Hands On Bay Area Names New Executive Director; Jim Pitofsky Brings More Than 15 Years of Experience Building Community Partnerships.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Hands On Bay Area (Hands On) today announced the hire of its new executive director, Jim Pitofsky. Pitofsky will join the organization on January 9, and will be responsible for managing and growing Hands On's current base of 10,000 volunteers, that create and complete more than 120 community service projects each month, supporting more than 300 Bay Area nonprofit organizations. E[acute accent]Pitofsky joins Hands On from one of the leading service-learning organizations in the United States and the world, the National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC), where he was deputy director and also had served as acting president & CEO. While at NYLC, he oversaw strategic planning, strategic alliances, the organization's annual conference, training and technical assistance and played a leadership role with international efforts. During this time Pitofsky was also a sales and marketing consultant for Sundance, Robert Redford's resort and conference center. E[acute accent]Prior to NYLC, he was a Partner at the Social Enterprise Alliance (SEA), the only membership organization devoted exclusively to building sustainable nonprofits through earned income strategies. SEA resulted from a merger of the National Gathering of Social Entrepreneurs and SeaChange, the latter that Pitofsky founded. Additionally, he has been vice president for the Echoing Green Foundation and the first-elected president of the National and Community Service Coalition. Pitofsky was also the director of leadership development for the National Association of Partners in Education, where he conducted trainings for the Hands on Network, a national civic movement organization of which Hands On Bay Area is an affiliate. E[acute accent]Pitofsky has also counseled and partnered with many senior-level executives at companies and corporate foundations on volunteerism, philanthropy and cause-related marketing. He has spoken at many major conferences, in all sectors, such as the World Economic Forum, FORTUNE CEO Forum and the White House Conference on Philanthropy. Pitofsky brings a unique understanding of cross-sectoral alliances, excellent experience in inspiring and mobilizing volunteers, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a passion for working in and with low-income communities and communities of color. During the Clinton administration, Pitofsky served as an informal advisor to the President's Initiative on Race; he has also worked closely with the Corporation for National Service under both the Clinton and Bush administrations. E[acute accent]"Jim brings a wealth of experience, deep community and corporate relationships, and boundless energy to Hands On," said Davin Miyoshi, board chair, Hands On Bay Area. "His long history of advocating for social change is a perfect fit for the organization and will enable Hands On to make an even larger impact on Bay Area communities in the coming years. We look forward to working with him." E[acute accent]In addition to the general management of the organization, Pitofsky will be focused on growing and expanding Hands On's civic engagement programming, enhancing partnerships with the corporate and nonprofit communities, increasing revenues and driving the strategic planning for the organization. E[acute accent]"I'm excited to go back to my roots of going deep in my local community by building partnerships to advance not only volunteerism, but its impact on the community," said Pitofsky. "I truly appreciate the level of engagement and commitment of the Hands On board and staff and am excited to work with them as well as with other Hands On Network affiliates. And I look forward to diversifying not only where we work and what we do, but also who we engage as volunteers so we can effectively improve conditions and build community in this amazing place in which we live and work." E[acute accent]Pitofsky received his bachelor's degree from Stanford University and his JD from Georgetown as a Public Interest Law Scholar. He has served as an active board member for organizations such as Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, Stanford University's Alumni Association and the National Service Learning Partnership.

E[acute accent]About Hands On Bay Area

E[acute accent]Hands On Bay Area (Hands On) creates social change by mobilizing our communities, through volunteer management, leadership development and issues education. Hands On develops, manages and leads volunteer projects that benefit more than 300 San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit agencies. Each month, Hands On coordinates and manages more than 120 community service projects that engage 10,000 volunteers each year. Hands On also designs and manages projects for corporations that want to support their employees in giving back to the communities where they work and live. Hands On is an affiliate of the Hands On Network, an international alliance of more than 40 volunteer organizations working to build community through service and civic engagement. For more information about Hands On Bay Area, visit www.handsonbayarea.org.