NYC Outward Bound Names ABC's Davis and Newmark Knight Frank's Gural to Board of Directors

    LONG ISLAND CITY, NY, May 27, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- New York City Outward Bound (www.nycoutwardbound.org) announced today that Preston A. Davis, President-Broadcast Operations and Engineering, ABC Television Network Group and Jeffrey Gural, Chairman of Newmark Knight Frank have joined its Board of Directors, bringing the total number of Directors to 28.

"These new members from the broadcast and real estate sectors of the City's economy add valuable perspective to our already strong Board. I am delighted to have access to their talent and energy as NYC Outward Bound continues to build its network of outstanding public schools in the five boroughs," said Robert Miller, NYC Outward Bound board chairman. Davis and Gural bring the total number of Directors to 28.

"When the new school year begins in September, I am pleased to report that our network will have grown to ten schools which we operate in partnership with the NYC Department of Education. By design our schools target students from communities where access to a high-quality education has been limited," Miller added.

Davis, who has headed ABC Television's Broadcast Operations and Engineering Group since 1993, is currently overseeing the network's multi-year transition from analog to digital technology, including the recent launch of its high definition television broadcast. He began his career at ABC in 1976 as an engineer in Washington, D.C. and advanced through a variety of positions in Washington, Atlanta and New York until 1988, when he was named vice present, Television Operations-East Coast. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Davis sits on the boards of the Foundation of Minority Interests in Media, Inc. and Junior Achievement of New York, is a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Museum of Television and Radio, and the President's Council of Cooper Union College of Science & Art.

In his current post, Gural is responsible for all acquisitions and the managing and leasing of the 8 million square feet of property in which his firm's partners have ownership as well as the company's non-institutional portfolio. Prior to joining Newmark Knight Frank in 1972, he was with Morse-Diesel Construction Company.

Gural is a member of the Board of Directors of The Real Estate Board of New York; President of the New York Chapter of The Starlight Children's Foundation; Chairman of "I Have a Dream Foundation - NY" and Co-Sponsor of the Chelsea-Elliot "I Have a Dream" Project; former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Times Square Business Improvement District; member of the Board of Directors of Cooper Union, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York; member of the Board for Eugene Lang College; Vice President of The Broadway Association; member of the Board of Directors of the Eldridge Street Synagogue; member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Community Center of the Upper Westside; member of the Board of the Settlement Housing Fund. He is also member of the Board of Directors of the UJA-Federation, where both he and his father, Aaron Gural, were honored at the organization's 1995 Annual Luncheon.

About New York City Outward Bound: Now in its third decade in the City, New York City Outward Bound is an independent non-profit organization that brings the educational philosophy and expertise of Outward Bound to New York City's public schools. Since 1987, NYC Outward Bound has conducted in-school and after-school programs for students in literacy, leadership and character development for more than 50,000 students at over 250 schools, and has trained faculty, administration, parents and staff in classroom management, literacy instruction, curriculum planning and diversity, and organizational development.

In 2004, while continuing to provide these programs, the organization undertook its most ambitious venture-- to build and operate a network of small schools, in partnership with the City's Department of Education, incorporating the Expeditionary Learning curriculum inspired by Outward Bound founder, Kurt Hahn. The purpose of these schools is to provide demanding academics, real-world learning, 21st-century skill-building, character development and the support of a caring peer and adult community to foster high levels of student achievement.

With initial help from grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, New York City Outward Bound's schools are: Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies, Bronx Expeditionary Learning High School, Expeditionary Learning School for Community Leaders, The James Baldwin Academy, Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School, Marsh Avenue Expeditionary Learning School, McCown Expeditionary Learning School, The Validus Preparatory Academy and Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School. In September the organization will open its 10th school--Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School--in Queens, making it the first NYC Department of Education partner to have opened schools in all five boroughs. There are currently over 160 Expeditionary Learning schools in the country. For further information, visit our website, www.nycoutwardbound.org.

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