Board of Trustees

CHAIR

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.

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.

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.

TREASURER

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.

HENRY CHOI

NICHOLAS DOERING-DORIVAL

Nicholas Doering-Dorival is a Partner at Apollo Global Management. He is responsible for acquisitions in the firm’s US Real Estate opportunity fund, and helps set the fund’s strategy. Prior to Apollo, Nick was a Senior Vice President at Starwood Capital Group from 2010 to 2019, where he was responsible for over $6.5 billion of real estate acquisitions in the US and Europe across all property types. From 2006-2008, Nick developed tax credit affordable housing at Carlisle Development Group. Prior to that, he was an Associate with the Exodus Group from 2004 to 2006, and an Analyst at JP Morgan Asset Management in the Real Estate Investment Group from 2002 to 2004.

Nick earned his MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School. At Harvard, he was awarded the Bert King Fellowship in honor of his service to fellow students in the African American Student Union. Nick graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BS degree in Economics (Wharton) and a BAS degree in Systems Engineering; he was also a Joseph Wharton Scholar. Nick is a CFA charterholder. He was born and raised in the Bronx, and is a proud alum of Oliver Scholars (’98) as well as SEO and Toigo. Nick lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters.

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.

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.

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.

KEITH BYRON OTUOMAGIE

Keith is 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.

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.

DAVID SWEENY

David Sweeny is the AVP of Real Estate & Facilities with The Children’s Aid Society, which is one of the nation’s largest and most innovative agencies, serving more than 150,000 of New York’s neediest children and their families. Prior to joining Children’s Aid Society, David was Executive Director of the Healing Arts Initiative, President of PDS Development Corporation (PDS), a private real estate development company that has financed and built $300 million of commercial, industrial, and residential real estate in the metro New York area. David also served as President of the Greyston Foundation, a $15 million non-profit organization in Yonkers, New York. Prior to joining Greyston in 2003, David founded the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center (GMDC) and Civic Builders, and served as CEO of both.

David graduated magna cum laude in Economics from the University of Vermont, where he received both the Eastman Kodak Award and the Converse Award for economic research and publication.

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.

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.

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.

ROB WETSTONE

Rob is the Global Head of Client Relations at Songtrust (Downtown Music Holdings). He earned his M.B.A from the Yale School of Management and his B.A. in History and Music from Harvard University.

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.

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.

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.

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 a Senior Vice President at Rockabill Consulting and Development, creating affordable and supportive housing across New York State. Laura has lived in Brooklyn since 2014 with her husband and two children.

GABE RODRIGUEZ

Gabe is the Head of Human Resources for U.S. Retail Banking at Cit. 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
their human capital strategy.

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.