HELP FOR CHILDREN/HEDGE FUNDS CARE (HFC) APPOINTS CHILD ABUSE AND PREVENTION EXPERT RENEE SKOLASKI AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO

>On June 17, 2015, Help for Children/Hedge Funds Care (HFC) announced the appointment of child abuse treatment and prevention expert Renee Skolaski as Executive Director and CEO effective on June 1, 2015. Ms. Skolaski succeeds Dr. Kathryn Conroy who retired this month after a seven year leadership tenure during which she helped HFC successfully navigate the financial crisis of 2009, double the number of charity events and development revenue, and expand the organization’s support of child welfare organizations in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Hong Kong and the Cayman Islands.

Renee Skolaski began her career as an elementary school teacher in south-central Los Angeles with Teach for America where she witnessed families struggle to raise their children against a back drop of poverty, immigration concerns, domestic violence, mental illness, drug addition, alcohol abuse, gang involvement and violence. Her work as a teacher cemented her interest to pursue her MSW to work with vulnerable women and children.

“It is an honor to join HFC as the new Executive Director and CEO,” said Renee Skolaski. “I look forward to working with our kind sponsors, donors, and carefully selected grantee organizations to advance HFC’s vital worldwide mission to prevent and treat child abuse.”

“We are delighted to welcome Renee Skolaski as HFC’s new Executive Director and CEO,” said Dean Backer, HFC President and Global Head of Sales and Capital Introduction in the Global Securities Services business at Goldman Sachs. “Her dedication to protecting our children aligns perfectly with HFC’s goals to raise funds through the generous support of the hedge fund, financial and business communities and grant them to child welfare organizations that can truly make a difference.”

Renee began her work in the field of child abuse prevention and treatment as a foster care Case Worker at Little Flower Children’s Services in Brooklyn.  After completing her MSW she was nominated by Columbia University and selected as a Presidential Management Intern (PMI) and worked in Washington DC in the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Planning Research and Evaluation on welfare reform demonstration projects.

Returning to New York City, Renee worked for Graham-Windham Services to Families and Children as the Director of Independent Living Services for teens in Foster Care and then the Director of Program Support. She subsequently went to the Council on Accreditation as the Director of Program Development and Quality Improvement where she worked with organizations around the country and helped to further develop continuous quality improvement standards.  In 2002 she joined SCO Family of Services where she held a variety of positions and oversaw Development, IT and CQI and worked in collaboration to create the Options software for voluntary child welfare providers. As Chief Program Officer she was responsible for program budgets totaling $105 million and oversaw programs serving over 13,000 children and families annually in 43 locations with 1,755 staff.  In this position she launched the Early Childhood programs and the Transfer High schools at SCO.

Renee has served on several non-profit boards, as Adjunct Faculty at Columbia University School of Social Work, as an MSW Field Instructor and has presented at many conferences around the country. She currently serves as a founding Board Member of Fulton Street software, a social purpose business and as an Advisory member to FirstStepNYC. Renee received her Honors BS in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and her MSW in Administration and Planning from the Columbia University School of Social Work.