Brooklyn Org Expands Leadership to Drive Next Phase of Growth and Impact

Michael Sedillo joins as organization’s first Chief Impact and Growth Officer; civic leaders Crystal Bobb-Semple and Amanda Nichols appointed to Board of Directors

Brooklyn Org today announced an expansion of its leadership, appointing Michael Sedillo as its first Chief Impact and Growth Officer and welcoming Brooklyn civic leaders Crystal Bobb-Semple and Amanda Nichols to its Board of Directors.

The appointments come as Brooklyn Org continues to grow its role as a hub for local philanthropy, bringing together donors, nonprofits, businesses, government, and community leaders to mobilize greater resources and investment for Brooklyn. Founded in 2009 as Brooklyn Community Foundation, the organization has moved more than $150 million to nonprofits through its community-powered grantmaking and Donor Advised Funds.

“Brooklyn Org is at an exciting moment of growth—not simply in the size of our organization, but in our ambitions for what we can accomplish for Brooklyn,” said Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, President and CEO of Brooklyn Org. “Michael, Crystal, and Amanda each bring tremendous expertise, relationships, and a deep belief in the power of strong institutions and communities. Together, they will help us build new partnerships, bring more resources to our borough, and strengthen Brooklyn Org as a platform for people who want to make a meaningful difference in Brooklyn.”

Michael Sedillo Named First Chief Impact and Growth Officer

Sedillo joins Brooklyn Org after more than a decade in public service, including nearly ten years in senior roles in the New York City Mayor’s Office under three Mayors and six Deputy Mayors. Throughout his career, he has led complex, cross-sector initiatives focused on strengthening institutions, improving government performance, expanding economic opportunity, and building stronger partnerships with New York City’s nonprofit sector.

As Brooklyn Org’s first Chief Impact and Growth Officer, Sedillo will work alongside Rainey and the organization’s senior leadership team to shape and execute its long-term strategy, oversee its Programs Department, expand philanthropic partnerships, and develop new initiatives and funding models that bring greater investment to Brooklyn. The new executive role unites strategy, programmatic impact, innovation, asset development, and ecosystem leadership, reflecting Brooklyn Org’s ambition to become an increasingly effective hub and partner for philanthropy and collaborative investment across the borough.

Most recently, Sedillo served as Executive Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Nonprofit Services, where he led efforts to strengthen the City’s partnership with nonprofit organizations delivering nearly $20 billion in human services to New Yorkers each year. His work included launching the first-ever Excellence in Human Service Delivery Awards and NYC Nonprofit Week, creating ContractStat and the City’s first Provider Sentiment Survey, and helping secure the highest advance payment rate in the City’s history. He also helped advance reforms to the City’s discretionary contracting system and created Executive Order 47, which established Chief Nonprofit Officers across City agencies.

Previously, as Senior Advisor to the First Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives, Sedillo led major cross-government initiatives, including Clear the Backlog, bringing together partners across government to unlock more than $6 billion in delayed nonprofit payments. He also served as the lead City Hall strategist behind **Community Hiring**, a landmark workforce-equity law, and spearheaded **Jobs NYC**, which organized 25 hiring halls in high-need neighborhoods and connected thousands of historically underrepresented New Yorkers with jobs and training.

“Throughout my career in public service, I’ve seen what is possible when government, nonprofits, philanthropy, and communities come together around a shared purpose and an audacious goal, and I have been guided by a simple North Star: to use the power of civic institutions to make people feel less alone,” said Michael Sedillo, Chief Impact and Growth Officer of Brooklyn Org. “I’m excited to bring that experience to Brooklyn Org and join a dynamic team working to mobilize people, partnerships, and resources across our great borough. I look forward to being in community with our partners who are helping to ensure that all Brooklynites feel seen, supported, and less alone.”

Sedillo holds a Master of Public Administration in Urban and Social Policy from Columbia University and a B.S. in Political Communication from the University of Texas at Austin. He has called Brooklyn home since 2013 and lives in the borough with his wife, Dayna, and their two children.

Brooklyn Org Welcomes Crystal Bobb-Semple and Amanda Nichols to Board of Directors

Brooklyn Org also announced the appointment of Crystal Bobb-Semple and Amanda Nichols to its Board of Directors, adding two leaders with longstanding commitments to Brooklyn’s families, institutions, and communities.

Crystal Bobb-Semple is the Founder and CEO of Mythik Camps, the company behind the literacy-themed summer camps Camp Half-Blood, Jupiter, and Daring Girls. Founded in New York City in 2010, Mythik Camps has grown into one of the region’s leading summer enrichment programs and now offers day camp and sleepaway camp programs along the East Coast and in California. Built on a research-based literacy model, Mythik Camps draws on mythologies from around the world to help campers build literacy skills, critical thinking, and self-confidence, all within a community where they feel a genuine sense of belonging. Beyond Mythik Camps, Bobb-Semple is deeply invested in her community. She is the founder of the Brooklyn Brownstone School and the Stuyvesant Heights Parents Association, and a trustee of Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn. She also spent over a decade on the Brooklyn Navy Yard Board and is the former owner and operator of Brownstone Books, a beloved independent bookstore.

Amanda Nichols is an attorney, nonprofit leader, and community advocate with extensive experience working at the intersection of government, land use, and neighborhood development. She previously served as Senior Counsel in the Appeals Division of the New York City Law Department, where she developed deep experience with City agencies and regulatory processes. Amanda most recently served as President of the Cobble Hill Association and continues her civic work as a governor appointee to the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Development Corporation and a member of Brooklyn Community Board 6. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and as a Board Member of the Red Hook Initiative.

“Brooklyn Org’s strength has always come from bringing together people who believe deeply in this borough and understand that its future depends on investing in its people and communities,” said Brooklyn Org Board Co-Chairs Michael Gillespie and Tim Simons. “Crystal and Amanda embody that commitment, and each brings a tremendous record of civic leadership and service to Brooklyn. Alongside Michael’s addition to the executive team, their appointments significantly strengthen the leadership around Brooklyn Org as we expand our reach, deepen our impact, and inspire a new generation of Brooklynites to invest in the future of our borough.”

Together, the appointments reflect Brooklyn Org’s continued evolution from a traditional community foundation into a broader platform for Brooklyn philanthropy, partnership, and civic engagement. The organization funds more than 100 nonprofits annually, partners with donors to direct resources strategically into communities, and collaborates with businesses, government, foundations, and other institutions to advance a stronger Brooklyn.