Congratulations Sterling Network NYC Participants

THE ROBERT STERLING CLARK FOUNDATION CONVENES LEADERS TO TAKE INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO ADVANCING ECONOMIC MOBILITY IN NEW YORK CITY   

City leaders across nonprofit, government, and business sectors join forces to make systems impact   

New York, NY. January 8, 2018 — The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation announces the selection of 48 New York City change-makers to join the Sterling Network NYC, a new initiative for systems-leaders who will work together to tackle the challenge of increasing economic mobility for New Yorkers across the five boroughs.

These dynamic leaders have been selected for their commitment to collaboration and their dedication to addressing and resolving the root causes, rather than just the symptoms, of New York City’s most challenging economic issues.

Philip Li, President of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, celebrated the launch of this network saying, “I’m delighted that, after much planning and preparing, the Sterling Network NYC is officially underway. This impressive group of cross-sector leaders has a lot of important work to do, and I have no doubt they will do it well. There is no quick fix when it comes to tackling a complex issue area like economic mobility, but I know our network will come up with fresh and thoughtful ideas.”

Sterling Network NYC is the first network of its kind in New York City. It was launched in response to our current political and social moment, which the Foundation believes calls for new and innovative approaches to tackling seemingly intractable problems facing the city, including poverty and economic inequity.  Although the physical conditions of many low-income neighborhoods in New York City have improved, poverty and limited economic mobility remain a systemic problem for all New Yorkers committed to justice and equity.

According to Lisa Cowan, the Foundation’s Vice President of Programs, “Sometimes the best-intentioned people and programs working on issues connected to economic mobility take a narrow focus. At the Foundation we see the value in bringing together leaders who can approach problems from various angles and lenses. By working together, they will affect greater change than any one of them could individually.”

The new network brings together a cross-section of leaders from the private, public, and social sectors. Collectively, their work spans key issue areas including education, housing, immigration, health, justice and transit.  United by a shared orientation towards action, a common ability to work across differences, and a commitment to New York City, this diverse set of leaders is uniquely poised to co-create real solutions to the problem of economic inequity.    Network members will meet for three immersive retreats annually, and will engage in collaborative action and learning opportunities between gatherings.

The network members are:

Rahesha Amon-Harrison, Community Superintendent, NYC Department of Education

Sean Basinski, Director, Street Vendor Project, Urban Justice Center 

James Brodick, Director, Brooklyn Community Justice Centers, Center for Court Innovation 

Rebecca Brown, Director of Policy, Innocence Project 

Tracey Capers, Executive Vice President,  Bed-Stuy Restoration Corp. 

Jimmy Carbone, Owner/Chef, Jimmy’s No. 43 

Neil Carlson, Co-Founder/CEO, Brooklyn Creative League 

Georges Clement, Co-Founder/President, JustFix.nyc

Elena Conte, Director of Policy, Pratt Center for Community Development 

Jennifer Cowan, Pro Bono Counsel, Debevoise & Plimpton 

Rose DeStefano, Deputy Director, Best for NYC, NYC Mayor's Office of Workforce Development 

Jill Eisenhard, Founder/Executive Director, Red Hook Initiative 

Michelle Flores, Director of Development, Brandworkers 

Mark Foggin, Principal, Foggin Strategies 

Deepmalya Ghosh, Senior Vice President, Child Center of New York 

Nancy Ginsburg, Director, Adolescent Intervention, The Legal Aid Society 

Debra-Ellen Glickstein, Executive Director, NYC Kids Rise 

Maurice Goldstein, Senior Policy Advisor, Mayor's Office of Operations 

Christian Gonzalez-Rivera, Senior Researcher, Center for an Urban Future 

Bernell Grier, Executive Director, IMPACCT 

Ann Harakawa, Principal, Two Twelve 

Michael Hickey, Director, Strategy & Partnerships, Office of Community Schools, NYC Department of Education

Kemi Ilesanmi, Executive Director, The Laundromat Project 

Emma Jordan-Simpson, Executive Pastor, Concord Baptist Church of Christ

Alexa Kasdan, Director of Research & Policy, Community Development Project, Urban Justice Center 

Cathy Kim, Program Director, Enterprise Community Partners 

Martha King, Executive Director, NYC Board of Correction 

Rasmia Kirmani-Frye, Director, NYCHA, and President, Fund for Public Housing 

Patrick Kwan, Senior Director, Advocacy & Communications, Primary Care Development Corporation 

Judith Lorimer, Director, Options Center, Goddard Riverside Center 

Melanie Mortimer, President, SIFMA Foundation 

Maria Mottola, Executive Director, New York Foundation 

Michelle Ng, Community Engagement Leader, Ernst & Young 

Betsy Plum, Vice President of Policy, New York Immigration Coalition 

Liliana Polo-McKenna, CEO, Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow 

Grace Rochford Everitt, Nonprofit Engagement Manager, LinkedIn 

Toby Sheppard Bloch, Chief Venture Officer, The HOPE Program 

Sideya Sherman, Executive Vice President, Community Engagement, NYC Housing Authority 

Shervon Small, Supervising Attorney, The Legal Aid Society 

Andrea Soonachan, Executive Director, College & Career Planning, NYC Department of Education 

Triada Stampas, Vice President for Research & Public Affairs, Food Bank for New York City 

Kristy Sundjaja, Co-Founder/President, Exceptional Artists Foundation 

George Suttles, Program Officer, John A. Hartford Foundation 

William Weisberg, Executive Director, Forestdale 

Jonathan Westin, Executive Director, New York Communities for Change 

Barika Williams, Deputy Director, Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development 

David Woloch, Executive Vice President for External Affairs, Brooklyn Public Library 

Pauline Zalkin, Founder/Chief Creative Officer, Fineas Media   

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About The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation  The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation is dedicated to helping create and sustain a vibrant New York City. It does so by investing in her people, the organizations that develop them, and the networks of which they are a part. Created in 1952, the private foundation derives its resources from the family’s involvement with the Singer sewing machine. Learn more at www.rsclark.org.