The PEP, a 24-member voting body overseeing New York City Public Schools, is comprised of community leaders across the city, including 13 mayoral appointees and five members appointed by each of the borough presidents.
The panel, which also includes five members appointed by the five Community Education Council presidents and the Schools Chancellor as a non-voting representative, reviews and votes on the Chancellor’s proposed educational regulations and provides financial oversight for the city’s public school system.
Richards named Constantinides as his appointment to the PEP on Monday, stating that there has been “no greater advocate” for children in Queens.
Constantinides, who served on the New York City Council before becoming Variety CEO in 2021, succeeds Richards’ prior appointment Shirley Aubin and will serve a one-year term on the PEP.
“As he joins the PEP at such a critical time for our city’s education system, I look forward to Costa’s steadfast dedication in fighting for stronger schools across The World’s Borough,” Richards said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful not only for Costa’s clear-eyed leadership, but his years of friendship as well.”
Constantinides said he was honored to join the panel, stating that the foundation of the city’s future lies in the education of its youth.
“As a student of New York City public schools myself and the son of a former head of the District 30 PTA’s President Council in the 1980s, I share the Borough President’s strong commitment to a good education for every student,” Constantinides said in a statement. “I am excited to get to work alongside so many other great leaders on this panel as part of the PEP.”
As CEO of Variety Boys and Girls Club in Astoria, Constantinides oversees one of the largest youth-focused community centers in New York City, welcoming around 5,000 students a year. He is also leading the transformation of Variety’s clubhouse, a $305 million redevelopment that will transform the existing clubhouse into a center that can cater to up to 16,000 children a year.
The redevelopment will also make Variety the largest Boys and Girls Club in the U.S., as well as allowing the organization to effectively quadruple the reach of its after-school, athletic and swimming programs in Queens.
The project also includes a 236-unit, carbon-neutral affordable housing development, with 69 units reserved for youth aging out of foster care, as well as a dedicated children’s mental health center.