Executive Director

The Sylvia Center is pleased to partner with DRG to conduct this search.

The Sylvia Center (TSC) is creating healthy communities through the power of cooking. Founded in 2007 to address the growing tide of childhood diet-related disease, TSC’s mission is to educate young people and families through culinary programming that promotes health and well-being. Since its inception, TSC has helped more than 40,000 individuals learn about, explore, and access nutritious foods, and become ambassadors for healthy eating in their communities.

TSC was born at Katchkie Farm in Kinderhook, NY, where children first explored a vegetable garden and cooked lunch from what they harvested. In 2008, a New York City branch opened with cooking classes in a learning kitchen at Great Performances, one of the city’s premier catering companies and a longtime partner that continues to shape the organization’s identity and donor relationships.

City programming expanded steadily through NYCHA community centers in Harlem, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx, and into schools throughout the five boroughs. Today, TSC partners with more than 50 schools and community organizations across all five boroughs, Columbia County, and the Capital District, reaching nearly 4,000 students annually.

TSC operates with an annual budget of approximately $2 million, a small and committed staff team (10 full-time and 50 part-time employees), and a board that is actively engaged in the organization’s next chapter. The organization is financially healthy and well-positioned for its next phase of growth.

The Sylvia Center is seeking an Executive Director to lead the organization into its next chapter of growth and impact. Building on a strong foundation of programmatic excellence and financial stability, the next Executive Director will help shape the organization's long‑term strategy, deepen fundraising relationships, and expand its influence at the intersection of food, health, and social justice.

An Interim Executive Director is currently in place, providing the Board the runway to conduct a thoughtful and deliberate search. The incoming Executive Director will inherit a stable organization with strong programs, an engaged Board, and a healthy balance sheet, while partnering with the Board to define the organization's long‑term vision, strengthen its fundraising infrastructure, and position The Sylvia Center for sustained growth and impact.

• Partner with the Board to define and articulate a long‑term organizational strategy that advances The Sylvia Center's reach, fundraising capacity, strategic partnerships, and overall impact.
• Serve as a thought leader on the role of food, nutrition, and culinary education in health equity and social justice, and position TSC at the center of those conversations.
• Work with the board to strengthen its composition, engagement, and financial capacity over time.
• Build a leadership culture that supports staff development, retention, and a healthy organizational climate.
• Foster a culture of creativity and continuous improvement, identifying innovative approaches to fundraising, communications, partnerships, and program delivery.

• Personally cultivate and steward major donor, foundation, and corporate relationships while partnering with the Board to expand philanthropic support.
• Serve as the primary relationship holder for the organization’s most significant donors and prospective funders.
• Oversee and actively support the organization’s two flagship fundraising events: the annual Farm Event at Katchkie Farm (summer) and the Art of Cooking gala (spring), which together represent a substantial portion of annual revenue.
• Assess the current development structure and, in partnership with the board, hire and lead a Development Director who can build and sustain TSC’s fundraising infrastructure.
• Cultivate new corporate sponsors, institutional funders, and individual donors, with an eye toward diversifying the revenue base.

• Provide executive oversight of TSC’s programming across New York City and Kinderhook, ensuring…