2023-2024 Board Members
SHAUN M. BELLE is Managing Principal & Founder of CMC Development Group, a real estate development and management firm with operations in the Northeast and Southeast of the US. Mr. Belle’s experience includes over 25 years in the real estate business. He is an established leader in providing affordable rental housing and comprehensive services such as education, youth services, and asset and technology initiatives. Mr. Belle is also a board member of the Primary Care Development Corporation National Capital Advisory Board, National Development Council (NDC) New Markets Tax Credit Advisory Board as well as several public and private organizations throughout the Metropolitan area. In addition, he is the former Secretary of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce and Bronx Manhattan Realtors North Board of Governors and was the former Chair of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Broadband Advisory Committee. Mr. Belle holds a degree in Economics and Business Management from Howard University. He is a graduate of the Columbia University Institute for Nonprofit Management and has also completed the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Executive Education Program.
JILLIAN FAULLS has been in real estate for over 10 years, working in the Bronx for many of those years. She was also a resident for five years, strengthening her bond to the borough. She has been affiliated with New York City’s top brokerage firms, holding leadership roles from Project Manager, Sales Director and Leasing Director to Associate Broker for over 35 new development projects. Ms. Faulls received her BA at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and also took Continuing Education coursework in Marketing and Interior Design at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) respectively, broadening her creative and aesthetic vision. Ms. Faulls is an avid yogi, a clutter-free advocate and an alternative health warrior. She is committed to strengthening and unifying the community and has an infectious passion for the Bronx and for its children.
HOPE HARLEY held senior positions at Verizon for over 28 years in Sales and Marketing, Engineering and External Affairs. Her final assignment was as Director of External Affairs in New York City, where she was responsible for maintaining Verizon’s relationship with key stakeholders and elected officials as well as providing support for nonprofit organizations and managing employee volunteer activities. Ms. Harley is a graduate of the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury. She received an MBA in Organizational Development from Pace University and a Certificate in Corporate Community Relations from Boston College. Ms. Harley has served on numerous boards including The Harlem School of the Arts, the Bronx Chamber of Commerce and Audubon Partnership for Economic Development. She is past chair of Hearts and Hammers in the Bronx, an organization that renovates homes for senior citizens and the disabled. She serves on the Jackie Robinson Foundation scholarship selection committee. Ms. Harley was the founding President of the Board of Directors of Bronx Children’s Museum from 2010 through 2021.
FRED KAUFMAN, Executive Producer of the acclaimed PBS Nature series, has been one of the world’s top executives in the natural history genre for over 30 years. He has won eight Emmys and two Peabody Awards, and in 2012, a Lifetime Achievement Award for Media from the International Wildlife Film Festival in Missoula, Montana. He works with filmmakers from around the world and is often approached by leading scientists seeking national exposure for their research. Mr. Kaufman serves on the board of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival. He is in his fourth decade with WNET/Thirteen, the PBS flagship station, and appears regularly on their pledge drives as a spokesman for quality natural history television. Born and raised in the Bronx, Mr. Kaufman attended the Bronx High School of Science and is a graduate of Binghamton University.
PAUL RAMIREZ, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner at Mainland Media LLC, was born and raised in the Parkchester section of the Bronx. Mainland Media has partnered with numerous organizations both inside and outside of the Bronx to accomplish its goal of improving the borough’s image. Mr. Ramirez received his BA in Philosophy with a specialization in Ethics and Public Policy, as well as a BS in Music, from Lehman College. Shortly after graduation, he worked as the Deputy Director of Wildcat Service Corporations Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP). YAIP provides young adults with a paid orientation, training and work, followed by services and assistance for placement in permanent jobs, training programs and educational opportunities. While working as the Deputy Director of YAIP, Mr. Ramirez also managed several Bronx-based musical acts, including the Steven Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra. He joined Mainland Media and its subsidiary From the Bronx in 2010, and opened the Bronx Beer Hall in 2013. Currently a member of Bronx Community Board 6 and the Jamaica Food Entrepreneurship and Services Training Space Advisory Council, Mr. Ramirez also sits on the Junior Board for the Bronx-based nonprofit, Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco).
DR. VALERIE M. WASHINGTON, an Associate Professor Emeritus at Lehman College, CUNY, was born and raised in the Bronx. She attended public schools including Hunter College, CUNY, where she earned a BA and an MS in Education. After teaching elementary school for nine years, she joined the faculty of Lehman College and supervised student teachers, taught elementary teaching methods courses and earned an Ed.D at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Dr. Washington also directed state and privately funded graduate teacher education programs in which graduate students who were practicing teachers in collaborating Bronx school districts earned degrees and certification. She is a member of the Board of Directors of East Tremont Childcare and Development Center and Lehman Center for the Performing Arts. She and her husband, Earl, live in the Bronx. They have one daughter – actor, director and activist Kerry Washington.
RICHARD L. STEIN has had a varied career as an architect, graphic designer, editor and publisher of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Riverdale Press. He returned to architecture after retiring from the northwest Bronx newspaper in 2015. As a publication designer, Mr. Stein has created the templates for websites, newspapers and magazines as varied as “The Jewish Star” in Long Island and “The Muslim Observer” in Detroit. His client list ranges from Chase Bank to the New York Farm Bureau. The New York Press Association has named its highest award for newspaper design the Richard Stein Award. In addition to membership on Bronx Children’s Museum’s Board, he has served on or presided over several nonprofit organization boards as well as the Community Newspaper Advisory Board of the American Press Institute, the Center for Community Journalism and the New York Press Association. Mr. Stein is married and has two adult children and two grandchildren.
AMANDA COLLADO-MILLIGAN is a seasoned leader, manager and mentor who partners with various organizations to provide sound guidance and expertise regarding trusted workforce initiatives. Ms. Collado-Milligan earned her MBA in Management at the Carey Business School of Johns Hopkins University. Outside of her professional life, she cherishes moments with her children, family and friends, emphasizing the importance of balance and meaningful connections in her life. Ms. Collado-Milligan’s connection to Bronx Children’s Museum is through her father Rafael Collado, a successful entrepreneur, who was born and raised in the Bronx. Together with her father, Ms. Collado-Milligan supports several educational scholarships for high school students.
SARAH FLACCAVENTO is Vice President, M&A Integration and Business Operations, at AlphaSense, an AI-based market intelligence and search company based out of New York City. In her role as a member of the senior leadership team at AlphaSense, she provides her professional expertise to lead a variety of strategic programs. Prior to joining AlphaSense in 2022, Ms. Flaccavento spent 13 years at S&P Global in a variety of strategy and commercial leadership positions of increasing responsibility. She received her BA from Brown University, with a concentration in Economics. Ms. Flaccavento is a lifelong New Yorker, who currently lives in Brooklyn with her wife and two children.
APRIL HORTON is a registered lobbyist for Verizon. She leads all government affairs and legislative activity for Verizon in the Bronx and Mid-State. She is responsible for securing Verizon’s short-term objectives and advancing its long-term goals by communicating with key internal and external audiences and positioning the company’s strategic direction, progress towards targeted goals and advances in products and services. Ms. Horton is responsible for philanthropic strategy, grant-making and Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives in the areas of digital inclusion, climate protection and human prosperity and employee volunteerism. She has served as Co-Chair for the Young Professionals Advisory Group of A Better Chance, working to ensure children of color have access to premier education opportunities. Ms. Horton was selected as one of 25 Influential Women of the Bronx and honored by the Bronx Democratic County Committee. Born and raised in the Bronx, she is a graduate of Fordham University and holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University. As a mother of two, she brings a passion for cultivating young minds through education, exploration and diverse experiences.
LEE MICHEL, a nonprofit leader, is the Founder of Moms Feed The Bronx (@momsfeedthebronx), a community-based organization that helps feed neighbors in need. She has also worked with Wave Hill (seven-time gala co-chair), Graham Windham, BronxWorks, Riverdale Country School and Untermyer Gardens (Board member since 2018). When living in Los Angeles, Ms. Michel co-founded Baby2Baby (www.baby2baby.org), an organization that collects and distributes gently used baby gear and clothing to families in need. Before starting her own family, she held various positions in the art world, working with both collectors and artists in New York and Los Angeles. Ms. Michel received her BA at the University of Pennsylvania. She has two daughters and currently lives in New York City.
JOSÉ A. RODRIGUEZ, MD is an Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery and Lenox Hill Hospital. Born and raised in the Bronx, Dr. Rodriguez is a graduate of Bronx Science High School, Harvard College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. His professional focus is minimally invasive, and complex reconstructive surgery of the hip and knee, and his research focuses on documentation and advancement of patient recovery and improved implant design. He has received numerous academic awards for research and excellence in medical education. Dr. Rodriguez is a retired US Army officer and served two tours of duty in Iraq.
NICOLE WRIGHT is an Executive Director and Assistant General Counsel at JPMorgan Chase & Co. where she works in the Commercial and Investment Bank advising clients on payments related legal and regulatory matters. She is a global co-chair of the bank's Women on the Move, Corporate Sector Network; a global co-chair of its Charitable Giving Council; a founding member of its Black Legal Forum; and, a former co-chair of the Legal Diversity Council (North America).
Nicole is a member of the National Women's Law Center's Leadership Advisory Committee. She has also served on the Young Professionals Committee of Youth, I.N.C. and on the Advisory Board of Futures and Options.
Prior to joining JPMorgan, Nicole was a corporate associate at a New York City law firm for several years. She received her law degree from Cornell University, where she served as Chapter President of the Black Law Students Association, Co-Acquisitions Editor of the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy and as a volunteer at the MacCormick Secure Center for Juvenile Offenders. Nicole received her Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in Government from Hamilton College, where she served as President of the Black & Latin Student Union and Governor of the Pentagon Honor Society.
SAPAN VYAS, CFA is a Partner at Kimelman & Baird LLC, an investment advisory firm in New York City. Mr. Vyas was born and raised in the Bronx and attended the Bronx High School of Science. He received his undergraduate degree from Binghamton University. He has been committed to supporting nonprofit organizations in the community in which he has lived. He has been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, serving the role of a “Big” to children from the Bronx for several years. Currently he lives in Scarsdale, NY with his wife and son.
NICK CROWELL is a litigation partner in the New York office of Sidley Austin LLP, and has been with the firm since 2002. He concentrates on complex securities and commercial litigation matters. He has represented many of the nation’s preeminent financial institutions, insurance companies and investment advisers in federal and state courts, before regulatory bodies and in arbitrations, in matters encompassing securities and commodities trading, derivative products, insurance and reinsurance disputes, distressed assets, real estate, yield burning, accounting fraud and antitrust violations. Mr. Crowell has been recommended by The Legal 500 in the area of Financial Services: Litigation. He received his BS from the University of Arizona and graduated with honors from The George Washington University Law School. Mr. Crowell currently resides in Fair Haven, NJ with his wife and three children.
COURTNEY GARCIA is Managing Director at Apollo Global Management, an alternative asset management firm based in New York City. In her role as the Head of Market Risk she leads a team responsible for measuring, monitoring and managing risks inherent in investments made by the firm. Prior to joining Apollo in 2021, Ms. Garcia held roles in risk management at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO) where she served on various management committees and oversaw investment and counterparty risk. She received her BS from Columbia University, with a major in Applied Mathematics, and a Masters of Financial Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Ms. Garcia lives in Manhattan with her husband, who is a physician in a city hospital in the Bronx, and her daughter.
ASUNCIÓN “SUNNY” HOSTIN is a co-host of the daytime talk show “The View” and the senior legal correspondent for ABC News. Previously, Ms. Hostin was a host and legal analyst at CNN. She covered many high-profile trials, from George Zimmerman to Casey Anthony, and numerous other major stories, including the AME church shooting in Charleston and the selection of Eric Holder for Attorney General. Prior to working at CNN, Ms. Hostin filled in as co-anchor for ABC News’ “World News Now” and “America This Morning.” Ms. Hostin began her legal career as an appellate law clerk, then a trial attorney for the Justice Department and lastly as a federal prosecutor. She received a Special Achievement Award from then-Attorney General Janet Reno during her time as a federal prosecutor. Ms. Hostin graduated from Binghamton University and Notre Dame Law School. She currently resides in Westchester County with her two children and husband.
JEANNE B. MULLGRAV has significant experience in both City and State Government and nonprofit management. In her role as Executive Vice President, Ms. Mullgrav oversees Capalino+Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility Group. Prior to joining Capalino+Company in 2014, Ms. Mullgrav served as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) for 12 years. In this capacity, she led New York City’s principal agency for administering youth and community programs and was responsible for funding experienced community-based organizations that provide after-school programs, train young people for jobs and support immigrants, among other goals. Previously, Ms. Mullgrav served as Vice President for The After-School Corporation and as Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Relations for the NYS Attorney General. She received her undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College and a law degree from New York University School of Law.
ALANNAH SHEERIN is a Senior Director, S&O Global Ads Marketing at Google. In her previous position, Ms. Sheerin was a Partner and Managing Director at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in New York City. After joining BCG in 2009, she worked on marketing and media issues for companies in industries ranging from financial services to consumer goods. Some of her most recent work focused on media challenges in the nonprofit world. Before joining BCG, she worked at Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare, a division of the Publicis Groupe SA. Ms. Sheerin attended Tulane University for her undergraduate degree, and earned her MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She has been committed to supporting nonprofit organizations in all the communities in which she has lived. Ms. Sheerin’s connection to the Bronx goes back to her childhood, when she took dance and music lessons in the Riverdale and Woodlawn sections of the borough. She brings her passion for art, history and education to her role at Bronx Children’s Museum.
JOHN ABRONS was an investment advisor at Oppenheimer &Co. for 27 years and Executive Director for over 15 years.
He has been a volunteer tutor in the Marlene Meyerson Jewish Community Center’s Gift of Math program on the Upper
West Side since 2016. Mr. Abrons has served as a board member of the Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation for 27 years
and at the 149 Fifth Avenue Corporation for two years. He was also the President of the Madison 53rd Street Corporation for
over a year. Mr. Abrons, a graduate of Connecticut College, has a strong interest in health and natural methods of healing.
He lives with his wife in Manhattan, has three sons and has been following Bronx Children’s Museum’s progress over the
years through his father Richard Abrons’ committed involvement with the Museum.
ANTONNIQUE DAY is a Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) Director at Meta, based in California. She joined Meta in 2021 and is a member of the Reality Labs HRBP leadership team. Prior to joining Meta, Ms. Day was the Executive Vice President, Human Resources Business Partner to the Chief Finance Officer and Chief Administration Officer at Mastercard based in Purchase, NY. During her 13-year tenure at Mastercard she held multiple HR leadership positions both in the US and internationally, providing her professional expertise to drive talent strategies. Before Mastercard, Ms. Day honed her passion for Financial Technology and Healthcare Technology sectors with CitiMortgage (division of Citigroup) and Computerized Medical Systems. She holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management from Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri, and a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration from Jackson State University. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, HBCU Alumni and Alumni Fellow of St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative. Ms. Day lives in Menlo Park, CA with her husband, two daughters and dog. She is passionate about making positive impacts in her community through volunteerism, mentoring young professionals and youth events and loves to travel with her family and friends.
KATE GREEN has taught art and crafting workshops at Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Riverdale Country School and privately for many years. Since 2009 she has designed, created and sold jewelry in her shop on the website Etsy. Other passions include singing and tennis. Ms. Green graduated from New York University’s Gallatin School with a BA in Theater Design after studying for several years in the Lee Strasberg Acting Program at Tisch School of the Arts, NYU. She has appeared in hundreds of television commercials, industrials and print advertisements. Ms. Green was on the board of the Church Street Music and Art School in Tribeca, where she assisted in finding and developing new space for their successful and expanding program, as well as occasionally substitute teaching there. She and her husband have lived in the Bronx for more than 14 years, and raised three sons there.
PAUL HUGHES is the Head of Strategy for Mizuho in the Americas. He is responsible for the coordination and execution of firm-wide strategy across the region. In his current position, he is also responsible for leading the Americas’ Sustainability Council (ESG) and Digital Innovation Group. Prior to this role, Mr. Hughes held various positions across the Corporate and Investment Bank, including Debt Capital Markets. He has been with the firm for over 12 years, during which time he has played a contributing role in the region’s transformative growth. Mr. Hughes holds a BS from the University of Maryland at College Park. He currently resides in Darien, CT with his wife and four children.
CHELSEA POIRIER, a Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) in New York City, has over a decade of experience working with the firm’s largest global financial services clients. She provides audit services with a specific focus on financial reporting, internal control, technical accounting, governance and regulatory matters. Ms. Poirier holds a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from the University of Mississippi. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is licensed in New York. She has been involved with various nonprofit organizations in the community and brings her passion for learning outside the classroom to her role as a Board member at Bronx Children’s Museum. Currently, she resides in New Jersey with her husband and son.
PETER SHERMAN, MD, MPH is the Vice President of the Board of Directors of Bronx Children’s Museum. He has been a pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist providing care to children in the Bronx for over 30 years. He is dedicated to providing health care to underserved pediatric and adolescent populations, with a particular emphasis on integrating care with community resources.
He has served as Chair of Pediatrics at Bronx Lebanon Medical Center since 2013.
Previously, he was Program Director of the Social Pediatrics Residency, as well as Medical Director, of the New York Children’s Health Project at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. Dr. Sherman has served on several national boards, including Health Care for the Homeless Clinicians Network and Association of Clinicians for the Underserved. Both involved terms as Board President.
He received his MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and did his residency at Montefiore Medical Center.
In addition, Dr. Sherman has an MPH from Lehman College.