NEWS

Global business leaders and builders join in support of NY school children’s mental health and wellness

Partnership with Children (PWC), the 110-year-old nonprofit whose pioneering social work and community school programs support the mental health and wellness of New York City schoolchildren, has elected three new members to its Board of Directors. They are Tom Booker, Director, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Strategy for Analytics and Modeling at BlackRock; André Branch, Senior Vice President and General Manager, M.A.C Cosmetics in North America; and Castleigh Johnson, Founder and CEO of My Home Pathway.

“Partnership with Children is honored to have Tom Booker, André Branch and Castleigh Johnson join our Board. They are each extraordinarily accomplished, committed to ensuring that New York City’s children have the mental health services and community programs they need in these turbulent times. They will bring incredible insights and support to our work fighting systemic disparities and to our organization’s antiracism journey,” said Margaret Crotty, PWC CEO and Executive Director.

Today PWC reaches over 30,000 students in all five boroughs with school-based programs rooted in a trauma-informed approach, a steadfast commitment to antiracism, and expertise in children’s social-emotional wellbeing.

Tom Booker is Director, COO and Head of Strategy for Analytics and Modeling at BlackRock, overseeing the Aladdin platform’s analytics research, day-to-day operations, business strategy and the governance of strategic programs. Dr. Booker joined BlackRock in February 2013, after earning his PhD in mathematics (Category Theory) from Macquarie University.

He has served on the Board of Center for Arts Education (CAE), the evidenced-based school-based arts program that PWC acquired in 2020 to increase its portfolio of services to enhance social-emotional learning and social justice initiatives in New York City schools.

André Branch is the SVP, GM of M.A.C Cosmetics in North America and an independent board director of Signet Jewelers, Inc. His management expertise spans the full range of operational functions – E-commerce, Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain, P&L ownership, Merchandising, IT, HR, Finance, Customer Care, and International.

He has a long career managing iconic luxury brands in senior executive roles at a number of world class consumer packaged goods companies including L’Oreal and Diageo. He has also grown and sold PE-backed businesses, implementing marketing technologies and strategic partnerships. Branch holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

Castleigh Johnson is currently the Founder and CEO of My Home Pathway, a financial technology firm that provides proprietary algorithms and customer engagement programs to mortgage companies to increase mortgages among People of Color. Johnson had a career in banking and fintech before starting his own firm, working at some of the largest domestic and international financial service institutions. He has a Bachelor of Science in Management and International Business from Penn State University, and an MBA with concentrations in Finance and Accounting from New York University.

Partnership with Children (PWC)

For over 100 years, Partnership with Children (PWC) has supported New York City children. Today it reaches over 30,000 students in all five boroughs with school-based programs rooted in a trauma-informed approach, a steadfast commitment to antiracism, and expertise in children’s social-emotional wellbeing.

PWC is a one of the largest service providers in New York City’s community school initiative, and a major provider of school-based mental health services. Its full-time, credentialed social workers provide social-emotional learning programs, trauma-informed counseling, and mental health services —so students can learn and thrive. In 19 community schools, PWC’s specialized teams integrate academics, health, social services, youth development, and community engagement.

In 2020, PWC acquired the Center for Arts Education (CAE) in order to increase its portfolio of services to enhance social-emotional learning and racial justice initiatives in New York City schools.