Board Minutes
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee
Jeanette Betancourt (Chair), Steven Solinsky (Vice Chair & Treasurer), Maura Fitzgerald (Secretary)
Development Committee
Anthony Lopez (Chair), Mary Bogle, Jeffrey Maclin
Education Committee
Sara Geelan (Chair), Jeanette Betancourt, Melissa Chin
Facilities Committee
Mary Bogle (Chair), Sara Geelan, Maura Fitzgerald, Steven Solinsky
Finance & Audit Committee
Steven Solinsky (Chair), Maura Fitzgerald, Anthony Lopez
Dr. Jeanette Betancourt is the Vice President for Outreach and Educational Practices at Sesame Workshop. She directs the strategic branding and delivery of all domestic and international outreach initiatives to assure the greatest impact and visibility. She is conceptualizing, developing, and delivering compelling new models for the delivery of media-based outreach initiatives to a variety of audiences and communities worldwide. Dr. Betancourt received a BA from Herbert H. Lehman College, City University of New York, an MA in Speech and Language Pathology from Hofstra University, an MS in Bilingual Reading/Special Education from St. John's University, and an Ed.D. in Special Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is the mother of three children. Board Member since 2003.jbetancourt@owncs.org
Mary Hunter Bogle has been an actress for twenty years. She was a member of the award winning For Play Improvised Theatre and went on to produce, perform and write for the sketch comedy group THIS! She serves on the Board of Directors for Queensview Nursery and Kindergarten and is a member of The Hellgate Road Runners and The New York City Road Runners Clubs. Ms. Bogle resides in Astoria, Queens, and is the mother of two boys. Ms. Bogle is one of the founders of the school. Board Member since 2001.mbogle@owncs.org
Melissa Chin is the President/Director of Kid Krazy Child Development Center in Astoria. She has a 17-year background in business administration and marketing. Ms. Chin resides in Astoria and is the mother of a 12 year old. Board Member since 2001. mchin@owncs.org
Maura Fitzgerald is the Director of Administration at Doctors Without Borders-USA where her work focuses on human resources management for domestic and international staff. She is certified by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) as a Senior Professional of Human Resources (SPHR), and participates in several professional associations including InsideNGO. As a Human Resources generalist, Ms. Fitzgerald is responsible for Compensation and Benefits, Employee Relations, Legal Compliance, Organizational Planning and Development, Performance Management, Recruitment, and Training and Development. Prior to joining Doctors Without Borders 12 years ago, Ms. Fitzgerald worked as the Administrator of law firm Weiner & Millo. She maintains her membership in Actors Equity Association in honor of a former life as a singer/actor. She received her B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College, and serves as the Treasurer of Friends of Sunnyside Gardens Parks. Having lived in several countries around the world including Iran, France, Spain and Switzerland, she currently calls Sunnyside, Queens home. Ms. Fitzgerald is the proud mother of two grade school age girls. She joined the board in 2009. mfitzgerald@owncs.org
Sara Geelan is Associate General Counsel at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, where her practice concentrates on matters related to the Guggenheim Museum, its art collection, charitable giving, tax, and compliance with regulations relating to charitable organizations and museums. Previously she served as Associate General Counsel at The Art Institute of Chicago. Sara Geelan practiced law in the Individual Client Services department of Schulte, Roth & Zabel LLP, in New York. She has a J.D. from Columbia Law School, a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School. She is the mother of two children. Board Member since 2009. sgeelan@owncs.org
Anthony Lopez is President and Founder of Aprendes Foundation, a community-based public foundation dedicated to helping groups and individuals foster a lasting improvement in the condition of underserved children and youth in New York City through volunteerism and philanthropy. He has been part of advocacy efforts on behalf of students in bilingual and vocational education and charter schools, and has been involved in the fields of youth development, educational reform and non-profit management. As Executive Director of ASPIRA of NY, he doubled the size of the organization’s budget in three years, and secured a planning grant to create the first K-12 dual language educational campus in the Fordham section of The Bronx. His recent work involved supporting and sustaining the development of 35 quality charter schools in New York City, focusing on effective governance practices and building charter school fundraising capacity. alopez@owncs.org
Jeffrey Maclin is CSS Director of Public Relations, and has previously managed public information and media relations for several high-visibility city and state agencies, including New Jersey Transit Corporation, the New York State Attorney General’s Office and the New Jersey State Division on Civil Rights. Most recently he served as Vice President of Communications and Advocacy for the nonprofit New York City Charter School Center. Mr. Maclin brings to CSS more than 20 years of experience in all facets of strategic communications. Prior to his work in government Mr. Maclin worked as a police reporter for the Dallas Morning News and as a staff writer for Manhattan Lawyer magazine. He is a graduate of the Columbia University School of Journalism and Vassar College. From 1991 to 1993, he served as an assistant press secretary to New York City Mayor David N. Dinkins.jmaclin@owncs.org
Steven Solinsky is Director of Finance and Administration for Doctors Without Borders - USA. Steven is responsible for oversight of all financial aspects of the US section of Doctors Without Borders (a.k.a. Medecins Sans Frontieres), an international humanitarian emergency medical organization. Prior to Doctors Without Borders, Steven Solinsky was Chief Financial Officer of The Children's Aid Society. He received his Master of Public Administration from Baruch College, and his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from State University of New York College at Cortland. Board Member since 2008. ssolinsky@owncs.org
