Aziza E. Anderson is an executive at Unique People Services, a NYC affordable housing real estate developer and social services nonprofit that serves special needs and low-to-mid income communities. She holds a B.S. in Public Relations and International Studies with honors from SUNY Fredonia (William J. Clinton Scholar) and Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from the Marxe School of Public Affairs, Bernard M. Baruch (National Urban Fellows). Aziza is a proud Bronxite and global citizen that has lived, worked and served in five continents. She values reflective life-long learning, quality health and education access, the arts, travel, nature, humor and enjoys spending time with her family.

Robin Dissin Aufses was most recently the Director of English Studies at Lycée Français de New York, in Manhattan,, where she also taught AP English Language and eighth grade English. Prior to that, she was the chair of the English department at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, NY, and, before that, an English teacher at Schreiber High School in Port Washington, NY. She is a co-author of Literature & Composition, The Language of Composition, Conversations in American Literature, and American Literature and Rhetoric, all published by Bedford, Freeman & Worth.

Edison Bardowell is Chief Executive Officer at The Legacy Corporation, an educational and developmental programs provider to the school districts of NYC and Boston, MA. He is responsible for the overall management of Legacy through evaluation, planning and implementation of academic and recreational programs that serve thousands of students yearly. Mr. Bardowell is experienced in corporate and nonprofit governance structure and provides policy and governance support to several institutions. Utilizing his experience, Mr. Bardowell has focused on giving back to his community serving as a board member of: The Boy Scouts of America, SUNY-Invictus Prep Charter School trustee, and currently as board chairman at America SCORES New York. He is a avid fan of traveling, learning languages and supporting youth and schools.

Lisa is currently the interim Chief People Officer at Prospect Schools, a Kindergarten through 12th grade diverse-by-design charter network that serves over 1,800 students in New York City. In this role, she leads the talent, human resource, and employee relations team. Before joining Prospect Schools, Lisa served as the Managing Director of Operations at Harlem Village Academies, where she managed the network operations team, student enrollment team, and the Directors of Operations at all six school campuses. Prior to HVA, Lisa was a Director of Operations Manager with Uncommon Schools, where she trained the Directors of Operations and Operations Fellows at three Uncommon middle schools to ensure operational excellence. She began her journey in education when she joined Teach For America in New York City and was placed in a traditional public school in the Bronx as a sixth grade ELA and history teacher. Lisa received a B.A. from Cornell College with a triple major in politics, international relations, and women’s studies. She went on to complete her Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education.

Amal is a life long New Yorker and a product of the New York City education system. Amal graduated from the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College, CUNY and later, Harvard Law School at Harvard University. She is currently a senior associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Amal has dedicated her free time to social justice issues, particularly those pertaining to education; and looks forward to contributing to a future in which each kid has an equal education, and opportunity to succeed.

Has three decades of experience in the financial services industry and has held executive positions including Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and President. He was a senior member of the team that founded a financial services subsidiary of a larger insurance company and six years after inception, he helped execute the subsidiary’s initial public offering. His financial markets experience includes managing billions of dollars of bond offerings and commercial paper issuance, as well as structuring fixed income, currency, and credit derivative agreements. In 2010, Mr. Hubbard transitioned to teaching at the Rutgers Business School in New Jersey, where he is an Assistant Professor of Management. He has taught courses in management, strategy, and entrepreneurship. He is passionate about helping students prepare for success in the business world and he has taught over 5,000 students to date. Since 2010, Mr. Hubbard has been a member of the Board of Trustees for Equality Charter School. He is honored to help support Equality in its mission of providing the best educational opportunity for all students to help them prepare for college, career, and life success. Mr. Hubbard also serves on the Board of Services for the Underserved (SUS) and is Board Treasurer. SUS provides essential treatment, rehabilitative, employment, and housing services for over 30,000 New Yorkers. Mr. Hubbard is a graduate of Brown University (B.A. Mathematical Economics) and The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (MBA).

As an independent financial advisor, Ardian Hasko provides investment advice to large institutions, non-profit organizations, qualified retirement plans, and high net worth individuals and families. Ardian was among the first of 500 financial professionals in the country to be awarded the Certified 401(k) Professional designation from the Retirement Advisor University in collaboration with UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive Education. Prior to joining B. Riley Wealth Management in 2015, Ardian was a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management from 2012 to 2015. Before that, he served as a financial consultant with Pension Partners. He has more than 14 years of industry experience. Ardian proudly gives back to the community through many philanthropic organizations. In addition to serving on the Board of Trustees at Equality Charter School in the Bronx, Ardian donates his lunch time on a weekly basis to the Animal Care and Control Center in New York City where he cares for and walks abandoned and abused dogs. Ardian proudly holds the President’s Volunteer Service Award.

Len Gilbert is currently Chief Operating Officer at dPrism, responsible for building out the company’s digital transformation and advisory services and scaling the company’s external business and internal capabilities. Before joining dPrism in 2015, Len was the VP and Head of Business Development at Yodle and he previously served in executive roles at LexisNexis, S&P Global, and Barnes & Noble/ BN.com. Len graduated Magna Cum Laude from The College of William & Mary with a BA in History. Outside of work, Len currently serves as an advisor for EdTech startups and is a mentor for Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA).

Born and raised in New York City, Erika comes from a family of realtors. As a Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, with 20+ years in the finance and real estate industries, she brings skills unparalleled when working with her real estate clients. Erika has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and an MBA in Business Administration. Her skills in finance give her a unique insight into negotiating deals for her clients. Serving on the board of a charter school and Chairwoman of a book club committee, Erika is very active in her community and has a passion for working with children. Her background has earned her real-life experience in sales that make her uniquely suited to serve real estate buyers and sellers.

Roberta is currently the Middle School Academic Dean at Convent of the Sacred Heart. While at Sacred Heart she had the pleasure of writing a curriculum for the fifth grade that focused on identity, equity, and diversity. Before joining the CSH, she worked at the Galloway School in Atlanta as Upper School Assistant Principal. There, Roberta chaired the committee that totally revamped the Senior Project Program into a researched-based inquiry project rooted in the English curriculum. While in Georgia she also founded and Directed a People of Color in Independent Schools Chapter for the Atlanta area. Currently, she co-directs PoCIS NY, an organization whose mission is to support professionals of color in New York independent schools through professional development and networking. After completing undergraduate work at Columbia University with a major in English, Roberta completed her M.Ed. at Harvard School of Education in Human Development and Psychology. Throughout her nineteen-year career in schools, Roberta has held various roles including Director of Admissions and Dean of Students. Currently, she lives in Riverdale with her three children and husband.

Jim is a partner in the Capital Markets Group at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where he has practiced law since 1987 and leads the firm’s securitization practice. A native of Connecticut, Jim is a long-time resident of New York City, having attended Columbia College as an undergraduate and (following a brief foray in journalism) New York University School of Law before beginning his professional career at Skadden. His interests include history, business and sports, particularly baseball and the New York Yankees