New York City - Executive Committee

	Ryan M. Bennett, Co-Director of Writing & Critical Thinking Mr. Bennett is in his the fourth year of his career in equity research. He currently works for Lehman Brothers as an Associate in the consumer staples group, following large cap household and personal care products manufacturers. His chief responsibility is to advise institutional buy-side clients on their equity holdings. Prior to joining Lehman, he spent a year at Bear Stearns on the transportation research team. Mr. Bennett holds a BA in Economics and History from Dartmouth College. In his spare time, he enjoys biking, squash and watching James Bond films.
	Whitney Beckett, Co-Director of Writing & Critical Thinking Ms. Beckett has worked at Conde Nast as sportswear news editor for Women's Wear Daily since July 2006. She writes daily stories on the business side of the fashion industry, for which she interviews fashion designers, chief executives and celebrities. Ms. Beckett holds a B.A. in economics from Duke University and an M.S.J. from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. She is also on the junior board for ProMujer, a microfinance non-profit.
	Marilena Botoulas, Co-Director of Summer Placement Ms. Botoulas has been working as the Director of Financial Aid at Columbia Business School for the past four years. Prior to this, she served in a Financial Aid capacity at the New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business for 6 years. In addition, she has been a volunteer for Minds Matter since 2000 serving as a mentor initially and then Co-Director of Summer Programs on three other occasions. Ms. Botoulas holds a B.S. in Finance from St. John's University and an M.A. in School Counseling from New York University.
	Jonathan Blob, Co-Director of Soiree Mr. Blob joined Diamondback Advisors CT, LLC in September 2007 where he runs a long/short consumer sector portfolio. Before starting at Diamondback, he spent six months in a similar role at Greenwich Capital. Prior to this, he spent about two years at Lehman Brothers in the Equities Division, as a Consumer Desk Analyst on the trading floor and as an associate in Equity Research. Mr. Blob began his career in investment banking at Legg Mason Wood Walker, Inc. Mr. Blob holds a B.S. in Economics from Duke University.
	Curtis Chan, Co-Director of Alumni Mr. Chan has worked at Basel Asset Management LLC since November 2007 where he is the assistant controller. His responsibilities include portfolio accounting and administration, establishing operational controls and procedures, and performing risk management duties for the firm. Prior to this, he worked at HSBC's Alternative Fund Services group where he was an accountant valuing various hedge fund and fund of funds clients. Mr. Chan holds a B.S. in Finance from Penn State University.
	Alex Ching, Co-Director of Summer Placement Mr. Ching currently works for Greenfield Partners, a real estate private equity firm managing over $3 billion. Since joining the firm in 2004, he has worked in their Asset Management group overseeing existing portfolio assets and now works in the Acquisitions Group assessing new investment opportunities. Prior to that, Alex worked for Archon Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., in their Loans Group underwriting nonperforming loan pools. Mr. Ching is a CFA Charterholder and holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the USC Marshall School of Business, where he was a Presidential Scholar.
	Shannon Daly, Co-Director of Test Prep Ms. Daly has been a CPA for nearly 5 years working in a family tax practice in Westchester, NY. Ms. Daly specializes in tax preparation for airline personnel. In addition to her work as a tax accountant, Ms. Daly runs a private tutoring business. Focusing on SAT and ACT prep, Ms. Daly has become a much sought after resource for students in Westchester. Her experience as a private tutor led her to the test prep program at Minds Matter. Ms. Daly holds a BA from Trinity College and a MS from Pace University.
	Mischa Edwards, Co-Director of Mentees Ms. Edwards is in the third year of her career on the research team at Durham Asset Management LLC. Prior to joining Durham, she worked in the Research Department at Financial Security Assurance, Inc. Ms. Edwards holds a BA in English with a minor equivalent in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
	Brad Glessner, Co-Director of Summer Placement Mr. Glessner has worked at Dreyfus for almost 4 years. He works in the Money Market Portfolio Management group where he trades money market securities for the firm's money market mutual funds. Mr. Glessner has a BS in Finance and MIS from the University of Delaware and is a CFA charterholder. He is currently pursuing his MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business.
	Jishnu Guha, Co-Director of Volunteers Jishnu Guha is an executive with Macquarie Group's Risk Management Group, prior to which he was with Banc of America Securities as a manager and compliance lawyer for the firm's Research Department. Jishnu holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Political Science from Carnegie Mellon University, a Juris Doctor from Yeshiva University's Cardozo School of Law, and is admitted to the bar in both New York and New Jersey.
	Phillip Hart, Co-Director of Senior Mentees Mr. Hart,is a portfolio manager in the U.S. Behavioral Finance Small Cap Equity Group at JPMorgan Asset Management. An employee since 2003, his responsibilities include managing structured small-cap core and small-cap value accounts. Previously, he worked on quantitative research and the daily implementation and maintenance of portfolios for the group. Phillip obtained a B.A. in economics from Cornell University and is a CFA charterholder.
	Elizabeth Herr, Co-Director of Writing & Critical Thinking Ms. Herr currently works at Rachael Ray Magazine. Prior to this, she was as a copy editor at OK! magazine for almost two years, a copy editor at Star magazine, and an associate editor/copy chief at Jungle Media Group, where she wrote and edited for Jungle and Jungle Law magazines. Ms. Herr holds a BA in Sociology from Brandeis University and an MSJ from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. This is her fourth year of involvement with Minds Matter. Before becoming co-Director of Writing & Critical Thinking, Ms. Herr was a mentor for three years. She is very proud not only to have worked with the same student for that entire time but also to have successfully helped her mentee through the college application process, which ultimately saw her gain acceptance to her top choice university.
	Carissa Hinman, Co-Director of Fundraising Ms. Hinman is an analyst in the Residential Mortgage Backed Securities group at Standard & Poor's, where she rates new RMBS securitizations and analyzes performance on seasoned RMBS transactions. Prior to joining S&P, she spent several years in Washington, DC as an associate at both Kemp Partners, a lobbying firm, and Corporate Diagnostics, a corporate governance consulting firm, where she developed and executed strategic communications plans for both firms. She began her career at America's Promise, a non-profit organization, researching potential high net worth donors. Ms. Hinman graduated from Georgetown University with B.A. in Economics.
	Justin Holden, Co-Director of PR & Marketing Mr. Holden began his professional career in Boston where he worked at WGBH (Boston's PBS-TV and NPR Radio affiliate). Since moving to New York in 2006, he has worked in public relations for the New York Philharmonic, the Kreisberg Group, and became a full-time member of the Public Affairs Department at Carnegie Hall in September 2006. At Carnegie, he coordinates concert publicity for their classical recital and chamber music presentations. A native of Vermont, he attended Boston University where he studied classical clarinet performance and received his Bachelor of Music. He also earned his Master of Science in Arts Administration.
	Ben Holstein, Co-Director of Junior Program Mr. Holstein has worked at IAC/InterActiveCorp for the past two years in a number of operational roles, including product development, business development, and search marketing. In his current role as SEM Program Manager for Pronto Inc (one of IAC's emerging business units), Mr. Holstein manages the development of Pronto's search marketing technology platform. Prior to joining IAC, Mr. Holstein spent six years with Renegade Marketing Group, developing and executing integrated marketing programs for Panasonic, HSBC, and DoubleClick, Inc.
	Wan Hong, Co-Director of Summer Placement Ms. Hong is an Associate at KPMG LLP's New York City office. She joined the firm in 2006, and has completed a rotational program in the Financial Services - Audit practice. Her client portfolio includes KPMG's premier Global Account in Real Estate group for GAAP and IFRS audit, and GAAP financial audit engagements in the Investment Management & Fund group. Her current focus is on real estate investment funds and foreign development funds. Ms. Hong holds a B.A. in Accounting from University of Washington Foster School of Business.
	Diana Hyde, Co-Director of Senior Program Ms. Hyde has worked for Gibraltar Private Bank since October of 2008. She is a Vice President and Relationship Manager in the Private Banking Group. Prior to this, she was a Relationship Manager and Lender for U.S. Trust. She started her career at the Bank of New York in their Private Banking Group. Ms. Hyde holds a B.A. in Economics from Trinity College.
	Jill Kaiser, Co-Director of Test Prep Jill Kaiser has worked at Deloitte for three years and is currently a Manger in their US Strategy Development group, focused on industry and functional strategies and scenario planning. Prior to this, Jill was a Sr. Consultant in Deloitte Consulting's Strategy & Operations practice focused on enterprise cost reduction and shared services consulting. Prior to business school, she spent five years at Accenture working as a process design consultant in their Telecommunications and Media industry group. Ms. Kaiser holds a B.S. in Economics and Business from Cornell University and a Masters in Business Administration from the Johnson School at Cornell University.
	Stephen Kavulich, Co-Director of Mentees Steve Kavulich is an investment banking analyst at Barclays Capital, focusing on financial institution clients. In this role, Steve advises clients on potential M&A and capital raising assignments. Prior to Barclays, Steve worked as an analyst at Lehman Brothers in the same capacity. Outside of work, he has volunteered for 7+ years with various nonprofit organizations focused on student development. Currently, Steve has been a volunteer with Minds Matter for 2 years. He graduated from Georgetown University in 2006 with distinction, double majoring in Finance and International Business.
	Adam Knapp, Co-Director of Sophomore Program Mr. Knapp is an associate within the Cost Decision Support Team at Barclays Capital where he is primarily responsible for the reporting and control of the firm's cost base on a performance, non-performance and comprehensive basis. Prior to Barclays Capital, Mr. Knapp spent two years with Lehman Brothers as a member of the Global Expense Management Group. Mr. Knapp holds a B.S. in Business from SUNY Plattsburgh.
	Christie Marcella, Co-Director of Writing & Critical Thinking (Junior Program) Ms. Marcella has worked at Howard/Stein Hudson Associates (HSH) for almost two years. She is a Transportation Planner and Public Involvement Specialist, focusing on presenting stakeholders with information about relevant transportation projects affecting their respective communities. She has worked on writing and editing a number of Environmental Impact Statements in accordance with the Federal National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). She has more recently worked to develop and execute Workshops on Neighborhood Parking for the New York City Department of Transportation as part of the proposed Congestion Pricing Plan. Prior to working for HSH, Ms. Marcella received an M.A. in Urban Planning at Columbia University where she wrote a thesis on international water management structures in the Great Lakes area. She also holds a B.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University. Ms. Marcella is fluent in English and Spanish.
	Brendan McLaughlin, Co-Director of Senior Program Mr. McLaughlin recently joined Merrill Lynch, working in the Cross-Organizational Client Coverage Group. His main responsibilities center on business development for Global Markets & Investment Banking stemming from Global Wealth Management client relationships. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Mr. McLaughlin spent 7 years at Citigroup in two roles. From 2005 to 2007, he worked in Investor Relations, where he worked closely with senior management of Citigroup to deliver financial communication and company strategy to the investment community. Prior to that, Mr. McLaughlin spent five years in Equity Research, covering the Airfreight & Ground Transportation industries. Mr. McLaughlin holds a B.B.A. in Finance from James Madison University.
	Lauren Mon, Co-Director of PR & Marketing Ms. Mon is a Corporate Communications Associate with Russell Reynolds Associates, a leading global executive search and assessment firm. As a member of the firm's global Corporate Communications team, Ms. Mon works closely with the Special Events department, coordinating the creative for all html and printed invitations. She focuses on internal communication, most recently leading the production and launch of the firm's new Web site. Ms. Mon began her career at T.Bresner Associates, a global communications training and strategic messaging firm as an Associate Account Executive, leading accounts for major homebuilding and medical device companies. She received her B.A. in English and psychology from the University of Vermont.
	Danielle Orden, Co-Director of Alumni Ms. Orden has worked at Goldman Sachs for three years. She worked in the Investment Banking Division for two years, where she focused principally on mergers and acquisitions, financings, and capital structure optimization for companies in the Consumer and Retail sectors. For the past year, she has been working in the Principal Investment Area, where she analyzes investments across a range of industries. Ms. Orden holds a B.A. in Economics-Mathematics from Colby College.
	Jessica Petrosino, Co-Director of Volunteers Jessi Petrosino graduated from the NYU Stern School of Business with her MBA in economics and global business in 2008. She recently began working in the Financial Services Office at Ernst & Young LLP as a Communication & Pursuit Strategist. Prior to attending NYU, Jessi completed a BS in design & environmental analysis from Cornell University and went on to work for The Cornell Club - New York and then an architecture/engineering firm in New York City.
	Stephanie Pfeffer, Co-Director of Senior Mentees Stephanie Emma Pfeffer is a Senior Associate Editor at Family Circle magazine, where she edits features on parenting, teens and travel, as well as family-friendly entertainment and the celebrity back page. She has also enjoyed stints at Ladies' Home Journal and People magazine. She holds an M.S. in Magazine Publishing from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and a B.A. in English and Mass Communications from the University of California, Los Angeles.
	John Pollakowski, Co-Director of Sophomore Program Mr. Pollakowski is an Associate Analyst in the Corporate Finance Group at Moody's Investors Service. As a member of the high yield homebuilding and building products team, he works alongside Senior Analysts to monitor, evaluate, and rate new deals of corporate debt issuers. Prior to joining the Corporate Finance Group, Mr. Pollakowski worked in the Credit Policy Research Group at Moody's, where he assisted in the publication of periodic default, recovery, and rating migration reports. Mr. Pollakowski holds a B.A. in Economics from Colby College.
	Joan Tom, Co-Director of Event Fundraising Joan Tom has been a member of the Emerging Markets team at HBK Capital Management since the fall of 2007. Her work at HBK encompasses participating in the sourcing, structuring, execution & post-closing management & tracking of private deals across the capital structure in developing markets. In addition, Joan is the Director of Business Development of Fame Theory LLC, a company which owns and operates the website www.famegame.com. Prior to joining HBK, Joan spent two years at Goldman, Sachs & Co. as their first program analyst in their Fixed Income, Currency & Commodities Legal department. Joan graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 2005 with an A.B. in Psychology.
	Paul Tufaro, Co-Director of Individual Fundraising Mr. Tufaro is currently pursuing his MBA from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. Prior to this, he was an associate at AlpInvest Partners, where he focused on private equity investments across all industry sectors. While at AlpInvest, he worked on a number of large transactions, including the leveraged buyouts of Biomet, TXU and Harrah's Entertainment. Prior to AlpInvest, Mr. Tufaro worked at Credit Suisse First Boston, where he was an analyst in the Investment Banking division in the Industrial Group and then Retail & Consumer Group. There, he focused on debt and equity offerings, and mergers and acquisitions. Paul graduated from Emory University in 2004 with a B.B.A. in Finance.