Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) - NEW-NYC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:

Sarah S. Berman The Berman Group, Inc. (212) 450-7300 @bermangrp.com

Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) Announces New Leadership: Kathleen Culhane to Serve as NEW President NEW YORK – Friday, April 4, 2014 – The Board of Directors of Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) announced today the appointment of Kathleen Culhane as interim President. “It gives me great pleasure to announce Kathleen’s appointment as interim President, someone who has given so much to NEW for so many years.” Joseph Ienuso, Chair of the NEW Board of Directors and Executive Vice President of Facilities at Columbia University said. Kathleen Culhane has been named interim President of NEW after seven years working with NEW and managing NEW’s groundbreaking initiatives with prospective employers, labor unions, contractors and government partners to expand opportunities for women and launch numerous innovative programs to create opportunities for women in the workforce in nontraditional fields. Kathleen’s experience and leadership will insure an effective transition and enable NEW to continue its growth. Prior to joining NEW, Kathleen Culhane spent 10 years working in housing and homelessness with BRC, among other organizations. Culhane earned a Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University. According to Nicola Heryet, a long-time Board Member and Senior Managing Director at Cassidy Turley, “Kathleen has contributed to NEW’s growth and success and has been a tireless advocate of our women from the time they enter our program throughout their careers. Kathleen has been a driving force in the creation of many of NEW’s most successful programs such as the NEW Signature Projects Program and so many others that have been instrumental in providing a wide range of career opportunities for women—in construction and through the broader industry.” “NEW is an important part of the unionized construction industry’s commitment to opportunity and diversity. As interim President, Kathleen Culhane’s years of experience working with NEW and its leadership will put the organization’s operations in very capable hands. We look forward to continuing to work with Kathleen and NEW to bring women into middle class careers in the unionized building and construction trades,” said Gary La Barbera, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, which consists of local affiliates of 15 national and international unions representing 100,000 members in New York City. Culhane noted, “It is a privilege to have been named as NEW’s interim President and I look forward to continuing my work with our incredible partners and New York City tradeswomen to create strong demand for women in the construction and related fields and to

ensure that we are ready with the best-qualified workforce of women leaders.” NEW has experienced unprecedented growth, launching the highly successful NEW Signature Projects Program, now in its fourth year, that partners with developers, owners, contractors, and subcontractors to increase tradeswomen participation on their projects; the opening of the NEW Brooklyn Training Center in Sunset Park; an expanded, more diversified board; the creation of the NEW Ambassador Council with representatives from major corporations and construction companies; and the introduction of NEW’s Real Estate Developer’s Council. The number of women construction workers in New York City has grown substantially in the last seven years as a result of a coordinated effort between NEW, labor unions, contractors, and government. Through the leadership of the Building and Construction Trades Council, women are now ten percent of all apprentices in the building and construction trades unions. There are limited opportunities for low-income and minority women to obtain secure jobs that provide a living wage and essential benefits, such as health insurance. Entry level positions in the unionized construction trades provide opportunities for minority, low-income women to secure jobs that are at a living wage and include essential benefits. After participating in NEW’s programs, the improvement in wages and standard of living is dramatic. The average wage for NEW permanent job placements is $15 per hour. NEW graduates see their wages increase by over 50 percent in two years. These wages increase to over $40 per hour after a four to six year apprenticeship program. NEW’s program and direct entry opportunity into union apprenticeship programs allows low-income women in New York City to provide a secure future for themselves and their families. NEW’s Board of Directors is grateful for Amy A. Peterson’s exemplary leadership and commitment to transformative change for the women of New York City and looks forward to continued success of its program through strong leadership and the support of the construction and business communities. ABOUT NONTRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT FOR WOMEN HARD HATS Founded in 1978, NEW prepares, trains, and places women in careers in the skilled construction, utility, and maintenance trades. STRONG WOMEN NEW graduates start their careers earning two times the minimum wage, over $15 per hour. NEW graduates working as Journey Level tradeswomen earn over $40 per hour. BUILDING THE FUTURE NEW provides a pipeline of qualified workers to the industries that build, move, power, green, and maintain New York. Since 2005, NEW has placed 920 graduates in the construction unions and in 900 positions in the construction, energy, transportation, and facilities maintenance industries.

CELEBRATE TRADESWOMEN AT NEW’S 2014 EQUITY LEADERSHIP AWARDS LUNCHEON Join NEW to celebrate the women who build New York City at the 2014 Equity Leadership Awards Luncheon at noon on Thursday, June 5, 2014 at the New York Hilton. Each year NEW honors industry leaders, labor leaders, and tradeswomen who are actively involved in changing the face of New York’s workforce by increasing the number of women in the trades. To purchase tickets or donate to NEW please visit .new-nyc.org. For additional information contact Kathleen Culhane, NEW interim President at (646) 257-5205. Please visit .new-nyc.org for additional information about NEW. ###