Interim Executive Director
Amgott Interim, LLC
2015 – Present
Provide management support, project leadership, and executive coaching. Provide training, assessment, and support to executives as well as recruitment and ongoing consultative support to local agencies and organizations.
Interim President, Studio in a School
2024
Return engagement to oversee growing programs and the leadership of $7M organization providing visual arts education to students in Title 1 schools throughout New York City and providing professional development to teaching artists and art teachers. Engage Board and staff in financial and programmatic assessment to right-size the budget and enhance sustainability and the organization’s strong future.
Interim CEO, Children’s Learning Centers of Fairfield County
2023 – 2024
Directed the largest early childhood program in Connecticut. Located in 8 centers in Stamford, CLC serves approximately 900 children from 6 weeks to 5 years old, with a significant portion of families from disadvantaged, inner-city households including Head Start- and Early Head Start-eligible and children with special needs. Led financial sustainability process, facilitating revenue enhancements and budget reductions to close longstanding gap. Oversaw $17M+ operating budget and more than 200 staff including classroom teachers covered by collective bargaining agreement. Worked closely with City of Stamford and the Stamford Public Schools to enhance educational equity and student success.
Interim President & CEO, United Way of Coastal Fairfield County
2022 – 2023
Reimagined storied nonprofit; reinvigorating the board, co-creating strategic process to consider options for the future leading to successful merger. Introduced new sources of revenue and program impact, earning a $1M grant from Connecticut’s Social Equity Council and an additional $1M grant to the partner organization for work in Bridgeport and Stamford, CT.
Interim Executive Director Jacob Burns Film Center
2020 – 2021
Stepped in to oversee 20-year-old, community-based suburban art-house movie theater with educational programs for children through adults focused on media literacy. Safely reopened five-screen cinema, with full complement of services. Restarted community-based programming after 18 months of closure and substantial layoffs. Supported national search while overseeing fundraising and marketing teams raising $2M in operating funds while the office and the theaters were closed. Successfully applied for PPP loans and SVOG grant to shore up cash flow, hired new CFO, and oversaw RFP for new external auditor.
Interim Executive Director Studio in a School
2019 – 2020
Directed programs and overall leadership for $5M organization dedicated to providing standards-based arts education in the New York City schools. Working with professional teaching artists, Studio provides visual arts education to more than 32,000 students each year and professional development for classroom teachers throughout New York’s five boroughs. Directed development, marketing, financial operations, human resources for parent organization with $7M total in annual operating funds and $16M in investments and total headcount of 300+, including artists and college interns. Consulted to board of directors, working closely with organization’s founder.
Interim CEO Hearing Health Foundation
2018 – 2019
Led foundation dedicated to prevention of and cure for hearing loss. Raised $2M annually to support academic research into hearing restoration and hearing health. Stabilized organization retaining and recruiting senior staff. Retained donors during transition. Led successful national search for new CEO. Oversaw publication of quarterly magazine with circulation of 1M+. Supported board processes, strengthening internal management and governance.
Interim Executive Director JCP Downtown
2017 – 2018
Asked back for a second stint to stabilize the organization. Created new paradigm for board/staff relationship enabling board to adapt to governance roles and empower staff to design and run programs. Executed successful searches for new staff leadership. Installed new heads of schools and new rabbinic student program. Launched new outreach attracting new families and donors. Oversaw Jewish life programs, Early Childhood Center, Hebrew School, development and marketing, administration, finance, and all operations. Extensive work with board and staff leadership to redefine roles and accountability without a loss in board giving or engagement.
Interim Chief Operating Officer National Council for Jewish Women (NCJW)
2016 – 2017
Directed operations and supported implementation of strategic plan for $5M national organization supporting grassroots and policy advocacy for progressive agenda. Support CEO and Board in assessing options for growth and sustainability.
Interim Executive Director JCP Downtown
2015 – 2016
Provided overall direction for $5M organization while guiding leadership transition with board of directors. Launched $20M capital campaign raising $8M+ in initial period, and directed $1.5M in annual fundraising including gala. Supervised programs and community-based events, recruited senior staff, and provided management support to preschool and other educational and community-based offerings.
Montefiore Health System
2014 – 2015
Assistant Vice President, Strategic Program Development, Office of the President; Interim Vice President, Public Affairs
Developed, expanded, and managed relationships with community-based organizations and other affiliates. Directed in-house and external media relations.
- Oversaw administration of board of trustees. Recreated advisory council; developed recommendations to improve trustee participation and satisfaction.
- Directed research and analysis to document and present the successful interplay between Montefiore’s unique approach to care delivery and the Affordable Care Act.
- Supported clinical and academic integration with medical school partner.
- Coordinated community-oriented public health fair and appearances by major celebrity.
- Restructured public affairs function to maximize Montefiore’s reach.
- Managed internal staff and consultants to increase recognition of Montefiore’s expertise.
- Directed media outreach and messaging to highlight Montefiore’s unique role; resulting in key placements in New York Times, Washington Post, and NY Observer.
Hunter College, City University of New York
2012 – 2013
Interim Associate Provost/Strategic Consultant
Reporting to the president and the provost, served as associate provost to improve operational effectiveness. Directed special projects on interim basis to enhance Hunter’s programs.
- Directed emergency academic response after Hurricane Sandy, supporting students and faculty from nursing and health-related schools relocated from devastated facilities.
- Developed temporary teaching and research spaces, replacing specialized equipment, laboratories and teaching materials, enabling programs to meet teaching and learning goals.
- Created collaborative process to support design and programming for new facilities for science and health programs. Worked with head of school concerning academic programs and facilities for Hunter College Elementary and High Schools.
- Represented Provost with science and health-related programs, including nursing, medical lab sciences, physical therapy, audiology, and speech and language pathology.
- Provided oversight to College libraries and academic learning centers.
- Managed collaborative research centers, including Autism Research, Puerto Rican Studies, and Media Studies, and oversaw marketing, donor relations, and program development.
NYU Langone Medical Center
2008 – 2012
Executive Director and Department Administrator, NYU Child Study Center
Administrative leader for unique $32M department with research, clinical care, and advanced training.
Oversaw financial planning and operations, grants and research administration, clinical operations, academic programs, fundraising and marketing.
- Developed and implemented center-wide strategic, financial, and operational plans.
- Managed $12M research portfolio comprised of federal, foundation grants, and targeted gifts.
- Oversaw $9M multi-disciplinary practice in 4 locations with 95% gross revenue collection.
- Led senior team of directors, including operations, finance, human resources, research administration, faculty practice, fundraising, and board development.
- Obtained new facility, managed gut renovation, and moved into 73,000 sq. feet of new space.
- Created new philanthropic advisory board.
- Directed award-winning website www.aboutourkids.org (100,000 unique monthly visitors).
- Managed public outreach and communication of the center’s strategic vision.
- Personally raised $2.5M+ in one year, including endowment and unrestricted support.
- Stabilized department finances and increased unrestricted revenues.
- Served as part of three-person interim leadership team after the departure of the founder.
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
2006 – 2008
Assistant Commissioner, Early Intervention
Reporting to agency Commissioner, led public health bureau annually serving more than 50,000 children with developmental delays or disabilities, with $500M in expenditures of city, state, federal and third-party funds.
- Developed new interventions to integrate families as partners to improve children’s outcomes.
- Directed management and professional staff of 300+.
- Reduced disparities in access to services by analyzing patterns of referral, retention and program utilization and designing targeted strategies.
- Improved access to low-income families and at-risk children by 23% while reducing expenditures.
- Managed and strengthened relationships with oversight agencies.
- Appointed members and oversaw public meetings of mandated advisory board.
- Served as NYC’s early intervention representative with the media and elected officials.
Columbia University
1991 – 2006
Assistant Vice President, Health Services
1999 – 2006
Reporting to the Vice President Student Services, responsible for $14M multi-location ambulatory health center providing medical, psychological, health promotion and disability services to more than 20K students.
- Served as chief public health official for the campus.
- Designed and directed innovative $16M health insurance program covering 15,000 students plus dependents, increasing benefits by more than 10% with no increase in premiums.
- Developed strategic plan, including self-funded proposal for service expansion.
- Redesigned primary care services, improving student access and satisfaction.
- Developed plan and financing and obtained trustee approval for new health facility.
- Selected and implemented multi-disciplinary electronic student health record.
- Managed service delivery to campus community during health and student crises.
Executive Director, Administrative Planning
1996 – 1999
Reporting to the executive vice president, oversaw budget, planning and policy development for university’s six administrative departments with combined operating budgets of $183M. Served as chief of staff.
- Served as acting VP for student services responsible for overall student experience including financial, health, housing, and retail services to community of 20K with 400 staff and $55M budget.
- Served as acting VP for support services, including purchasing, print and mail services.
- Led organizational redesign projects, including student services’ consolidation.
- Developed successful $280M plan to build/acquire additional housing for faculty and students.
Associate Dean, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
1992 – 1996
National Center for Children in Poverty
1991 – 2002
Associate Director
New York City Department of Juvenile Justice
1988 – 1991
Director, Budget and Support Services
Education
Graduate School of Business, Columbia University
Executive Education: High Impact Leadership Program
Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service, New York University
M.P.A., Health Policy and Management Program
School of Public Health, University of Michigan
Graduate studies in health planning and administration; health behavior and education
Barnard College, Columbia University.
B.A., Anthropology and Psychology
Trained in interim leadership
by the Support Center — Partnership in Philanthropy.