City Year Miami Elects Jeff Bartel, Christina Kolbjornsen, and Tadd Schwartz to its Board

MIAMI - Jan. 20, 2014 - PRLog -- City Year Miami continues to enlist leaders from Miami’s business and civic community in its work to improve public education with the addition of four new members to its Board of Directors. Jeff Bartel, Christina Kolbjornsen and Tadd Schwartz are joining the organization’s board with the goal of broadening City Year Miami’s impact in Miami-Dade County’s schools. Mr. Bartel is managing director of Hamptons Group, LLC and has been among South Florida’s most prominent business leaders for the past two decades; Ms. Kolbjornsen is Vice President/Corporate Communications Manager for Wells Fargo’s Enterprise Marketing and Multicultural Communications; and Mr. Schwartz is president and founder of Schwartz Media Strategies, one of South Florida’s largest public relations and marketing firms.

Launched in 2008, City Year Miami is one of Miami’s most effective education-focused nonprofits. The organization places full-time, trained young adults in Miami-Dade Public Schools, where they provide individual attention to the students who need it most. City Year is driven by a committed corps of members and volunteer leaders who tutor, mentor, and serve as models in their community. City Year has chapters in 24 cities, with the Miami chapter being the nation’s fifth largest. In 2013, 203 City Year Miami corps members served approximately 6,000 students at 17 of Miami’s most challenged schools.

“City Year Miami’s engaged board of volunteer leaders has long been one of our organization’s most valuable assets,” said Tere Blanca, Chair of City Year Miami and President and CEO of Blanca Commercial Real Estate. “Jeff, Christina and Tadd each bring a wealth of expertise in their respective fields. Their insight, community relationships and civic leadership will be critical to helping City Year Miami broaden its reach.”

​Jeff Bartel is managing director of Hamptons Group, LLC, a private investment firm focused on capital markets. He brings decades of public and private sector leadership experience and has been a dedicated advocate for children’s health, education, and arts and culture organizations throughout his career. He has been honored for his contributions to the community, receiving awards including the Miami Today Gold Medal Award, Thurgood Marshall College Fund Distinguished Leadership Award, Sunshine State Ethics in Leadership Award, March of Dimes Humanitarian of the Year, and many more. He is a graduate of Harvard University and University of Florida School of Law.

Christina Kolbjornsen leads the continued development of Wells Fargo’s Enterprise Marketing and Diversity and Inclusion functions. A senior communications and marketing executive, she  has two decades of national and international public relations and marketing experience. She is an active member of the community, having served on the boards of Hope for Haiti, The Women’s Fund of Miami, and the Public Relations Society of America, and is also a supporter of Amigos for Kids and Paradis des Indiens. Kolbjornsen holds a master’s degree in public management from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Tadd Schwartz, Founder and President of Schwartz Media Strategies, is a veteran public relations counselor with nearly two decades of experience in media relations, digital media, and strategic communications. Mr. Schwartz has created successful campaigns for regional, national and multi-national companies and organizations. In addition to City Year Miami, Tadd is active in several nonprofit organizations, including Developing Minds Foundation and Friends of WLRN. A native of Miami, Tadd earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida.

About City Year:

City Year, an education-focused, nonprofit organization founded in 1988, partners with public schools to provide full-time targeted intervention for students most at risk of dropping out. In 25 communities across the United States and through two international affiliates, City Year’s teams of young AmeriCorps members support students by focusing on attendance, behavior, and course performance through in-class tutoring, mentoring, and after school programs that keep kids in school and on track to graduate. For more information, please visit www.cityyear.org/miami.