SAINT LOUIS, MO. December 19, 2017— Boys Hope Girls Hope (BHGH) has named Bill Fronczak as the new Vice President of Development for its International Office. He will begin his new role in January 2018.
Fronczak joins as BHGH celebrates its 40th Anniversary of helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve high school and college graduation. BHGH provides nurturing environments, character and skills development, and high academic expectations and support through residential and after-school programs for over 1,000 youth in 14 US and 2 Latin American cities. BHGH strives to develop responsible, compassionate men and women by removing generational barriers to future family success. The organization was founded by Fr. Paul Sheridan in 1977 in St. Louis.
“We’re excited to have an experienced and mission-focused leader like Bill on our team,” says Kristin Ostby de Barillas, BHGH President and CEO. “With Bill in this new role, we will grow our reach to support more young people who would otherwise not have the opportunity to pursue their education and dreams. The scholars of BHGH become the leaders our world needs now more than ever. They are persistent, creative, team-oriented and committed to building their communities.”
Fronczak has a wide range of experience in non-profit leadership, resource development and marketing, including a 23-year tenure at Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club where he served as the Vice President for Institutional Advancement, overseeing the fundraising and events to support the organization’s $2.5M budget. There, he helped to create, build and manage the Mathews-Dickey brand and an impressive list of prominent programs and events, including The Sky is the Limit and Maleness to Manhood that have awarded close to $600,000 in college scholarships and paired more than 6,000 youth with mentors.
One of Fronczak’s passions is character-education programming for teens. This led him to create a highly recognized It’s Better to Educate than to Incarcerate Youth Ambassadors for Education advocacy initiative and partner with Teen CEO Jaylen Bledsoe to establish a Young Entrepreneurship University for teens. Fronczak authored the Healthy Babies, Children & Families infant mortality program at Mathews-Dickey and expanded it into a multi-agency effort between the Teen Pregnancy & Prevention Partnership (TPPP), Grand Center Arts Academy, Girls, Inc., Saint Louis University School of Public Health and Washington University in St. Louis. Most recently, he is a co-founder of the Green St. Louis Machine, an aeroponic gardening program inspired by National Teacher’s Prize Finalist Stephen Ritz’s Green Bronx Machine, which operates in four St. Louis schools.
“The young people of our community, country, and world are depending on us, and I’m proud to join this One Team, One Mission focused on giving them the bright future they so richly deserve,” says Fronczak. “My experience, personal story, and purpose have all led me to Boys Hope Girls Hope, and I’m looking forward to working with the national and international philanthropic communities to cultivate relationships between people—the investors who care deeply about the problems we address, the many alumni who also want to give back, and those of us who are daily carrying out the mission. By matching passions and resources with others who are making change it enriches everyone and gives all of our lives more meaning.”
As the Vice President of Development, Fronczak’s role will include leadership of the organization’s resource development and advancement activities to raise the $3.5M needed annually to support direction of the 16-affiliate network, program monitoring & evaluation, training, data & research, brand management, college/university/community partnerships and collegian scholarship assistance.
Fronczak graduated magna cum laude from Saint Louis University as a communications major and English minor. He also is a graduate of the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative leadership program through the St. Louis Regional Chamber and a board member of the International Live Events Association (ILEA) St. Louis Chapter. He has been highly awarded as a St. Louis American Young Leader, St. Louis Science Center Shining Star, Missouri Professional Communicators Quest, two-time ILEA President’s and six-time Louie award winner. A native of the area, he’s remained in St. Louis with his wife, River, intent on continuing to make a positive impact within the community.
For more information regarding this press release, please contact Julie Linder, Communications Coordinator, by calling (573) 268-0639 or emailing jlinder@bhgh.org.