Robert Sterling Clark Foundation Launches Network of Cross-Sector Leaders To Advance Economic Mobility In New York City
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 Lynn 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, Policy and Project Director, 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, NYC Mayor's Office of Operations
• Christian Gonzalez-Rivera, Senior Researcher, Center for an Urban Future
• Bernell K. Grier, Executive Director, IMPACCT Brooklyn
• 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, NYC Housing Authority, 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 X Williams, Deputy Director, Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development
• David Woloch, Executive Vice President, External Affairs, Brooklyn Public Library
• Pauline Zalkin, Founder/Chief Creative Officer, Fineas Media