NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- At its annual board meeting yesterday, Robin Hood, New York City's largest poverty-fighting organization, elected David Einhorn as Chair of its Board of Directors. Mr. Einhorn, Co-founder and President of Greenlight Capital, succeeds Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group. Mr. Sternlicht will continue to serve on several Robin Hood committees, including the Development, Executive and Housing Committees.
Mr. Sternlicht has served on Robin Hood's board since 2009 – the last two as Chair – and during that time, Robin Hood raised a record amount of money to help fund hundreds of front-line poverty fighting organizations throughout the five boroughs. Robin Hood donors contributed $175 million in 2014, the largest amount raised by Robin Hood in a single year, with the exception of the appeal for Sandy Relief in 2012.
"All of us in the Robin Hood community are so grateful for Barry's stewardship and tenacity during his tenure as Robin Hood's Board Chair," said David Saltzman, Robin Hood's executive director. "Barry's passion, smarts and dedication to helping others inspires us. We are extremely fortunate to have his ongoing guidance on several committees as we continue to help millions of New Yorkers gain the education and skills they need to lift themselves out of poverty."
Mr. Einhorn joined Robin Hood's Board of Directors in 2010, having previously served on its Leadership Council and as Vice Chair of the Board for the past two years. He was instrumental in conceiving and organizing the Robin Hood Investors Conference, launched in 2013, which brought together dozens of the biggest names in finance, technology, retail and energy to debate, share ideas, and provide insight on navigating volatile markets. "Thanks to David's vision and leadership, this year's Investors Conference raised more than $6 million to support hundreds of the most effective poverty-fighting programs throughout New York City, making it our second-largest annual fund-raising event," said Mr. Saltzman. "We're eager to have David bring his forward-thinking enthusiasm to the entire organization as Chair, which will only make Robin Hood stronger."
During Mr. Einhorn's tenure on the Robin Hood Board, he also chaired the Finance Committee and will continue the course that Mr. Sternlicht set for finding innovative ways to fight poverty – such as the Immigrant Justice Corps, the Robin Hood College Success Prize, and other long-term programs designed to serve as national models of social change. In addition, Mr. Einhorn will focus on expanding Robin Hood's day-to-day mission of helping countless New Yorkers gain access to the services they need to lead more secure and productive lives for themselves and their families. Mr. Einhorn also serves on the boards of City Year and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, and is Founder and Trustee of the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust, whose mission is to help people get along better.
"I'm honored to be succeeding Barry as Chair of Robin Hood's Board of Directors," said Mr. Einhorn. "I'm confident that with Robin Hood's distinguished and engaged board members, as well as its tireless staff, we will achieve great success in the years to come, all to benefit our neighbors in need."
The Board also elected two new Vice Chairs: Anne Dinning, Managing Director and Executive Committee Member, D. E. Shaw Group; and Larry Robbins, Founder, Portfolio Manager and CEO of Glenview Capital Management. In addition, three new Board members were announced: Cecily Carson, President and Trustee of The Carson Family Charitable Trust and a founding member of Robin Hood's Leadership Council; Katie Couric, Emmy award-winning journalist, best-selling author and Global Anchor for Yahoo News; and Alex Navab, Partner & Head of Americas Private Equity for KKR and also a founding member of Robin Hood's Leadership Council.
Robin Hood also announced that Deborah Winshel will resign from her current role as President and Chief Operating Officer to join BlackRock as a Managing Director reporting to Chairman and CEO Laurence D. Fink.
"We are incredibly thankful for Deborah's leadership and service over the past four years," said Mr. Sternlicht. "Deborah leaves Robin Hood much better than she found it – more organized, more effective and with greater overall visibility for Robin Hood's work. She helped to build a strong leadership team, while broadening and deepening bench strength across the organization. She also championed innovation in Robin Hood's core poverty-fighting programs, such as The Immigrant Justice Corps, of which she was a founding board member. In addition, her work with senior leadership on the Robin Hood Sandy Relief Fund ensured that resources were deployed thoughtfully, strategically, and most importantly – quickly – to those in greatest need. We thank her for her vision and relentless focus on helping countless New Yorkers and wish her all the best in her new venture."
For a complete list of Robin Hood's Board members, please visit www.robinhood.org/about/board
About Robin Hood
Robin Hood is New York's largest poverty-fighting organization, and since 1988 has focused on finding, funding, and creating programs and schools that generate meaningful and measurable results for families in New York's poorest neighborhoods. Since its founding, Robin Hood has raised more than $2 billion in dollars, goods and services to provide hundreds of the most effective soup kitchens, homeless shelters, schools, job-training programs and other vital services that give New York's neediest citizens the tools they need to build better lives. Robin Hood's board of directors pays all administrative, fundraising and evaluation costs, so 100% of your donation goes directly to organizations helping New Yorkers in need.
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