SANTA ANA, Calif. (Feb. 3, 2020) – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire is pleased to announce its new board leadership, Navin Narang of FPH Capital Partners and W. Henry Walker of Farmers & Merchants Bank. Narang begins a two-year term as board chair, replacing outgoing chair Todd Pickup. Walker will serve alongside Narang as vice chair.
“We are honored to have Navin and Henry lead our esteemed board of directors. They bring decades of professional experience and a strong belief in one-to-one mentorship that will help propel our organization forward as we provide a pathway for underserved youth to achieve their educational dreams and succeed in living wage careers,” says Sloane Keane, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire.
Narang serves as the co-founder and co-managing partner of FPH Capital Partners, a middle market private equity firm. He is a born entrepreneur, starting his first successful company at the age of 19. Narang offers a background that encompasses 24 years of experience in entrepreneurship and private equity. He continues to enjoy a career that has included building, acquiring and operating multiple mid-market companies, developing real estate and producing movies. Under Narang’s direction, FPH continues to acquire, organically grow and build companies that become market leaders in their respective industries. He also utilizes his investment expertise to continually make strategic investments that routinely outperform projections. He has served on the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire for 15 years, including a two-year term as vice chair before stepping into the new role of board chair.
“I am driven by the principles that hard work and passion result in success, and I believe these are also values that our mentors instill in the children we serve. Mentorship is a solution for creating systemic change for our region,” Narang says. “It is my privilege to lead Big Brothers Big Sisters and our community of over 4,000 mentors as we continue to deliver a measurable impact throughout Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.”
Walker, president of Farmers & Merchants Bank (F&M), began his career on the teller line more than 30 years ago and has since become one of the organization’s most esteemed leaders, having been part of the executive team that has successfully led F&M, founded in 1907, to over $7.5 billion in assets and in the top 150 largest banks in the nation. Continuing the Walker family tradition going back over a century, he is deeply civic; in addition to his vice chairmanship of Big Brothers Big Sisters, he serves on the board of directors for Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, the long Beach YMCA and Orange County Pacific Symphony.
“Mentorship is deeply important to my family. We also feel very strongly about giving back to the communities where the bank conducts its business and where my family makes our home,” Walker says. “Big Brothers Big Sisters is the No. 1 mentoring program in America. I have been passionately involved for many years and am proud to support an organization that creates real, long-term, positive change that lasts generations.”
Narang and Walker will lead a roster of 45 members on the Big Brothers Big Sisters executive and governing boards. A complete list of board members can be found on the website at ocbigs.org/aboutus.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire
Big Brothers Big Sisters believes every child is born with potential. Yet, one-third of the nation’s youth are growing up without a mentor who can help them overcome challenges such as poverty, unstable housing, absentee parents and lack of access to educational resources. Since 1958, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire has provided youth facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships. With a mentor, youth are able to achieve milestones such as high school graduation, set postsecondary goals and strive for long-term success as they achieve their full potential. For more information visit ocbigs.org or iebigs.org.
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