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Board of Directors

Officers of the Board of Directors

Steven Petersen, Chair, is a principal and the Global Controller of TPG-Axon Capital Management where he heads the global accounting, control & fund administration teams. TPG-Axon Capital is a leading global investment firm with over $10 billion of capital invested in public and private markets around the world. Through its offices in New York, London, Hong Kong and Tokyo, TPG-Axon Capital has invested across a broad range of industries in more than 20 different countries, including investments in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, financial services, technology, energy and basic materials and retail. Prior to joining the firm in 2005, he was the Global Operational Risk Manager of the Proprietary Trading Business in J.P. Morgan Chase's investment bank. Before joining JPMC, he worked as an accountant in Arthur Andersen LLPs tax practice. Steve graduated with a BBA in Accounting from Hofstra University in 1996.

Seendy Fouron, Secretary, is a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Ambac Assurance Corporation. Prior to joining, Seendy was Vice President and Counsel in the Legal Department at Credit Suisse and also worked as an associate in the Finance Department in the New York office of Mayer, Brown, Rowe and Maw, LLP. Throughout her career, Seendy has been active in mentoring young adults through various programs such as Big Brother Big Sister, Law Explorers and various programs sponsored by the New York City public school system. Seendy received a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a JD from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Kate Schrauth, Executive Director and former Chair of the icouldbe.org Board of Directors, has the primary responsibility of successfully managing and growing icouldbe.org to serve thousands of students throughout the US and internationally. With over 22 years of nonprofit leadership experience, Ms. Schrauth has played a variety of roles including Founder and Director of Artists for Humanity & City Teens Design Company, and has held a variety of roles at organizations including Jumpstart, New School University and Harvard University.


Members of the Board of Directors

Adam Aberman, prior to his current position as Youth Venture’s Director of Global Online Strategy, founded and served as Executive Director of icouldbe.org. Adam is also the Principal and Founder of The Learning Collective, a consulting organization that strengthens practices of youth-serving organizations. Prior to establishing icouldbe.org, Adam was a Regional Coordinator for the New York City Department of Education. Adam began his career in education as a Spanish bilingual public school teacher in Los Angeles. He received a BA from Vassar College and an MA in Public Policy with an emphasis on Education from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

Niall Byrne, is a Managing Director and head of JPMorgan Chase's Asset & Wealth Management audit group. Based in New York, he leads a global team of 50 individuals in various locations in the US, Europe and Asia, covering a business that oversees more than $1 trillion in assets, is the second largest active asset manager in the US and the third biggest private bank globally. Niall has worked in the financial services industry for over 17 years in a variety of front office, operations and technology leadership roles, and has spent time living and working in London, Brussels and New York. He received a BA (Hons) from the University of Manchester in the UK. Niall served as Chair of the icouldbe.org Board of Directors from 2005 - 2008.

Robert Clauser is the CEO and producer for Montage Entertainment, a non-profit film production company that works to advance under-represented peoples in the film entertainment community. He is also the founder and current Secretary of Figure Skating in Harlem, and has helped to build and run programs that bring skating and the benefits of sport to at-risk youth in Harlem. He was previously a Partner within the Media & Entertainment practice of Strategic Services at Accenture and led engagements in the US, Asia and Europe for the world’s leading entertainment, media, and e-commerce companies. Robert holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business as a recipient of the First National Bank of Chicago Scholarship and holds a BA cum laude from The University of Michigan.

Gregory A. Framke is the Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Operations Officer, for E*TRADE FINANCIAL Corp. As Chief Information and Operations Officer, Greg Framke oversees the management of all global technology development and infrastructure at E*TRADE FINANCIAL, as well as its core global operations. Mr. Framke’s primary objectives are to maximize efficiency throughout the business, as well as to leverage technology to provide innovative financial services products to customers. Mr. Framke has been recognized as one of InfoWorld's 25 Most Influential CTOs and as a ComputerWorld Honors Program Laureate. He has also earned multiple standings with the InformationWeek 100 and CIO's Top 100 for Innovation. Mr. Framke’s career spans over 20 years in both the financial services and technology industries with experience in sales, marketing and technology. Prior to joining E*TRADE FINANCIAL in 2000, Mr. Framke was Director and Global Equity Technology Chief Operating Officer for Deutsche Bank Securities. From 1994 to 1999, he was a Principal with Morgan Stanley & Co for equity technology in New York and London. Before moving to Wall Street, Mr. Framke worked in marketing and sales management positions at IBM, earning numerous awards and commendations. Mr. Framke holds a BA in International Finance, graduating with honors from The George Washington University.

Steve Petersen is the Global Controller of TPG-Axon Capital, an investment firm with offices in New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Prior to joining the firm in 2005, he was the Global Operational Risk Manager of the Proprietary Trading Business in J.P. Morgan Chase’s investment bank. Before joining JPMC, he worked as an accountant in Arthur Andersen LLP’s tax practice. Steve graduated with a BBA in Accounting from Hofstra University in 1996.

Greg Rutstein is Vice President - Associate General Counsel with the US arm of Financial Risk Management Group (FRM), a London based hedge fund. Prior to joining FRM, Greg was an associate in the Investment Funds Department in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and was an associate in the Global Corporate/M&A Department in the New York office of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP. Greg is also a member of the board of directors and General Counsel for Prodigy Technology, a start-up educational software company. Greg received a BA in Economics from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a JD, magna cum laude, from New York Law School where he was a Justice John Marshall Harlan Scholar, an Associate Editor for the New York Law School Law Review and a member of the Center for Professional Values and Excellence.

Jeff Valentine is Vice President and Global Head of Investment Operations and Systems for ALICO Investments based out of New York. Prior to joining ALICO, Jeff was Managing Director of Global Investment Services for AIG and responsible for middle and back-office investment operations functions. Jeff began his career at Metropolitan Life in 1994 as a Securities Analyst, and after three years with the firm, accepted a position as Senior Investment Accountant for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Virginia based in Richmond, Virginia. Jeff later joined Houston based American General Investment Management in 1999 as Associate Director of Securities Accounting and subsequently became part of AIG Investments through acquisition in 2001. Jeff received a BBA in Finance from The University of Georgia.

Lawrence Writer is a Vice President with the Carlyle Group in their New York office and focuses on high yield opportunities in the telecom and media sectors. He was previously an Associate in the Financing Group at Goldman Sachs, where he focused on structuring financing transactions, special situations and portfolio management. He was also a trader at Wells Fargo Bank, working on emerging markets. Lawrence received an MBA from the Wharton School and an MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. He received his undergraduate degrees in Economics and International Studies from the Jackson School at the University of Washington in Seattle.