Richard Robbins is the founder and CEO of Upper West Strategies (UWS), which is focused on driving economic opportunity at the intersection of government/education, private industry, the tech sector and mission-driven organizations.UWS developed and manages the LifeSci NYC Internship program for NYCEDC. UWS has conducted a number of high-level strategy and program development/execution efforts including for the National Society of Black Engineers, New York City’s Department of Education, New York City’s Economic Development Corporation, and other leading mission-driven, governmental, and corporate clients. Robbins worked for nearly 10 years at AT&T in a range of positions including Director, Social Innovation, where he played an instrumental role in developing the company’s overall social media strategy. He initiated and led AT&T’s groundbreaking partnership with Rock the Vote that engaged 250,000 young Americans via text messaging, and created AT&T's pledge not to text and drive that has been signed by over 40 million people. Prior to getting his MBA at Columbia Business School, he ran the American Express Gold Card Events program at Festival Marketing, where he implemented strategies to dramatically grow the program’s impact, including through pioneering use of online media. He has deep connections with senior leaders in government, corporations, start-ups, nonprofits and advocacy organizations and especially in the tech startup community in NYC, and has a long history of developing innovative strategies for leveraging technology to reach target audiences. He lives on the Upper West Side with his wife and two daughters.Specialties: Extensive experience in public affairs, social media, consumer marketing, sponsorship and mobile marketing. Thrive working in complex organizations with internal and external partners. Strong strategic, analytic and creative skills.Note: I only connect with people I've met, as that way people know that I know people with whom I'm connected.