Jackie Robinson Foundation, One Hudson Square, 2nd Floor, 75 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013, July 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (NEW YORK – July13, 2023) — The Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF) announced today that Stephen Wong, Goldman Sachs’ chairman of Hong Kong investment banking and co-head of the Real Estate Group in Asia Ex-Japan, has been elected to the Foundation’s board of directors. The 30-member board oversees the Foundation, which was established in 1973 by Rachel Robinson. For 50 years, JRF has administered one of the nation's premier college scholarship programs for minority students, disbursing over $117 million. Expanding its mission to educate and inspire others around Robinson’s heroic life and legacy, the Foundation opened the much-touted Jackie Robinson Museum in July of 2022.
As finance industry veteran Stephen Wong covers some of Goldman Sachs’ most important corporate, financial sponsor, and Sovereign clients in Asia and globally, his extraordinary career and leadership have been defined also by a staunch commitment to a diverse workforce and mentorship, himself a mentor to countless professionals – traits that fit well with the mission of the Foundation.
In 2020, Wong was awarded Goldman Sachs’ prestigious John L. Weinberg Award, which recognizes an individual’s unwavering commitment to clients, leadership, high ethical and professional standards, teamwork and mentorship throughout the individual’s career at Goldman Sachs. Wong was the first ever recipient of the Award from the Asia Pacific region.
As a life-long collector and foremost authority on baseball history and artifacts, Wong brings additional, tailormade expertise to the JRF board. He has been an adviser to The Jackie Robinson Museum (JRM) project and his latest of three books on baseball, Game Worn: Baseball Treasures from the Game’s Greatest Heroes and Moments (Smithsonian Books, 2016), was nominated for the Casey Award and features some of the rare artifacts he has loaned to JRM. He has advised on and helped to organize a number of important, baseball-themed exhibitions across the country and is an honorary advisor and major lender to the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum Exhibition Baseball: Americas Home Run (2022–2025).
Stephen Wong is a graduate of Stanford Law School and a member of the Board of Trustees of Hobart and William Smith Colleges where he earned a BA in economics. For more on Mr. Wong’s background, visit: https://jackierobinson.org/people/stephen-wong/.
Stephen Wong stated, "I am extremely proud to be a part of the Jackie Robinson Foundation's essential work in advancing education and equal opportunity and honored to pay homage to a true icon - one of my personal lifelong heroes - by helping to sustain a fixed tribute to him and Rachel with the Jackie Robinson Museum.”
“Attracting such an accomplished and dynamic industry leader to the Foundation board bolsters our efforts,” said JRF Chairman Gregg Gonsalves. “Stephen brings a wealth of talent and real commitment, and I look forward to working with him.”
"We are beyond thrilled to welcome Stephen Wong to JRF’s board," said Della Britton, President and CEO of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. "His expertise, interests, and advocacy for education and mentorship align perfectly with our mission. He has already been among our most generous supporters for which we are truly grateful.”
About the Jackie Robinson Foundation
Established in 1973 by Rachel Robinson to perpetuate her husband’s legacy, The Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF), a public nonprofit organization, administers a college scholarship program that provides generous four-year scholarships and comprehensive support, including career guidance, job placement, practical life skills, and opportunities for international travel to talented college students to encourage self-actualization and service-driven leadership. The Foundation’s digital platform, JRF IMPACT, shares its celebrated “42 Strategies for Success in College” curriculum with thousands of minority collegians beyond the cohort of JRF scholarship recipients. The opening in 2022 of The Jackie Robinson Museum in New York City, expanded JRF’s mission to preserve the Robinson legacy by educating and inspiring the general public around Robinson’s historic contributions and the values that define him.
The Jackie Robinson Foundation Online:
www.jackierobinson.org
www.jackierobinsonmuseum.org
Facebook.com/JRF42
Youtube.com/JRobinsonFdtn
Linkedin.com
Twitter & Instagram: @JRFoundation
