OVERDECK FAMILY FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Impact Assessment Manager
- Team Member
Anant is the Impact Assessment Manager at Overdeck Family Foundation, where he designs and oversees strategies for estimating and evaluating the impact and cost effectiveness of the Foundation's grantmaking.
Prior to joining Overdeck Family Foundation, Anant worked at Social Finance, helping evidence-based nonprofits define growth strategies, meet their financing needs, scale with fidelity, and generate measurable impact. Anant's previous experience spans impact investing, management consulting, and design thinking at organizations like Dalberg, IDEO.org, and Accenture.
Anant received his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School, and BBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Outside the office, Anant enjoys running, backpacking, and a good podcast.
Job Titles:
- Business Analyst
- Team Member
Anthony Kuzma, Business Analyst, is responsible for supporting the Program Director in managing the program team to strategically find, fund, and grow early and growth stage organizations.
Prior to joining Overdeck Family Foundation, Anthony was a Program Manager in Education Technology at Success Academy Charter Schools. In this role, he led strategic improvement efforts to the technology services provided to students and teachers. Anthony also acted as the Business Operations Manager, managing and consulting multiple projects focused on developing growth strategies and building critical business cases and operational models to support scaling impact. Prior to Success Academy, he was a Senior Program Coordinator at Futures and Options, where he helped scale a professional development program for underserved high school students. Anthony holds a B.A. in Political Science from Boston College and served as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching and conducting research in Ruse, Bulgaria.
Anthony enjoys cooking, traveling, rooting for any Pittsburgh sports team, and exploring NYC with his corgi, Bean.
Job Titles:
- Team Member
- Vice President, Education
Anu Malipatil, Vice President, Education, is the Foundation's founding team member, bringing with her over 18 years of K-12 education and nonprofit sector experience. Anu's responsibilities include working with the Trustees to set the Foundation's vision, goals and priorities while also guiding the leadership team, which includes oversight of the team's program, impact and learning, communications, and people/operations workstreams.
Prior to joining Overdeck Family Foundation, Anu was a Regents Research Fund Fellow at the New York State Education Department, where she architected the RFP for the $70M Race to the Top statewide effort to build P-12 math and ELA curriculum, training, and aligned professional development resources. She also managed the development of EngageNY.org and the first open source P-5 math curriculum in K-12 education, which has been adopted by over 30 percent of classrooms in the country.
While at Teach For America in New York City, Anu led the math and science domain as Managing Director. Her team's work significantly improved student level outcomes in the region. During this time, she also built the organization's first assessment bank and student achievement toolkits for math / science, which were replicated in regions across the country.
Anu is a Pahara Education Fellow, New York Regional Board Member for Teach For America, a Board Member at Open Up Resources, and a Founding Board Member for Coney Island Preparatory Charter School. She is a member of the Leap Ambassadors Community and the women's leadership network, CHIEF. She holds a Master's in Teaching from Pace University and graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Economics from Emory; she is also a graduate of the Emerging Leaders Program at Columbia Business School. Anu enjoys spending weekends in her local community of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, exploring the world, doing yoga, and spending time with close friends and family.
Job Titles:
- Communications Officer
- Team Member
Brittany Sullivan, Communications Officer, is responsible for strengthening and expanding the Foundation's mission and uplifting the work of its grantees through media relations and content creation.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Brittany was Senior Manager on the Corporate Communications team at Scholastic, where she led strategic public relations efforts for K-12 education solutions, helped develop national research reports, and served as editor for the Company's education blog, in addition to managing an award-winning global Kid Reporter program.
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Brittany began her career in tech communications where she developed a passion for storytelling. Brittany graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in Public Relations and a minor in Western Art History & Architecture. Outside of work, Brittany rock climbs, loves cooking, and is constantly exploring new restaurants and neighborhoods across New York City.
Job Titles:
- Associate Program Director, Out - of - School Learning
- Team Member
Carly Roberts, Associate Program Director, Out-of-School Learning, manages the Foundation's out-of-school portfolios, Early Impact and Inspired Minds, which focus on the areas of early childhood and informal STEM education, respectively.
Carly has worked in education throughout her career and in her graduate studies, with experience spanning direct impact, research, and policy. She coordinated comprehensive services for children and families in an under-resourced neighborhood in Washington, D.C. and later held consultative roles for school districts, Head Start research, Robin Hood Foundation, and the Newark Trust for Education.
Carly earned a Master's of Public Administration and Master's of Public Health from Columbia University and graduated magna cum laude from George Washington University with a B.A. in Psychology. She enjoys spending time with friends, traveling, eating her way around NYC, and dancing, and now does all of those things with her husband and two children.
Job Titles:
- Director of People and Operations
- Team Member
Elaine Perez, Director of People and Operations, is responsible for leading the Foundation's HR, talent management, and internal operations functions. She aims to create an environment that fosters individual growth and development, and enables the broader team in achieving its goals and mission.
She brings 15 years of experience in social impact organizations, focused on addressing education and economic inequity. She most recently served as Chief Operating Officer at Prospect Schools, a K-12 charter school network, where she led the management of a robust cross-functional team and developed the network's first multi-year DEI strategy.
Prior to joining Overdeck Family Foundation, Elaine held leadership roles in operations and development at Year Up and DonorsChoose. She earned an M.P.A. from Baruch College and a B.S. in Information Systems from Pace University. She enjoys spending time with her three children, traveling, and planning children's events in her local community in the Dominican Republic.
Job Titles:
- Program Officer
- Program Officer, Inspired Minds
- Team Member
Gemma Lenowitz, Program Officer, sources and supports organizations for the Inspired Minds portfolio, collecting and analyzing data from grantees and researchers to determine high-impact investing areas.
Previously, she served as a STEM coordinator and 12th grade lead at MESA Charter High School, where she founded and coached a robotics team, taught Bioengineering and Computer Science, and implemented edtech and project-based learning. In 2016, Gemma received an Allen Distinguished Educator award for innovative teaching in bioengineering, and incorporated neuroscience into her classroom through the Brain Insight Teacher Scholar program at Columbia University.
As a 2013 Teach for America corps member, she earned an MAT from Fordham University after graduating magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Cognitive Science. Gemma is a member of the STEM Funders Network and Grantmakers for Thriving Youth.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Program Officer
- Associate Program Officer, Exceptional Educators
- Team Member
Irene Chen, Associate Program Officer, is responsible for supporting and sourcing grantee organizations for the Exceptional Educators portfolio.
Previously, Irene was an account director with a technology startup, Panorama Education, where she partnered with K-12 schools and districts to utilize data in making critical decisions to support successful student outcomes. Her experiences in the non-profit education sector and as a Teach for America 5th grade classroom teacher also informs her work in supporting the Foundation's grantees.
Irene holds her Master's in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in Literatures and Cultures in English and Education Studies. Irene is an avid reader, a somewhat proficient Monday crossword completer, and a sourdough bread maker.
James Marion, Secretary, assists the foundation staff with grants management and special projects.
A returned Peace Corps volunteer (Rural Health - Paraguay), James also worked for four years in the Development & Communications department at Volunteers of America - Greater New York, a social services organization, before coming to Overdeck Family Foundation and Two Sigma Investments.
James graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Berkeley, with a double major in Political Science and History (High Honors).
John Overdeck is the President of Overdeck Family Foundation and the co-founder and co-chair of Two Sigma Investments, LP, an investment management firm that follows the principles of technology and innovation to find value in the world's data. Previously, he was a Managing Director at D.E. Shaw & Co. and a Vice President at Amazon. John received a B.S. in Mathematics (with distinction) and an M.S. in Statistics from Stanford University. He is Chair of the National Museum of Mathematics, serves on the global advisory board of Khan Academy, and is a director of the Robin Hood Foundation and the Institute for Advanced Study.
Job Titles:
- Strategic Impact & Learning Director
- Team Member
Jon Sotsky, Strategic Impact and Learning Director, brings over a decade of experience advancing social impact through data-driven and business-minded approaches. At the Foundation, Jon oversees impact measurement, research, learning and the Data for Action grants portfolio.
Jon previously was the Director of Strategy & Assessment at the Knight Foundation where he guided strategy, research and evaluation across its funding for journalism, civic innovation, and the arts. Prior to that, Jon was a consultant at Mission Measurement where he advised corporate and private funders as well as education nonprofits on program strategy and measurement. He also served as a consultant on IBM's media practice.
Jon graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University with a B.S. degree in Applied Economics & Management. He serves on the boards of DataKind and Media Impact Funders. Jon enjoys traveling, improv comedy, the Giants (sometimes), and spending time with his wife and three children.
Job Titles:
- Program Analyst, Early Impact
- Team Member
Katie Lim, Program Analyst, sources and supports organizations for the Early Impact portfolio, collecting and analyzing data from grantees and researchers to determine high-impact investment areas that support the portfolio's goal of increasing the likelihood that all children enter kindergarten "ready to learn" and experience early school success.
Most recently, Katie worked at the Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools, leading the survey management and data analysis/visualization for two program evaluations relating to parent leadership and family engagement. Her experiences as a research assistant at playLabNYU and the Developmental Stress and Prevention Lab at Stony Brook University also inform her work in supporting the Foundation's grantees.
Katie holds a Master of Arts in Human Development and Social Intervention from New York University and graduated from Stony Brook University with a B.S. in Psychology. In her free time, Katie enjoys baking, exploring the city to try new foods, and spending time with friends and family.
Laura Overdeck is the Chair of Overdeck Family Foundation and the Founder and President of Bedtime Math, a nonprofit that ignites kids' curiosity and learning by unleashing the fun in math. She is an alumna and former trustee of Princeton University, where she earned a B.A. in astrophysics. She also holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business and an honorary D.Eng. from Stevens Institute of Technology. In addition to her leadership roles at Overdeck Family Foundation and Bedtime Math, Laura is a trustee of Khan Academy, Liberty Science Center, and The Pingry School, and serves on the advisory boards for Princeton's Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY), and Governor's School of New Jersey.
Job Titles:
- Communications Director
- Team Member
Lina Eroh, Communications Director, leads both internal and external communications efforts at the organization, working closely with grantees and the Foundation team.
Previously, Lina led marketing and communication teams at numerous startups, guiding them through fundraising rounds, growth and scaling challenges, and mergers and acquisitions. She has also played key roles on corporate communication teams for iconic consumer brands, such as eBay.
Lina graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a major in Communications and minors in Psychology and Women's Studies. She also holds an MFA in Writing from the University of San Francisco.
Lina is an avid traveler, with 35 countries under her belt. Nowadays, she's the President of the Rye Free Reading Room Auxiliary Board and spends her weekends with her three daughters, husband, and giant schnauzer.
Job Titles:
- New Jersey Program Officer
- Team Member
Liz Ross, New Jersey Program Officer, leads the portfolio of innovative projects across the state with her passion for education issues and her experience in the philanthropic landscape.
Liz has spent almost 20 years in the non-profit sector. Prior to joining Overdeck Family Foundation, she was the Director of Outreach at Bedtime Math Foundation, expanding the impact of the organization's work across the country. Previously, she served as the Director of Development at Mass Mentoring Partnership in Boston and a Development Officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Liz holds a B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University and served as the Captain of the Division I Women's Lacrosse Team. Born and raised in New Jersey, she and her husband are now raising their two daughters in the Garden State, where she enjoys cooking with her kids while they attempt to teach her the latest hip hop moves.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Operations
- Manager, Operations and Strategic Initiatives
- Team Member
Lucy Brainard, Manager of Operations and Strategic Initiatives, oversees organizational operations and strategy by supporting the Vice President, maintaining knowledge and information sharing processes for Foundation staff, and managing the Foundation's non-monetary support strategy.
She previously worked at TripAdvisor as the Social Impact Program and Events Coordinator, where she provided coordination for employee giving and volunteer initiatives, including communicating with and developing new tools and resources for employees and nonprofit partners. She also oversaw the planning and execution of Global Volunteer Month for 3,500 employees in 34 international offices, including the TripGives Ambassador program. In 2012, Lucy founded Orkeeswa's Angels, a social enterprise that employs 150 local Maasai women in Tanzania to make beaded angels, jewelry, and ornaments, with all proceeds covering school fees for students at Orkeeswa Secondary School.
Lucy received a B.A. in International Affairs from Northeastern University in 2019. In her free time, Lucy enjoys watching and playing sports, experiencing new food and places, and spending time with her family and dog, Juno.
Job Titles:
- Data and Insights Manager
- Team Member
Megan Morrison, Data and Insights Manager, manages the Foundation's data and learning systems.
Previously, Megan spent ten years at the Ford Foundation, including most recently in the role of Strategy and Learning Officer. In this role, Megan helped redesign the Foundation's grantmaking processes to improve data collection and support ongoing learning. She also created the Foundation's FunderMentals program, an internal platform and education program dedicated to supporting grantmaker training and effectiveness. Prior to that, she worked in grantmaking programs dedicated to women's health and rights, arts and culture, journalism, technology, and education. Before joining Ford, Megan worked in the art world at the Guggenheim Museum and Sotheby's.
Megan received her MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business and holds a BA in Art History from the University of Virginia. She enjoys hiking, making art, and exploring all the culture that NYC has to offer.
Job Titles:
- Associate Manager, Grants Administration
- Team Member
Megan Muneeb, Associate Manager, Grants Administration, manages the administration, operational efficiency, and effectiveness of grantmaking at Overdeck Family Foundation.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Megan served as Grants Manager at the Simons Foundation, where she managed the full life cycle of grants administration for a diverse portfolio of research- and education-focused grants. Megan previously conducted both grantmaking and grant writing work during graduate school, and with the non-profit LAP Erfurt.
Megan received her Master of Public Policy from the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy in Germany, and her B.A. from North Central College. She enjoys knitting, national parks, and a great cup of coffee.
Job Titles:
- Associate Program Director, K - 9 Education
- Team Member
Melanie Dukes, Associate Program Director, K-9 Education, manages the Foundation's in-school portfolios, Exceptional Educators and Innovative Schools, focused on K-9 programs that increase the retention of expert educators and support student-centered learning environments, respectively. Melanie brings over 15 years of experience with leading education initiatives, building innovative programs, and using technology, data, and analytics to generate new solutions to complex problems.
Previously, Melanie worked at 2U, Inc. as a Director in the technology department to support online learning for universities. Prior to that, Melanie worked at Relay GSE, KIPP NYC, MLT (Management Leadership for Tomorrow), Morgan Stanley, and General Mills. She is a board member for two Brooklyn Charter Schools-PAVE and Launch Expeditionary Learning-as well as Saga Education, a national leader providing consulting and technical assistance to help organizations develop and implement high-impact tutoring.
Melanie earned an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering. She is pursuing an M.A. in Education Technology at NYU Steinhardt. She enjoys volunteering, spending time with friends, traveling, and exploring Brooklyn with loved ones.
Job Titles:
- Program Analyst, Innovative Schools
- Team Member
Paula Longoria, Program Analyst, sources and supports organizations for the Innovative Schools portfolio. This involves collecting and analyzing data from grantees and researchers to determine high-impact investment areas that support the portfolio's goal of expanding access to tech-enabled, student-centered K-9 learning environments, intentionally designed for any student to thrive.
Before joining Overdeck Family Foundation, Paula served as a Research Coordinator at the Center for Early Childhood Health and Development at NYU Langone. In this role, she worked directly with preschools in New York City, supporting teachers and administrators to implement ParentCorps, a social-emotional learning program for preschoolers and parents. Prior to this, Paula worked at Sesame Street, collaborating on content for children in foster care, families experiencing homelessness, and military families. Her experience working with these organizations informs her work in supporting the Foundation's goals and grantees.
Paula graduated from New York University with a B.S. in Media, Culture and Communications. In her free time, she enjoys playing guitar, baking, and exploring New York City with her family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Program Officer, Innovative Schools
- Team Member
Pete Lavorini leads the Innovative Schools portfolio, which aims to expand access to tech-enabled, student-centered K-9 learning environments. As a former 6th grade teacher, Pete believes that every child deserves an education that both empowers and connects.
He has experience leading district-level initiatives for both the New York City Department of Education and Pittsburgh Public Schools, and helping social impact organizations set and operationalize strategy at The Bridgespan Group. Most recently at OneGoal, a national college access and success nonprofit, he supported strategies to scale impact for the organization.
Pete has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and dog, and is a big fan of snacks-probably too big a fan-and Fort Greene Park.
Job Titles:
- Program Officer
- Board Member for the School of American Ballet
- Program Officer, Early Impact
- Team Member
Stephanie Sharp, Program Officer, supports organizations in the Early Impact portfolio, with a focus on increasing reach, strengthening key capacities, and attracting follow-on funding.
Before joining the portfolio in 2017, Stephanie worked at two edtech companies where she focused on scaling through partnerships and implementation models. Prior to that, Stephanie taught Pre-K in Baltimore City Public Schools through Teach For America. She earned her M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Johns Hopkins University, and graduated cum laude from George Washington University with a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications.
Outside of work, Stephanie is a Board Member for the School of American Ballet, and serves on the Young Alumnae Committee for the Brearley School. She also enjoys speaking Swedish with her husband and daughter over kanelbullar.
Tanya Sheehan serves as the foundation's Treasurer.
Job Titles:
- Program Analyst, Inspired Minds
- Team Member
Uchenna Ezibe (oo-chen-nah uh-zee-bay), Program Analyst, sources and supports organizations for the Inspired Minds portfolio, collecting and analyzing data from grantees and researchers to determine high-impact investment areas that support the portfolio's goal: to build the next generation of creative problem-solvers by expanding access to engaging and challenging STEM learning experiences.
Before coming to the Foundation, Uchenna worked as a Science and French teacher at Kuumba Preparatory School of the Arts, where he also served as the office administrator. His previous experiences working in the nonprofit sector (Innovation Echo Alliance, School Year Abroad), higher education sector (Université de Bretagne Occidentale) and educational startup sector (Mentor Collective) also inform his work in supporting the Foundation's goals and grantees.
Uchenna graduated from Bowdoin College with a B.A in Government and Legal Studies / French and Francophone Studies. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, drumming, and reading (mainly science fiction but he's flexible).