CPC Brooklyn Harvest Moon Benefit Honorees

CPC is proud to announce its 2025 award recipients. We honor their commitment to advancing our community. Join us for the award presentation at CPC Brooklyn Harvest Moon Benefit on October 23rd, 2025 at the New Phoenix Seafood Restaurant in Brooklyn.

Honoree: Justin Brannan 

Council Member Justin Brannan was born and raised in Brooklyn, the son of a record salesman and early childhood educator. After attending PS 185, McKinley JHS and Xaverian High School, Brannan studied journalism at Fordham, before embarking on a career as a professional musician. His bands released several albums and toured the world – traveling to over fifty countries across five continents.

A longtime believer in the importance of making government work efficiently to create opportunities for working and middle class families, Brannan was elected in 2017 from a crowded field of ten candidates to represent southwest Brooklyn. With too many people feeling that government only works for the wealthy and well-connected, Council Member Brannan has vowed to always fight for the “little guy.”

The 47th Council District might be far from the soaring skyscrapers and posh penthouses that many associate with New York City, but Brannan knows that his district is the backbone of the City and deserves the same respect, resources and results as everyone else. As Council Member, he’s made it his mission to make life just a little bit easier for everyone who calls the 47th District their home.

Honoree: Chau Trinh-Shevrin 

Chau Trinh-Shevrin, DrPH is Professor in the Departments of Population Health and Medicine, as well as Director of the Division of Health and Behavior and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. For over 25 years, her research focuses on the rigorous development and evaluation of multi-level prevention and intervention strategies to reduce health disparities and advance health equity.

Trained as a social epidemiologist, Dr. Trinh-Shevrin has deep expertise in community-based participatory research (CBPR) and implementation research. Dr. Trinh-Shevrin is co-leader of Community Outreach and Engagement for the Perlmutter Cancer Center, an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and PI of several grants including a CDC Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network Center and CDC-funded Cancer Outreach Network in Neighborhoods for Equity and Community Translation. Dr. Trinh-Shevrin co-leads the New York City Community Engagement Alliance (NYCEAL), an NIH-funded program in collaboration with several academic health centers and a network of about 40 community-based organization partners.

She has co-authored more than 175 peer-reviewed publications, is co-editor of four textbooks, and recipient of national awards from the Office of Minority Health, CDC, AHRQ, NCI, and numerous local honors.

Honoree: Arnold Gottlieb

As Assistant Principal of Pupil Personnel Services at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, Arnold Gottlieb is a transformative leader, bridging the school with community resources and creating opportunities that empower student success. A proud alumnus himself, Mr. Gottlieb's 23-year dedication to FDR, first as a Guidance Counselor and now as Assistant Principal, is fueled by a deep commitment to giving back to the school that shaped him.

For the 3rd year, Mr. Gottlieb welcomed CPC into the FDR community, partnering to support the services to a growing number of students, from 83 in year one and 133 in year two. He has paved the way so that students can receive intensive touches through expanded activities such as STEM (Drones & Robotics), Youth Participatory Action projects, Community Building Cohorts (SEL & Life Skills), Work Readiness, Paid Internships and charting the Roadmap to post-secondary destinations. Looking ahead, Mr. Gottlieb is actively collaborating with CPC to expand programming to serve close to 500 students, including a new Saturday program, college access, financial literacy, anti-discrimination workshops, sports clinics, and family engagement. 

Mr. Gottlieb’s commitment to student well-being extends to increasing the capacity of these programs, including securing additional funding to support Students in Temporary Housing. His holistic approach has demonstrably transformed the lives of countless students, providing them with the essential tools to thrive both academically and personally. 

ABOUT CPC
The Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) is a social services organization that creates positive social change. Founded in 1965, CPC is the nation's largest Asian American social services organization and aims to promote the social and economic empowerment of Chinese American, immigrant, and low-income communities of New York City. CPC is the trusted partner to individuals and families striving to achieve goals in their education, family, community, and career. 

關於華策會
華人策劃協會（簡稱“華策會”）是一個致力於創造正向社會變革的社會服務機構。華策會成立於1965年，是美國最大的亞裔美國人社會服務機構，旨在促進紐約市華裔美國人，移民，及低收入社區的社會權益和經濟賦權。華策會是為實現其教育，家庭，社區及職業目標而努力的個人和家庭可信賴的機構。

ACERCA DE CPC
El Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) es una organización de servicios sociales que crea un cambio social positivo. Fundada en 1965, CPC es la mayor organización de servicios sociales asiático-americanos del país y su objetivo es promover la capacitación social y económica de las comunidades chino-americanas, inmigrantes y de bajos ingresos de la ciudad de Nueva York. CPC es el socio de confianza de personas y familias que se esfuerzan por alcanzar objetivos en su educación, familia, comunidad y carrera.