Board of Trustees
Alex Lines
Alex Lines is a software engineer and investor based in Brooklyn. He is a co-founder of Notation Capital, a venture firm that invests in early-stage tech startups and works closely with companies on technical strategy, team building, product, and fundraising. He grew up in Atlanta, GA but has been in New York since 2001 and currently lives in Park Slope with his family. He studied classical piano growing up and remains an enthusiastic pianist.
Brian Polen
Brian is a leader in the sake industry and was awarded Wine Enthusiasts’ 40 Under 40 Award in 2019. Through Brooklyn Kura, Brian challenges sake stereotypes, converting craft beer and wine enthusiasts into sake fans by introducing them to the breadth and complexity of the beverage. Previously, Brian held multiple positions at American Express, including the Vice President of Marketing & Big Data Platforms.
Dawn Bradford-Watt
Dawn Bradford-Watt is a graduate of Bowdoin College and Columbia University School of Social Work. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer and for sixteen years worked in supportive housing at the Center for Urban Community Services, a nonprofit social service agency. Dawn is currently a stay-at-home parent, is on the Board of Trustees at her children’s school, Packer Collegiate Institute and is a longstanding member of the school’s Parent Association Board. She lives in Cobble Hill with her husband, Rob, and their two sons, Ezra and Felix.
Dede Lee-Moore
As a seasoned Human Resources professional, Dede recognizes the value of people in any organization. Before her most recent position as HR Director at Strategic Value Partners (SVP), she was a Human Resources Manager at GE Capital and a Vice President at Goldman Sachs. Dede holds an M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from New York University and a B.A. in Physiology from the University of Minnesota.
Eric Friedman
Eric is the Assistant Executive Director for Public Affairs at the NYC Campaign Finance Board where he leads the agency’s external affairs, community outreach, policy research, marketing, digital communications and media relations work. A proud alumnus of the Atlantic City High School Marching Band, he recently started playing trumpet after a 20-year hiatus.
Secretary
Erica Oquendo
Erica is the Division Director of Youth and Family Services with the Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation and has dedicated her career to youth development. A lifelong Brooklyn resident, she is committed to providing young people with new experiences and opportunities through enriching programs. She has a master’s degree in Education and believes that learning comes in all forms for all ages. Erica has a lifelong connection to music and looks to bring joy to the lives of others through the arts.
Board Chair
Frederick Tang
Fred is an architect with a practice in Gowanus and is also an adjunct faculty member at Barnard College and Columbia University where he teaches undergraduate architecture courses. He has been a BKCM parent for two years and is now also a jazz piano student. He was a Suzuki student in piano and violin throughout his childhood.
Frederick Tang
Board Chair
Gabe Rodriguez
Gabe is the Head of Human Resources for U.S. Retail Banking at Citi. In this role, Gabe leads the people strategy for colleagues in the Retail Bank focused on fostering an inclusive culture to enhance diversity, personal and professional development, and employee satisfaction. He provides comprehensive and strategic HR partnership on talent management, performance management, compensation practices, as well as enhanced discipline around attracting and retaining talent.
Previously, as Director of Global Diversity & Talent Management, Gabe managed several of the firm’s strategic priorities to advance diverse and inclusive leadership and led the executive assessment, coaching, and succession planning practices. Prior to this, Gabe was a Human Resources Advisor, where he partnered with business leaders across Citi’s Personal Banking & Wealth Management division and the Institutional Clients Group Technology organization on developing and implementing
Earlier in his career, Gabe worked at Goldman Sachs, where he was an HR Generalist for their Investment Management Division. While at Goldman Sachs, Gabe led the firm’s Global Markets campus recruiting program and a number of firmwide recruiting efforts in the Americas. Gabe transitioned into human resources after having spent a number of years in sales and management development roles. At Bank of America, he worked in the Global Markets fixed income business as a Sales Associate and at JPMorgan Chase he held roles in consumer and small business sales as well as in the firm’s Leadership Development Program. Gabe started his career at Kraft Foods in sales. Gabe earned an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, where he was a Fellow of the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, and a BA from Cornell University. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Gabe lives in Queens, NY with his wife and two children.
James Weiss
James is an active investor in and advisor to small and mid-sized companies in periods of transformation. He has held senior leadership roles with Palantir Technologies and Bain & Company. A classically trained pianist and conductor, Weiss started his career as the assistant to legendary film composer Hans Zimmer, and subsequently built a company providing new ways for independent touring acts to connect with their fans. He holds an A.B. from Princeton University, with Certificates in Conducting and Vocal Coaching, and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, with his wife, Ashley Cotton, and their two children, Zoe and Ethan.
Jill Jefferson
Jill has been a Park Slope resident for almost 30 years. She grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, and moved to the east coast to attend college and law school. Jefferson has a B.S. in Economics and a J.D., where her focus was international law and public policy. She presently is an Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Chase in corporate communications.
Jonas Nie
Jonas grew up in a family of music lovers. He woke up to songs his mom played every morning, practiced piano for 8 years, sang in choirs, and was never shy performing anything music-related in front of crowds. He came to the U.S. for graduate school in 2012 and has stayed ever since. Professionally he has been in investment risk management for over a decade, currently managing equity risk at Citadel and previously in similar positions at Vanguard and BlackRock. He holds a master’s degree in computational finance from Carnegie Mellon University and earned his bachelor’s degree in information system from University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. Jonas lives in New Jersey with his wife, Song.
Keith Byron Otuomagie
Keith is an SVP of Personal Banking at Citi. Previously he worked as a Corporate Treasury Finance Leader within the Wells Fargo Intraday Liquidity Team. He has worked in financial services since 2006. He attended the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he earned his M.B.A. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Keith is active with his alma maters. Activities include serving as Corporate Treasurer and Board Member for the CWRU New York Alumni Association, CWRU Alumni Career Mentor, CWRU Alumni Ambassador, and University of Pennsylvania alumni interviewer. He is also a former Fulbright Scholar to Japan.
Konrad Payne
A native New Yorker, Konrad comes to the Board of Trustees after having served on the Advisory Council since its inception. His relationship with the Conservatory dates back to 2008 when he took a Jazz Theory class. He is an attorney and currently serves as Senior Counsel in the New York State Attorney General’s Office. When not practicing law, he plays bass guitar with rock and pop projects throughout New York City.
Treasurer
Laura Michener
Laura Michener has 15 years experience in the fields of affordable housing development and homelessness services in New York and London. Laura currently serves as the Vice President of Real Estate at Project Renewal, creating affordable and supportive housing throughout New York City. Laura has lived in Brooklyn since 2014 with her husband and two children.
Lauren Bresler
Lauren Bresler is associate counsel and compliance officer at Tiger Global Management, a New York-based investment firm. Prior to Tiger Global, she was an associate in the investment management group at Seward & Kissel LLP, where she was also a member of the firm’s Women’s Initiative. A life-long New Yorker, Lauren received her BA from Fordham University in the Bronx and her JD from Brooklyn Law School. Her love of music started at a young age with the piano, and she continues to find joy in the rare moments she has time to play. She lives in Brooklyn Heights with her family.
Margaret Meyers
Margaret is a partner in the commercial litigation group of Perkins Coie LLP. She represents companies, board committees, senior executives and other individuals in government and internal investigations, regulatory proceedings, complex commercial litigations and white-collar criminal matters. Margaret received her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Harvard College, where she was a member of the Radcliffe Choral Society and Radcliffe Varsity Crew. She played the violin and sang in choirs throughout her childhood, and she continues to enjoy making music with her family.
Vice Chair
Mari Matoba
Mari joined Spotify in 2019 to launch and build Spotify Advertising’s centralized voice of customer and client engagement programs. Before Spotify, Mari had a successful research consultancy, working with clients such as Tastemade and Artsy on customer insights projects. Before working for herself, Mari led the research and insights teams at Hearst Digital Media and Refinery29 and was a senior member of the commercial insights team at The Financial Times. Her insights work has been published in numerous media publications and presented to brands and agencies worldwide and on stages including Cannes, Advertising Week, and more.
Nancy Ziegler Nayar
Nancy presently leads a Brooklyn elementary school’s non-profit after school program. A graduate of Amherst College and Manhattan’s French Culinary Institute, she holds two master’s degrees from NYU’s Steinhardt School and from the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute where she studied Cultural Reporting & Criticism with the late Ellen Willis, the feminist pop music critic. Formerly a TV producer of travel programs, a book editor—including “The New Cook’s Catalogue” (Alfred A. Knopf 2000)—and an international tour leader for university and museum development programs, she loves to share the cooking techniques she learned from friendly and gifted cooks in more than 45 countries. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and three daughters, who are, naturally, BKCM students.
Naomi Nwosu-Stewart
Dr. Naomi Nwosu-Stewart has over 20 years of experience in education, ranging from a NYC Department of Education classroom teacher to a higher education administrator. She currently serves as the Director of Enrollment Management Services and an Adjunct of Secondary Math & Science Education at the City University of New York. Naomi served on the First Presbyterian Nursery School Board from 2016–2019. She is currently on the Grace Church School Board of Trustees and has served on its Education Committee since 2017. She and her husband, Phillip Stewart, have two children.
Neil Gupta
Neil Gupta is Chief Investment Officer and Executive Vice President of Rudin Management Company. He sits on the company’s Executive Committee and is responsible for financial oversight, investments, and capital markets activity. Prior to Rudin, Neil was in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group at Deutsche Bank, where he served as Co-Head of Real Estate Private Equity Coverage. He graduated from the University of Chicago with Honors in Economics and holds an MBA in Real Estate and Finance from the Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania. Neil also serves on the Board of New 42 and lives in New York City with his wife and three daughters.
Pamela Koo
Pamela is a northern California native who has called New York home since 2008. A first-generation American, Pamela is proud of her family and their Chinese heritage. She has built her career in the FinTech industry-leading teams across Human Resources, Product Development, and Sales. Pamela is currently a Gotham Fellow, seeking to drive cultural renewal in the workplace and our local communities. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Business Administration from New York University, Stern School of Business.
Pierre Vilain
Pierre has worked 30 years as an economist specializing in urban and transportation economics. He is currently a Managing Director at KPMG LLP and previously served as a US Council Member for the International Project Finance Association. Pierre earned his PhD in Regional Science from the University of Pennsylvania, his M.A. in Economics from New York University and his B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Tufts University.
Preetha Nooyi
Recy Benjamin Dunn
Recy Benjamin Dunn serves as Chief Executive Officer of Ascend Public Charter Schools, a network of K-12 public schools in Brooklyn dedicated to providing all students with rich and joyful learning experiences that empower them to live a life of boundless choice. Previously, he served as Chief Strategy Officer at the New York City Department of Education. He also held roles as one of the NYCDOE’s inaugural Executive Superintendents and as Chief Operations and Growth Officer at YES Prep Public Schools. Recy’s background includes key positions at New Leaders, Prince George’s County Public Schools, and the District of Columbia Public Schools. He holds an MBA and an MA in Education from Stanford, along with undergraduate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, and has completed the School District Leadership program at Bank Street College.
Sailaja Sastry
Sailaja has lived in Brooklyn since 2004, and her two children are both students at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. She has a Ph.D. in English Literature, specializing in Asian American and postcolonial literature, and has taught at Columbia University, Barnard College and Rutgers University. She is a lapsed flutist.
William Rinner
William (Bill) Rinner serves as Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Head of Merger Enforcement. Before re-joining the Antitrust Division, he was Senior Regulatory Counsel at Apollo Global Management, Inc., and was responsible for overseeing antitrust and various other regulatory matters. From 2017-2020, Bill served at the Antitrust Division first as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General, and subsequently as Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel. Earlier in his career, Bill practiced antitrust law at two major national firms. After law school, he clerked for Hon. Richard Posner of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He received a J.D. from Yale Law School, and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Notre Dame.
INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR BOARD?
BKCM Board members are elected to serve a three-year term, with an optional second three-year term, and generally meet six times during the academic year, as well as one half-day retreat during the winter. If you are interested in learning more about serving on BKCM’s Board please reach out below!
Advisory Council
Richard Alba, Adis Asfaw, Sophie Balcoff, Robyn Brown, Henry Choi, Lystine Cush, Richard Daskin, Devin Deraney, Dan DiPietro, Robin Dull, Lynn Gaffney, Elise Gaugert, Tatyana Gershkovich, Alysha Glenn, Ben Herzog, Roy Holder, Roland Huang, Rachel Hughes, Florence Hutner, John Johnston, Chiwoniso Kaitano, John Kelly, Bernadette Levandowski, Jerri Mayer Sines, Vivek Menezes, Bryce Miller, John Mosler, Mong-Tuyet Nguyen, SaSaDi Amaya Odunsi, Silvia Orna, Greta Rosenblum, Anna-Lise Santella, Louis Segalini, Russ Soper, David Sweeny, Vanessa Walters, Rob Wetstone, Tom Xu
