. "Thanks to Diane's leadership, Seedco has made a difference in the lives of many Americans, and the Board is pleased that she has agreed to continue working with us on policy issues."

About Seedco

Seedco is a national nonprofit organization that helps low-income people and communities move toward economic prosperity. Learn more at www.seedco.org.

SOURCE Seedco