City Year Names Jonathan Lavine Chair of its National Board of Trustees

BOSTON, Nov. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- City Year, a national nonprofit organization that mobilizes young adults to serve as full time tutors, mentors and role models in many of the nation's highest need urban schools, announced today that Jonathan Lavine has been elected Chair of City Year's national Board of Trustees.

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Mr. Lavine, the Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Sankaty Advisors, LLC, the credit affiliate of Bain Capital, LLC, and a longstanding City Year supporter and trustee, was elected Board Chair at the fall meeting of City Year's national Board of Trustees. 

"City Year has an exciting plan to address the nation's dropout crisis and help turnaround low performing schools by tapping the civic energy of young people," said Mr. Lavine. "It is an honor to chair the board of an organization that helps students and schools succeed and develops those who serve into lifelong leaders – that's a double bottom-line investment that the nation needs."

City Year's Board of Trustees also elected David Cohen, Executive Vice President of Comcast Corporation, and re-elected Ilene Jacobs, retired Executive Vice President of Fidelity Investments, as Vice Chairs, and elected two new national trustees, David Einhorn, the President of Greenlight Capital, Inc., and Carol Johnson, former superintendent of Boston Public Schools.

"A remarkable City Year champion for more than two decades, Jonathan Lavine brings extraordinary skills, passion and commitment to his new role as Board Chair. We are very grateful for his vision, leadership and service," said Michael Brown, CEO and Co-Founder of City Year. "We are also deeply thankful to have such committed leaders as David Cohen and Ilene Jacobs serving as Vice Chairs and we are excited to welcome David Einhorn, a leader in business and philanthropy, and Carol Johnson, a nationally recognized educational leader, to the Board of Trustees."

Mr. Lavine succeeds Stephen G. Woodsum, Founding Managing Director of Summit Partners, who served for seven years as the organization's national board chair. Mr. Woodsum will continue to serve as a national trustee. In recognition of Mr. Woodsum's dedicated service as chair, the Board of Trustees conferred on him the title of Board Chair, Emeritus.

"We are tremendously grateful to Steve Woodsum for his outstanding service as Board Chair," said Mr. Brown, "He is a remarkable leader who built an exceptional board of national leaders and oversaw significant growth in the organization's impact and scale."

The City Year Board of Trustees is a volunteer national board that provides strategic direction and performs fiduciary responsibilities for the organization.  Board members also provide strategic counsel as City Year implements its ten-year Long Term Impact (LTI) plan to address the nation's high school dropout crisis by deploying City Year AmeriCorps members into high need urban schools.

Following her election to the Board of Trustees, Dr. Carol Johnson said, "As former Boston Public Schools Superintendent, I witnessed City Year Boston AmeriCorps members improve attendance and behavior, dramatically affect students' academic performance, and energize the school environment and engage families in student activities. I am so excited to be able to continue my work with City Year in this new capacity as a City Year Trustee."

"We support City Year because we believe that the dropout crisis is solvable," said Mr. Einhorn who leads Greenlight Capital, and with his wife Cheryl founded the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust, their family foundation whose mission is helping people get along better. "We know that when students experience a positive school culture including supportive relationships with near-peer role models, they enjoy a strong sense of community, feel nurtured and engaged, and are more likely to succeed both academically and socially. City Year impacts the whole school and helps to keep kids in school and on track."

Founded in 1988, City Year partners with public schools to help keep students in school and on track to graduate. The innovative public-private partnership brings together teams of young AmeriCorps members who commit to a year of full-time service in high-need urban schools. City Year corps members support students by focusing on attendance, behavior, and course performance —the early warning signs that a student is likely to drop out — through in class tutoring, mentoring, and after school programs.

"City Year shares my belief that people — particularly young people — have the power to make a positive difference through serving others," said Mr. Cohen. "A year of service with City Year helps transform young people into highly effective citizen leaders, while affecting the lives of the students they service in a profound and life-altering way."

This year marks City Year's 25th Anniversary year, with its largest corps to date, comprised of 2,700 committed young adults serving as City Year AmeriCorps members in 25 US cities nationwide. The organization serves in more than 250 high-poverty urban schools, reaching more than 150,000 students each day.

City Year's national Board of Trustees includes leaders in business, national service and public education from across the country. For a complete list of the City Year Board of Trustees and their biographies, please visit cityyear.org. [http://www.cityyear.org/board.aspx]

About City Year: City Year is an education-focused, nonprofit organization founded in 1988 which partners with public schools and teachers to help keep students in school and on track to succeed.  In 25 communities across the United States and through two international affiliates, this innovative public-private partnership brings together teams of young AmeriCorps members who commit to a year of full-time service in schools. Corps members provide individual support to students who need extra care and attention, focusing on attendance, behavior, and course performance through in-class tutoring, mentoring, and after school programs. 

SOURCE City Year