Eric Hutcherson is Appointed Chair of the Covenant House International Board of Directors

Covenant House International is proud to announce the appointment of the new chair of our board of directors, Eric Hutcherson.

Eric’s first experience at Covenant House was as a volunteer with NBA Cares in 2014, which was quickly followed by his first Sleep Out at Covenant House New York in 2015. He joined the board of Covenant House New York that same year, and his leadership was instantly recognized by his peers and the youth and staff at Covenant House who benefitted from his hands-on involvement in the work.

During this time, Eric never hesitated to leverage his influence as a business leader at the NBA to speak directly and openly to other corporate partners about the value of social impact. We credit Eric for helping us advance our corporate partnerships initiative that now includes more than 100 key partners.

In 2020, Eric was appointed Chief People and Inclusion Officer at Universal Music Group, which moved his family to California. He was invited to shift his board membership from New York to the Covenant House International board of directors, and he agreed to chair the human capital committee. In this role, Eric used the same set of skills and compassion he brings to the workforce at UMG, and helped us create spaces that encourage, empower, and develop talent.

“We honored Eric with the Board Service Award at our 2023 Night of Covenant House Stars gala for his exceptional leadership in ensuring our workforce and our programs are inclusive and equitable,” said Bill Bedrossian, president and CEO of Covenant House International. “Eric has brought incredible wisdom and an unwavering spirit to this work, and it is infectious! It is why we encouraged him to accept our nomination for this role,” Bill added.

Phil Andryc, outgoing board chair, played a significant role in first nominating Eric for vice chair in 2025 and preparing Eric to succeed him in 2026. “Eric commits himself one hundred percent, and he always seeks opportunities to apply his expertise in human capital to benefit our mission,” Phil shared. “Not only has he led our efforts to grow and nurture our staff, but he also helped us put substance to that work by ensuring everyone at Covenant House feels valued, respected, and empowered.”

While serving on the board at Covenant House New York, Eric found a mentor in board chair Lou Rauchenberger, chief audit executive at JP Morgan. Lou had his eye on Eric right from the start, so it was no surprise when Lou joined Phil and Bill for lunch when they formally asked Eric to be Covenant House International’s next board chair.

“He’s just the kind of person you want to work with: collaborative, dynamic, and a natural leader. Eric facilitates an atmosphere where fellow board members feel comfortable to vigorously debate ideas and get to the best solutions,” shared Lou. “Probably his greatest gift, though, is how he interacts with our young people. As a Black executive and father, Eric has navigated many of the paths our youth aspire to. With his clear commitment to them, along with his achievements, they are naturally drawn to him, and we’re glad to call him a colleague and friend.” 

We have no doubt that Eric will be all in right from the start. He has slept out nine times and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for our mission. His wife, Sarah, has joined him at the Sleep Out since 2023 and both of his sons, Austin and Myles, have slept out and volunteered with Covenant House. One of Phil’s favorite stories to tell about Eric goes back to 2018, when he walked all the way to our Sleep Out venue in the snow, and picked up other Sleepers along the way. Now that is commitment!

From our youth to our staff to Eric’s fellow board members, we are all excited to usher him into this new role, and we are confident that the Cov community will grow stronger and more competent under his leadership.

Read Eric Hutcherson’s Executive Bio