NYC Education Nonprofit PENCIL Names Gregg Betheil as New President

PENCIL connects New York City's businesses and public schools to help prepare students for college and their future careers. PENCIL and its business partners work with students in elementary, middle, and high schools across all five boroughs of New York. Mr. Betheil, a former teacher and assistant principal, has been bringing businesses, schools and students together throughout his career in public education. He has held leadership roles at the New York City Department of Education, as the head of the Office of Postsecondary Pathways and Planning and as Executive Director for School Programs and Partnerships, where he led a team that was focused on aligning programmatic and citywide partner supports toward improved student achievement. He joined the DOE in 2008 to support Mayor Bloomberg's efforts to foster innovation in the city's portfolio of career and technical education options.

"PENCIL bridges the gap between what is happening in the business world and what is taking place in the classroom," said Mr. Betheil. "I am honored to lead a dedicated team that connects New York City business professionals with public schools to help students follow their college and career dreams and continue on a path to success."

Mr. Betheil has been instrumental in helping to expand and refine PENCIL's core programs. He helped oversee the growth of the PENCIL Fellows Program by 41% and the refinement and diversification of the PENCIL School Partnerships Program. Through the School Partnership Program, PENCIL leverages expertise from the business community to expose students to a vast array of opportunities – from learning about different college and career paths to practicing interviewing and networking skills. The PENCIL Fellows Program is an intensive career training program that places students in a six-week paid internship in New York City.

Mr. Betheil has also helped PENCIL establish new initiatives, including "Boss for a Day," a city-wide event that exposes hundreds of public school students to actual workplace environments, and PENCIL Points of Engagement, which offers businesses meaningful, one-day volunteer opportunities.

"Gregg has been a true force behind PENCIL's success over the past year," said PENCIL Board Chair Howard Chatzinoff, a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. "He understands the needs of both the business and education communities and, most importantly, how they can work together to help New York City's students. On behalf of PENCIL's Board of Directors, I am delighted to welcome Gregg into this role."

PENCIL has transformed the lives of thousands of New York City public school students for the past 20 years. In 2015, the organization worked with 1,250 business volunteers to directly serve 1,500 public school students across all five boroughs of New York.

Mr. Betheil will succeed David Weiner, PENCIL's President for the last two years, who is leaving to become the principal of The American School of Madrid.

"Gregg has been an extraordinary leader at PENCIL," said Mr. Weiner. "I am excited to see PENCIL continue to thrive under his leadership. I know he will do great things for this organization, the city's public schools, and most importantly, its students."

"Gregg is a gifted educator and a dynamic leader," said New York City Schools Deputy Chancellor Phil Weinberg. "We look forward to continuing working together on our shared goal of providing an excellent and equitable education to students under Gregg's leadership."

Mr. Betheil has been an educator for the past 24 years. Prior to joining the New York City Department of Education in 2008, Mr. Betheil served as Senior Vice President of the National Academy Foundation. While there, he oversaw the operations of a national network of career academies that help young people succeed in high school, higher education, and their careers. He began his career as a teacher and assistant principal at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School, where he taught American History and Finance. Mr. Betheil is a public school graduate and holds a B.A. in Government & Law and History from Lafayette College, a M.A. in Social Studies Education and a M.Ed. in Educational Administration from Columbia University. He lives in Maplewood, New Jersey with his wife Karen and two daughters, Jamie and Ellie.

About PENCIL

Founded in 1995, PENCIL is the leader in creating innovative and impactful models of collaboration between the business and education communities. PENCIL works at the intersection of school needs and business expertise to bring together the best ideas, talent, and resources across sectors to improve public school and student performance and enhance workforce pathways. Visit www.PENCIL.org for more information.

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SOURCE PENCIL

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http://pencil.org