PENCIL is a New York City-based non-profit. New York City schools are filled with students who have potential and ambition to go far and we envision a city filled with students whose opportunities match their ambitions. Since 1995, we’ve played a critical role in bringing together business professionals, educators and students to open eyes, open minds, and open doors. By doing so, we connect students to success.
Connecting Students to Success
In 1995, PENCIL was founded with the goal of raising awareness about public education by inviting civic and business leaders into New York City public schools. From those early days to our work today implementing hands-on, immersive programs that open eyes, open minds, and open doors, PENCIL realizes its mission “to connect students to success.” PENCIL makes it easy for business professionals, educators, and students to work together—in schools and the workplace. Our programs, including in-school partnerships, mentoring, internships, and immersive experiences like Principal For A Day, create targeted opportunities to make a real difference in the classroom and beyond. As an organization, we strive to provide students with access to the relationships, skills, and opportunities that support their success.
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Theory of Change
PENCIL brings together business partners and educators to develop strategies that disrupt current college and career readiness outcomes. Through relationship management, curriculum resources, volunteer engagement, program facilitation, evaluation, and refinement, PENCIL makes it easy for businesses to work with schools to connect students to success. Click to see PENCIL’s Theory of Change.
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Learn More about our Impact
Since 1995, PENCIL has connected more than 43,000 students to success by building partnerships that bring together business professionals and students across New York City. Through increasing access to internships, mentorships, and school partnership programs, PENCIL has opened eyes, minds and doors for public school students in NYC.
In the third year of PENCIL’s strategic growth plan, during the 2020-21 school year and summer, over 1,098 volunteers from 177 businesses served 5,394 students. See PENCIL’s Impact Report for School Year 2020-2021.
PENCIL is also proud to release:
Innovations in Summer Youth Employment to Support Scale, Equity, and Quality, a paper sharing reflections about the creation, outcomes, and implications of Career Explorers — a new model for summer employment and work-based learning.
Reimagining Pathways to Student Success: PENCIL’s Observations & Recommendations From a Three-Year Retrospective,
Brief #1: Increasing Access to Opportunity Through New Youth Employment Models
Brief #2: Fostering a Foundation of Growth Mindset through School-Based Programs
Brief #3: Building Relationships Through Developmentally Aligned Program Modalities
Each of the three briefs, explore a unique, data-driven hypothesis for one of the pillars of PENCIL’s Theory of Change.
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Strategic Plan
Over the next five years, PENCIL will help connect at least 50,000 students to success by bringing together business professionals, educators, and students to open eyes, open minds, and open doors. Click to see the PENCIL Strategic Plan.
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50,000 Futures Campaign
The 50,000 Futures Campaign will increase PENCIL’s impact by over 300% by raising $1 million: the working capital that PENCIL needs to invest in our programs, develop new ways to reach students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and build our infrastructure to serve more students. This campaign will fund our efforts to serve 50,000 students by 2023. Click to see PENCIL’s 50,000 Futures Campaign
Our supporters
Behind every success story, there’s a community of supporters who help along the way.
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Board of Directors
Representing a broad range of experience and professional backgrounds, PENCIL’s passionate Board of Directors is committed to supporting PENCIL and improving public education in New York City and beyond.
- Christopher B. Hayward Board Chair President and Partner GoldenTree Asset Management, LP
- Gerd Alexander Partner Paul Hastings LLP
- David C. Banks (Ex-Officio) Chancellor New York City Department of Education
- E. Scott Beattie Board Treasurer Vice Chairman and Director REVLON
- Howard Chatzinoff Chair Emeritus
- Mariel Cruz Partner Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
- Nicole Degnan Global Head of Fiduciary & Conflicts Management JPMorgan Chase & Co.
- John Fosina Chief Financial Officer York Capital Management
- Jason Harrell Managing Director, Operational and Technology Risk Head of External Engagement DTCC
- Sócrates Jiménez Strategic Advisor Hamilton Partners
- Debbie Kenyon Vice Chairman and Senior Partner L+M Development Partners
- Joanna Lambert Board Vice Chair and President & General Manager, Consumer Yahoo
- Lew Leone Vice President & General Manager FOX5/My9
- Cindy Ma, Ph.D., CFA Managing Director Global Head of Portfolio Valuation and Fund Advisory Services Houlihan Lokey
- Michael Maslansky CEO maslansky + partners
- Uche Njoku (Ex-Officio) Principal John Jay School for Law
- Jeremy A. Phillips Partner PwC
- Stuart Ruderfer Co-CEO Civic Entertainment Group
- Ron Rudzin President & CEO Saatva
- Jason E. Silvers M.D. Partner Goldman Sachs
- Shael Polakow-Suransky President Bank Street College of Education
- Bernard Tubiana Principal, Managing Director – New York Consulting Deloitte Consulting
- Lewis Warren, Jr. Board Vice Chair Managing Director, Vice Chairman, Commercial Banking JPMorgan Chase & Co.
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Executive Leadership Council
PENCIL’s Executive Leadership Council is composed of emerging business leaders who bring together the next generation of PENCIL supporters to connect students to success.
- Madison Ainbinder MCRE Partners
- Nicole Wallace Ardiet [Co-Chair] LinkedIn
- Megan Briskman Peloton
- Heather Cannady Amazon
- Nii Dodoo Morgan Stanley
- Nicole Gallagher Deloitte
- Erik Forbes Johnson Dash.fi
- Asher Kennedy Morgan Stanley
- Danilsa Lopez Grant Thornton
- Mike McCullough SMBC
- Megan Oroho JPMorgan Chase & Co.
- Jessica Roy KKR & Co. Inc.
- Eric Tompkins Frasca & Associates, LLC
- Jessica Yang [Co-Chair] DTCC
To learn more or get involved with the ELC, please contact Christine Gorman or call 212.524.2384.
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Board Alumni
There is a long list of illustrious New Yorkers who have helped direct PENCIL over our 25-year history. Meet our Board of Directors alumni:
- Lisa Belzberg (Founder)*
- Dave Barger*
- Arthur H. Barnes
- Maria Bartiromo
- Charles R. Bendit
- John E. Benevento
- Frank J. Bisignano
- Matthew C. Blank
- Sharon Y. Bowen
- David R. Caplan
- Richard A. Carranza (Ex Officio)
- Beverly C. Chell
- Michael Christenson
- Ken Clinchy
- Jerry Colonna
- Susan Cosgrove
- Rudy Crew (Ex Officio)
- Maurice DuBois
- Adam Elster
- Robert Evanson
- Michael Fuchs
- Linda Gadsby
- Patsy Glazer
- Sally Hernandez-Pinero
- Matthew Higgins
- Sherry Jacobs
- Steven Jacobs
- Jeremy Johnson
- Norma Kamali
- Augusta S. Kappner
- Mark Kimsey
- Joel I. Klein (Ex Officio)
- Leanna Landsmann
- Sandra E. Lerner
- Harold Levy (Ex Officio)
- Gloria McCarthy
- Mary McCormick
- William E. McCracken
- Stephen J. Meringoff
- Elba Montalvo
- Perri Peltz-Ruttenberg
- Meisha Porter
- Karen Proctor
- Abbe Raven
- Antonio Reid
- Galen Robbins
- Rossana Rosado
- Mitch Roschelle
- Joe Scantlebury
- Jessica Seinfeld
- Matt Serletic
- Adam Silver
- Jack Stephenson
- Dennis Swanson
- Andrew Tisch
- Jane Pauley Trudeau
- Jeanette Sarkisian Wagner
- Elliott Wahle
- Michael Wolf
- Deborah C. Wright
- Strauss Zelnick
* Former Board Chair
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Past Presidents
Past Presidents and interim Executive Directors of PENCIL over its 25 years include:
David Weiner (2014 – 2016)
Richard Burns (Interim, 2014)
Michael Haberman (2007 – 2014)
Carol Kellermann (Interim, 2006 – 2007)
Janet Corcoran (2005 – 2006)
Jerry Colonna (Interim, 2004)
Ruth Cohen (1998 – 2004)