Today we’d like to introduce you to Martine Singer
Hi Martine, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I began my career in investment banking and got my MBA from the Yale School of Management. I then worked at The New York Times where I created and served as publisher of its first foreign edition in Russia. After moving to Los Angeles, I joined the Los Angeles Times as Director of Business Development, launching its first online service, the precursor to latimes.com. I was grateful for these opportunities, yet I found my work unfulfilling. So, I took a chance, dropped out of the business world and went to volunteer at Hollygrove, a residential treatment center for foster children.
There I found my passion, working with traumatized children from marginalized communities. Besides helping in the cottages and the school, I got to know the Executive Director and was able to contribute my business skills and advise on strategy. I became the Chief Operating Officer and, after a merger, the Executive Director of the L.A. region for what’s now Pacific Clinics.
In 2012, I became President & CEO of another Los Angeles-based nonprofit called Para Los Niños, overseeing its mental health, child welfare and youth workforce development programs, preschools and charter schools serving more than 1,000 students.
In 2016 I moved to Children’s Institute, one of the largest and most prominent social sector organizations, with revenues today of $102 million and a workforce of 1,000. Under my leadership, revenues have grown 60% and we’ve expanded to 37 locations in distressed communities like Watts, Compton and Wilmington and serving 30,000 children and families annually.
My work allows me to champion the rights of children and families in communities with high rates of poverty and violence and to amplify the needs of people exposed to adverse childhood experiences, which can have devastating and long-term impact on brain development, executive functioning, behavioral health and even physical health. Children’s Institute’s local, state and federal advocacy efforts address home visiting and school readiness, comprehensive mental health and family support systems in schools, and nonprofit sustainability.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
COVID-19 hit hardest in the low-income communities of color served by Children’s Institute, exacerbating health inequities and impacting housing, nutrition, emotional wellbeing, employment and public safety. And the effects still linger.
These families experienced disproportionate rates of death and serious illness during the pandemic; the effects on mental health are well-documented. Even today, chronic absenteeism continues to be a problem for kids of all ages in Los Angeles and nationwide.
Leading a thriving nonprofit organization through these challenges takes resilience, innovation and dedication.
We’ve been impressed with Children’s Institute, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Children’s Institute was founded in 1906 and continues to make a positive impact in the lives of children, families and communities throughout Los Angeles. We believe that everyone can achieve emotional well-being and educational success, which build lasting pathways to economic mobility and lifelong health.
Children’s Institute works with the whole family to achieve milestones at each life stage to mitigate the effects of trauma and toxic stress. We offer education, counseling, parenting support and other resources at early childhood education centers, K-12 schools and in the community. We promote investments in children, families and communities, to advance equitable public policies and to amplify the community voice.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I grew up in New York City with my mother and two older sisters and I think the best memories are being in Central Park with them during and after a big snowstorm, sledding and even cross-country skiing!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.childrensinstitute.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childrensinstituteLA/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildrensInstituteLA/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChildrensInstLA
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUjrhNXz47SdvBIY8cMesHQ
Image Credits
Sal Paniagua, Christina Belle
