The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation endeavors to strengthen, promote, and, where necessary, defend the contributions of the humanities and the arts to human flourishing and to the well-being of diverse and democratic societies. To this end, they support exemplary institutions of higher education and culture as they renew and provide access to an invaluable heritage of ambitious, path-breaking work.

Charity

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Wayne F. Wright joined the foundation in 2022 and serves as the Foundation's security engineer in information technology.  With over 20 years of experience prior to Mellon Foundation, Mr. Wright held security lead positions at VNS Health and BASF, he has focused on strategic directions of information security as it relates to the design and implementation of comprehensive information security programs including protection for customers personally identifiable information (PII), and personal health information (PHI).  As a team member, Mr. Wright focused on information security of production data centers, cloud computing architecture security and support, desktop, and mobile devices, security incident response, patch management, vulnerability assessments, security appliance management, mobile device management, identity management, SEIM management including threat hunting and reporting those findings along with policy definition and enforcement including the development of those security policies, standards and guidelines to ensure a secure infrastructure is in place to protect against threats.

Mr. Wright holds an electrical engineering technical certification from DeVry University.  Through the years he held a prior CISSP, a solutions architect in AWS, ITIL, and several Microsoft certifications.  Mr. Wright, for many years, has volunteered in tutoring adult literacy programs at local libraries and mentorship for veterans through the ACP organization.

Wayne F. Wright

Perrin Wicks serves as Mellon's director of talent management.  She is charged with expanding the Foundation's capacity for human resources planning in concert with organizational structure and growth and in support of talent recruitment and development.  Ms. Wicks brings over twenty-five years of experience in progressive organizations committed to social justice, in roles spanning talent and culture, capacity building, and senior leadership. 

Most recently, Ms. Wicks led talent management at Children's Aid, one of New York City's oldest, largest, and most respected nonprofits committed to children, youth, and families impacted by poverty.  She guided the recruitment team to deepen its focus on strategic partnerships with organizational divisions, on sourcing capacity, and on consistent and equitable hiring practices.  She spearheaded learning and development efforts to connect employees to core organizational culture and served as a member of Children's Aid's inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion advisory council. 

Previously, Ms. Wicks worked for the ASPCA, supporting team leaders, managers, and staff to create environments where every employee had meaningful opportunities to learn and grow.  From 2006–2017, she served as director of partnerships and then chief of staff at The Urban Assembly, a rapidly growing education support organization that founded and developed a network of 21 New York City district public schools.  As chief of staff, she was a member of the senior leadership cabinet, championed organizational coherence and culture, and managed strategic planning and goal-setting, special projects, and hiring for senior positions. 

Ms. Wicks's earliest professional roles were in educational theater, following her college experience as a member of a children's theater improvisational storytelling troupe.  She holds a BA in art history from Yale University and an MPA in public and nonprofit management from NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.  

Perrin Wicks

Alexandra Gershuny

Zuri Phelps

Chris Jo serves as a program assistant for the Higher Learning program. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Jo served in project management roles at Columbia University, Berklee College of Music, and Parsons School of Design. He earned a BA in history from Columbia University and an MFA in creative writing from The New School.

Chris Jo

Lindsey Menichella serves as the manager of grant systems and strategic projects.  Prior to joining the Foundation in 2022, Ms. Menichella was a grants associate at the Helmsley Charitable Trust.  In addition to undertaking grants management tasks, she focused on their grants management system.  She overhauled and implemented new processes to ensure data integrity, led projects to better track modifications to agreements and to build out the secondary database for reporting and analytics, managed the system's help desk, and regularly identified improvements to the system.  Before Helmsley, she worked on the data management team in Columbia University's Office of Alumni and Development, where she helped to manage their database and focused on quality assurance tasks. 
 
Ms. Menichella received an MSc in classical art and archaeology from the University of Edinburgh and a BA in art history and classics from Wellesley College. 

Lindsey Menichella

Michele S. Warman is executive vice president, chief operating officer, general counsel and secretary of the Foundation.  Ms. Warman oversees the Foundation's overall operations and legal affairs, and is secretary to the Board of Trustees.  Ms. Warman works closely with the Foundation's president, board, and staff in the day-to-day management of the Foundation and in setting overall direction.

Ms. Warman received an AB from [Princeton University](/org/princeton) in 1982, where she received the M. Taylor Pyne Honor Prize, the university's highest undergraduate distinction, an MA from the [University of Oxford](/org/university-of-oxford), which she attended as a Rhodes Scholar, and a JD from Harvard Law School in 1988, where she was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Prior to joining the Foundation in 1999, Ms. Warman was an associate at the law firm of [Davis Polk & Wardwell](/org/davis-polk-wardwell), and a law clerk at the US Court of Appeals, DC Circuit.  At Davis Polk, Ms. Warman represented Fortune 500 companies in litigation and investigative matters and provided counsel to corporate boards.  In her pro bono practice, she represented civil rights groups in amici briefs before the US Supreme Court and indigent clients in litigation disputes.  Ms. Warman has been honored as one of New York's Outstanding Women of the Bar by the New York County Lawyers' Association.

Ms. Warman is a board member of the Southern Education Foundation and [Princeton University](/org/princeton)'s Center for Jewish Life; and past member of [Princeton University](/org/princeton)'s Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs' Advisory Council, and of Princeton's Alumni Council's Executive Committee and Committee on Academic Programs.  She serves on a variety of fellowship selection panels, including for the Rhodes Scholarship, Schwarzman Scholars, and Schmidt Science Fellows, and on the Rhodes Development Committee.  Ms. Warman is admitted to the US Supreme Court, SDNY, EDNY, New York, Massachusetts, and Washington, DC Bars.

Michele S. Warman

Julie B. Ehrlich joined the Foundation in 2019 as program advisor and chief of staff.  She serves as a counselor and key resource to the president on internal matters, providing a link in the integration and communication among the president, and Foundation grantees, officers, leadership groups, and staff.  She also partners with the president to identify and support strategic opportunities for grantmaking in the Office of the President.
 
Previously, Ms. Ehrlich was assistant dean for strategic initiatives and chief of staff, executive director of the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Network, and adjunct professor of clinical law and co-instructor of the Reproductive Justice Clinic, at NYU School of Law.  She was responsible for the Law School's strategic planning and its implementation; for leading inter-departmental and high-level projects; for advising the dean on a range of issues; and for ensuring collaboration among the Law School's administrative departments.
 
Prior to joining NYU Law in 2014, Ms. Ehrlich litigated First Amendment cases at Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, LLP (now [Ballard Spahr](/org/ballard-spahr)), and handled a range of civil rights matters at Cuti Hecker Wang LLP, where her cases concerned sex discrimination, harassment, and other unequal treatment in employment, legislative redistricting, prison conditions, the rights of the exonerated, and police misconduct, among other issues.  She began her legal career as a staff attorney/fellow in the ACLU Women's Rights Project, and then clerked for Judge Nina Gershon in the Eastern District of New York and Judge Robert D. Sack on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
 
Ms. Ehrlich holds a BA cum laude with distinction in American studies from [Yale University](/org/yale-university), and a JD magna cum laude from NYU, where she received a Hays Fellowship in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the Maurice Goodman Memorial Prize for Scholarship and Character.  She is a member of the board of directors of the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU).

Julie B. Ehrlich

Marissa Hutton serves as the internal communications manager of the Mellon Foundation.  Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Hutton honed her skills at New York City communications agencies; expanding the thought leadership of private sector executives, fostering intercultural exchanges among students, journalists, and crafting series to advance the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.  She received her MA in diplomacy and international relations as well as in strategic communications, and her BS in diplomacy and international relations from Seton Hall University.

Marissa Hutton

Timothy Wroten is [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation)'s social media manager and web editor. Mr. Wroten has a strong interest in how art, history, and culture enrich individuals and their communities. He previously served as senior communications manager at the New-York Historical Society—New York City's first and oldest museum. Mr. Wroten holds a BA in historical studies from Eugene Lang College of The New School and studied 19th-century American architecture, art, and preservation at the Victorian Society's Summer School in Newport, RI. He is currently working towards an MA in arts administration at Baruch College of the City University of New York.

Timothy Wroten

Scott Taylor serves as the Foundation's chief investment officer.  Prior to joining the Foundation in 2018, Mr. Taylor was a managing director at Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) where he oversaw the investment process and monitored the organization's public market external manager program.  He previously served as a senior member of CPPIB's private investments team where he focused on private equity fund investments and private equity secondaries.  Mr. Taylor began his career in mergers and acquisitions at BMO Nesbitt Burns.  He is a former member of the European Corporate Development team at Level 3 Communications.  Mr. Taylor holds a master's in finance from [London Business School](/org/london-business-school) and a BBA from [Wilfrid Laurier University](/org/wilfrid-laurier-university).

Scott Taylor

Kevin Graham has worked for the Foundation since 2011 and is the director of investment operations. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Graham was a senior associate within Russell Investments' global investment operations team, based in London. He has a BA in business administration from Brunel University and is a CFA charterholder.

Kevin Graham

Anthony Parler serves as a facilities assistant for the Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Parler worked for many years in the service industry.

Anthony Parler

Olivia Whitehouse serves as the administrative assistant to the Foundation's investment team. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Whitehouse worked as the office manager for New York Anxiety Treatment, supporting a team of clinicians who specialize in OCD. Ms. Whitehouse earned a BA in theatre performance from Marymount Manhattan College and spent several years performing in various theaters around the country. She is currently studying accounting at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Olivia Whitehouse

Carolyn Dinshaw is a senior program officer for Higher Learning. Ms. Dinshaw brings to the Foundation a career-long dedication to interdisciplinary study as well as familiarity with a broad range of US higher education institutions. She has created new structures for creative scholarly and pedagogical work in addition to having served in a variety of administrative roles.

Ms. Dinshaw received her AB from Bryn Mawr College, followed by her Ph.D. from Princeton University in English literature. From 1982 to 1999 she was a faculty member at the University of California at Berkeley, where she was instrumental in the early development of LGBTQ studies. Moving to New York University, she was the founding director of the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality from 1999 to 2005. Concurrently she directed the gender and sexuality studies program, developing a new, intersectional curriculum. She also helped to found the interdisciplinary department of social and cultural analysis, chairing it from 2006 to 2007 and 2012–2015. Named the Julius Silver Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis and English at NYU in 2015, she served as dean for the humanities from 2018 to 2021. In her twenty-three years at the institution, Ms. Dinshaw regularly taught materials past and present, on topics ranging from medieval misogyny to queer New York City. In addition, she taught through NYU's prison education program at Wallkill Correctional Facility.

Carolyn Dinshaw

Emily L. Waters serves as a senior program associate in the Arts and Culture program at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Ms. Waters began her career as a professional ballet dancer, dancing with Philadelphia Ballet (formerly Pennsylvania Ballet) and the Royal Danish Ballet. During her ten-year dance career, she performed works by a range of choreographers and performed in venues throughout the US and Europe. After transitioning from a career as a performing artist to arts administration, she was awarded a BAM Professional Development Program Fellowship through the DeVos Institute. Prior to the Foundation, Ms. Waters worked at American Ballet Theatre in the development and executive offices. Emily holds a BA in performing arts through the Liberal Education for Arts Professionals (LEAP) Program at St. Mary's College of California, received an MS degree in nonprofit management from Columbia University, and is a trustee of Collage Dance Collective.

Emily L. Waters

Justin Garrett Moore is the inaugural program officer for the Humanities in Place program at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. His work focuses on advancing equity, inclusion, and social justice through place-based initiatives and programs, built environments, cultural heritage projects, and commemorative spaces and landscapes. He has extensive experience in architecture, planning, and design—from urban systems, policies, and building projects to grassroots and community-focused planning, design, preservation, public realm, and arts initiatives.

With over fifteen years of public service with the City of New York, Mr. Moore has led several urban design and planning projects, including the Greenpoint-Williamsburg Waterfront, Hunter's Point South, and the Brooklyn Cultural District. From 2016 to 2020, he was the executive director of the New York City Public Design Commission, where he spearheaded initiatives to address social equity and sustainability through improved built environment design and public processes. His work spanned housing and community development, place and open space design, historic preservation, public art and monuments, and civic engagement.

Justin Garrett Moore

Yasmeen Allen Martei is a manager of strategic initiatives and planning in the Office of the President. In this role, she serves as a strategic planner and project manager, collaborating with the President's team to shape and implement ongoing and new initiatives.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Martei was a member of the Creativity and Free Expression team at the Ford Foundation. As the team's program associate, she managed various projects and initiatives, conducted field research, and monitored and assessed the team’s grantmaking practices and strategic alignment. Before entering the field of philanthropy, Ms. Martei was an institutional fundraiser for organizations including Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Year Up New York, and Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy.

Yasmeen Allen Martei

Camilla Somers is the manager of strategic initiatives and planning in the Higher Learning program and across programs and research. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2019, Ms. Somers served as a program officer at the International Rescue Committee and as manager of communications in the president's office at Carnegie Corporation of New York. She began her career as an editor and reporter with the New Jersey Hills Media Group.

Ms. Somers majored in history and Italian studies at Smith College and earned a master of public administration degree from New York University's Wagner School of Public Service, where she specialized in international policy and management.

Camilla Somers

Susanne Pichler manages the Foundation's library.  In this capacity, she oversees a collection of resources and services to support Foundation research and information needs.  During her time at the Foundation, she has participated in the research teams for Reclaiming the Game:  College Sports and Educational Values, by William G. Bowen and Sarah A. Levin (Princeton University Press, 2003), Crossing the Finish Line:  Completing College at America's Public Universities, by William G. Bowen, Matthew M Chingos, and Michael S. McPherson (Princeton University Press, 2009), and the Board Book:  An Insider's Guide for Directors and Trustees, by William G. Bowen (W.W. Norton, 2008), and was a collaborator on Equity and Excellence in American Higher Education, by William G. Bowen, Martin Kurzweil, and Eugene M. Tobin (University of Virginia Press, 2005).

Prior to joining the Foundation in 2000, she was the head librarian for Planned Parenthood Federation of America and served as a reference and collections development librarian in the General Research Division of the New York Public Library Research Libraries, where she was also involved in early web development.  Ms. Pichler began working in libraries as an undergraduate, and since that time has held part-time or adjunct positions in [Columbia University](/org/columbia-university)'s Avery and Butler Libraries, the New-York Historical Society, and [New York University](/org/nyu)'s Bobst Library.  Additionally, she has worked as a research assistant, mainly in the area of US social history.  Ms. Pichler holds a BA from [Barnard College](/org/barnard-college) and an MS in library service from [Columbia University](/org/columbia-university).  Ms. Pichler completed the Modern Archives Institute at the [National Archives](/org/national-archives-records-administration) in 2009.

Susanne Pichler

Michael Shattner is honored to serve as senior executive assistant to Elizabeth Alexander, working closely with colleagues to support, organize, and facilitate all aspects of President Alexander's work at the Foundation.
 
Prior to joining the Foundation in 2018, Mr. Shattner served in a number of roles as executive assistant to chief executives, including most recently the president and COO of Ziff Brothers Investments. A self-described "artist-warrior," he is an actor and a musician. He holds a bachelor of science degree in speech–theatre from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a certificate in core musical skills at Juilliard. As an actor, his favorite roles have been Malvolio in the Twelfth Night and Queen Margaret in the Henry VI plays. His instrument is the cello and he can be heard frequently around the city playing with various ensembles.

Michael Shattner

Susan I. Dady is a program associate for the Higher Learning program, assisting with the administration of the program’s grantmaking and the management of grants to liberal arts colleges.

When she joined the Foundation in October 2001, Ms. Dady brought with her over 20 years of experience in various positions in strategic planning, finance, and operations at International Paper Company (1978-86), Ivy Hill Corporation (1986-88), Brooke Management Inc. (1988-93), and Morgan Stanley (1993-2001).

During her tenure at the Foundation, Ms. Dady completed her undergraduate degree, earning a bachelor of arts in history from Marymount Manhattan College. She is currently studying Italian at New York University and plans to pursue her interest in British history, art, and literature through graduate study.

Susan I. Dady

Mitul Patel joined the Foundation in March 2018 as the IT solutions architect in the information technology department. Mr. Patel is responsible for developing and maintaining the Foundation's IT reference architecture and roadmap.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Patel was a director of enterprise architecture at Macmillan Learning where he was a key contributor in the areas of digital product development, cloud architecture, process innovation, and content management strategy. He is passionate about creating IT solutions with a sustainable impact. His professional experiences include all aspects of IT application design and IT architecture at global companies in the marketing, e-commerce, corporate social responsibility, and higher education sectors.

Mr. Patel earned his BS in computer science from Florida Atlantic University and his MS in computer science from Florida International University. He also holds TOGAF 9 certification from the Open Group and is an Amazon Certified Solutions Architect.

Mitul Patel

Carolyn Wendrowski is the Director of Operations & Business Systems at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation), where they oversees the Foundation's technology infrastructure and business systems.

Carolyn Wendrowski has a BSBA from the [University of Denver](/org/university-of-denver) - Daniels College of Business, a BA from the [University of Denver](/org/university-of-denver), and an MS from the [University of Colorado Denver](/org/university-of-colorado-denver). Carolyn also has a Professional Certificate from [New York University](/org/nyu)'s School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) and is certified as a PMI Agile Certified Practitioner and Scrum Master by the [Project Management Institute](/org/project-management-institute) (PMI) and the Scrum Alliance, respectively.

Some individuals on their team include Charles Aikhoje - Senior IT Service Engineer, Mitul Patel - IT Solutions Architect, and Matthew Thompson - Manager of Infrastructure Operations. They work with Pierre Tardif - Creative Director, Lisa Mintz - Senior Executive Assistant, and Michele S. Warman - EVP, COO, General Counsel and Secretary. Their manager is Elizabeth Alexander, President.

Carolyn Wendrowski

Charles Aikhoje joined the Foundation in February 2018 as an IT service engineer. Mr. Aikhoje is responsible for user support and service delivery at the Foundation.

Previously, Mr. Aikhoje was at The New York Racing Association, where he initially worked as a help desk analyst and was then promoted into the role of desktop engineer. His work there was focused on providing IT support for three New York State race tracks: Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga Springs. After the NYRA, Mr. Aikhoje joined BBC Studios, where he served in a dual role as both an IT analyst providing executive day-to-day support for the Americas region, as well as the lead for their audio-visual infrastructure. He was instrumental in several large-scale IT projects and also in developing process improvements that foster better communication and user support relationships for BBC technology.

Charles Aikhoje

Holloway has served as [Northwestern University](/org/northwestern-university) provost since 2017. He is the school's chief academic officer, overseeing educational policies and academic priorities, preparation of the annual budget, and faculty appointments and promotions at the Big Ten institution, which includes a highly ranked medical school and other nationally and internationally recognized educational programs. Before moving to Northwestern, Holloway was the dean of Yale College and Edmund S. Morgan Professor of African American Studies, History, and American Studies at [Yale University](/org/yale-university).

Holloway received a bachelor's degree with honors in American Studies from [Stanford University](/org/stanford) and a PhD in History from [Yale University](/org/yale-university). He began his academic career at the University of California, San Diego, before joining the faculty at Yale in 1999.

Jonathan Holloway

Celia Bradley is a program associate in the Public Knowledge program. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Bradley taught English at the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts on a Fulbright fellowship. She received a BA in international studies with a minor in history and a specialization in French from Nazareth College in 2014. After completing her degree, she continued to serve her alma mater as an assistant to the director of the English Language Institute, a department coordinator in the Center for International Education, and an area director of Residential Life.

Celia Bradley

Maria Sachiko Cecire is a program officer for Higher Learning. Before joining the Mellon Foundation, she was the founding director of the academic concentration and Center for Experimental Humanities at Bard College, and associate professor of literature (currently on leave). She graduated from the University of Chicago before going on to the University of Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. There she earned a master's in English medieval studies and a doctorate in English, which she completed in 2011.
 
Ms. Cecire's research addresses children's literature and youth culture, media and digital studies, medieval literature and its afterlives, and the role of the humanities in contemporary society. She is the author of Re-Enchanted: The Rise of Children's Fantasy Literature in the Twentieth Century (2019), which explores transformations in Anglo-American popular culture in terms of institutional power, the legacies of racism and colonialism, and political and affective uses of childhood and the mythological past. She is also co-editor of Space and Place in Children's Literature, 1789–Present (2015), author of a number of articles and essays, and a member of the feminist digital humanities Data-Sitters Club project.

Maria Sachiko Cecire

Rachel Clift joined the Foundation as content writer and multimedia producer in March 2017.  Working in collaboration with internal teams and outside vendors, she is responsible for developing, managing, and executing print, digital, and public programming content that supports the Mellon Foundation's mission and engages new audiences. 

An award-winning filmmaker and television producer, Ms. Clift joined the philanthropic sector in 2010 when she became the communications officer for the Ford Foundation International Fellowships program, where she designed and implemented communications initiatives that helped demonstrate the link between educational opportunity and social change.  Prior to this role, she served as the community engagement manager for the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program, where she produced a now-annual undergraduate scholars convening and managed the development of an online platform to connect young scholars across the African continent.

Ms. Clift has consulted for the International Women's Health Coalition, and has written and produced videos for Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, [Women's World Banking](/org/womens-world-banking), and Safe Water Network.  In 2007, she received an Emmy nomination for her work on PBS's "Diary of a Foodie," and in 2008, her team received an International Documentary Association (IDA) Award for their Sundance TV series "Architecture School."  Her short documentary films have screened in festivals internationally.

Ms. Clift earned a BA in women's studies from [Hamilton College](/org/hamilton-college) and holds an MFA in film production from [Boston University](/org/boston-university).

Rachel Clift

Fernanda Polax-Nainggolan is an investment operations analyst. Prior to assuming this role, she served as the Foundation's investment accountant and was responsible for the accounting and reconciliation of the Foundation's investments, and provided general support to the director of investment accounting. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Polax-Nainggolan worked in a variety of accounting positions for the Bank of New York, Morgan Stanley, and TIAA-CREF. Ms. Polax-Nainggolan holds a BS in accounting from St. Joseph's College.

Fernanda Polax-Nainggolan

Kristen C. Ratanatharathorn serves as the senior program and grant information systems associate. She previously worked in the Scholarly Communications program as a senior program associate. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Ratanatharathorn was the grants manager of the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy (ISERP) at Columbia University and previously served as an information technology consultant at Accenture. She holds a dual master's degree in international and world history from Columbia and the London School of Economics and a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Kristen C. Ratanatharathorn

Patricia J. Diaz serves as the Foundation's acting general counsel and secretary. Prior to joining the Foundation in June 2014, Ms. Diaz served as the executive director of The Y.C. Ho/Helen and Michael Chiang Foundation for five years. Previously, she was an attorney in the exempt organization's practice area at the law firm of Loeb & Loeb, where she worked with not-for-profit organizations on a variety of legal matters, including formation, tax exemption, governance issues, compliance with private foundation laws, grant agreements and other contracts, and dissolution. Earlier in her career, Ms. Diaz was a tax attorney with two other New York City law firms. In addition, she has taught as an adjunct instructor at Brooklyn Law School and Massachusetts School of Law.

Ms. Diaz received her JD from Columbia University, where she was an editor of the Columbia Law Review. She received an AB degree magna cum laude from Duke University. Ms. Diaz is a member of the New York City Bar Association and has served two terms on its Committee on Non-Profit Organizations.

Patricia J. Diaz

Mohamed Haian Abdirahman serves as the Foundation's archivist. In this role, he documents the Foundation's work by analyzing, describing, and processing historical records. He also works with staff through archival reference and programming. Prior to joining the Foundation, he served as an archives graduate research assistant for the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. Mr. Abdirahman holds a BA in English literature from North Dakota State University, as well as an MS in information studies and an MPA in public affairs from the University of Texas at Austin, with concentrations in archives, records management, and public administration. Throughout his undergraduate and graduate studies, Mr. Abdirahman was a fellow in the US Department of Education's Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program.

Haian Abdirahman

Annette J. Phillips joined as director of human resources in March 2017 and leads the Foundation's human resources programs including talent acquisition, reward and recognition, learning and development, and employee relations and engagement.

Ms. Phillips has over 25 years of human resources experience, with both financial and professional services firms and in the art industry. Most recently, she was the director of human resources at GoldenTree Asset Management, a New York and London-based alternative asset manager. Prior to GoldenTree, Ms. Phillips served as SVP, HR-Americas with Christie's where she focused on the organizational redesign, professional and team development, and supporting the build-out of their e-commerce platform. At the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), where she spent 12 years, Ms. Phillips progressed through HR roles of increasing responsibility, including head of HR for the US region, global vice president of HR for CIBC World Markets, and managing director of HR of their wholly owned subsidiary, FirstCaribbean International Bank. Prior to that, she spent 14 years at Ernst & Young, initially as a staff auditor before moving into recruiting and human resources. She ultimately served as the HR director for Ernst & Young International.

Ms. Phillips is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she received a bachelor of business administration, and is a CPA.

Annette J. Phillips

Elizabeth Alexander—poet, educator, memoirist, scholar, and cultural advocate—is president of [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation), the nation’s largest funder in arts and culture, and humanities in higher education. With more than two decades of experience leading innovative programs in education, philanthropy, and beyond, Ms. Alexander builds partnerships at Mellon to support the arts and humanities while strengthening educational institutions and cultural organizations across the world.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Alexander served as the director of Creativity and Free Expression at the [Ford Foundation](/org/ford-foundation), shaping Ford’s grantmaking vision in arts and culture, journalism, and documentary film. There, she co-designed the Art for Justice Fund—an initiative that uses art and advocacy to address the crisis of mass incarceration—and guided the organization in examining how the arts and visual storytelling can empower communities.

Over the course of a distinguished career in education, Ms. Alexander has taught and inspired a generation of students. She was the Wun Tsun Tam Mellon Professor in the Humanities at [Columbia University](/org/columbia-university) from 2015 until joining the Foundation in 2018. Between 2000 and 2015, Ms. Alexander taught at [Yale University](/org/yale-university), where she was a professor in the departments of African American Studies, American Studies, and English, helping rebuild the school's African American Studies department while serving as its chair for four years. In 2015, she was appointed [Yale University](/org/yale-university)'s inaugural Frederick Iseman Professor of Poetry. At [Smith College](/org/smith-college), Ms. Alexander was the Grace Hazard Conkling Poet-in-Residence and the inaugural director of the Poetry Center. While an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, she was awarded the Quantrell Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

Elizabeth Alexander

Christy Cicatello is a director of accounting at the Foundation. Ms. Cicatello manages the accounting processes for all grantmaking and administrative activities, including budgeting and financial reporting. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Cicatello worked in public accounting performing auditing and tax services and most recently was at Deloitte Tax LLP. She has a BS in public accounting from Stockton College, holds a CPA license, and is a member of AICPA.

Christy Cicatello

Lily Alvarado is a Senior Executive Assistant at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation). Lily has also worked as a Program Administrator at the [Ford Foundation](/org/ford-foundation), a Manager of People Operations & Culture at [The Bloc](/org/the-bloc), an Executive Team Operations at McCann Health New York, a Referral Director at [The Corcoran Group](/org/the-corcoran-group), and a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson at [Caliber Associates](/org/caliber-associates). Lily has also worked as a PA to CEO Family and an English & Spanish Educator at Clarkstown Central School District/North Rockland Central School District.

Lily Alvarado's educational career began with a study abroad program in English literature at UCL. Lily then went on to earn their master's degree in English language and literature from Iona University. Finally, they completed their bachelor's degree in childhood education and English from The King's College. In addition to their academic credentials, Lily is also certified as a licensed real estate salesperson by REBNY and as an initial childhood education teacher by the New York State Department of Education.

They work with and Tatiana Evans - Program Assistant. Lily Alvarado reports to Julie B. Ehrlich, Director of Presidential Initiatives and Chief of Staff.

Lily Alvarado

Audrey Hornick-Becker is the Operations Project Manager at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation). Audrey has over 8 years of experience in project management, corporate governance, and board relations. 

Audrey started their career at the [Environmental Defense Fund](/org/environmental-defense-fund) in May 2013 as a Manager of Corporate Governance & Board Relations. In this role, they were responsible for developing and orchestrating project plans for triannual board meetings. This included ensuring critical deadlines were met, issues were raised early, solutions were proposed and enacted, and trustees and Executive staff had a smooth and successful board meeting experience. Audrey also project managed the creation and distribution of board materials, ensuring that they were distributed on time and with a high standard of quality. 

In 2017, Audrey restructured information management within the Executive Office, creating and implementing processes that more effectively managed multiple boards, large-scale budgets, and legal information. Audrey also liaised with staff to communicate new procedures and resources. In 2018, Audrey took on the additional responsibility of creating and managing the annual board meeting budget. This involved producing new budgets for upcoming fiscal years, entering forecasts, analyzing actuals, and working with staff to monitor spending. 

Audrey has proven herself to be an effective and efficient leader with a keen eye for detail. Audrey is a valuable asset to any organization and has demonstrated their commitment to excellence in all their previous roles.

Audrey Hornick-Becker has a BA in Art and Social Change with an emphasis on photography and literature from [Hampshire College](/org/hampshire-college) and an MS in Nonprofit Management from [The New School](/org/the-new-school).

Audrey Hornick-Becker reports to Michele S. Warman, EVP, COO, General Counsel and Secretary. They work with Ronald M. Sheppard - Director of Facilities, Maria Moschopoulos - Operations Associate, and Patricia J. Diaz - Acting General Counsel and Secretary.

Audrey Hornick-Becker

Ethan Laney is an administrative assistant for the Information Technology team. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Laney worked for NC State University's Intensive English Program and Parents and Families Services, providing project management, events planning, and administrative support. He also served as executive chief of staff with the student government, working to represent student voices and improve the student experience. He graduated from NC State University where he studied public policy and global sustainability and development and minored in Spanish and economics.

Ethan Laney

Laura Rosario serves as the Foundation's IT service engineer. She graduated from the State University of New Paltz, with a major in criminology and a minor in law and politics. She also holds an A+, Net+, and Security+ certification from CompTIA and is in the process of furthering her studies, particularly in the field of cybersecurity. 

Laura Rosario

Barbara-Ann Fox serves as the Foundatin's director of information technology.  Ms. Fox is an IT and information security leader in software product development, risk management, information technology operations, and executive leadership.  With over 20 years of experience, she has worked with Microsoft, Netscape, and [Allscripts](/org/allscripts) in highly regulated industries, including financial services and healthcare.  She most recently served as the vice president of technology and informatics at [Selfhelp Community Services](/org/selfhelp-community-services-inc) in New York City.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Fox and her team proudly built an award-winning community-building platform to address loneliness and social isolation.

Ms. Fox holds a bachelor of arts degree from SUNY Albany in economics and computing for social science, where she cofounded the women's NCAA lacrosse program.  At 14, she began her IT career writing code for local government.  She is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) with [ISACA](/org/isaca), a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) with ISC2, and is a volunteer member of the FBI InfraGard program.

Ms. Fox's community service includes providing education in programs designed to protect children online and promote youth engagement in STEM programming.  She currently serves as a Mentor for IQ4 Cybersecurity Workforce Alliance.  Barbara-Ann previously served as an advisory board member for STEM program, cyber camp instructor, and was the STEM conference keynote speaker - Girl Scouts of America, Nassau County.

Barbara-Ann Fox

Matthew Thompson has over fifteen years of experience in the IT industry, with a focus on desktop support and infrastructure operations. Matthew began their career as a Desktop Support Technician with North American Telecom in March 2000. In May 2001, they joined [Ralph Lauren](/org/polo-ralph-lauren) as Director of Digital Client Services, where they were selected to start a new Client Services team for supporting the new Digital Platform initiative. In June 2016, they left [Ralph Lauren](/org/polo-ralph-lauren) to join [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation) as Manager of Infrastructure Operations. In their current role, they are responsible for ensuring that the Foundation's IT infrastructure is reliable and secure.

Matthew Thompson has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University at Albany, SUNY. Matthew also has a Project Management certificate from the NYU School of Professional Studies. Matthew is certified as a Scrum Master from the Scrum Alliance and as a Project Management Professional from the [Project Management Institute](/org/project-management-institute). Matthew is also certified in ITIL Foundations v2 and v3 from AXELOS Global Best Practice.

Matthew Thompson reports to Carolyn Wendrowski, Director, Operations & Business Systems. Some of their coworkers include Michèle Boddewyn - Facilities Project Manager, Akua Bonsu - Operations Administrative Coordinator.

Matthew Thompson

Michèle Boddewyn, AIA, serves as the Foundation's Capital project manager. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Boddewyn worked as an architect at Alan Gaynor + Company, a firm that designed office space for both the nonprofit and for-profit office markets. She became a principal and later president of Boddewyn Gaynor Architects. Under her leadership, the firm was certified as a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) in 2011. Since joining the NYC Chapter of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women), she has served on the board as chair of the membership committee and member-at-large. She also serves as the president of the Friends of the Hastings Public Library Board. Ms. Boddewyn received her BA in architecture from Pratt Institute.

Michèle Boddewyn

Sarah Levin Goodstine

Rokeya Rahman

Jennifer Popp

Maggie Slowey is a media relations associate in the Communications team.  Prior to joining the Foundation, she served as codirector of the NYU Democracy Project, the institution's inaugural civic action and voting rights program.  Her experience in legislative advocacy and communications spans issue areas, including minimum wage reform, prison reform, and voting access.  She also serves on the junior board of the Women's Prison Association.  Ms. Slowey holds a BA in business administration from New York University's Stern School of Business and an MPA in advocacy and political action from New York University's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Maggie Slowey

Erin Cantrell-Martinez is the Executive Assistant at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation). Erin previously worked as an Executive Assistant at Columbia University Irving Medical Center from November 2017 to October 2019. In their role at Columbia, they were responsible for office maintenance, mailing, shipping, supplies, IT orders and equipment maintenance, bills, and errands. Erin also cultivated professional and efficient front office operations through exceptional telephone and email etiquette, promptly responding to any issues or concerns. Additionally, they monitored and maintained the Vice Dean’s schedule via Outlook Calendar, disseminating correspondence on behalf of the Office of Academic Affairs, Faculty Affairs, and Career Development.

Erin is skilled in diverse administrative tasks such as recording meeting minutes, tracking agenda items, arranging meeting schedules for the upcoming academic year, and booking the Faculty Club for Faculty Council meetings. Erin is also an expert in coordinating and executing elections for Faculty Council and Executive Committees, including creating online ballots using Qualtrics and monitoring election progress. Erin is a dedicated and hardworking individual who always puts the needs of their team first.

Erin Cantrell-Martinez earned a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities from [Sarah Lawrence College](/org/sarah-lawrence-college).

Erin Cantrell-Martinez reports to Emil J. Kang, Program Director, Arts & Cultural Heritage. They work with Ashley Garner - Program Associate, Emily L. Waters - Senior Program Associate, and Jackie Clay - Program Associate.

Erin Cantrell-Martinez

Jessica Feldman is a Research Associate at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation). Jessica previously worked as a Course Instructor/Teaching Assistant at the University of Chicago from January 2015 to December 2017, where they instructed Urban Space and Place (SOCI 28072) and served as a Teaching Assistant for Environmental Law (PBPL 23100) and Environmental Policy (PBPL 24701). Jessica also worked as a Research & Planning Analyst at [New Yorkers for Parks](/org/new-yorkers-for-parks) from September 2011 to December 2013.

Jessica Feldman earned their Bachelor of Arts in Portuguese Language and Literature from [Smith College](/org/smith-college). Jessica then pursued a Master of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, where they specialized in Public Policy Analysis. Finally, Jessica completed their Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology from the University of Chicago.

Their manager is Emil J. Kang, Program Director, Arts & Cultural Heritage. They are on a team with Natasha Forrester - Program Assistant, Deborah Cullen-Morales - Program Officer, and Ashley Garner - Program Associate.

Jessica Feldman

Lisa Mintz is currently a Senior Executive Assistant at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation). Prior to that, they were an Executive Assistant at [WeWork](/org/wework), Compass, and GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group).

Lisa has over 10 years of experience as an Executive Assistant. Lisa is skilled in managing calendars, coordinating travel, and handling sensitive business documents. Lisa is also experienced in overseeing budgets and promoting employee engagement.

Lisa is a dedicated professional who is committed to their work. Lisa is detail-oriented and takes pride in their ability to provide excellent administrative support.

Lisa Mintz received their MA in Humanities and Social Thought from [New York University](/org/nyu) and their MA in Writing from [Rowan University](/org/rowan-university). Lisa received their BA in English from [Rutgers University](/org/rutgers-university).

They work with Paola Vasquez - Paralegal, Henri Benaim - Assistant General Counsel, and Peri Zelig - Associate General Counsel. Lisa Mintz reports to Patricia J. Diaz, Acting General Counsel & Secretary.

Lisa Mintz

Renee Johnson-Thornton is a Senior Program Associate and Associate Director of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) program at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Renee has over 25 years of experience in designing and implementing programs to support the academic success of underrepresented minority students, with a focus on recruitment, retention, and curriculum development. 

Johnson-Thornton began their career in higher education as a Recruitment Counselor for the NYC Office of Student Recruitment at the State University of New York. In this role, they advised high school students and their families on college planning and assisted with the application process. Renee also developed relationships with high schools and community-based organizations to increase awareness of SUNY programs and opportunities. 

In 1995, Johnson-Thornton took on the role of Project Coordinator for the United Technologies/Trinity College Engineering Initiative (UTCEI) at [Trinity College](/org/trinity-college) in Hartford, Connecticut. The UTCEI was a program designed to increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities in engineering fields. Johnson-Thornton was responsible for all aspects of the program, from recruitment and curriculum development to financial management and program evaluation. Renee also coordinated the UTCEI Scholars' Program and the UTCEI Summer Research Fellowship, delivered presentations to students and community groups, supervised work-study employees and research teams, and monitored the academic performance of enrolled engineering students. 

In their current role at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation,

Renee Johnson-Thornton received their PhD in Education from the [University of Rhode Island](/org/university-of-rhode-island). Renee also has a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from [Wesleyan University](/org/wesleyan-university), and a Bachelor's degree in English (Literature & Rhetoric) and African-American/Black Studies from Binghamton University.

Renee Johnson-Thornton works with Logan Heiman - Program Associate, Daniel Kent - Program Associate, Research, and Camilla Somers - Manager, Strategic Initiatives & Planning. Their manager is Phillip Brian Harper, Program Director, Higher Learning.

Renee Johnson-Thornton

Johnny Leavitt is a Senior Executive Assistant at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation). Johnny previously worked at Zurich North America from March 2016 to July 2021, where they were a Senior Executive Assistant and directly supported the CEO/Head of North America Life and the Head of Business Performance & Execution. Johnny's responsibilities included coordinating meetings, conference calls and special events; executing complex domestic and international travel; tracking and distributing weekly schedules for the NAL Operations Team; preparing and tracking monthly expense reports; identifying and processing vendor invoices; preparing and reviewing materials/correspondences for client/vendor/internal meetings; functioning as the PC Coordinator for Zurich North America; managing organizational charts and other operational data; responsible for creating presentations for board meetings and other governance meetings; structuring and implementing archives for various governance meetings; drafting agendas, recording minutes and organizing catering for meetings; paying invoices and resolving billing issues; providing additional administrative support, as requested, for other related departments; and being a Floor Fire Warden - assisting in regular training sessions and drills.

Johnny Leavitt has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Hampshire in Liberal Arts. Johnny also has certification from the New York State Department of State in Notary Public and certification from the [Boy Scouts of America](/org/boy-scouts-of-america) in Eagle Scout.

Johnny Leavitt reports to Carter Stewart, EVP, Programs. They are on a team with Phillip Brian Harper - Program Director, Higher Learning, Justin Garrett Moore - Program Officer, and Jack Frésquez - Program & Research Assistant.

Johnny Leavitt

Hannah Ford is currently the Manager of Strategic Initiatives & Planning at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation). Prior to this, they were a Post-Graduate Leadership Fellow, Strategy and Operations, Carolina Performing Arts & Arts Everywhere at the [University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill](/org/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill) from August 2018 to December 2019. Before that, they were an MBA Fellow, Strategy and Finance at [American Ballet Theatre](/org/american-ballet-theatre) from May 2017 to October 2017.

Hannah Ford received their MBA from Fuqua School of Business in 2018, with concentrations in Financial Analysis and Social Entrepreneurship. Prior to their MBA, they worked as the Director Of Development for the DC Youth Orchestra Program from June 2014 to April 2016, and as an Assistant Manager for both the National Symphony Orchestra Circles and Major Gifts and Membership at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from July 2011 to July 2012 and July 2012 to June 2014, respectively. Hannah began their career at the Kennedy Center as a Development Intern in September 2009.

Hannah Ford's educational career includes a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Duke University - The Fuqua School of Business, a Bachelor of Science from [Vanderbilt University](/org/vanderbilt-university), and Hilton Head High School.

They work with Deborah Cullen-Morales - Program Officer, Isabel Quinzaños Alonso - Program Associate, and Deana Haggag - Program Officer. Hannah Ford reports to Emil J. Kang, Program Director, Arts & Cultural Heritage.

Hannah Ford

Abigail Choudhury is a Program Associate at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation). Abigail previously worked as a Program Coordinator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and as a Development and Education Coordinator at the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Abigail'storic & Artistic Works.

Abigail has extensive experience in developing and overseeing programming calendars, organizing and coordinating programs, preparing and allocate budgets, and writing proposals, reports, letters, and other fundraising materials. Abigail is skilled in managing meetings, symposia, and workshops as well as solicitation, acknowledgments, and other donor communications.

Under their guidance, the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Abigail'storic & Artistic Works saw an increase in donor participation and giving levels each year. Abigail’s experience in fundraising and nonprofit management makes their an asset to [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation).

Abigail Choudhury has a Master of Arts in Art Abigail'story, Criticism and Conservation from [Rutgers University](/org/rutgers-university)–New Brunswick. Abigail also has a B.A. in Art Abigail'story & Archaeology from the [University of Maryland](/org/university-of-maryland).

Abigail Choudhury reports to Emil J. Kang, Program Director, Arts & Cultural Heritage. They are on a team with Natasha Forrester - Program Assistant, Deborah Cullen-Morales - Program Officer, and Zuleika Milan - Executive Assistant.

Abigail Choudhury

Kibra Yohannes is the current Program Associate at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation). Kibra has held various positions in the past, such as Founding Executive Director at AFRICA'SOUT!, Director of Volunteers at the Association to Benefit Children, and Director at LIU Brooklyn, School of Continuing Studies. Kibra has also been with Arts Engine, Inc. as the Director of Programs + Operations and The Philadelphia Tribune as a Consultant for Archival + Preservation.

Kibra Yohannes has a Master's Degree in Social Sciences from [Long Island University](/org/long-island-university) and a BA in Anthropology with a minor in Arabic Language from the [University of Virginia](/org/university-of-virginia). Kibra also studied Arabic Language in Morocco at the [School for International Training](/org/school-for-international-training).

Kibra Yohannes reports to Emil J. Kang, Program Director, Arts & Cultural Heritage. They work with Isabel Quinzaños Alonso - Program Associate, Abigail Choudhury - Program Associate, and Natasha Forrester - Program Assistant.

Kibra Yohannes

Maria Moschopoulos is an Operations Associate at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Maria has previously worked as an Associate in Education Administration at Carnegie Hall and as an Administrative Assistant at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

At Carnegie Hall, Maria was responsible for managing all administrative needs of the education department, including preparing artist contracts, maintaining the artist database, and editing marketing materials. Maria also coordinated and managed the Young Music Makers program, which welcomed over 1,000 school-aged musicians to perform on Lincoln Center’s Josie Robertson Plaza each spring.

At Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Maria handled all front-of-house operations during the Midsummer Night Swing and Lincoln Center Out of Doors festivals. Maria also managed the summer interns and was responsible for communication with the Legal Department and Accounting Department to ensure that artist contracts were held to Lincoln Center’s standards and that artists were paid in a timely manner.

Maria Moschopoulos has a Master's degree in Performing Arts Administration from NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Maria also has a Bachelors in French Language and Art Maria'story from [Georgetown University](/org/georgetown-university). Maria has a High School Diploma from Sacred Heart Greenwich. Maria is also certified as a DocuSign CLM Specialist in 2021.

Their manager is Michele S. Warman, EVP, COO, General Counsel & Secretary. Maria Moschopoulos works with Nora Mitnick - Director, Grants & Data Management, Jocelyn Brekken - Director, Grant Accounting, and Audrey Hornick-Becker - Operations Project Manager.

Maria Moschopoulos

Natasha Forrester is a Program Assistant at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation). Natasha previously worked as an Event Consultant for BUILD at [Ford Foundation](/org/ford-foundation), a Freelance Operations for [Secret Escapes](/org/secret-escapes), and a Business Development Manager for Firelight Media & Films. Natasha has also worked as a Business Development Consultant for American Red Cross Greater New York, an Associate for Resource Development at [United Way of New York City](/org/united-way-of-new-york-city), and an Assistant Campaign Manager at The Advertising Council.

Natasha Forrester attended [Georgetown University](/org/georgetown-university), where they earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and French. Natasha then attended [Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo](/org/universidad-autonoma-de-santo-domingo). Finally, they attended [Phillips Exeter Academy](/org/phillips-exeter-academy) and Prep for Prep.

Their manager is Emil J. Kang, Program Director, Arts & Cultural Heritage. They are on a team with Rocco Praderio - Program Assistant, Abigail Choudhury - Program Associate, and Zuleika Milan - Executive Assistant.

Natasha Forrester

Ashley Daube is a Staff Accountant at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation). Ashley has over 10 years of experience in accounting and finance. Prior to joining The Mellon Foundation, Ashley was the Accounting Manager at [The Dalton School](/org/the-dalton-school). Ashley has also worked as a Senior Accountant at The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine and as a Business Office Assistant at Brooklyn Heights Montessori School. Ashley began their career as a Substitute Teacher at P.S. 108 Assemblyman Angelo Del Toro Educational Complex and later became a Student Teacher at the same school. Ashley is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from [Fordham University](/org/fordham-university).

Ashley Daube has a Master of Science in Childhood Education and Childhood Special Education from St. John's University. Prior to that, they earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from [Susquehanna University](/org/susquehanna-university). Ashley also attended New Canaan High School.

They work with Margaret Stepien - Senior Financial Analyst, Raquel Fernandez - Accounting Manager, and Mabel Olivera - Senior Accountant. Ashley Daube reports to Christy Cicatello, Director, Accounting.

Ashley Daube

Mark Almozara is a Human Resources Specialist at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation). Mark has over seven years of experience in customer service and human resources. Prior to joining [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation), Mark worked as a Community Support Representative at [Uber](/org/uber) and as an intern at [SBE Entertainment](/org/sbe-entertainment). Mark is passionate about helping others and solving problems. Mark is committed to finding quick resolutions and providing excellent customer service.

Mark Almozara graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies with an option in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication from California State University, Long Beach.

Mark Almozara reports to Annette J. Phillips, CHRO. Mark Almozara works with Rabeya Nizam - HR Specialist, Carolina Chavez - HR Generalist, and Ihsan Christie - Manager of Human Resources Operations.

Mark Almozara

Michelle Knudsen is a Senior Portfolio Manager at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation) and has over 10 years of experience in the financial industry. Michelle started their career at [Goldman Sachs](/org/goldman-sachs) as a Financial Analyst and then moved to Partners Capital LLP where they were Head of Absolute Return and Credit Strategies. Michelle has a proven track record of success in managing portfolios and is an expert in credit strategies.

Michelle Knudsen has a B.A. from [Stanford University](/org/stanford).

Michelle Knudsen reports to Scott Taylor, Chief Investment Officer. Michelle Knudsen works with Abigail Kahn Archibald - Senior Portfolio Manager, Doris E. Cruz - Senior Executive Assistant, and Fernanda Polax-Nainggolan - Investment Operations Analyst.

Michelle Knudsen

Margaret Stepien is a Senior Financial Analyst at [The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation](/org/the-andrew-w-mellon-foundation). Margaret has over 20 years of experience in accounting and tax consulting, and has been self-employed since 2012. Margaret has a wide range of experience in both small businesses and large corporations. Margaret has helped businesses automate and restructure their back office and staffing, and has advised on hiring talent and training staff on new software. Margaret is also an experienced property manager, and has been running their own rental property business since 2012. In addition to their consulting and property management experience, Margaret is also a day trader, and has been managing their own capital for the past 8 years.

Margaret Stepien has a BBA in Accounting from [Baruch College](/org/baruch) and certification from NYS CPA and UTAH CPA.

Margaret Stepien reports to Christy Cicatello, Director, Accounting. Margaret Stepien works with Kareema Fernan - Accounting Manager, Mabel Olivera - Senior Accountant, and Ashley Daube - Staff Accountant.

Margaret Stepien

Kamilla Szabados serves as an investment analyst. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2021, Ms. Szabados worked at CIT as a senior analyst in the energy group where she focused on renewable transactions. She holds a BS in business administration with an emphasis in finance from Chapman University.

Kamilla Szabados

Colleen J. Ross joined the Foundation in 2021 as an integrated content director, a role created to translate Mellon's priorities into compelling storytelling that fosters a broad understanding of the Foundation's core mission to advance social justice through the arts and the humanities. 

Ms. Ross has 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, strategic marketing, communications, and project management for media and cultural organizations.

At StoryCorps, the groundbreaking personal history project and national nonprofit, Ms. Ross directed all marketing and communications activities. She diversified the platforms on which StoryCorps stories are seen and heard. During her tenure, more people than ever engaged with StoryCorps content or recorded their stories to preserve them at the Library of Congress.

Colleen J. Ross

Nina Pincus serves as a grants manager for the Foundation.  Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Pincus served as the senior global grants manager at C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, an international nonprofit organization focused on bringing mayors together to tackle climate change.  During her six years at C40, she oversaw the grants management function and implemented the funding development process to streamline proposal development at the organization. 

She holds a BA in foreign languages, focusing on Spanish and Japanese, from Scripps College.  After receiving her degree, Ms. Pincus spent two years teaching English in Japan.

Nina Pincus

Schuyler Marquez serves as a grants manager. Before joining the Foundation, Ms. Marquez worked as a cultural anthropologist, specializing in the intersections between religion and global foodways. In addition to conducting ethnographic fieldwork with communities in Brazil and the United States, she taught courses as an adjunct lecturer at the City College of New York and New York University and completed postdoctoral research at Arizona State University. Prior to her academic training, she served as a program assistant at the Social Science Research Council where her work focused on promoting new fields of inquiry and enhancing doctoral proposal development and training.

Ms. Marquez holds a BA in anthropology from Mount Holyoke College and a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from New York University.

Schuyler Marquez

Matt Tomasello is a database support analyst on the Data Management team. In this role, he helps to maintain and support the grants management system (Fluxx), assists on the grantee and staff help-desks, and assists with quality assurance tasks related to system data and records. Prior to joining the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Mr. Tomasello held technical support and administration roles at webcasting company PGi. He holds a master of business and science (MBS) degree from Rutgers University.

Matt Tomasello

Armando Bengochea is a senior program officer for Higher Learning and director of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF), a program he had previously been involved with at both Brown University and Connecticut College. Mr. Bengochea has started or restructured a wide range of initiatives at Mellon that foster diversity, access, and inclusion in higher education for both students and faculty. He brought to the Foundation more than 26 years of experience as an academic dean.
 
After completing his undergraduate education at the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Bengochea earned a Ph.D. in politics at Princeton University where he wrote a political philosophy dissertation on Tocqueville. From 1986–2006, he worked at Brown University where he served as dean of freshman studies and associate dean of the college. In 2002, Mr. Bengochea helped create, launched, and then oversaw the university’s First Year Seminar program and for many years had oversight of signature academic advising initiatives and related curricular programs. As part of these roles, Mr. Bengochea planned and participated in many programs and initiatives in support of students of color. Throughout his 20-year career at Brown, he was charged with monitoring the academic and social well-being of Latino/a undergraduates across all four undergraduate classes.

Armando I. Bengochea

Alexis Ortiz is a senior program associate in the Office of the President. Prior to assuming this role, she served as a program associate in the Arts and Cultural Heritage program, specializing in performing arts. Before joining the Foundation in 2017, Ms. Ortiz held positions at the Kennedy Center, Jazz@Lincoln Center, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Lisa Booth Management. She has also produced performances, tours, television specials, and community events at venues ranging from the White House to SXSW, as well as for PBS. A graduate of Yale University, Ms. Ortiz majored in political science and Latin American studies. She earned an MA at the University of Miami in international administration, with a concentration in culture and sustainable development.

Alexis Ortiz

Emma Taati serves as a senior program associate in the Higher Learning program. Ms. Taati joined the Foundation in 2014 following 11 years as a staff member at the Social Science Research Council, where she most recently served as associate director of the Mellon Mays Graduate Initiatives. She has also been a project management consultant to the Graduate Center at the City University of New York, Race Forward, the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University, and Teachers College. Her experience includes roles at the Rockefeller Foundation and at the Barr Foundation in Boston, which resulted in the published study, Catalytic Change: Lessons Learned from the Racial Justice Grantmaking Assessment. Ms. Taati graduated from Vassar College with honors in political science and a correlated concentration in women’s studies.

Emma Taati

Dawei Liu joined the Foundation in 2020 as an investment analyst. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Liu worked in Bluestem Asset Management, an alternative investment fund, and was previously an analyst on the public investing team at DUMAC, Duke University's endowment. He holds a BS in economics with a concentration in finance as well as a BA in political science from Duke University.

Dawei Liu

Dale Rejtmar is a senior executive assistant in the Higher Learning program, providing support to Phillip Brian Harper and Armando I. Bengochea. 

Prior to joining the Foundation in 2020, Mr. Rejtmar worked for three decades at New York University, where, at various points, he provided administrative support to the Music Department, the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, and the Graduate School Dean's Office. Most recently, he was chief of staff to the dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Science. He holds a BA in music theory and composition, and an MA in museum studies, both from New York University.

Dale Rejtmar

Ehsan Jami joined the Foundation in 2018 as a senior executive assistant to Elizabeth Alexander where she proudly serves alongside colleagues in the Office of the President supporting President Alexander and the Foundation in furthering the social justice mission. 

Between 2009 and 2013, Ms. Jami worked for the America-Mideast Educational and Training Services organization in Tunisia. She taught English as a Foreign Language to adults and young learners and her work included training to teach English for International Communication preparatory courses. She also participated as a teacher and mentor in the ACCESS program, which provides micro-scholarships to young learners from disadvantaged communities in the Greater Tunis area funded by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. She has eight years of experience in the administrative support space as a former executive assistant and compliance analyst at CIFC Asset Management LLC and as an executive assistant at The Carlyle Group. 

Ms. Jami holds a bachelor of liberal arts from the City College of New York-CUNY with a major in history and a minor in French, and a master of arts degree from Hunter College-CUNY in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Ehsan Jami

Ianna Angelo is a senior events manager at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation where she leads the planning and production of internal and public-facing events that amplify shared goals toward a more just, equitable, and vibrant society. Ms. Angelo has a decade of experience in event production, partnership building, and engagement strategies, with past positions at The Municipal Art Society of New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. She loves how events have the ability to inspire ideas, propel the action, and connect people. She has planned events in a range of formats and scales—from intimate fundraising receptions, large gala dinners, and award presentations, to full-day conferences, craft fairs, and even an urban walking festival for over 70 thousand in-person and virtual attendees. 

Born in San Diego, California, Ms. Angelo is a proud Banana Slug and graduated with honors from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a BA in anthropology and a minor in the history of art and visual culture.

Ianna Angelo

Julia Marden serves as a research associate in the Public Knowledge program. Ms. Marden comes to the Foundation from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, where she had the role of civic data lead and headed a cross-departmental group responsible for developing strategic metrics and assessing the impact of the library's work. Her experience includes positions at Columbia University Libraries, where she was the research support and data services librarian, and at DataKind, where she worked as the community manager overseeing a global network of volunteers contributing data science expertise to community-based projects. She is also the founder of Tiny Panther Consulting, which offers workshops and consultations that help organizations and individuals demystify data and empower them to use data to question, advocate, collaborate, and change the world.

Ms. Marden holds a BA in public policy analysis from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MS in library science from Pratt institute.

Julia Marden

Deana Haggag is a program officer in Arts and Culture at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation in May 2021, Ms. Haggag was the president and CEO of United States Artists (USA), a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. During her tenure, USA saw unprecedented growth, expanding its fellowship award program, launching the Berresford Prize, and developing coalition efforts to advance support for individual artists most notably including Artist Relief, a $25 million emergency initiative to support artists facing dire financial circumstances due to COVID-19, and Disability Futures, an initiative aimed at increasing the visibility of disabled creative practitioners across disciplines and geography and elevating their voices individually and collectively. Before joining the USA in February 2017, she was the executive director of The Contemporary, a nomadic and non-collecting art museum in Baltimore for four years. 

In addition to her leadership roles, Ms. Haggag lectures extensively consult on various art initiatives, contributes to cultural publications, and has taught at institutions such as Johns Hopkins University and Towson University. She is on the board of The Underground Museum, as well as the artistic director's council of Prospect.5 and an advisory council of Recess.

Deana Haggag

Julissa Peña is a program associate in the Humanities in Place program. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Peña was involved in higher education administration, advising students, faculty, staff, parents, and other stakeholders at Columbia University. During her time there, she oversaw the dissertation office at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, which supports all doctoral candidates at Columbia, and worked as a senior registration and financial analyst within the Office of the University Registrar. 

Ms. Peña has a BA in Latin American studies and sociology from Wesleyan University and an MA in American studies from Columbia University.

Julissa Peña

Emma Boast is a program associate in the Office of the President. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Boast was a member of the arts and culture department at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, where she facilitated cultural planning projects on behalf of local governments throughout Greater Boston and spearheaded social justice-oriented initiatives in community engagement, partnerships, and research. Her experience includes curatorial work with the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago and the Brown Arts Initiative, as well as cultural policy development with the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism in Providence, RI. She also spent five years as the founding director of exhibitions and programming at the Museum of Food and Drink, where she curated groundbreaking exhibitions and programs at the intersection of history, culture, and science. She earned a BA in art history at the University of Chicago and an MA in public humanities at Brown University, where she was a curatorial fellow.

Emma Boast

Jackie Clay is a program associate in the Arts and Culture program at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2021, Ms. Clay served as executive director and curator at the Coleman Center for the Arts, a contemporary arts organization that produces socially engaged public art projects in the Alabama Black Belt region. She holds dual-interdisciplinary degrees in curatorial practice and visual + critical studies from California College of the Arts in San Francisco. In addition to her work in Sumter County, Ms. Clay hosts Monograph, a documentary series produced by Alabama Public Television that focuses on creative practice both inside and outside the framework of the traditional arts. She has contributed to catalogs including Prospect 4, black is a color, and An Impulse to Keep the Greenwood Art Project catalog.

Jackie Clay

Achille Tenkiang serves as a program assistant for the Humanities in Place program. Prior to joining the Foundation, he served as a legal assistant at White and Case LLP in Paris, France. He is also currently a director at the Boarding School and was formerly a trustee at Princeton University. Mr. Tenkiang received his BA in African studies and development from Princeton and an MA in race, migration, and decolonial studies from the University College Dublin where he was a Mitchell Scholar.

Achille Tenkiang

Yoona Hong serves as a program assistant for the Higher Learning program. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Hong served as a program associate for the Mellon Mays Fellows Professional Network at the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. She has also held a number of roles both abroad and in the United States at social justice organizations, such as Liberty in North Korea and Hagar International where she worked on issues such as refugee support and human trafficking. Ms. Hong received a BA in international studies from Johns Hopkins University and an MA in human rights from Columbia University.

Yoona Hong

Rocco Praderio is a program assistant in the Arts and Culture program. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2020, he worked in the eastern bonding office at the Actors' Equity Association where he administered agreements between producers and the union for both commercial and nonprofit theater productions. Mr. Praderio also has experience in casting, literary management, new play development, and technical production from previous positions at nonprofit theater companies in the Northeast. He graduated summa cum laude from Ithaca College with a BA in theatre studies and writing.

Rocco Praderio

Mammotsa Makhene is the manager of strategic initiatives and planning in the Humanities in Place program. In this role, she provides planning, research, and grantmaking support for the program and cross-program initiatives.

Before joining the Foundation, Ms. Makhene worked in research-related social justice work, analyzing the impact and outcomes of social programs on marginalized communities in both New York and South Africa. In addition to her work at the Foundation, she serves as adjunct faculty at Hunter College, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate level students in the politics and social work departments. Her courses focus on race, racial inequality, human rights, and exploring oppression within social welfare policy. A Soweto native, she began her career at Investec, one of South Africa's leading investment banks.

Mammotsa Makhene

Yindeng Jiang joined the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in 2021 as a senior portfolio manager. He works with the chief investment officer to manage the Foundation's investment portfolio across asset classes with a focus on liquid strategies. He also provides input into asset allocation, risk management, and portfolio strategy, and leads the design and implementation of tools and analytics to support investment decision-making.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Jiang was an investment analytics specialist at Soros Fund Management, where he worked closely with the CRO and the CIO on researching and building quantitative approaches to portfolio construction. From 2005 to 2017, Mr. Jiang worked on the investment team at the University of Washington Investment Management Company.

Mr. Jiang graduated from the University of Washington with a Ph.D. in statistics.

Yindeng Jiang

Makayla Baker serves as a senior investment analyst. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2021, Ms. Baker worked at the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois as a senior investment analyst focused on the private equity asset class. She holds a BS in business administration with an emphasis in finance as well as a BA in international studies including a multicultural certificate from the University of Missouri.

Makayla Baker

Spencer Shapiro serves as a senior investment analyst. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Shapiro worked on the investment team at RockCreek, a DC-based asset management firm, where he focused primarily on international public investments. He holds an AB in government and a secondary in economics from Harvard University.

Spencer Shapiro

Martha Scott Burton is a research associate in the Office of the President. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Burton held curatorial and research positions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Morgan Library & Museum, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, and The Studio Museum in Harlem. She has also supported the production of a number of academic publications and exhibition catalogues. Ms. Burton holds an MA in art history from the University of Texas at Austin and a BA in art history (magna cum laude) from Columbia University, where her research focused on the politics of identity in modern and contemporary art, histories of photography, and legacies of colonialism.

Martha Scott Burton

Mary Bates first joined the Foundation in 1997 as an executive and program assistant to the vice president of the Liberal Arts Colleges program. In 2004, she became a founding member and marketing manager for the Emeriti Retirement Health Solutions Consortium, serving until 2007, when she devoted herself to caring for her family full-time. Ms. Bates returned to the Foundation in 2011, and currently works with grantees in developing new grants. She holds a bachelor's degree in art from Carnegie Mellon University.

Mary Bates

Elizabeth Foley is a program associate for Higher Learning and previously held that role in the Diversity program. She has worked with the Foundation's flagship Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program for over a decade, managing the reporting of MMUF's nearly 6,000 fellows to the Foundation and serving as administrator of the MMUF website (www.mmuf.org). In this capacity, she has overseen several rebuilds of the website and is responsible for compiling data on the program's outcomes for internal and external communities. An English major by training, she is a frequent writer and editor of internal program documents. She holds a bachelor's degree from Bryn Mawr College and a master's degree in liberal studies from the City University of New York Graduate Center.

Elizabeth Foley

Chandra Marshall serves as a program associate in the Public Knowledge program. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Marshall received an MA in public humanities from Brown University where she held the Public History of Slavery Fellowship. She holds a BA in history and international relations from Scripps College. After receiving her degree, Ms. Marshall spent one year teaching English in France and served as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Clarkston, Georgia.

Chandra Marshall

Casandra Hernández Faham is a program associate in the Arts and Culture program at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2020, Ms. Hernández Faham served as executive director of CALA Alliance (Celebración Artística de las Américas), a multidisciplinary Latinx arts organization that organizes creative collaborations with artists in Arizona, México, and Latin America. Through a joint appointment, she also served as Curator of CALA Initiatives at the Arizona State University Art Museum. Previously, she worked as an artist programs coordinator at the Arizona Commission on the Arts, where she managed artist grants and created the AZ ArtWorker program to facilitate dialogue and knowledge-sharing. She holds an MA in anthropology and museum studies from Arizona State University and curated public programs at ASU Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve. Among other honors, she was the recipient of the 2014 40 Hispanic Leaders Under 40 Award, and a fellow of the National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Program and the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Leadership Institute.

Casandra Hernández Faham

Rachel Ninomiya serves as a program assistant in the Arts and Culture program. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2022, she held archival and collections management positions at the Calder Foundation. Previously, she held front-of-house positions at museums in Los Angeles and New York. Ms. Ninomiya graduated from Brooklyn College with a BA in art history and is currently pursuing her MA at Hunter College.

Rachel Ninomiya

Kris Choe serves as a program assistant for the Higher Learning program. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Choe managed events, student programming, and donor stewardship for the Graduate School of Arts and Science Dean's Office at New York University. She received her BA from California State University, Fullerton, and an MA in English from New York University.

Kris Choe

Elizabeth LoCascio is a program assistant for the Higher Learning program. Prior to assuming this role, she served as the Foundation's office services assistant. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. LoCascio worked at WMNR Fine Arts Radio in Monroe, Connecticut. She graduated in 2017 with a BA in social work from Western Connecticut State University.

Elizabeth LoCascio

Akua Bonsu is an operation, and administrative coordinator. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Bonsu served as a senior research associate at Everytown for Gun Safety where she focused primarily on school safety, Stand Your Ground laws and community trauma among Black Americans. She earned a BA in urban studies and psychology with a specialization in anthropology from Columbia University.

Akua Bonsu

Samantha Holmes joined the Foundation in 2020 as an investment analyst. She primarily works with private equity, diversified and fixed income investments. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Holmes worked as a portfolio management analyst in the Goldman Sachs multi-asset Outsourced Chief Investment Officer program. Ms. Holmes earned a BA in political science from Duke University, where she was an Alice M. Baldwin Scholar and a Reginaldo Howard Memorial Scholar.

Samantha Holmes

As the Foundation's Integrated Content Manager, Anthony Balas helps raise the visibility of the Foundation's mission and grantees, advancing multi-media storytelling efforts and serving as a critical bridge between grantmaking program officers and other areas of decision-making in the Foundation.

Before joining the Foundation, Mr. Balas worked for the national fundraising consulting firm Campbell & Company, where he partnered with over 40 nonprofit organizations to develop messaging aimed at securing support—with a special focus on philanthropic audiences in the Arts and Culture sector. In addition to serving clients, Mr. Balas produced thought leadership on effective fundraising communications, while serving on the firm's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access Council. Prior to his role as a consultant, Mr. Balas worked in the development office of Latinos Progresando, an immigration legal services nonprofit on Chicago's Southwest Side, where he led the creation of organizational content across print and digital platforms.

Mr. Balas holds a BA in political science from the University of Chicago.

Anthony Balas

Amy Erwin serves as the Foundation's institutional events manager. Before transitioning to the Office of the President, she served as a program assistant for the Diversity program. Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked at Time Warner's corporate contributions department, where she organized events with philanthropic organizations as well as museums and performing arts companies in New York City. Ms. Erwin also spent several years in advertising, working as an assistant art director for print ads and as a junior producer of television and radio commercials at Ogilvy & Mather and DDB Needham. She earned a bachelor of science in communication studies with a minor in studio art from New York University.

Amy Erwin

Nnamudi Amobi joined the Foundation in June 2021 and serves as a grants manager. Prior to Mellon, Mr. Amobi served as the grant manager and contracts administrator for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) which was created in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, to ensure that Lower Manhattan recovered from the attacks and emerged stronger than before. At the LMDC, he managed grants with various private and public agencies for projects ranging from community development initiatives dedicated to low-income communities to upgrading outdated government systems. He also helped administer LMDC's executed grantee, consultant, and vendor agreements.
 
In addition to his work at the LMDC, Mr. Amobi has also acted in various film, television, and off-off-Broadway productions. Notable credits include Sex and the City 2, Law and Order SVU, Blue Bloods, and Bull. 

Mr. Amobi received a JD from the University of Massachusetts School of Law at Dartmouth. He earned his BA in English language and literature from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Nnamudi Amobi

Rachel Elizabeth Zeiss serves as the Foundation's event and meeting planner. Ms. Zeiss works within the Office of the President planning internal and public events as well as assisting other staff with their meetings. Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked as an event manager at UJA-Federation of New York supporting fundraisers with their annual events and galas. Previously she worked as a hospitality associate at the World Economic Forum where she coordinated travel and logistics for meetings. Ms. Zeiss earned a bachelor's degree in public relations with a minor in theater from SUNY Fredonia.

Rachel Elizabeth Zeiss

Shevaun O'Neill is an events coordinator on the Communications team where she is responsible for various planning and logistical tasks related to both internal and public-facing events. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. O'Neill served as a special event coordinator with the Metropolitan YMCA of The Oranges where she planned fundraising events. Her previous experience also includes time as the marketing and events coordinator at Ferrari, as well as manager of venue sales and events at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. She graduated with a drawing and photography studio arts degree from the University of Maryland and continues to pursue her passion for the arts and humanities in her everyday life.

Shevaun O'Neill

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's CEO and Executive Team includes Scott Taylor and 4 others.

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