Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Names Marlene L. Olshan Chief Operating Officer

PHILADELPHIA, July 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Marlene L. Olshan will join Big Brothers Big Sisters of America as Chief Operating Officer, effective November 1, 2012.  Since 2001, Olshan has served as Chief Executive Officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA, the sixth largest agency among the national mentoring network's 355 local affiliates.

"Marlene brings a wealth of performance-driven, senior management experience from both the non-profit and for-profit arenas, with expertise in operations, customer service, business development and expansion," said Big Brothers Big Sisters of America President and Chief Executive Officer T. Charles Pierson.  "With her extensive and diverse management background, she will assist me and the national office in maximizing resources in order to better serve all of our affiliate agencies."

Under Olshan's leadership, the Philadelphia agency received national recognition for partnering with Public/ Private Ventures to develop the Amachi Mentoring Children of Prisoners program, which has since been replicated in 48 states and served more than 100,000 children nationwide.  She and her team also developed the Big Brothers Big Sisters' workplace mentoring program called Beyond School Walls which has become a nationwide community initiative for many companies, including Comcast.

"I have seen the impact of Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring firsthand," added Olshan, a former Big Sister.  "I am honored to join Charles in his efforts to ensure that the National Office adds significant value to all Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies nationwide as we work to bring carefully screened and professionally supported mentors into the lives of the hundreds of thousands of children across our country that are at risk for social and academic failure." 

Prior to joining Big Brothers Big Sisters, Olshan was a Managing Director at Spectrem Group, an entrepreneurial financial services consulting firm. She has also served as vice president for three major retailers, overseeing an extensive network of retail stores.  She has led a $200 million, 200+ store business for The Children's Place; a $50 million, 17 store business for Conran's home furnishings; and a $100 million, 100+ store business for Macy's Specialty Stores. Olshan is a graduate of Temple University.

The board of directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA has formed a search committee to identify a new local agency leader and will commence with that process immediately. 

SOURCE Big Brothers Big Sisters of America