Robin Hood Announces New Executive Role for Deborah Winshel; Hires Patty Smith to Lead Communications Team

NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Robin Hood has announced that Deborah Winshel has been appointed to the newly-created post of president, effective immediately. Ms. Winshel joined Robin Hood in February, 2011 as chief operating officer and in that capacity has worked closely with Robin Hood's board of directors, donors and staff. She will retain her position as chief operating officer.

From 1998 – 2006, Ms. Winshel was the executive vice president for administration and chief financial officer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she was responsible for the financial stewardship, strategic planning and overall operating activities of the Museum. She resigned from the Met in 2006 to move with her family to Italy. Prior to the Met, Ms. Winshel was a managing director at JPMorgan in Investment Banking. Ms. Winshel holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and lives in New York City with her husband and their three boys.

"Deborah's management skills and commitment to helping New Yorkers have made her a great addition to our team," said David Saltzman, executive director of Robin Hood. "Working together, Deborah and I are exploring new ways to address the crippling challenges of poverty, and we're working on strategic programs and initiatives that will make us an even more effective force for good in New York City."

"Robin Hood is truly an inspiring place to work, and I'm so fortunate to be working for an organization that focuses on helping New Yorkers in need," said Ms. Winshel. "They have accomplished incredible things over the past 20 years, and I look forward to helping them reach even greater heights in the years to come."

Robin Hood also announced that Patty Smith has joined the organization as managing director for marketing & communications. A native New Yorker, Ms. Smith joins Robin Hood after ten years in Seattle as the director of global corporate communications for Amazon.com. In this role, she worked closely with senior executives across the company on developing timely and strategic communications relating to employee issues, operations, financial reporting, internet security, consumer privacy and public affairs. She was also responsible for developing and implementing Amazon's communication strategy for its global philanthropic and green initiatives, and served as primary spokesperson for all corporate initiatives with local, national and international news organizations.

"I'm thrilled that Robin Hood was able to recruit Patty to lead our communications team," said Mr. Saltzman. "Her expertise and enthusiasm are a powerful combination and will serve Robin Hood well as we strive to tell our story in the most effective ways possible."

Robin Hood is New York City's largest funder of emergency food programs, as well as the largest private funder of job training and housing programs; its education programs serve close to 55,000 students in grades K-12. Robin Hood helps hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers struggling to lift themselves out of poverty. And because its board of directors underwrites all administrative costs and expenses, 100% of every dollar contributed goes back into the community.

Since its founding in 1988, Robin Hood has invested more than $1 billion in hundreds of the most effective poverty-fighting programs.

About Robin Hood

For more than 20 years, Robin Hood has fought poverty in New York City. It finds, funds and partners with programs that have proven to be an effective remedy to poverty and is a consistent force for good in the lives of New Yorkers in need. Robin Hood employs a rigorous system of metrics and third-party evaluation to ensure accountability from organizations that receive its' funds. The board pays all administrative and fundraising costs, so 100% of donations go directly to helping New Yorkers in need. It works closely with groups that receive grants to make them more effective, enabling them to assist even more people. In 2011, Robin Hood invested over $146 million in more than 200 programs and schools, directly touching the lives of over 400,000 New Yorkers.

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SOURCE Robin Hood