BCW Announces Appointment of Co-Chairs of Not-For-Profit Council

The Business Council of Westchester has announced the appointment of Susan Fox, President and CEO of the Westchester Institute for Human Development and Leslie Gordon, President and CEO of Feeding Westchester, as co-chairs of the BCW’s Not-for-Profit Council.

Susan Fox joined Westchester Institute for Human Development as President and CEO in 2016. She previously served as Associate Director and Clinical Assistant Professor at the Institute on Disability, University of New Hampshire. Fox has a Master’s Degree in Education Leadership focusing on Special Education Administration from Lesley University and a second Master’s Degree and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of New Hampshire. She is a resident of Croton-on-Hudson.

Leslie Gordon leads Feeding Westchester in its mission to provide nutritious food and other resources to eradicate hunger. Prior to joining Feeding Westchester in 2017, Gordon served as a key executive at City Harvest, where she led plans to improve food access and nutrition for 500,000 low-income New Yorkers. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz with a degree in sociology, Gordon is a frequent guest speaker at various organizations addressing issues of hunger. She is fourth-generation resident of Tarrytown.

“We are honored to have such distinguished leaders from the not-for-profit community to chair our Not-For-Profit Council. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in their respective fields,” said BCW President and CEO Marsha Gordon.

The BCW’s Not-For-Profit Council, which is comprised of members of not-for-profit organizations, meets quarterly to address issues, develop partnerships and highlight the economic contributions of the not-for-profit community. The Council has been led by Ric Swierat, Executive Director of Westchester Arc, who has served as Chair since 2002.

“We are very grateful for the leadership of Ric Swierat, who is stepping down after 16 years. Ric has made invaluable contributions to the Council. He spearheaded the very first study of the economic impact of non-for-profits in Westchester. He also educated colleagues on good governance, strategic partnerships and employment issues. He always stressed that the not-for-profits were economic contributors to the county and the business community,” said Gordon.