INTERNATIONAL MELANOMA WORKING GROUP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Vice President
- Fundraising & Development
- Research Initiatives
Alicia Walker Rowell is Vice President and principal fundraiser at AIM at Melanoma.
Rowell has a personal stake in the foundation's mission: Her husband is a Stage III melanoma survivor.
Like many non-profits, AIM relies on the charitable donations of generous supporters to fulfill its mission, and Rowell was hired to build a philanthropic infrastructure for AIM while simultaneously growing the number of donations the organization receives.
Directing all aspects of AIM's philanthropy, from annual giving to major gifts, Rowell worked closely with Val Guild, AIM's Founder, and now with Samantha Guild, AIM's President, on AIM's global research initiatives, where the majority of AIM's budget goes, and on the overall direction of the foundation. She also works closely with Cindy LeBlanc, AIM's National Director of Walks & Events, to increase the visibility of and grow AIM's fundraising walks and events. She is often called upon to write and speak on behalf of AIM to raise both funds and awareness.
Rowell enjoys the multidimensional aspects of her job and the many different roles she has within the foundation to support AIM's mission.
Rowell came to AIM having worked most recently in development and administrative roles at the University of California, Berkeley-including directing the capital campaigns for Berkeley's athletic department, where she raised over $25M for the campus-and writing, editing, and teaching roles prior to that.
She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, earning a degree in English and History, and a fourth-generation Californian.
Job Titles:
- Co - CEO of Aurify Brands
Andy Stern, Co-CEO of Aurify Brands, had already enjoyed extensive business success when he first got into the hospitality industry - and its appeal only grew as he came to understand it. "It was the people side of the business that attracted me, helping in an industry that was historically a dead-end for employees - where most workers just had jobs, never careers," he says. As they grew their involvement and the Aurify network, "we saw that our impact could be multiplied, and there would be more and more opportunities for our people and thus our business." Andy's focus at Aurify has been…
both corporate and store-level: He manages operations and personnel, builds corporate infrastructure, and designs short- and long-term investment strategies. He also oversees brand marketing and community relations activities. Aurify targets original concepts for the fast casual restaurant segment because of the opportunity for growth. Prior to co-founding Aurify Brands, Andy founded his own investment group, AMT Partners; was a Managing Director and Entrepreneur-In-Residence of Idealab! New York; founded and then sold VenCatalyst, Inc., the East Coast region's first for-profit idea accelerator; founded Logex International LLC, one of the East Coast region's first pure-play electronic commerce solutions providers (and, after its acquisition by AppNet, helped guide that company through its 1998 IPO); and served as Senior VP of Operations at The Olympus Group, Inc. Andy currently serves on the Board of Directors for Lungevity, which funds research to improve early detection for lung cancer. Andy graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Political Science in 1993.
During the last twenty-five years Bonnie has raised four children, lived in London, New York and Connecticut and had two successful careers. Firstly, as an options trader and secondly, since 2008, as a real estate investor and developer. She specializes in sourcing off market real estate opportunities to acquire and renovate or build new structures. She has a passion for architecture and furniture design and currently resides in a historic single family home in Greenwich CT that she restored in 2014. As a melanoma survivor, Bonnie is hoping to use her skills in the AIM organization.
Bonnie is also a qualified private pilot, coaches the high school tennis team and Captains the Greenwich women's tennis team.
Job Titles:
- Associate Scientific Director of the Cancer Research Institute
Nathan is associate scientific director of the Cancer Research Institute, a governor of the Tres Cantos Open Lab Foundation and on the scientific advisory boards of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development and the Rita Allen Foundation. He led the planning team for the Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute (a not-for-profit corporation owned by Weill Cornell Medical College, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and The Rockefeller University) and is a member of its Board of Directors. He served for ten years on the scientific advisory board of the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, the American Asthma Foundation and the Board of Trustees of the Hospital for Special Surgery, where he chaired the Research Committee, and continues on the national Pfizer Therapeutic Areas Scientific Advisory Panel and the Lurie Prize jury.
Catherine McVay Hughes serves on the World Trade Center Scientific Technical Advisory Committee and is a founding member of the WTC Survivors Steering Committee. She served 20 years on Manhattan Community Board One (CB1), half that time as Chair or Vice-Chair, and chaired the CB1 World Trade Center Redevelopment Committee for seven years. She sits on the Board of Directors of the Battery Park City Authority,…
Ms. Kingham is a former corporate litigator who now works in communications for several New York City independent schools. She has served on several corporate and arts organization boards, and has twice served as president of school parents' associations. Ms. Kingham is excited to support AIM at Melanoma in its mission to reshape the future of melanoma through innovative research, education and advocacy.
Christopher Cerf is a writer, composer-lyricist, television and music producer, humorist, and co-founder and president of the educational media and technology company, Sirius Thinking, Ltd., where he co-created and co-produced the multiple Emmy award-winning PBS children's literacy education series, Between the Lions….
Cerf has won three Emmys and two Grammys for his musical contributions to Sesame Street (for which he has written over 200 songs since the show's debut), and also created numerous musical numbers for the original Electric Company and for Square One Television. Cerf also played a key role in the founding of the Workshop's Products Group, and served for nearly a decade as the division's original editor-in-chief. Before joining the Workshop staff in 1970, Cerf served as a senior editor at Random House, where he worked with such diverse authors as George Plimpton, Andy Warhol, Abbie Hoffman, and Dr. Seuss; was a founding contributing editor of National Lampoon; and has written or co-written several bestselling humor books (most notably with his frequent National Lampoon co-conspirator, Henry Beard). His newest book, A Skunk in My Bunk, a playful easy reader in the tradition of Dr. Seuss's Hop on Pop that teaches the basics of word construction, will be published this coming May by Beginner Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Cerf has been a long-time collaborator of Marlo Thomas on her Free To Be and St. Jude's books, music albums, and television projects (winning an additional Emmy and Grammy in the process). Since the 1980s, he has also played a pioneering role in the advance of digital technology as a tool for educating young children, collaborating on numerous acclaimed video and interactive projects with the Jim Henson Company, the Success for All Foundation, Columbia Teachers College, Speakaboos, Tiggly, Teachley, and others. In 2010, Cerf was awarded the Harold W. McGraw Prize for his contributions to American education.
Job Titles:
- National Director of Walks & Events
Cindy LeBlanc brings a wealth of relational fundraising, volunteer, and event management experience to her role as National Director of Walks & Events for AIM at Melanoma.
In her role, LeBlanc interfaces with a growing pool of volunteers and donors for AIM's event-based fundraising. She works closely with AIM supporters to stage annual walks around the country, develop volunteer training and recruitment plans, and raise funds using a unique "Do it Yourself" system.
LeBlanc's goals are to increase the participation and fundraising in all of AIM's events. Working with the hundreds of generous volunteers and donors who want to support AIM's mission is her passion.
Previously, LeBlanc was owner/CEO of LeBlanc Consulting in the Greater Atlanta area, managing 63 fundraising chapters for which she helped grow revenue, improve operation standards, and fine-tune data management and budgetary processes.
LeBlanc worked in development roles for two non-profits: the PKD Foundation in Kansas City, Mo., where she raised $2.5 million annually with a volunteer program 5,000 strong, and the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, where she raised major and corporate gifts and was responsible for a $4 million budget.
LeBlanc received her bachelor's degree in human resources management and personnel administration from Georgia State University - J. Mack Robinson College of Business. She is a native of Georgia.
Claire recently joined Havas to lead Arnold NY as Managing Director .
Prior to Arnold, Claire spent 12 years at J. Walter Thompson (part of WPP) where she was Global President, Retail and tasked with leading a specialized retail discipline to leverage the company's deep experience in the category. around the world. Her personal experience spans automotive, QSR, finance, and mass merchandise…
Additionally, Claire lead a WPP multi-agency team for Danone Yogurt; a company committed to healthy foods and, as a Benefit Corp, doing good for the world. She is also particularly proud of her work with PeriodEquity.org , focused on raising awareness of the hypocrisy that many US. States tax tampons as luxury goods. For nearly a decade she managed both Macy's and Energizer Personal Care (now Edgewell). For Macy's, their holiday franchise Believe/"Yes, Virginia" was both a multi-year business success and industry recognized, winning Gold, Silver and Bronze Cannes Lions, Effies, and Webbys. She ushered in their early use of mobile technology leading to Macy's being named Mobile Marketer of the Year for multiple years. For, Edgewell Personal Care she globally managed brands across their men's/women's grooming, feminine care, sun-care, and baby categories. Prior to JWT, Claire was EVP Managing Director at Lowe Worldwide (now MullenLowe) leading GMC truck/SUV business and Saab Cars. She spent the first part of her career in media, lastly as Media Director of Lowe San Francisco. Claire is a past Mediaweek Media All-Star, was named one of the "30 Most Powerful Women in Advertising" by Business Insider, and has been a member of the board of directors of Quarto Publishing Group (LSE: QTR), a world leading publisher of illustrated, non-fiction books. Most recently, she's been appointed to the advisory board of AIM at Melanoma.org. Trinity College, BA Economics. "I am thrilled to be working with amazing companies and brands where we're not just doing great work, but great work for good!"
Debra Rosenfeld is currently a commercial real estate broker who manages and owns property in the New York City area. She is currently working on a mixed-use, sustainable development project in Forest Hills, New York. Debra's family business was founded by her Father, George Rosenfeld, who had melanoma. Debra lives on the Eastside of Manhattan with her daughter Alison and they are in the process of visiting colleges together for 2020/21.
Prior to her career in real estate, Debra was an elementary school teacher.
Job Titles:
- Expert in the Field of Dermatology
- Professor in Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, at the University of California in San Francisco
Dr. Maibach is a recognized expert in the field of Dermatology, and specifically, dermatopharmacology and dermatotoxicology. Dr. Maibach has published over 1700 articles on various dermatology-related subjects and is a frequent lecturer on various subjects related to dermatology.
Dr. Kirkwood is internationally renowned for pioneering research in the development of biological therapies for melanoma. He is a member of numerous medical oncology and research societies and has co-authored more than 300 peer-reviewed articles, chapters and reviews, focusing heavily upon melanoma. In 1995, Dr. Kirkwood assumed the Chairmanship of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group's Melanoma Committee.
Job Titles:
- Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit, UK
Job Titles:
- the Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, U.S.a
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College
Dr. Michael I. Jacobs is a Manhattan-based, Board Certified dermatologist with extensive experience in office practice, research, and education. In addition to his position as Associate Attending Dermatologist at New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) and…
Dr. Kashani-Sabet's research is focused on the prognostic approach to patient's disease state and the identification of melanoma progression genes, and the development of gene therapies for patients with melanoma, areas which he has published extensively. Dr. Kashani-Sabet is a member of numerous professional societies, and serves on the editorial board of Cancer Gene Therapy.
Job Titles:
- Executive VP of Development & Chief Medical Officer of Transave Inhalation Biotherapeutics
Dr. Gupta was formerly at Antigenics, Inc., where she was Sr. VP of Development, advancing its immunotherapy and small molecule pipeline for Oncology and Infectious Diseases. Her work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Infectious Diseases and she has been active in numerous relevant academic and professional societies such as the Infectious Disease Society of America and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Job Titles:
- Director of Community Engagement
Jim Kelly worked at Time Magazine for more than three decades, including six years as its editor. A native New Yorker, Jim now splits his time between the New York and Roxbury, Ct.
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing
- Team Leader and Digital Media Expert
Kathleen Lowe is a dynamic team leader and digital media expert with 20 years of experience developing and overseeing successful marketing campaigns and business development initiatives for non-profit and for-profit organizations.
Lowe connected instantly with AIM's mission and the story of Charlie Guild and her family, and she was thrilled when she was hired in January 2018 to direct the foundation's marketing initiatives.
In her role at AIM, Lowe is responsible for creating and managing an ambitious marketing communications plan in order to effectively support the foundation's mission and strategic initiatives.
Lowe worked previously as the vice president of business development and marketing strategy for MktShr Ad Agency in Palm Beach, Fla., where she developed a robust roster of clients across the country, ranging from entrepreneurial companies, nonprofit, service and professional groups, and associations.
Prior to that, Lowe served as the director of media and marketing services for Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. where she led the development and execution of the University's marketing plan for the Office of Admissions. There, Lowe developed RWU's first interactive online news media room.
Lowe's other professional roles include a senior directorship of business development for Worldways Social Marketing Agency in Providence, R.I., where she launched a firm-wide branding program and oversaw all cause marketing programs internally and externally. She also worked as a senior branding and marketing strategist for Ogilvy & Mather in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Miami, Florida where she oversaw B2B client relationships, internal-team relationships, and account operations during the planning, development, and execution of advertising campaigns.
Lowe holds a bachelor of arts in art and architecture from Brown University and is a native of Connecticut.
Kenneth T. Wasserman is an attorney practicing litigation in New York City, including trust and estate contests. He has traveled extensively in over 100 countries and has written on "primitive" legal trials. He has been on the Board of Directors of the New York University Law Alumni Association and served as chair of its Global Alumni Committee. He is an officer of the American Foreign Law Association, has long been active with the Council on Foreign Relations and is a member of the Economic Club of New York.
Job Titles:
- Founder and CEO of Visual Lease
Marc Betesh is Founder and CEO of Visual Lease, a real estate and equipment lease management and accounting software platform for public and private companies. He is also Founder and President of KBA Lease Services, a real estate consulting firm that specializes in reducing leasing costs for commercial tenants. He is an attorney by background and is a leading expert on commercial lease negotiation, lease accounting and commercial lease expenses.
Marc received his BA from Temple University and his JD from Georgetown University and is a member of the New York and New Jersey bars. Prior to establishing Visual Lease (1996) and KBA Lease Services (1985), Marc practiced law in New York City where he negotiated commercial leases.
Melissa Wilson, PA-C, MPAS, leads AIM's "Ask a Melanoma Expert" program and is AIM's resident melanoma medical expert. Wilson brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role, and boundless enthusiasm for the industry - and her patients.
A natural trailblazer, Wilson is proud of her collaborative work as an NCCPA-certified physician assistant senior since 2005 with the distinguished melanoma specialist Dr. John Kirkwood at the University of Pittsburgh in the Cancer Institute Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine. Their treatment and research initiatives were so successful that they have been used as a template for other cancer programs throughout the country. Wilson works as lead physician assistant for the Melanoma Program at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
Her expertise is focused on acute care in outpatient oncology with research patients and the general melanoma population. She helps patients manage therapy-driven toxicity-related problems and emergencies. She has expertise in biopsies and suturing techniques; cryotherapy; injections; imaging reviews; clinical trial monitoring; and RECIST tumor measurements.
A natural teacher, Wilson has also worked with a multidisciplinary team on patient education and collaboration. She holds appointments at Chatham University Clinical Preceptor where she is adjunct faculty and is a cancer care modules lecturer on melanoma since 2013.
Inspired to her career by her own father's battle with cancer (he is doing well!), Wilson says she will never stop wanting to help patients fight melanoma. She also feels confident that a cure is on the horizon given that melanoma treatments have grown exponentially over the last few years.
Wilson is a native of Pennsylvania and has her master's degree from Chatham University in physician assistant studies (MPAS), and PA-C (certified in Pennsylvania).
Mitchell J. Nelson has more than 40 years' experience specializing in real estate related matters as an attorney, a trustee, an advisor and an investor. He most recently provided guidance and expertise to execute a family plan for the disposition of a large mixed-use project in New York City.
He started practicing real estate law at Wien, Malkin & Bettex in 1973, became a partner…
Mitchell Nelson is an honorary director of the 92nd Street Y and is Chair of the Juilliard School Council. He has served as a director of The Merchants Bank of New York and as a member of the Advisory Board of its successor, Valley National Bank. Over the years Mr. Nelson has been a trustee of Collegiate School and served on the Visiting Committee of the University of Chicago Law School, the Board of Overseers of Brandeis University's Wien International Scholarship Program, and the Board of Directors of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council. He has also been a member of the Advisory Boards of the New York Real Estate Law Reporter and Security Title and Guaranty Company, and a member of the Real Estate Board of New York.
Mr. Nelson received a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1973 and a B.A. from Brandeis University in 1970, magna cum laude with honors in philosophy. At Brandeis, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and named a Louis Brandeis Scholar.
Job Titles:
- Professor and Chairman of the Department of Microbiology
Carl Nathan, MD is R.A. Rees Pritchett Professor and chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College. After graduation from Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, he trained in internal medicine and oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital, the National Cancer Institute and Yale before joining the faculty of The Rockefeller University from 1977-1986. At Cornell since 1986, he has served…
Rae Boylan is mostly retired but does some part time investment banking at a small financial advisory firm called Swap Financial.
Previously, Boylan was Senior Managing Director of the not-for-profit Health Care Finance Group, which he helped establish, at the…
Royal Bank of Canada in New York City. Prior to that he'd been a Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns in the firm's Health Care Finance Group, and before that at Kidder Peabody, focusing on not-for profit entities, primarily hospitals. Boylan was raised in Riverside California, then a small town based with an economy principally based on oranges, east of Los Angeles. He earned a B.A. at the University of Southern California, a J.D. from the University of California, San Francisco, Hastings College of the Law, and a Master of Laws Degree in International Law and Finance from Columbia Law School.
Job Titles:
- Director of Operations
- Director of Donor Relations
Risa Salinas brings more than 20 years of experience in project management, operations, sales, and cross-functional collaboration-all in a for-profit setting-to her position as Director of Donor Relations for AIM at Melanoma.
Salinas manages all of AIM's fundraising and donor relations platforms, systems, and services. She oversees AIM's event and fundraising pages and manages the stewardship program for AIM's generous donors. She works closely with AIM Vice President, Alicia Rowell, and AIM National Director of Walks and Events, Cindy LeBlanc, on the broader fundraising goals of the organization.
Salinas was deeply moved by the story of Charlie Guild, who died of melanoma in 2004 when she was 26, and after whom the foundation is named. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to work in a non-profit setting with the noble goal of eradicating melanoma.
Prior to AIM, Salinas worked as a purchasing manager and procurement specialist for Henderson Design Studio in Dallas, Texas, where she was responsible for project inventory, reporting, and pre- and post-installation planning. She managed the project budgets for furniture, fixtures and equipment. She has also worked at Marly and Co. Design Studio in Dallas, Texas, and for Capelli New York out of Frisco, Texas.
Salinas earned her degree in merchandising and business from the University of North Texas. She is a native of Texas.
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Shearman & Sterling LLP
Rob Masella is a senior partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Shearman & Sterling LLP and the Head of the Firm's Healthcare Group.
Rob's transactional work in healthcare includes mergers and acquisitions, sell-side and buy-side transactions, dual-track M&A/IPO processes, strategic alliances, licenses, co-promotion agreements and…
Born and educated in Canada, Robert MacNeil was a journalist for forty years with, successively, Reuters News Agency, NBC News and the BBC, culminating in twenty years as Executive Editor of the MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour on PBS. He is the author of four novels, Burden of Desire, The Voyage, Breaking News, and Portrait of Julia; three memoirs, The Right Place at the Right Time, Wordstruck, and Looking For My Country; and co-author of The Story of English and the sequel, Do You Speak American?
MacNeil was Chairman of the MacDowell Colony from 1993 to 2010.
He lives in New York City and Nova Scotia.
Job Titles:
- President
- Education, Public Policy, Advocacy
- Now AIM 's President
Samantha Guild left a successful career as a litigation attorney in 2008 to become the Director of Education, Public Policy, and Advocacy for AIM at Melanoma, the foundation her mother, Valerie Guild, founded after Charlie Guild-Samantha Guild's sister and Valerie Guild's daughter-died of melanoma in 2003.
For Samantha Guild, AIM at Melanoma is a labor of love, and the family has one over-arching goal: to end melanoma. AIM's success is a testament to their hard work and the enduring spirit of hope and helping others that Charlie left behind.
Now AIM's President, Samantha oversees the day-to-day operation of the foundation and works closely with grantors and the AIM team on future goals for the foundation.
Guild also oversees the creation of resources for patients, caregivers, and health care providers, including AIM's melanoma oncology nursing website and the Skin Cancer Education and Research Foundation. Guild maintains the accuracy of the AIM at Melanoma website and directs AIM's ten annual patient education symposiums.
In her public policy work, she supports state legislators in their introduction and passage of indoor tanning device legislation. She led the effort in California that resulted in 2011 in the passage of the first bill to ban minors under 18 from using tanning devices. She is a public speaker and prolific writer on the impact of indoor tanning legislation, risks, and restrictions, with an emphasis on tanning's effect on minors. She also oversees AIM's effort to support oral parity legislation on the state and federal level.
In her advocacy role at AIM, Guild sits on a variety of governmental and non-profit working groups and committees where she advocates for the melanoma community, including the ASCO Melanoma Guidelines Meeting. She is frequently asked by industry to share the patient perspective on topics of importance to their research. She sits on many boards and working groups, among them the NCCN, SWOG, and ECOG.
Guild received a bachelor's degree from Clark University in Worcester, Mass., where she studied American government and women's issues. She earned her law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, in Sacramento, Calif. She is a member of the State Bar of California and a native of New York.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer of Gladstone Place Partners
Steve Lipin is Chief Executive Officer of Gladstone Place Partners and a trusted advisor in the field of strategic, financial and corporate governance communications. Steve has spent over 30 years at the intersection of the corporate world, Wall Street and the…
media as a leading financial journalist and top communications strategist to C-Suites, boards of directors and chief communications officers. Steve started Gladstone Place Partners in 2017 after 16 years at Brunswick Group, where he was U.S. Senior Partner. Before Brunswick, Steve spent 10 years at The Wall Street Journal, where he covered banking and mergers and acquisitions and left as its finance editor. Born in New York City, Steve graduated from Boston College with a bachelor's degree in economics. He is a board member of Student Sponsor Partners, the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship In Economics and Business Journalism at Columbia Journalism School, the Columbia Journalism Review and of Youth-Inc. He is married with three children and lives in New York City.
A forward thinking executive with extensive experience in health care administration, Stuart C. Kaplan provides strategic, analytical, and operational stewardship for non-profit social service, health care, long term care and independent living organizations. Under his leadership, Selfhelp Community Services, Inc., a leading provider of community centered health and human services, home care and affordable housing for…
aging New Yorkers, provides compassionate care to preserve the independence and dignity of 20,000 individuals. Selfhelp is also the largest provider of comprehensive services to Holocaust survivors in North America. As a transformative leader, Mr. Kaplan has led Selfhelp in the formation of care management, technology and senior housing innovations to meet the evolving health care reform models serving at risk and high cost populations. Mr. Kaplan's commitment to the wider New York community is evidenced by his committee and board participation in many service organizations. Mr. Kaplan served on the Board of Directors of LeadingAge New York, where he was President of the state-wide Housing Cabinet. Mr. Kaplan is active in LeadingAge, Washington, D.C. where he serves on the Board of the Center for Aging Services Technology (CAST). Mr. Kaplan is an ardent advocate for the development of senior housing with services models and serves on the LeadingAge Cabinet on the Future of Affordable Senior Housing. He is also on the Board of the Global Ageing Network. Locally, Mr. Kaplan is Chair of UJA-Federation of New York's Federation Agency Executive Committee as well as serves on policy and program development committees and is active in housing policy for LiveOn NY. Prior to Selfhelp, Mr. Kaplan was executive vice president at St. Mary's Healthcare System for Children serving children with special health care needs and terminal illnesses. He has written and presented on the subject of senior housing with services, gerontechnology, subacute care and palliative care for adults and children. Mr. Kaplan holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Bernard M. Baruch College. He is a past President of Bernard M. Baruch College/Mount Sinai School of Medicine Health Care Administration Alumni Association.
Suzanne Rosenberg is a career advisor working primarily with college seniors and recent graduates with up to five years of experience. Suzanne offers advice and guidance to help her clients navigate their job search and recruitment across a variety of industries with emphasis in financial services. She helps her clients create and develop…
networking opportunities, draft resumes tailored to their strengths and interests and prepare for job interviews. She also assists clients through the on boarding process and offers insights and support to ensure smooth career transitions. Suzanne has spent over 25 years on Wall Street as a Senior Human Resources practitioner. She has held senior leadership roles in Lateral & Campus Recruitment, Senior Talent Development, Employee Relations and Compensation. She has managed global teams within Human Resources supporting a diverse client base including Investment Banking, Technology, and Operations functions. Throughout her career, she has been a trusted advisor to senior leaders in a broad range of Human Resources roles. Suzanne holds an MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business and a Bachelors of Science from the School of Industrial & Labor Relations at Cornell University.
Job Titles:
- Founder and Managing Partner of Petrichor Healthcare Capital Management
Tadd S. Wessel is the founder and Managing Partner of Petrichor Healthcare Capital Management. Mr. Wessel was formerly a Managing Director at OrbiMed Advisors, where he led the build out of the healthcare special situations and structured finance business. Prior to OrbiMed, Mr. Wessel was a Vice President in the Drawbridge Special Opportunities Fund at Fortress Investment Group focused on healthcare investments. Mr. Wessel began his career at Robertson Stephens in the life sciences investment banking group. Mr. Wessel holds an A.B. from Princeton University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors of the Partnership Schools
- President of First Palm Beach Properties, Inc
Thomas C. Quick is President of First Palm Beach Properties, Inc., a real estate holding company based in Palm Beach, FL. Mr. Quick is a retired Vice Chairman of Quick & Reilly/Fleet Securities, Inc. In 1998, Quick & Reilly became part of Fleet, then FleetBoston Financial Corporation (NYSE: FBF), one of the nation's largest and most successful financial services firms, and holding company of one of the nation's largest…
Mr. Quick serves as a member of the Board of Directors of The Partnership Schools, also known as The Partnership for Inner-City Education, as well as the Inner-City Scholarship Fund. Other Board affiliates include The American Ireland Fund, Boston; TrustBridge Hospice Foundation of Palm Beach; The Breast Cancer Research Foundation; The Society of the Four Arts; The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach; The Zoological Society of the Palm Beaches, Florida; Best Buddies International, Inc., Florida; Venetian Heritage Foundation; American Friends of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Inc. and Casita Maria Center, New York City. Mr. Quick serves as a Trustee of Theatre Forward, The United Way of Palm Beach as well as a National Trustee of the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington D.C. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of BF Enterprises. He was formerly a member of the Board of Directors of Senesco Technologies, Inc.; Cold Spring Harbour Laboratories; Fairfield University and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. Mr. Quick received a B.S. in Accounting from Fairfield University in 1977.
When Valerie Guild lost her beloved 26-year-old daughter Charlie to melanoma in 2003, she vowed to help find the cure for the disease and founded AIM at Melanoma as the vehicle to do so. Four years later, Guild was joined by her daughter, Sam Guild, who gave up her career as a litigation attorney to work with AIM and is now AIM's President.
Job Titles:
- Executive Chairman of FCB Financial Holdings
Vincent Tese, lawyer, investment advisor and cable television executive, served New York State by appointment of Governor Mario M. Cuomo from the outset of the Cuomo Administration through December 1994.
Appointed State Superintendent of Banks in 1983, Mr. Tese in March 1985 was named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban Development Corporation and, in 1987,…
Mr. Tese is currently the Executive Chairman of FCB Financial Holdings. He is also a director of several corporations, including AMC Networks Inc, ICE Clear Credit LLC, Intercontinental Exchange, Inc., Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, Madison Square Garden and New York Racing Association, Inc. In addition, he is Trustee of New York University School of Law and New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Job Titles:
- President of the Americas
Vira Capeci is President of the Americas for global luxury brand, Balenciaga, a subsidiary of Kering, S.A, overseeing all brand operations. She joined the iconic brand in October of 2017 as an exciting next phase in her nearly three decade long career across some of the most iconic and successful fashion houses in the industry.
She began her career at Italian fashion group Aeffe S.p.A., owner of the…
Alberta Ferretti, Moschino and Narciso Rodriguez brands. As an executive for Moschino, she traveled extensively to Milan for 14 years and rose to Vice President for North America, managing sales and promotions for all categories of the brand. Recruited by her previous CEO, Marco Gobbetti, an executive at LVMH Inc. Ms. Capeci was tapped to join Givenchy as President in 2005, where she helped relaunch the brand in North & South America and led their highly successful brand growth. In 2008, Ms. Capeci added the oversight of the Celine brand to her portfolio and was the President of both Givenchy and Celine for the Americas simultaneously. Her dual presidency of the two iconic fashion houses ended in 2009 when she transitioned to Céline full-time, where she remained until 2017, and led the brand in a decade when it enjoyed the highest accolades for its business, cultural and design superiority in fashion. Vira is a 1990 graduate and active alumnae of Gettysburg College and devotes time to several non-profit organizations, most notably the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation and Women in Need. Vira resides in Manhattan with her husband and 8 year old daughter.