philosophy establishes new advisory board to support the brand's national platform and new fund for mental health awareness

NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- philosophy, the wellbeing beauty brand, is pleased to announce the appointment of the inaugural seven hope & grace fund advisory board members: Dr. Hortensia Amaro, PhD, Jeannette Pai-Espinosa, Helen Porter, Marc Rey, Dr. Alina Salganicoff, PhD, Jill Scalamandre, and Dr. Belisa Vranich, PsyD. To ensure that the hope & grace fund identifies and supports the most innovative and effective programs to empower women with mental health issues, the fund has strategically selected these leading mental health researchers, practitioners, and philanthropists, as well as senior leaders from philosophy to fulfill positions on the board. The newly appointed advisory board will provide critical input, leadership, and accountability to the fund.

Earlier this year, philosophy launched the hope & grace initiative, an unprecedented and unending commitment to support women's mental health. Since the July launch of this initiative, philosophy dedicates one percent of its online net sales, and beginning in January 2015, it will contribute one percent of online, in-store, and televised net sales to the hope & grace fund. The advisory board's first undertaking will be  the launch of the hope & grace fund's first round of grants which will provide $20,000 grants to community-based organizations that promote women's mental health and well being. Additional grants will be distributed to select organizations on a quarterly basis.

"We are dedicated to changing the landscape of philanthropic efforts in the beauty industry by supporting community-based mental health efforts through these impactful grants," said Jill Scalamandre, Senior Vice President, philosophy brand and Chief Marketing Officer – Skincare, at Coty. "These newly appointed experts will offer an abundance of knowledge, experience and connections that will open new doors within the mental health space."

The hope & grace initiative created the hope & grace fund as a project of the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to supporting powerful and impactful public interest projects. In its first year, the fund plans to target organizations who work with women in the United States who are currently underserved by mental health services. These unsung heroes of the mental health field include those organizations that are working to overcome barriers to and the stigma associated with seeking treatment for mental health issues, providing access to mental health treatment, and fostering support networks for women with mental illness.

"Health of the mind, often invisible to the world, has never been treated with quite the same understanding or compassion as other current women's affairs issues," said Dr. Belisa Vranich, hope & grace Founding Advisory Board Member, Clinical Psychologist and Author. "My personal mission, and that of this board, is to lessen the stigma around mental health."

The hope & grace fund board members include:

• Dr. Hortensia Amaro, PhD, Dean's Professor of Social Work and Preventive Medicine, and Associate Vice Provost of Community Research Initiatives, University of Southern California. With her 30 years of experience in research and practice in the areas of substance abuse disorder treatment, HIV prevention, and other areas of public health, Dr. Amaro brings a wealth of mental health expertise to the hope & grace fund. Her studies on clinical strategies for treating women with co-occurring drug addiction, mental illness, and post-traumatic stress disorder have provided strong evidence supporting integrated treatment for these conditions.
• Jeannette Pai-Espinosa, President, The National Crittenton Foundation (TNCF). Ms. Pai-Espinosa brings to the board her extensive knowledge of and connections to community-based mental health programs for women. She leads TNCF, whose family of agencies provides services in 32 states and the District of Columbia to girls and young women who are impacted by violence, childhood adversity, and trauma.
• Helen Porter, philanthropist and founder of Helen L. Porter and James T. Dyke Brain Imaging Research Center (BIRC) at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' (UAMS) Psychiatric Research Institute. Ms. Porter, an Arkansas-based philanthropist, brings her strong passion and commitment to mental health and reducing the stigma associated with mental illness to the hope & grace fund advisory board. Through her philanthropy and her volunteer work, she has dedicated her life to the empowerment of women by promoting mental, physical, and emotional health.
• Marc Rey, Senior Vice President of Coty, North America and President, Coty US. Mr. Rey has broad executive management experience and deep expertise within the beauty industry. In his role at Coty, Mr. Rey is responsible for the vast Coty portfolio of beauty brands (Calvin Klein, Sally Hansen, Rimmel, O.P.I. philosophy, Marc Jacobs, etc.). As a seasoned professional of the beauty industry, he brings an original perspective and philanthropic passion to the hope and grace initiative.
• Dr. Alina Salganicoff, PhD, Vice President and Director of Women's Health Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation. Deeply respected in the field of women's health policy at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park, CA, Dr. Salganicoff's expertise in health-care access for low-income women and families resonates strongly with the hope & grace fund's priorities. She also brings grant-making experience through her previous program staff role at the Pew Charitable Trusts.
• Jill Scalamandre, Senior Vice President of philosophy and Chief Marketing Officer for Coty Inc. Ms. Scalamandre is a seasoned global executive in the beauty industry with a deep passion for using philanthropy to enrich the lives of women. Ms. Scalamandre brings invaluable board experience through her many years of service as the chairwoman of Cosmetic Executive Women Inc., a nonprofit trade organization with 6,000 members.
• Dr. Belisa Vranich, PsyD. Dr. Vranich is a clinical psychologist, author, public speaker and founder of The Breathing Class. She brings to the fund her broad expertise and clinical experience in a wide array of areas which deeply affect women and resonate strongly with the hope & grace fund, including stress reduction, health and fitness, nutrition, sex and relationships, and trauma.

Within five years, the hope & grace fund's intention is to give more than $10 million to organizations that work to reduce stigma and other barriers for those seeking treatment for mental health issues, provide access to mental health treatment and foster support networks for women with mental illness.

For more information on the advisory board and hope & grace initiative, go to philosophy.com or join the movement here: http://apps.facebook.com/hopeandgrace.

philosophy
philosophy is the trusted beauty confidante that offers efficacious skin care products, bath & body and fragrances to help women look, live and feel their best. we take an approachable attitude toward beauty by wrapping scientifically proven ingredients with insight and inspiration. because we believe that beauty lives inside of every woman, we want to inspire beautiful days as well as beautiful skin. founded in 1996, philosophy is part of the coty inc. with headquarters in Phoenix and New York. follow us on twitter/instagram: @lovephilosophy; facebook.com/philosophy.

New Venture Fund
The New Venture Fund (NVF), a 501(c)(3) public charity, works to achieve a healthier, more equitable world. NVF supports a range of innovative and effective public interest projects in conservation, global health, public policy, international development, education, disaster recovery, and the arts. For more information visit www.newventurefund.org.

about Coty Inc.
Coty is a leading global beauty company with net revenues of $4.6 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014. Founded in Paris in 1904, Coty is a pure play beauty company with a portfolio of well-known fragrances, color cosmetics and skin & body care products sold in over 130 countries and territories. Coty's product offerings include such global brands as Calvin Klein, Chloe, Marc Jacobs, OPI, philosophy, Rimmel and Sally Hansen.

Media contacts:
Tiffani Carter-Thompson
philosophy
212.389.6905 / [email protected] 

Erin Kelly
Missy Farren & Associates
212.561.6463 / [email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141211/164000LOGO 

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/philosophy-establishes-new-advisory-board-to-support-the-brands-national-platform-and-new-fund-for-mental-health-awareness-300008951.html

SOURCE philosophy

Related Links

http://www.philosophy.com