August, 2005 to present

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July, 1994 to  July, 2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July, 1994 to Dec., 1995

Gregory P. Cohen

239 East Fifth Street

Brooklyn, NY 11218

(646) 262-6124 cell

gpcohen (at) gmail.com

 

President, NGO Consulting, Inc. 

Private firm providing organizational development, startup management, strategic planning & fundraising services. Selected projects:

 

NPOKI: direct start-up for technology-based collaboration of global health groups including International Planned Parenthood Federation, PATH and IAVI.  Presented business plan, in person, to Gates, Google, Cisco and Packard Foundations.  Conducted feasibility research in Nairobi. (April, 2006 to present.)

 

Institute for Global Ethics, Education Dept.: operational planning for nationwide program growth; fundraising counsel.  (November, 2005 to present.)

 

Assoc. of PVO Financial Managers: design for expansion of member services, launched website for knowledge management. Facilitated planning retreat. (November, 2005 to present.)

 

Fund for the City of NY-Youth Development Institute: documented roundtable discussions on engaging older students for publication. (2005-2006)

 

Executive Director, Comprehensive Development, Inc.

Founded nonprofit group providing comprehensive social services within Manhattan Comprehensive Night & Day High School, a unique public school  serving 800 older students, including many immigrants, who must work or raise children. Through collaboration and the energy of volunteers, CDI provides tutoring, homelessness prevention, counseling, employment and legal services. This partnership model is being replicated at 15 NYC other schools.

     

Fundraising

Oversaw effort raising $1 million annually, largely from private sources. Awarded $1.2 million annual contract from NYC DOE, June 2005.

Recruited and trained board of directors. Together raised $265,000 from individuals in 2004.

Management & Program Development

Coordinated outcome evaluation with Monitor Group and strategic planning with McKinsey & Company, both pro bono.

Oversaw all fiscal matters.  CDI ran twelve consecutive annual surpluses.

Managed a staff of 20 and 12 strategic collaborations.

Increased volunteer tutoring program from 70 to 170 people a year through improved logistics. Developed major partnership with Credit Suisse.

Created and funded fully staffed college office helping 55% of graduates go to college, many on full scholarships. Increased use of SATs tenfold.

Developed $3.5 million rooftop science lab. Created intern-to-career program with Rockefeller University, Cornell Medical School and local hospitals.

Public Affairs

 Coordinated media coverage of CDI and Manhattan Comprehensive including a 2004 special edition of PBS' NOW With Bill Moyers, a 2003 front page article in The New York Times and stories in the Christian Science Monitor and on National Public Radio.

 

Community Development Consultant.

 

Acting Executive Director, Community Assisted Tenant Controlled Housing, Inc. (CATCH) -- Co-founded and led a seven group collaborative based upon an innovative approach to acquire and rehabilitate financially distressed apartment buildings and convert them to mutual housing associations.

 

Seedco -- provided ongoing technical assistance in housing production, marketing, government contracting, board relations, fundraising and business planning to housing groups in Dayton, Ohio and Jackson, Mississippi.

 

Community Service Society -- prepared a strategic business plan reorienting development services, technical assistance and lending for community groups.  The plan led to a major initiative aiding tenant-led takeovers of distressed, federally-assisted housing projects in Brooklyn.

 

 

1990 to 1994

1988 to 1990

Vice President, New York Urban Coalition Housing Group.

Assistant Vice President.

 

Directed strategic planning and housing development including special needs and homeless housing, preservation of occupied buildings and community-scale development.  Responsibilities included Project Development: obtained funding, assured feasibility, acquired sites, selected development team members for over 270 units of permanent housing in six projects with over $27 million in financing. Fundraising: raised over $10 million in government and bank funding. for four permanent housing projects to cover all aspects of development. Developed prospects, wrote grant and loan proposals. Public Affairs: developed stories in The New York Times, NY Newsday, The New York Daily News.

 

1981  to  1988

Director Of Special Projects, NY Urban Coalition Housing Group.

Coordinated over $2 million in annual energy saving improvements in the homes of over 1,000 low income residents.  Introduced high technology to energy contracting, adopted statewide.  First use in New York of weatherization grants to leverage landlord investments, spun off into nonprofit group by winning highly competitive U.S. Dept. of Energy Business Development Grant.

 

 

1977 to 1981

Director of Public Education, INFORM.

Disseminated research on environmental issues to industry, media and policymakers, Congress and the general public for this nonprofit group studying the social impact of U.S. corporations.  Identified networks of national and grassroots groups, ran seminars and press conferences and marketed studies.

 

Education

 

1977

 

 

Summer, 2004

Union College, Schenectady, New York. B.A., Cum Laude,  Political Science and French.  Research intern, Mobil Oil Francaise, Paris, 1976

 

Columbia Business School, Executive Development Program.  One of just 13 Executive Directors selected by Robin Hood Foundation for twelve day residential training program for grantees with high growth potential.

Affiliations

 

1998-present

 

 

2002-present

 

2000 - present

 

 

1989-1990

 

 

 

1990 to 1994

Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of NY, Vice Chair of this 1,300-member service and advocacy organization for New York's charitable sector.

 

Institute For Global Ethics - Certified trainer in Ethics For Nonprofit Organizations

 

New York University, Wagner Graduate School of Public Service - Guest Instructor, "Fundraising For Nonprofit Ventures"

 

Leadership New York II,  Participant in highly selective civic leadership program sponsored by the Coro Foundation and the NYC Partnership.  Honored with Coro Alumni Award, January, 2000.

 

Guacara, Society for the Advancement of Dominican Arts and Culture, founding board member.