Carl Weisbrod Named Chairman of NYC Outward Bound Board

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY, January 26, 2011 (Press-News.org) New York City Outward Bound, (www.nycoutwardbound.org), which has partnered with the City's Department of Education (DOE) since 2004 in its small school initiative, announced that Carl Weisbrod, Clinical Professor and Academic Chair of Global Real Estate at NYU's Schack Institute of Real Estate and a Board member since 1990, has been elected chairman of the Board. He succeeds Robert Miller, who has stepped down after four years in the post. Board member Mark Newhouse, executive vice president-newspapers, Advance Publications, has been named a vice chair. Together with longtime Board member and sitting vice chair, Peter Thonis, senior vice president-external communications, Verizon Communications, the three form the new Board leadership team.

Joining the Board's Advisory Council are Alan Ando, Director, Strategic Partnerships, NYC for Eastern Mountain Sports, who helped lay the groundwork for the organization's first benefit dinner auction last June and will serve on the auction committee for 2011, and Dr. Mark Andrew Clark, a New York City-based physician who will serve on the Board's safety committee and provide consultation on medical information that may affect participation in a course. With these additions, the Advisory Council has 11 members. The announcements came at a year-end reception for NYC Outward Bound Board members, staff and friends in December.

"New York City Outward Bound has, and continues to, play an important role in a growing movement to provide great public school options for students from neighborhoods which have historically had poor access to a high quality and engaging education," Weisbrod said. "And while it is heartening to see that this topic is now part of our national conversation, challenges for organizations such as ours remain formidable. Among them, how do we address funding in this difficult time? And how do we continue to fulfill our promise to our students--to give them the finest educational and life experience a school can offer?"

"As New York City Outward Bound moves toward its quarter century mark in serving educators and young people in the City, I couldn't be more proud of our accomplishments," noted departing Chairman Miller, group publisher of Workman Publishing, who will remain a member of the Board. "In just the last four years, we have added five more Expeditionary Learning schools to our public school network, making us the only DOE partner to have schools in all five boroughs. That is a terrific achievement. But we have such exciting plans on the drawing board for the next few years that our new chairman and his team will have an equally rewarding ride."

Having recently stepped down, after five years, as president of the Real Estate division of Trinity Church and executive vice president of Trinity Church, St. Paul's Chapel, Weisbrod just joined the faculty at NYU, and in February will become a partner in HR&A Advisors, a boutique real estate advisory company specializing in urban development. An attorney, he has had a distinguished career in several initiatives focused on revitalizing and developing New York City. Early in his career he was the executive director of the New York City Planning Commission, and went on to become president of the 42nd Street Development Project Inc., a subsidiary of the New York State Urban Development Corporation. From 1990 to 1994, Weisbrod served as founding president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Prior to joining Trinity, he was the founding president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, the nation's largest business improvement district. He is chairman of the New York State Health Foundation and a director of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the Trust for Governors Island and the Convention Center Development Corporation. Named one of the "100 Most Influential Leaders in Business" by Crain's New York Business in 2002, he is a graduate of Cornell University and New York University's School of Law.

About New York City Outward Bound: Now in its third decade in the City, New York City Outward Bound is an independent non-profit organization that brings the educational philosophy and expertise of Outward Bound to New York City's public schools. Since 1987, NYC Outward Bound has served more than 50,000 students and educators from more than 250 public schools. For most participants, involvement with NYC Outward Bound has resulted in profound learning and for many it has been transformational, helping them to recognize how much they are capable of accomplishing individually and collectively. In 2004, while continuing to provide customized teambuilding and leadership programs for schools throughout the City, the organization undertook its most ambitious venture-- to build and operate a network of small schools, in partnership with the City's Department of Education, incorporating the Expeditionary Learning school model which has its roots in Outward Bound's educational principles and practices. These schools provide demanding academics, real-world learning, 21st-century skill-building, character development and the support of a caring peer and adult community to foster high levels of student achievement.

With initial help from grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, New York City Outward Bound's schools are: Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies, Bronx Expeditionary Learning High School, Expeditionary Learning School for Community Leaders, The James Baldwin Academy, Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School, Marsh Avenue Expeditionary Learning School, McCown Expeditionary Learning School, The Validus Preparatory Academy and Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School. In September the organization opened its 10th school--Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School--in Queens, making it the first NYC Department of Education partner to have opened schools in all five boroughs. There are currently more than 160 Expeditionary Learning schools in the country. For further information, visit our website, www.nycoutwardbound.org.