PwC’S Richard J. Poccia Elected to Lead Junior Achievement of New York's Board of Directors

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) New York, NY - July 20, 2011 - The Junior Achievement of New York (JA New York) Board of Directors announced today that it has elected Richard J. Poccia, a partner at PwC, as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Poccia succeeds Anré Williams, who has served as Chairman since July 2007.

Mr. Poccia has been involved with JA New York since 1996 when he became a member of the Board of Directors. He is currently a member of the JA New York Executive Committee and Chairman of the Audit Committee, a role he will relinquish in order to focus on guiding the reach and expansion of JA New York programs.    JA New York President Joseph A. Peri applauded the Board’s choice of Mr. Poccia to continue Mr. Williams’ legacy of positioning JA New York as a leading youth education organization in New York City and Long Island. “Rich Poccia is a recognized and respected leader in the Junior Achievement community. He’s a passionate supporter and advocate for youth education and achievement and we look forward to working with him and the rest of the Board to achieve our highest priority of supporting and creating economic and educational opportunities for New York City and Long Island students.”   “I am honored that the JA New York Board has asked me to play this role during such a critical period in this organization’s history. The work of Junior Achievement couldn’t be more relevant and important to the future economic and business stability of this city and the greater metropolitan area. Meeting the unique challenges faced by young people will require all JA New York stakeholders to work together in a spirit of collaboration. Together, we will continue producing innovative and efficient solutions to support the dreams and aspirations of our students,” added Mr. Poccia.   At PwC, Mr. Poccia serves as the Leader of the New York Metro Region Private Company Services Practice (PCS), a team of assurance and tax professionals dedicated to helping privately held companies achieve their business and growth objectives. He is also the Assurance Leader of the New York Metro PCS Practice and the Operations Leader for the National PCS Practice. Mr. Poccia has more than 30 years of accounting and auditing experience and has served clients ranging from early stage companies to large multinationals. His experience spans a wide range of industries, including service organizations, manufacturing, technology, entertainment and defense.   In addition to being an active member of the Board of Directors for JA New York, Mr. Poccia is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Enrico Fermi Educational Fund, Inc., a Yonkers-based organization that makes it possible for students to further their college education.   On behalf of the entire Board and JA New York staff, Messrs. Peri and Poccia expressed the organization’s gratitude to Anré Williams for his extraordinary service and leadership as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Williams, President of Global Commercial Card, American Express, is credited with exceptional and decisive leadership that helped guide the organization through a challenging period caused by the financial crisis and deep recession. He will remain on the Board of JA New York and serve as a Vice Chairman and member of the Executive Committee.   Mr. Williams added his support for Mr. Poccia, saying: “I am honored and proud to have led JA New York over the last four years. Along with the rest of the Board, I am delighted with the decision to elect Rich Poccia to guide the organization through the next phase of its development. I look forward to working closely with him and the full Board in the future and continuing my involvement with JA New York.”       About Junior Achievement of New York For more than 80 years, Junior Achievement of New York (JA New York), the local affiliate of JA USA, has delivered economic education and empowerment programs to NYC and Long Island students. Through a dedicated volunteer network of corporate and community individuals, JA New York provides high-quality K-12 in-school, workplace, and summer educational programs. JA New York educational programs impact important societal issues including youth, economic and educational development and focuses on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. For more information about JA New York and its programs, Visit us: www.jany.org ◙ Like Us: Facebook ◙ Connect with Us: LinkedIn ◙ Follow Us: Twitter ◙ Subscribe to Us: YouTube.   PWC15433