Ginny Bush Development Associate

Ginny supports the Development team’s fundraising efforts by conducting prospect research, managing the processing of gifts, and contributing to development communications and events. Before transitioning into this role, she was the Development Intern. Ginny recently graduated with her M.A. in Ethics & Society from Fordham University, where she previously earned her B.A. in Philosophy and Humanitarian Studies. Ginny has previously worked with several nonprofit organizations, with a focus on education and women’s rights. Outside the office, she enjoys spending time outside, reading, and traveling whenever possible.

Ashley Edmonds Recruitment Specialist & Instructional Coach

As Recruitment Specialist and Instructional Coach, Ashley works to build, nurture, and support relationships with our partners and learners in the greater Birmingham, Alabama area. She began her career as a second grade educator for at- risk students in Birmingham. She then taught 6-12th-grade reading before becoming a Reading Specialist. Ashley is passionate about student literacy, growth, and holistic student development, as well as giving students opportunities to see futures for themselves. Ashley has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, a Master’s Degree in Reading and Literacy, and certification in Instructional Leadership. In her spare time, she enjoys painting and creative projects, learning, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.

Phil Firsenbaum Recruitment Specialist & Instructional Coach

As an Instructional Coach, Phil helps educators implement Read to Lead programming at partner sites and schools. He is a former district-based educational technology facilitator and staff member of the NYC Board of Education’s Technical Assistance Center. Upon his retirement, he worked as a consultant in a District One database project and at Teaching Matters. He taught educational technology courses at Iona College and Bank Street College of Education as well as for the New York City DOE After School Professional Development Program. He holds a Master’s degree in Computing in Education from Teachers College. Prior to his retirement, he was a middle school computer lab teacher where he taught programming for 11 years in the NYC school system.

Ivan Garcia Recruitment Specialist & Instructional Coach

As Recruitment Specialist and Instructional Coach, Ivan works closely with the Managing Director of Programs and Partnerships to build new strategic partnerships and to expand Read to Lead's program usage in the out-of-school time space. Ivan has taught in a variety of education sectors, which has provided him with an understanding of education policy, curriculum development, and cost-effective programming. Ivan graduated with a double major in English Literature and Secondary Education from New Jersey City University. In his spare time, he likes to attend kickboxing classes, practice guitar, and spend time with his wife and son.

Nicole Guagliardi Research Manager

Nicole started working with Read to Lead as a summer intern before joining full-time. She works in the Research department analyzing the effectiveness of Read to Lead's programs and gathering youth and educator feedback to share with partners and funders. She also digs into our usage and partner data to summarize and share insights with other departments to inform strategy. Nicole earned a B.S. in Actuarial Science from CUNY’s Baruch College. In her free time, she enjoys adrenaline rushes, concerts, and video games.

Brian Hawkins Recruitment Specialist & Instructional Coach

Brian Hawkins is one of Read to Lead's newest coaches, but he brings a wealth of knowledge as an educator to the program. He has 10 years of experience as English teacher, and also has a degree as a registered nurse. Though he opted to have a career in nursing, he still wanted to work in education and literacy. After finishing a degree in administration from Columbia University, he applied for a consulting role with Read to Lead, helping educators use Read to Lead in their classrooms and out-of-school time programs. Because Mr. Hawkins has taken a non-traditional career path, he appreciates that Read to Lead offers a customizable approach for teachers based on what they and their students need most.

Juliana Hess Director of Research and Learning Design

As the Director of Research & Learning Design, Juliana Hess brings a unique background that combines strategic planning, research, design thinking, and relationship management. Her work at Read to Lead focuses on using applied research methods to amplify the impact of Read to Lead and inform the design of new product creation. She is passionate about learning sciences research, and over the course of her career, she’s led large-scale education projects in New York City and internationally. She holds an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University and a BA with honors from the University of Kansas. In her spare time, she loves going to museums and spending time with her mini goldendoodle, Aris!

Madison Kinnard Product Development Associate

As Product Development Associate, Madison applies her knowledge of instructional and visual design to the development and refinement of Read to Lead's learning games and supplemental materials. In addition to authoring, inputting, and maintaining game content, Madison is responsible for all editorial and curricular support, working closely with the Director of Content and Curriculum to create enriching learning experiences. A lifelong learner, Madison holds a BA in Psychology & Special Education from Marist College, an MA in Digital Media Design for Learning from NYU, and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Pre-Medical Sciences from Hunter College. She lives in NYC with her husband and two cats, Paisley and Sriracha.

Emily Otalora Program Marketing Manager

Emily supports the organization’s marketing and programmatic efforts to expand Read to Lead's reach and impact to classrooms across the country. Before joining Read to Lead, she worked as a production assistant at Meltzer Media Productions and interned at Liberty Studios, NYC’s longest-running multimedia production house. She graduated with a BFA in Film and Animation from Pratt Institute. Emily loves to travel, and by age 21 she reached the ambitious goal of visiting all seven continents.

Nicholas Overton Director of Software Engineering

Nick manages many of Read to Lead's technology projects, including maintaining and creating features for our digital platform that delivers our learning games across desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones. Nick likes to keep up with gaming, both digital and physical, particularly four-man cooperative titles and those that exemplify innovative gameplay design.

Pam Pritzker Recruitment Specialist & Instructional Coach

As a Recruitment Specialist and Instructional Coach, Pam works to develop and retain partnerships in New York City. She draws on her 9 years of experience as a special education teacher and administrator.

Pam is passionate about inclusive learning and sustainable program implementation. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Lesley University and a Masters of Science in Teaching from Pace University in Adolescent Special Education. She also has a leadership certificate from the City College of New York. Her background and expertise in the field of education and the arts contributes to her ability to develop hands-on learning experiences in the classroom to promote engagement and literacy development.

Pam lives in Beacon, NY with her husband and fur babies, Professor the cat and Milo the dog. In her spare time she volunteers for Big Brothers, Big Sisters, takes Milo on adventures and makes art.

Maggie Ritter Educator Success Manager

As the Educator Success Manager, Maggie works to engage, support, retain and grow Read to Lead’s community of educators across the country. She draws on ten years of experience as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, curriculum developer and school administrator to codify the organization’s educator support systems. Maggie is passionate about empowering educators to address education equity with evidence-based instructional practices and culturally relevant curriculum. Maggie received her B.A. in Latin American History from Tulane University and her M.S. in Childhood and Special Education from Touro College. Maggie lives in New Jersey with her husband and dachshund, Marvine Gaye.

Mary Ross Visiting Senior Fellow

As Visiting Senior Fellow, Mary Ross plays a crucial role in Read to Lead's fundraising efforts and has previously held numerous public policy and foundation executive positions. She raised $26 million in new funds for the national expansion of Gilder Lehrman Institute’s document-based programs. As Vice President and Director of Programs for the International Foundation for Research in Experimental Economics (IFREE) and the University of Arizona’s Economic Science Lab, Mary created IFREE’s programs with 2002 Nobel Laureate Vernon L. Smith. Previously, she was a Claremont Institute of American Statesmanship Research Fellow, executive consultant to the National Center for Policy Analysis, and Director of the Federal Mandates Project for the Goldwater Institute. From 1983-94, Mary was Executive Director of the Achelis and Bodman Foundations. She is a Trustee of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and serves on the Barker Welfare Foundation Grants Committee.

Peter Scaglione Finance Manager

Peter manages the daily finances of the organization, including maintenance of the books and records, cash management, and payroll. He also works with the Director of Finance on budgeting and the year-end audit. He joined Read to Lead following his studies at Baruch College, where he earned a B.B.A. in Accounting. In his spare time, Peter enjoys sports, reading, and watching movies.

Alison Tepper Director of Content and Curriculum

Ali helms Read to Lead’s curriculum design, helps iterate and expand the product, and develops partnerships with districts and community-based organizations through high-quality training and support. Ali has more than a decade of experience in education as a classroom teacher for Achievement First charter network, an educator mentor for Teach for America, a curriculum writer for Amplify, as well as a Fulbright teaching scholar in Cyprus. At Advancement Courses, she managed the creation and distribution of accredited professional development courses for K-12 educators with a special focus on literacy instruction and social/emotional learning. She is a New York University graduate and earned a Masters in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida. She lives in Austin with her husband, their two children, and rescue pup. You can find her at SXSW EDU!

Lewis W. Bernard Chairman, Read to Lead; Chair, American Museum of Natural History

Lewis W. Bernard is the Founder and Chairman of Read to Lead, which began as a demonstration project in two New York City high schools. Since its inception in 1992, it has served more than 750,000 students around the country.

Mr. Bernard is the Chairman of the American Museum of Natural History and a trustee of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation. He has served on a number of not-for-profit boards including the Commonwealth Fund, the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, the John and Mary R. Markle Foundation (Chairman), the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Harvard Management Company.

In 1994, Mr. Bernard retired from the Board of the Morgan Stanley Group where for almost thirty years he held a number of executive positions.

Nicole Campbell Founder, Ownership is the Future

Nicole Campbell is the founder of Ownership is the Future, a new nonprofit focused on simultaneously addressing the achievement gap and wealth gap. Nicole has served as Managing Director of XQ, Director of State Policy for The Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation, and Vice President for the Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation. Nicole has also served as a strategy consultant to nonprofit CEOs and national philanthropic and nonprofit organizations, including the Kellogg Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, Read to Lead, and charter management organizations. From 2009-2019, she also served as a White House Fellow. Nicole earned her B.A. in Political Science from Amherst College in 2000 and her MPP in Political and Economic Development from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in 2005.

Beverly F. Chase Secretary, Read to Lead; Senior Counsel, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Ms. Chase is a senior counsel member at Davis Polk & Wardwell, LLP where she advises businesses, boards of directors and individuals on executive compensation and advises individual clients on personal trust, estate and charitable planning matters. Her pro-bono activities have involved a variety of charitable organizations, including organizations providing services to the arts and the indigent.

Ms. Chase joined Davis Polk in 1976 and became a partner in 1985. She graduated, magna cum laude, from Radcliffe College in 1970 and in 1974 received her J.D., cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law, where she was articles editor of the Law Review. She clerked for the Honorable Kevin Thomas Duffy, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, from 1974 to 1976.

Ms. Chase is a member of the American Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association, where she has served on the executive committee of Tax Section and, from 1990 to 1991, as co-chair of the Committee on Estates and Trusts of the Tax Section. She also is a member of the New York City Bar Association, where she was a member of the Committee on Trusts, Estates and Surrogate’s Courts from 1987 to 1990 and from 1999 to 2001. She is also a member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Professional Advising Council, the New York Public Library Planned Giving Advisory Board and the New York Presbyterian Hospital Planned Giving Advisory Council.

Ms.Chase is a Trustee of the Altman Foundation and served as a Trustee of the Wennergren Foundation, a foundation that supports scholarship in anthropology, from 1992 to 2006 and as a Trustee of The Town School from 1988 to 1999.

She is married to Dr. Herbert S. Chase, Jr. and is the mother of two grown sons, Benjamin and Dylan.

Christina Chiu Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Empire State Realty Trust

Christina Chiu is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Empire State Realty Trust. She leads the company’s finance function and is responsible for financial reporting, capital markets, financial planning and analysis, treasury, investor relations, and information technology. Previously, Christina served as Chief Operating Officer of the Global Listed Real Assets business at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, where she was responsible for business development and capital raising efforts, investor relationships, overseeing the day-to-day business and execution of strategic initiatives, and investing in public real estate securities. She began her career as a real estate investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley where she worked on both principal investing and strategic advisory transactions. Christina earned a B.S. in Finance and Accounting summa cum laude from New York University Stern School of Business.

Jon Friedland Seven Turns, LLC

Jon Friedland manages the private investment firm Seven Turns, LLC. He previously spent 19 years in the hedge fund industry, at Amici Capital where he was a Portfolio Manager, Director of International Research and served on the firm’s Investment Committee; and at Zweig-Dimenna Associates where he was responsible for investments in the media, consumer, telecommunications and technology industries. Prior to this, Jon worked for 5 years in foreign aid at The Synergos Institute in New York City and the University Foundation of Thailand in Bangkok. Jon received a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Vassar College and a master’s degree with Beta Gamma Sigma honors from Columbia Business School. Jon has an intense personal interest in environmental protection and in educational reform and innovation. He serves on the Global Leadership Council of the Natural Resources Defense Council and on the board of Read to Lead. Jon is from Cleveland, Ohio and lives in New York City with his wife and four children.

Shannon Kete Chief Operating Officer, Civic Builders

Shannon leads scaling and execution strategies for high growth, highly ambitious education enterprises. She currently serves as Chief Operating Officer at Civic Builders, which provides real estate development and financial services for charter schools. Previously, Shannon served as COO of the curriculum business at Amplify, a leader in personalized curriculum and assessment products; Success Academies, one of the highest performing and highest growth charter networks in the country, and PLTW, a national leader in project-based STEM curriculum and robotics programming working in over 10,000 schools nationwide. She began her career as an M&A analyst at Goldman Sachs, and later served as the Chief of Staff for the US PWM business. She also worked in investment banking at Morgan Stanley. Most recently, she served as Chief Delivery Officer for CLS Bank, a designated financial market utility. Shannon holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and was a Morehead-Cain Scholar at UNC Chapel-Hill. She serves on the boards of Zeta Charter Schools, the Literacy Design Collaborative, and is a member of the Carolina Arts Leadership Council at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Lisa Kennedy Founder & CEO of KBS, Inc.

Lisa is an experienced executive and entrepreneur with 30 years of experience focused on eCommerce and digital/social media. She is passionate about businesses that seize the opportunities created by new technologies. Lisa has experience in building and working with extraordinary organizations and teams that outperform their market. She enjoys creating operational, market, product, and cultural excellence while scaling organizations during hyper-growth.

Lisa’s professional experience includes Vice President and General Manager of Samsung’s $1B US eCommerce business and President of Ideel, a Groupon company. Lisa also served as Executive Vice President and General Manager for Quidsi, the parent company to Diapers.com and Soap.com, where she led marketing, demand generation, category management, and product. She co-founded an India-based eCommerce company, Hopscotch, in 2012 and was a part of the startup team at Nanit, which recently ranked Number 19 on Deloitte’s 2020 Technology Fast 500 list.

Lisa holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and International Relations from Boston University and a Master of Business Administration Degree from Harvard Business School.

Michael McCormick Partner, Gilder, Gagnon, Howe & Co., LLC

Michael McCormick has spent over 25 years in the finance industry as a partner and portfolio manager at Gilder, Gagnon, Howe & Co, LLC. He has successfully built an investment strategy and organization focused on finding unique, growth-oriented companies with management skills to navigate dynamic industries. In 2000, he and his wife, Genine, started the McCormick Family Foundation to support programs that create a positive impact on children’s lives. Over the years this foundation has grown and assisted various programs that are collectively helping to achieve this goal. Michael holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Marist College and an MBA in Finance from Pace University.

Mita Patnaik Vice President of Customer Success, Oracle NetSuite, Inc.

Mita is an experienced technology executive with 20+ years of experience in Professional Services, SAAS, E-commerce, and Digital Transformation across a wide range of industries. As the Vice President of Customer Success for Oracle-Netsuite, she is accountable for revenue growth and customer satisfaction for the North America Services Industry Group. Her passionate belief in people and unique ability to motivate others fosters a culture of achievement in high-growth organizations. Prior to Oracle-Netsuite, she co-founded a B2B e-commerce SAAS company and served as Managing Director, KPMG Consulting. Mita holds a Master's Degree in Computer Applications from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey with her husband and son.

Nick Rudenstine

Nick Rudenstine was most recently a managing director at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and global head of the firm’s Custody & Fund Services business, with approximately $22 trillion of assets under custody. Rudenstine was also a member of the firm’s Fiduciary Risk Committee, and on the Advisory Board of JPMorgan’s PAC. He held a variety of other senior positions at JPMorgan prior to that role, including Global of Strategy for the T&SS division. Prior to joining JPMorgan, he was an investment professional at Stone Point Capital, a private equity firm based in Connecticut, where he helped launch several new investment funds focused on the financial services industry. Nick began his career in the Mergers & Acquisitions group at Smith Barney, and worked at Read to Lead (formerly Classroom Inc.) in the early 1990’s. He received a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.

Carl W. Turnipseed Executive Vice President (Retired), Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Carl W. Turnipseed recently retired as executive vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York where he served 44 years in a variety of leadership positions including the head of the financial services group, human resources, the Buffalo Branch, accounting, check processing, government securities, treasury operations, and foreign relations. He was also a member of the New York Fed’s management committee.

During his career at the New York Fed, Carl served on numerous boards connected with international trade, business and economic development, as well as higher education. He has received numerous professional and community awards, including an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Felician College where he delivered the commencement address at its 45th commencement ceremony.

Carl has distinguished himself as a mentor especially to young people and enjoys giving back to his community. He is a founding board member of Read to Lead, president of the Zeta Boule Charitable Foundation, a member of the board of directors of the Morgan State University Foundation. He is an active member of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, the NAACP, and the Morgan State University Alumni Association. Carl is also a proud veteran having served as a lieutenant in the US Army.

A native of Baltimore, MD, Carl received his BS degree from Morgan State College (now University) where he is an inductee in their Hall of Fame and the Alumnus of the Year for 2014. He received his MBA degree from New York University and he graduated from the Executive Management Program at Columbia University and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Among his extra activities, he enjoys running and has finished two New York City marathons.

Cynthia Vance Advisor, Public Education Organizations

Cynthia King Vance is an experienced management consultant and executive who works primarily with nonprofit and public sector organizations tackling strategy, change management, and organizational effectiveness. She has specific expertise in education, healthcare, and media.

Cynthia has been involved in many initiatives to strengthen urban public education. She led projects as part of the original “Children First” team for the NYC Department of Education (2002-04), oversaw a 2011 transition for Newark Public Schools, and, currently, advises Hunter College on student success initiatives and raising graduation rates.

From 1992 to 1999, Cynthia lived in London where she helped launch and manage the cable and satellite channels UK Gold and UK Living as CFO and Commercial Director. She also served as a founding non-executive director of the Chelsea and Westminster Trust (a National Health Service Hospital). Cynthia was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and an investment banking analyst with Kidder Peabody.

Cynthia serves on several boards, with a commitment to equal opportunity and empowerment through knowledge. Cynthia chairs New York Public Radio’s (WNYC, WQXR) board, is a trustee of the Montefiore Health System in the Bronx, and former chair of SCO Family of Services. She serves on advisory boards for NewSchools Venture Fund, the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, and the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University. She is a graduate of Princeton University, with a BA from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and of the Harvard Business School. She lives in New York with her husband and has three children.