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Leadership can take many shapes at Trail Blazers and it is our goal to offer a wide array of opportunities to lead and champion our organization. Select a role below to learn more and to meet the members.
Our Board of Directors is responsible for the governance and fiscal health of the organization. Comprised of a group of passionate individuals, Directors apply their time, talent, and treasure to guide Trail Blazers towards our strategic goals. Click here to learn more about becoming a Member of our Board of Directors.
Janell Wise stepped into the role of Co-Chair of the Board in 2021 and has served on the Board since 2020. She is Vice President
and Assistant General Counsel in the Paramount Global Law Department, where she focuses on contracts and rights and pre-publication and pre-broadcast clearance for the CBS News and Stations division. Before joining CBS, she worked as an associate in the Technology and Intellectual Property Transactions practice at Weil, Gotshal and Manges LLP. She holds a B.A. and J.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Janell lives in Brooklyn, NY. In her free time, she loves to travel the world, hike, surf, and sail.
Frank Nolan has been the Co-Chair of the Board of Directors since 2023, and has served on the Board since 2015. Frank is a partner in the New York City office of Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP, where he is a member of the firm’s global litigation group. Frank defends class action lawsuits and complex business litigation matters in federal and state courts throughout the country and advises financial services and insurance clients on issues affecting their core business practices. In his free time, Frank enjoys outdoor activities, especially fishing and hunting. He lives in South Orange, New Jersey, with his wife, Lizzie, their two young sons, and their dog, Marbles.
Eamonn is a digital transformation and IT strategy leader. His areas of focus are digital strategy delivery and customer experience excellence, organizational transformation and optimization, and program and portfolio management. Eamonn lives in New York City with his wife, Alyson, daughter, Hannah, and Simon the Cockapoo. In his spare time Eamonn enjoys running and cycling and anything that involves adventures outdoors.
Brandon has more than 12 years of experience providing assurance and technical accounting services to a broad range of public and private clients in the financial services sector. Prior to joining Mazars in August 2021, Brandon was a Director in PwC’s Asset and Wealth Management practice, serving public and private companies. Brandon received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Accounting degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and currently lives in Mineola, New York with his wife Maral.
Alia is a strategy and operations executive with extensive global digital transformation experience supporting Fortune 500 companies, across various sectors and geographies helping organizations overcome and embrace disruption. Her expertise in strategic planning, operational excellence, and digital transformation, coupled with her strong-cross-functional background, informs the way she advises leaders and organizations on how to best adjust to business change, thus ensuring they are well prepared to effectively compete in an ever-shifting world. Alia is a graduate of Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management and holds a Masters in Information Systems from Stevens Institute of Technology and a Bachelors in Computer Science from Drexel University.
Priya is a Computer Science Engineer with an MBA in marketing. In the 6+ years at Google, she has lived and worked globally with some of the top brands and marketers in the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry helping them drive digital transformation. She was born and raised in a small steel township in the Eastern India and moved to the US, 5 years ago and is currently based in Jersey City, New Jersey. In her free time, she loves reading, listening to podcasts, running, watching shows and traveling. She also mentors immigrants and helps them with resources that can help them settle in a foreighn country. One of her favorite quotes is : “The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.” – J. R. R. Tolkien
Shay is an innovative marketer at leading beverage company Anheuser-Busch. Throughout her time at Anheuser-Busch, Shay has gained experience in sales, trade marketing, product innovation and now currently leads communications for Stella Artois. In this role, she develops 360 degree marketing campaigns and recently completed a Super Bowl ad. Her journey at AB started after graduating from Indiana University with a marketing and sales degree from the Kelley School of Business. In her free time, Shay loves to be outside running, backpacking, skiing, and camping.
Lyndon is the Director of Digital Sales at Paramount, where he oversees a team of sellers specializing in the national sales of Paramount’s digital advertising inventory across platforms. This includes Paramount+, Connected TVs, Social Media platforms, and more. Prior to joining Paramount in 2018, he was previously at AwesomenessTV, and before that spent 8 years at Disney/ABC Television. He holds a B.S. in Marketing from St. John’s University. He currently resides in New York City, and in his free time enjoys traveling (40+ countries and counting), trying new restaurants, and spending quality time with friends.
Aoife Duna is a data and analytics professional who has led technology teams at mission-driven organizations in IoT wearables and AI. She partners with executive leadership and Fortune 100 clients to build data products that drive business insights and increase operational efficiencies. As a former wilderness canoeing camp counselor in the Boundary Waters, Aoife was drawn to Trail Blazers’ mission to increase equitable access to the outdoors. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Middlebury College in Vermont, and spends her free time solo traveling, painting, and visiting museums in New York City.
Jesse is a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, where he has been a corporate attorney for the past 15+ years. Prior to attending law school at Fordham and after graduation from Georgetown, Jesse worked as a foreign exchange trader. Jesse lives in New York with his wife, two daughters and two dogs, and in his free time he enjoys tennis, skiing, and other outdoor pursuits.
Jacob Klein is a Private Equity Associate in Impact Investing at Apollo Global Management, where he focuses on investing in businesses that drive positive social or environmental change. Before joining Apollo, Jacob was a Private Equity Associate at Clayton Dubilier & Rice and an Analyst in the Natural Resources Group at Morgan Stanley. Jacob received a Bachelor of Science in Economics in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. Outside of work, he enjoys writing, skiing, and rooting for the New York Giants and Milwaukee Bucks. Having enjoyed ten summers as a camper and counselor at an overnight camp, he is a strong believer in Trail Blazers’ mission of ensuring that the same opportunity is available for everyone.
Erez has spent over a decade working in the online advertising industry in various sales & business development positions. In his current role at Google, he is focused on the advertising technology space and helping Fortune 500 advertisers & national web/TV publishers leverage data, technology, and partnerships to grow their businesses. He holds a B.S. in Marketing from Rutgers University and currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Arielle. In his free time, Erez loves to travel to far-flung parts of the world (backpacker-style), listen to audiobooks while running (two birds, one stone!), and play tennis (preferably alongside and not against his wife).
Louis is a CPA who also holds the AICPA’s Certified Information Technology Professional credential (CITP). Since 1994, as president of DeGraw Tompkins Solutions and informed by his background in public accounting and private industry, Louis has been advising clients and helping to implement custom ERP solutions.
A life-long Trail Blazer, Louis was a camper for three years and an active alumnus since. He joined the Board in 1998, has served on various committees and is currently Treasurer. A Brooklyn native, Louis has lived in Bergen County, NJ since 1984.
Colleen is a partner at EY. She focuses on Tax Technology and Transformation, leveraging her cross-industry experience to identify and implement operational process improvements, data analytics, visualization, and automation. She specializes in automating State income tax reporting processes and is passionate about saving people time so they can focus their energy on value-driving functions and personal priorities. Colleen graduated from the University of Georgia with a Masters in Accountancy and from the University of South Carolina Honors College with a double degree in International Business and Accounting. Colleen lives in Chatham, New Jersey with her husband, Mike, their two children, and dog, Bailey.
Robert is an operations executive and attorney with over 20 years of expertise leading and implementing finance, sales, call center, manufacturing, and personnel strategies to strengthen profitability, productivity, and growth. Brings significant corporate and legal experience gained through partnerships with multinational manufacturing, electronics, software, food service, and e-commerce organizations.
Proven success building and leading multi-disciplinary teams to lower customer acquisition costs, increase long-term value, strengthen revenue flow, and maximize customer retention rates. Develops financial planning and analysis tools with emphasis on maintaining lean and efficient operations. Utilizes a data-driven approach to formulate actionable insights for optimizing team and company-wide performance.
Madison joins Trail Blazers as a board member, an avid outdoor fan, and former NorCal camp-goer. Madison has built her career at the intersection of media, technology and education in Product and BizOps roles across mission-driven startups, large consultancies, and multi-national media brands. With past board and pro-bono consulting experience with education non-profits, she is excited to support Trail Blazers.
Eric is General Counsel at PineBridge Investments and is responsible for the firm’s legal matters worldwide. He has over 20 years of experience in asset management, private equity, mergers and acquisitions and cross-border transactions. Eric began his career in the Corporate Department of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Between graduation from university and beginning law school, he spent two years teaching English at the junior high level in Ichikawa, Japan as a member of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. Eric received a BA from the University of Michigan and a JD from the University of Michigan Law School.
Patrons can opt in to provide input and expertise to the Board and the team, while supporting the organization at a higher level. Learn more
Ryan Goodman is the CEO of Scale Microgrid Solutions, a new microgrid and distributed energy company that is revolutionizing the energy infrastructure in the US. Ryan has over a decade of experience in the energy industry, with prior stints at GE Energy, the Boston Consulting Group, and ENER-G Rudox, a company he helped grow and sell in 2016. Today, Ryan lives in northern NJ with his wife, Anne, and three daughters. Ryan earned his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Bucknell University and received his MBA from Harvard Business School. Outside of work, Ryan enjoys spending time with his family and friends, travel, NY Giants football, and any activities that gets him outside. He has always valued outdoor education, dating back to his days in the Boy Scouts, and is a true supporter of Trail Blazer’s mission and vision.
Jon is a Financial Advisor with Stifel Financial. He has 29 years of Capital Markets and Wealth Management Experience. Jon graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Today, he lives in Mountainside, New Jersey with his wife, Sari, their three children and dog, Koda. Jon has proudly served for years as a mentor and on the Board of Trail Blazers. An advocate of protecting people’s health and wealth, Jon encourages people to leave time for personal fitness and fulfillment. Away from work, Jon enjoys spending time with family and friends, fitness, music, travel, getting outside in nature, photography and the personal rewards of supporting various philanthropies.
Nihad brings nearly two decades of finance and banking experience from General Electric and JP Morgan Chase and currently is the CFO for ezCater. Prior to ezCater, Nihad covered emerging and established technology companies at JP Morgan’s Commercial Bank. He also led finance teams across the controllership, treasury, audit and FP&A disciplines in a series of expanding roles at General Electric. Nihad has a BS in Chemistry and Economics from Haverford College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Chris is a Partner in the New York City office of Reed Smith LLP, an international law firm with offices around the world. Chris is a member of the firm’s Global Corporate Group concentrating his practice on mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, securities law compliance, corporate governance issues, and general corporate law. Chris was named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers Magazine from 2013-2017 and is an active member of the Association for Corporate Growth where he serves on the membership committee. Chris is engaged in numerous charitable endeavors and, in addition to his work with Trail Blazers, serves on the Legal Committee of Global Potential, a New York based non-profit focused on empowering youth through international travel and social awareness. In his free time, Chris enjoys traveling as much as possible, running, and other outdoor activities.
As Vice President of Digital Strategy for McIntosh & Moon Strategies, Britt brings nearly two decades of production expertise and well-honed creative abilities to any project. She has worked in-house at MTV, Nickelodeon, CNN, the FCC, and clients have included the American Cancer Society, Dove, Pepsi, Marriott, the National Wildlife Federation, the Knight Foundation, Shea Moisture, and the National Urban League.
In founding the Tisch Black Alumni Council (TBAC) Scholarship at NYU, Britt strives to help ensure the next generation of Black film students complete their education. In this role, Britt aims to create a pipeline of diverse talent in the director’s chair, the writers’ room, and executive suites. As a former leader of Obama Administration-appointed teams producing digital resources for citizen engagement, Britt has been recognized as one of the top individuals under 40 working at the intersection of media, technology, and government.
Raised between Kentucky and Georgia, Britt received her BFA in Film and TV Production from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and completed her Masters coursework in Public Policy at Georgetown University. She holds a graduate certificate in Multilateral Governance and International Relations from the Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerland. In her spare time, she loves to travel the world, attend F1 races, ski, and produce films. She currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, and Washington, DC, with her amazing husband. Her newest and most prized role is that of Mommy to her beloved toddler.
Advisors bring expertise in a specific area for the benefit and support of the Board and the Administrative team. These invitation only positions are identified by the Board of Directors. Learn more.
Helen is Principal at Bago Consulting, a Customer Service consulting firm located in New York and specializing in customer service program diagnostics, training and communications. Prior to founding Bago, she spent 16 years in the hospitality industry with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Her career spans several industries including Consumer Packaged Good, Direct Sales, and Publishing. Throughout her career, she has focused on understanding the customer, delivering exceptional service through fully empowered employees, and optimizing customer feedback to drive continuous improvement and process change. She has served as a Director and Chair of SOCAP, a dynamic and collaborative community of Customer Care professionals. Her desire to make a difference in the lives of young people led her to Trail Blazers, where she hopes to leverage her background and passion to understand the needs of clients and support the goals of the organization.
Lee Simonson is the President of Simonson Associates, an advisory firm in New York that assists media companies and their executives in strategic planning. Lee spent 30 years of his career in the radio broadcasting industry culminating in positions as Vice President and General Manager of KISS-FM and WOR-AM in New York City and ownership of over 50-plus radio stations across the U.S. Lee earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a Certified Business Mentor for SCORE, a non-profit partner of the SBA, a Walking Guide in Central Park for the Central Park Conservancy, and a volunteer for Big Apple Greeters. He has been married to Nancy for 44 years with 2 adult children, Michael and Laura, and a grandson, Jonah.
Dr. Sandra Soto is a presenter, facilitator and education consultant. She is an adjunct professor at Brooklyn College and a member of the New York Academy of Public Educators. Her work is guided by the belief that the educator’s role is to support the learner in the discovery and mastery of their gifts and talents.
Dr. Soto recently retired from the NYC Dept.of Education after 27 years of service. She held a number of roles before becoming the founding Principal of PS 705 – Brooklyn Arts & Science Elementary School in 2012.
Dr. Soto earned a B.A. from Boston College and her M.B.A. from George Washington University. After a career in retail, working for the GAP and Macy’s, she transitioned to the field she had always been passionate about, education. While teaching, she earned an M.S. in bilingual education from Long Island University and holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the Sage Colleges. Her area of expertise is school integration, particularly supporting students of color in multi-racial spaces.
Dr. Soto is a mother of three and a grandmother. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband of 30 years.
Champions help the organization expand its reach through networking, volunteering, and support. Learn more
Lawrence’s connection to Trail Blazers goes back to his childhood, when he was a camper. Now, he is a strategist who loves to connect the dots between marketplace nuances and consumer insights. He has worked with brands to identify their strengths, weaknesses, and areas of opportunities for long-term structured growth. He worked across a variety of industries including the automotive, CPG, fashion, government, technology, and pharmaceutical industries- to name a few. Lawrence has worked with clients to create elevated high-profile events to generate interest among the HNWI audience. He has partnered with brands like the W Hotel and Andaz Hotel to create unique fashion week brand activations in both New York and London. Lawrence has held London Fashion Week accreditation with the British Fashion Council since 2015. Lawrence enjoys traveling, hiking, and spending time with his friends, family, and dogs.
Aloaye has been a Trail Blazer since she was a camper. She started as an Overnight camper who was afraid of the dark and worked her way up as an L.I.T., Junior Group Leader, Group Leader, Program Assistant. She attributes many of her real-world skills and qualities to being part of the Trail Blazers Family for the last 15 years. Aloaye is currently a Director in the New York State Governor’s Office. She holds a Bachelors in Public Justice from SUNY Oswego and a Masters in Public Administration from SUNY Albany.
Emeritus individuals have a long record of service to the organization and are recognized for their exceptional and enduring contribution. Emeritus candidates are nominated by the Executive Committee.
Retired. Anna’s involvement with Trail Blazers spans six decades, starting with her time as a camper. Wanting to give other children the same opportunities she had as a camper, she became an active alumna, working as a Group Leader and then serving as a Board Member as well as volunteering in the office
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