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Contact: Gail Donovan
Donovan Communications
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BROOKLYN PSYCHIATRIC CENTERS
HONORS CHARLES F. KOEHLER AT FRIENDRAISER
BROOKLYN, NY—June 5, 2002— Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers, Inc. honored Charles F. Koehler, president and CEO of Community Capital Bank, with its Imagine Award at its annual “Friendraiser” on Wednesday, June 5, 2002, at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
“Community Capital Bank and Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers share the same goal—to improve the quality of life for all residents in our communities,” Dr. Pamela Straker, executive director and CEO of Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers. “Mr. Koehler’s leadership at Community Capital Bank and his commitment to providing loans and financial services to businesses that create jobs in low- and moderate-income communities make him a perfect candidate for our Imagine award.”
Mr. Koehler said, “I am proud to accept the Imagine award from Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers. For more than 95-years the agency has served those who are in need of quality mental health services, which is critical particularly this year in the wake of the tragedies of September 11. I share with the agency the goal of rebuilding New York’s communities so that all of our residents have the opportunity to function as productive students, entrepreneurs, parents, and family members.”
Community Capital Bank, New York’s first community development bank, has supported the growth of neighborhoods by providing banking services to individuals, nonprofit organizations, small businesses, developers of affordable housing, real estate entrepreneurs, and construction firms in all five boroughs of New York City. A New York State-chartered, FDIC insured commercial bank headquartered in Brooklyn, Community Capital Bank is the only Brooklyn-based Small Business Administration (SBA) preferred lender and received the SBA’s Bronze Award in recognition of its success.
Since joining Community Capital Bank in March 1998, Mr. Koehler has worked to increase profits while expanding the bank’s markets and technological capabilities. Mr. Koehler has more than 25 years of experience in all areas of bank management, commercial real estate lending, operations, controller’s function, and business and personnel development. Before joining Community Capital Bank, Mr. Koehler served as an executive vice president, chief lending officer, and chief operating officer with community banks in Washington D.C. and New York City. He also has taught at the City University of New York and American Institute of Banking for over 20 years.
In 2000, Mr. Koehler was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Crain’s New York Business magazine and the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) also selected him as Entrepreneur of the Year at its annual awards ceremony. In 2001, he was honored by New York City Technical College, which recognized his outstanding service as an instructor and supporter for the New York Banking Training Partnership. He also accepted the Distinguished Community Banking Award from the New York Housing Conference and National Housing Conference last December.
Mr. Koehler serves on the board of directors of Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) and is a member of the Brooklyn Public Library’s Business Library Success Council. He is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking, Rutgers University, attended Empire State College, and studied for an MBA at American University.
Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers, which was founded in 1907, provides borough-wide mental health services to Brooklyn’s most vulnerable residents through its clinics in Bushwick, Canarsie, Flastbush-Sheepshead Bay, Williamsburg-Greenpoint, and downtown Brooklyn and the borough’s public schools. It was among the agencies that provided therapeutic services to school-aged children following the September 11 disaster. Its diverse staff of more than 100 professionals makes more than 60,000 visits annually to adults, seniors, and their families. Public funding and government contracts comprise 90 percent of Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers’ income, but the remainder must be raised from the community.
More information about Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers is available by calling 718-875-5625 or at www.bpcinc.org.