Board Minutes
Board of Trustees
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/Education Director of Kid Krazy Preschool/Daycare in Astoria Queens with two locations on 21st Street and 27th Street. Ms. Chin has a MA in Early Childhood Education from Hunter College and is a member of NYSAEYC (New York State Association for the Education of Young Children). Prior to her opening Kid Krazy Preschool in 2000, she was President of a design, sales, and manufacturing company within the fashion industry. She is the mother of a son and has been a Board Member since 2001. mchin@owncs.org
Maura Fitzgerald is the Senior Director, Human Resources at Helen Keller International, a global not-for-profit devoted to preventing blindness and reducing malnutrition in the world. Her work focuses on human resources management for programs in 22 countries. She is certified by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) as a Senior Professional of Human Resources (SPHR). Prior to joining HKI, Ms. Fitzgerald served as the Director of Administration at Doctors Without Borders-USA, and worked as the Administrator of a law firm. 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. 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 OWNCS students. 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
Charles Guadagnolo is President of Guad Contracting, Inc., a 30-year-old family real estate development and remodeling company based in Westchester, NY. Previously, Mr. Guadagnolo was Vice President of cost analytics in the Bear Stearns Controllers Group, a non-profit liaison at the United Nations, and project manager at a sustainable development project in the Indian Himalayas. He received an MBA in Finance and International Business from Baruch College, and earned a BS in Applied Economics and Business Management from Cornell University. Mr. Guadagnolo is the father of a son, and Board Member since 2013. cguadagnolo@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 Vice-President for Finance and Administration for Teach For All. Steven is responsible for oversight of all financial aspects of Teach For All, whose mission is to expand educational opportunity internationally by increasing and accelerating the impact of the growing network of 26 independent organizations. Prior to Teach For All, Steven was Director of Finance and Administration for Doctors Without Borders USA and before that 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
Executive Committee
Jeanette Betancourt (Chair), Steven Solinsky (Vice Chair & Treasurer), Maura Fitzgerald (Secretary)
Development Committee
Jeffrey Maclin (Chair), Jeanette Betancourt, Mary Bogle
Education Committee
Melissa Chin (Chair), Jeanette Betancourt, Sara Geelan
Facilities Committee
Mary Bogle (Chair), Melissa Chin, Maura Fitzgerald, Sara Geelan, Steven Solinsky
Finance Committee
Steven Solinsky (Chair), Maura Fitzgerald
Audit Committee
Maura Fitzgerald (Chair), Steven Solinsky
