Richard D. Burns Appointed Interim Executive Director Of PENCIL

NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- PENCIL, the New York City-based leader in creating innovative and impactful models of collaboration between schools and businesses, has announced that Richard D. Burns, an experienced nonprofit management executive, has been appointed Interim Executive Director. Burns will lead the organization while the search for a new President is conducted, following the departure of longtime PENCIL President Michael Haberman who joined JPMorgan Chase's Global Philanthropy team as Managing Director for the Northeast Region earlier this month.  

"The Board and I are pleased to have Richard's extensive leadership management experience, which will be of great help to PENCIL and our leadership team as we go through the process of identifying an exceptional leader to serve as the organization's next President," said PENCIL Board Chair Howard Chatzinoff, Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. "Richard's leadership will be especially valuable as we continue to implement a new strategic plan that will deepen our impact and expand our capacity to serve more schools and students."

Burns has served as Interim Executive Director at The Funding Exchange, a national public foundation dedicated to progressive social change; Funders for LGBTQ Issues, a philanthropic affinity group that supports LGBT communities; and the Stonewall Community Foundation, the public foundation for New York City's LGBT community.

Previously, Burns was Chief Operating Officer at the Arcus Foundation, a global foundation advancing pressing social justice and conservation issues; and for more than two decades prior to that, he was Executive Director of New York's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, which provides mental health and social services, cultural programs, public policy and other programming to more than 5,000 people each week. He serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the NonProfit Coordinating Committee.

A PENCIL Board Search Committee, chaired by William E. McCracken, former Chief Executive Officer of CA Technologies, is leading the search for the organization's new President. The Committee has retained top executive search firm Machlowitz Consultants, Inc. to lead the search for its new President. Among the firm's clients are the Central Park Conservancy, Rockefeller Foundation, Friends of the High Line, and New Visions for Public Schools. Visit www.pencil.org for information about the position, and contact Marilyn Machlowitz at [email protected] for confidential consideration. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

About PENCIL
Founded in 1995, PENCIL is the leader in creating innovative and impactful models of ongoing collaboration between business and public schools. Working at the intersection of school needs and business expertise, we bring together the best ideas, talent, and resources across sectors to improve school and student performance. In New York City, our model forges and guides relationships between business and school leaders that leverage their collective energies to address school needs in the areas of school leadership, college and career readiness, family and student engagement, and school infrastructure. Visit www.PENCIL.org for more information.

Contact: Sara Clough
212-524-2393
[email protected]

SOURCE PENCIL