David Sorkin is a Visiting Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School and a Director of the Harvard Transactional Law Workshop.  Until 2023, Mr. Sorkin was the General Counsel and then the Chief Legal Officer of KKR. Prior to joining KKR in 2007, Mr. Sorkin was a partner in the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. Mr. Sorkin is a graduate of Williams College and Harvard Law School.

Vivian Farah is retired from Saks Fifth Avenue where she was the Vice President, DMM. She has served on several boards and fundraising committees including the Rye Country Day School, Harmonie Club, Trinity School (Atlanta, Georgia), and Young Audiences of Atlanta.

Jonathan A. Knee is the Michael T. Fries Professor of Professional Practice in Media and Technology at Columbia Business School, where he also serves as co-Director of the Media and Technology Program. Mr. Knee has been an investment banker for over 25 years, at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Evercore, where he remains a senior advisor.

Mark H. FitzPatrick is the Chief Financial Officer of SimpliSafe, a leading home security company.  Prior to SimpliSafe, he was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Madison Square Garden Entertainment, a world leader in live experiences with a portfolio of iconic venues and entertainment brands. Previously, Mr. FitzPatrick was the Deputy Chief Financial Officer of WeWork, a leading worldwide provider of community-based workspace, and held a variety of senior finance roles at Time Warner Cable, most recently as the Chief Financial Officer of Residential Services. Mr. FitzPatrick graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree (with honors) from the University of Notre Dame and received a joint J.D. / M.B.A. (with honors) from Georgetown University. He currently resides in Darien, CT with his wife Elizabeth, and their three children.

Elizabeth S. Pforzheimer is one of the founding Board Members of NAC and served as Board President from 1982-2008. She is a member of the board of Bank Street College of Education and a trustee emerita of Wellesley College and Blythedale Children’s Hospital.

Robert L. Friedman is a Senior Advisor of The Blackstone Group L.P. He is board chairman of Harrington Reinsurance Company Ltd. and is also a member of several not-for-profit boards.

Steven Amato is a Senior Partner in Special Acquisition Services Group at Deloitte in New York City, where his responsibility is to provide accounting, M&A structuring and transaction advisory services to both private equity and strategic buyers. His primary focus is on transactions in the sports, media and entertainment industries. In addition to serving as the National M&A leader for the sports, media and entertainment industry practice, Steve is the lead client service partner on many of the firms largest domestic and international clients.

Terri D. Austin is an attorney and legal analyst who has appeared on a number of networks including ABC News, CBS News, Inside Edition, Fox 11, Court TV, and Law and Crime. She previously served as an Adjunct Professor at USC, Annenberg School of Journalism. Prior to that, she served in numerous roles including Chief Corporate Policy Officer for S&P Global, Chief Diversity Officer for AIG, Litigation Associate at Richards & O’Neil, and Assistant Counsel at the New York City Law Department. Ms. Austin holds a BA in political science from Grinnell College, a JD from Columbia University School of Law, and a MS degree from the Columbia School of Journalism. She is a member of the New York City Bar Association, and has served on a number of non-profit boards including Riverdale Country School.

Bryan Beller is a Managing Director in the investment bank at J.P. Morgan. He focuses on the media and communications sectors. Bryan began his career at Salomon Brothers in 1996.

Marian Adams Bott is a lobbyist and education finance expert. She currently serves as the Education Finance Issue Specialist for the League of Women Voters of New York State. Prior to that, Dr. Bott chaired the Education Committee of the Advisory Board of the New York City League of Women Voters. Dr. Bott holds an MBA from Stanford University, and earned her Doctoral Degree in Organizational Leadership from Columbia University Teacher’s College.

Dr. Hazel M. Carter has over 36 years’ experience in education reform programs, curriculum development, program design, evaluation, grant writing and teaching at both school and college levels. She is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at The City College of New York. Her career as a college professor, a school teacher, and a former administrator is grounded in the belief that all students can learn. Dr. Carter strongly believes that educators must embrace the community (higher education institutions, school systems, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, parents, and business and government agencies) in creating an environment that supports effective teaching and learning. Her books, Creating Effective Community Partnerships: a Guide for School Leaders, and Leadership of After-School and Supplemental Education: Creating Seamless Pathways to Postsecondary Life encourage educational leaders to embrace the community and to focus on the often overlooked and underutilized college and university partnerships.

To this end, she works with public school personnel and colleges to improve the quality of education for at risk students through systemic change initiatives in New York City. As a director of several pipeline programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Ford Foundation, Kellogg Foundation and Lumina Foundation, she was successful in preparing middle and high school students for persistence and success in post-secondary education and in increasing the number of minority students in teaching.

As the Executive Director of several school-college pipeline programs, Dr. Carter had an “aha” moment: no amount of money or creative programs can impact student achievement without effective leadership. She turned her attention to the area that is sometimes overlooked in school improvement: leadership preparation. Effective school reform resulting in improved student achievement will only occur if educational leaders make it happen, therefore, the next step in her career was to work with aspiring leaders in the School of Education at the City College of New York. Dr. Carter prepares teachers to be school building leaders and school district leaders and has worked with New York State Department of Education in reforming several teacher and leadership certification programs.

Dr. Carter was recognized by the City University of New York as one of the recipients of Major Institutional Grants for Public Service awards and received the community service award from the Trinidad and Tobago Alliance, North America. Additionally, she received the Trinidad and Tobago Heritage award from the New York City Council, the Mid-Brooklyn Civic Association, and has been cited by the United States Congress for her work in community engagement.

She is a Board member of the American Foundation of the University of the West Indies. She has membership in several professional associations including, Global Women’s Fund, the International Consortium of Caribbean Professionals, American Educational Research Association, and the Metropolitan Council of Educational Administration Programs.

Dr. Carter received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Higher Education Administration from New York University. Additionally, she holds a Masters of Science degree in Non-Profit

Management from the New School University; a Diploma in Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Social Sciences, both from the University of the West Indies in Trinidad.

Lisa Clyde is the head of Global Corporate Banking and Global Leasing at BofA Securities, the institutional broker dealer business of Bank of America. In this role, she leads a team of approximately 1,000 professionals across 45 cities in 30 countries—representing one of the most global businesses within Bank of America. Global Corporate Banking delivers credit, financing, cash management, payments and risk management solutions to more than 2,000 of the world’s largest companies. Separately, Global Leasing is the largest U.S. bank-owned equipment financing company providing solutions to over 64,000 clients in 10 countries. A seasoned banker with extensive expertise and relationships in the consumer and retail space, Clyde previously served as Bank of America’s global head of Consumer and Retail Investment Banking from 2013 to 2020. Prior to joining the firm in 2005, Clyde was a managing director in Morgan Stanley’s Consumer and Retail Investment Banking division. She spent eight years at Morgan Stanley following a four-year tenure with Salomon Brothers’ Retail Group. Clyde has served on Bank of America’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council and chaired the Diversity Council for Global Corporate and Investment Banking. Additionally, she has served and chaired the firm’s Managing Director Promotion Committee for more than five years. Clyde has been recognized with a number of industry honors including “Most Notable Women on Wall Street” by Crain’s New York Business, “Top 25 People Shaping Retail’s Future” by the National Retail Federation and “Top 40 under 40 Dealmakers on Wall Street” by Dealmaker magazine. Clyde received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a board member of New Alternatives for Children and a member of C200, an invitation-only global senior women’s business network. Clyde is based in New York City.

Ashley Davis is the Educational Director of the Park Slope Schoolhouse, a non-profit early childhood program, and she is an Adjunct Professor at Queens College Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Ashley holds a BS in Child and Family Studies from Syracuse University, a Masters of Arts in Early Childhood Special Education from New York University, and a Masters in Administration/Supervision from Hunter College. Her passion for working with children and families began as a young adult when she coached the Special Olympics Swim Team and took them to the World Games.

Pascal Desroches is the Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer at AT&T Inc. He is responsible for AT&T’s finance shared services, financial planning, corporate development, accounting, tax, auditing, treasury, investor relations and corporate real estate.

Pascal previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of WarnerMedia and the Administrative Officer of Turner Broadcasting System Inc., with responsibility for all of WarnerMedia’s financial operations as well as Turner’s global communications, facilities, human resources, legal, strategy and research, security and technology organizations. Prior to his role with WarnerMedia, Pascal served as Turner’s Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President and Global Controller of Time Warner (now WarnerMedia).

Pascal is an honors graduate of St. John’s University where he received a BS in accounting. He received an MBA, with a concentration in corporate finance and management of organization, from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

Adam is the founding member of Epstein Partners, one of the largest advisory teams at UBS Private Wealth Management.

Adam and his team have a clear vision: to deliver the investment consulting experience and private wealth solutions of a global private bank while providing the exceptional access and service of a boutique. The team’s deep knowledge of investment, tax, and estate planning strategies is critical to helping their clients grow, protect, and preserve wealth for generations.  He is committed to going the extra mile to find the ideal solution, strategy, and opportunity for each family—even when (and especially when) others have given up. Families rely on Adam’s tireless work ethic, persistence, and integrity to solve problems and help them pursue their goals while delivering an unmatched level of service.

In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for New Alternatives for Children, he previously served as Treasurer and Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee.  Adam was also a member of the Investment Committee for Hun School of Princeton’s Endowment, after serving as VP of the Alumni Association Board and Chair of the Hun School’s Development Committee.  In 2023, he was inducted into the Hun School’s Athletic Hall of Fame for tennis.  These positions have made him a strong resource to the non-profit organizations he serves as a Fiduciary / Advisor / Consultant.

Adam is a Senior Portfolio Manager and is also among a select group of Private Wealth Advisors who have earned the prestigious Family Office Consultant and Institutional Consultant UBS designations. Prior to joining UBS in 2015, Adam was a Director at Credit Suisse and a Principal at Bernstein, where he was named to the Senior Investment Advisory Group. Adam was formerly a Vice President at Merrill Lynch.

Adam holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) designation and is a graduate of Bucknell University, where he was a varsity tennis team member. He and his wife, Rebecca, live in Greenwich, CT, with their three children—Max, Teddy, and Lizzie.

Credentials:

– Barron’s Top 100 Financial Advisors, 2022 – 2024

The Barron’s rating is awarded annually in April based on information from the prior year’s Q4.

– Barron’s Top Private Wealth Management Teams, 2022 – 2024

The Barron’s rating is awarded annually in April based on information from the prior year’s Q4.

– Forbes America’s Top Wealth Advisors, 2019 – 2024

The Forbes rating is compiled by SHOOK Research and awarded annually in April based on information from a 12-month period ending June of the prior year.

– Forbes America’s Top Private Wealth Management Teams, 2022 – 2024

The Forbes rating is awarded annually in November and is based on information from March of the prior year to March of the award year.

Jill Sabin Garner is a consultant with Halza, an Asia-based health and medical social media platform. She is the Chairperson-elect of the New York State division of the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists and is the current Continuing Education Chair. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Village Center for the Arts in New Milford, CT. Ms. Garner received a B.S. in Nursing (summa cum laude) from New York University, a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.S. from Columbia University. Prior to beginning a career in nursing, Ms. Garner developed residential real estate in Manhattan and Long Island.

Susan Gevertz is a health care consultant with over 25 years of experience in senior positions in hospital administration. Susan also provides strategic consulting services through The Acceleration Project (TAP). She serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Westchester County Health Care Corporation and a number of its subsidiary organizations and serves as Chair of the Committee on Quality Care. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for Citizen’s Committee for Children (CCC) and provides counsel to numerous community-based organizations.

Joseph R. Ianniello, is a proven leader in the media industry with a successful track record of leading, evolving, growing and transforming businesses throughout his career. Ianniello founded and currently serves as Chairman and CEO of INLO Ventures, an investment and advisory firm in the telecom, media and technology sector.

Previously, Ianniello was the President and acting CEO of CBS Corporation prior to its merger with Viacom, Inc. in December of 2019, and most recently, served as the Chairman and CEO of CBS Entertainment Group until February 2020. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing all CBS-branded assets, including the CBS Television Network. Prior to his role as CEO, he served as Chief Operating Officer of CBS since 2013; Chief Financial Officer, CBS (2009-2013); and Chief Development Officer (2000-2005). He began at CBS in 1997. During his tenure in these senior executive roles, Ianniello was instrumental in positioning CBS as a global multiplatform premium content company. He acted on this vision through a number of key operational steps including the monetization of retransmission consent fees and reverse compensation from local television station affiliates, as well as the licensing of the CBS Corporation content around the world for digital streaming and broadband services. He also oversaw the launch of CBS All Access, CBS’ digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, as well as Showtime’s “over-the-top” streaming service, which together became one of the company’s fastest growing initiatives. He also led all company acquisitions and divestitures for more than 10 years. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration at Pace University, where he serves today on its Board of Trustees, and a Master of Business Administration at Columbia University.

Ronald J. Iervolino. Ron is retired from Guggenheim Partners where he was a Sr. Managing Director within the Investment Bank. He is currently Co-Chairman of Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company, a $ 1.5 Billion sustainable infrastructure fund. Ron also serves as Co-Chairman and President of Children’s Cancer and Blood Foundation at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Mark N. Kaplan is one of the founding Board Members of NAC. He is of counsel to the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Mr. Kaplan is a member of the Board of Visitors of Columbia Law School, Trustee of Bard College and Simon’s Rock College, and Trustee of Channel Thirteen/WNET.

Fern Khan served as Dean, Division of Continuing Education at Bank Street College for 22 years. In this role, Fern provided leadership and overall management for the Division’s wide range of education programs providing access and opportunity for children, youth and adults, and professional development programs for teachers and leaders. Previously, Fern, for 17 years, served as Associate Dean at LaGuardia Community College where she developed many programs for underserved populations, e.g. The Program for Deaf Adults. Fern received her B.Sc and MSW from NYU during the early ’60s and currently serves on six nonprofit boards.

Michelle is the Global Head of Media Company Partnerships for YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels, a storefront, and feature that allows consumers to subscribe to and watch their favorite premium video channels within the YouTube ecosystem. In that role, she oversees business development, content negotiations, and partner management for all media company partners for those multi-billion dollar businesses. During her tenure at the company, she has seen the growth of YouTube TV from a 1M subscriber new entrant into the top 5 pay TV provider in the industry. She led the launch of Primetime Channels on YouTube and along with her team negotiated all content deals for the 35+ streaming services featured at launch (with more to come). She most recently negotiated YouTube’s groundbreaking deal with the NFL to distribute NFL Sunday Ticket on both Primetime Channels and YouTube TV.

Before joining YouTube, Michelle was Senior Vice President, Chief Counsel, Programming at Time Warner Cable, where she was responsible for content acquisition and distribution for the company’s cable video business, regional sports networks, and local programming operations.

She has also served as an advisor and consultant to several digital media companies, including Refinery29 and FuboTV. She started her law career as an associate in the New York office of Morrison & Foerster and served as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. Barrington D. Parker, Jr. during his tenure as a U.S. District Court Judge for the S.D.N.Y.

Michelle holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA from the University of Virginia. She lives with her husband and son in Manhattan.

Robert D. Marcus, is the former Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner Cable Inc. Rob currently serves as an Executive Partner of XN LP, a New York-based hedge fund. He is a member of the boards of directors of Equifax Inc. (EFX), Ocean Outdoor Ltd (OOUT), and Newhouse Broadcasting Corporation. He also serves on the boards of several other non-profit organizations, including Uncommon Schools, Newark Academy, and Saint Barnabas Medical Center. Rob received a J.D. from Columbia Law School and a B.A. from Brown University.

Lisa Martin is an educational consultant working with school administrators for children with special needs. She has over 24 years of experience in special education. She is one of the founders and the creator of the New Beginnings School in Fairfield, New Jersey, a school for children and adolescents with Autism. Lisa was a NAC volunteer for several years prior to joining the NAC board.

Adam L. Miller is the Executive Director & Vice President of Corporate Affairs at NBCUniversal and formerly the President of the New York Office of The Abernathy MacGregor Group, Inc. (AMG). He headed the Group’s media communications and entertainment practice. Prior to joining AMG in 1994, Mr. Miller worked at Ogilvy Adams & Rinehart specializing in mergers and acquisitions and corporate communications for a variety of industries. Mr. Miller holds a B.A. degree in Philosophy from Hamilton College and has completed the Leadership in Professional Service firms class at Harvard Business School

Tom Newman is a media executive focused on the digital space. He is the co-founder of Kelly Newman Ventures, and the former President of Interactive One, the digital division of Radio One. He has also served as AOL’s Senior Vice President of Network Development. Mr. Newman graduated from Harvard College and earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is involved in several not-for-profit organizations, including serving as a Board Member and Treasurer for Asphalt Green.

Laura Parsons is a licensed psychologist whose area of expertise is children under the age of five with developmental disabilities. She recently retired from New Alternatives for Children, where she was the Associate Director of Psychological Services. She is on the Board of Trustees of the American Folk Art Museum and the Board of Trustees of the Block Island Medical Center and is Chair Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City. Laura also serves on the Advisory Board of the Berman Institute of Bioethics of Johns Hopkins University. Laura received her B.A. in History from the University of Hawaii, her M.A. in Early Childhood Special Education from Teachers College, and her Psy.D. in Child School Psychology from NYU.

Allison Penn is a licensed psychoanalyst and psychotherapist with a private practice in New York City. Prior to her work as a therapist, Allison worked for many years as an attorney, serving as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and as an Assistant Solicitor General in the New York State Attorney General’s Office. Allison received her license in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy from the National Institute for the Psychotherapies in New York in 2017. She received her J.D. from N.Y.U. Law School in 1998 and her B.A. from Cornell University in 1991.

Jennifer Perkins is a corporate partner in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP where she represents clients in complex domestic and cross-border acquisitions and disposition. Jennifer has extensive experience representing private equity sponsors in a broad range of industries. She also advises clients on structuring, negotiating and executing minority investments in private equity and other asset management firms. Jennifer serves on the Board of Directors of DOROT, a nonprofit social service organization providing a wide range of services for seniors, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Larchmont Temple.

Eugene A. Pinover is a former Partner and Chair of the New York Real Estate Practice DLA Piper, LLP. He is a member of the Board of Directors of VEREIT Corporation and the Supervisory Board of the Yale School of Music.

Julia Pinover Kupiec presently serves as the Chief Public Policy Officer (CPPO) for a multi-million dollar mental health non-profit serving the poorest New Yorkers called the Jewish Board for Family and Children’s Services (JBFCS).  As the CPPO she is the primary lobbyist for JBFCS in both New York City and State. In this capacity she advocates for reforms to our mental health system that would improve treatment, access to treatment, and ultimately outcomes for underserved and economically disadvantaged New Yorkers.

Prior to JBFCS, Ms. Kupiec served as Special Counsel to New York Governor Kathy Hochul. and prior to that as Assistant Counsel to the Governor Andrew Cuomo.  As Special Counsel in Governor Hochul’s chamber, she advised the Governor and the Executive Chamber on Ethics Law and compliance, as well as Constitutional, First Amendment, and Election Law issues.

Prior to serving as Special Counsel, Ms. Kupiec served as Assistant Counsel to Governor Andrew Cuomo for two terms.  In this capacity she advised the Governor on crisis response and legislation that related to poverty alleviation, housing, food, and income benefits for lower income New Yorkers, as well as handling issues relating to children and families in need.  Throughout her tenure with the Executive Chamber, she was involved in various high-profile litigations and settlement negotiations, navigating high profile and difficult human resources issues, as well as with Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and litigation.  She also provided analysis and recommendations for passage on over 300 bills that the Governor signed or vetoed.  She gained extensive experience drafting and interpreting legislation, executive orders, and regulatory guidance.  She also helped craft risk analysis and risk mitigation to aid the New York State response to COVID-19.   She was the point person for the Executive Chamber on several national issues including New York State’s response to immigrant children being separated from their parents at the U.S. border.   Through all this work, she developed a deep expertise in leading legislative negotiations and advising on the intersection between optics and politics in decision-making.

Prior to her New York State service, Ms. Kupiec opened the New York City office of Disability Rights Advocates, a non-profit civil rights and impact litigation boutique focused on non-damages injunctive class actions against government entities.  In that capacity she negotiated multiple court-approved class action settlements to remove systemic barriers to New York City’s transit system (taxis, subways, and sideways), and negotiated a settlement to improve voting access for people with disabilities in New York City.  Ms. Kupiec originally joined Disability Rights Advocates in 2007 as a David Boies Fellow in its Berkeley, CA office

Ms. Kupiec graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in 2002.  She earned a J.D. from Georgetown Law with honors in 2007, and then a Masters in Law (LL.M.) from NYU Law in 2010.  Over her career she has guest lectured on various topics at higher learning institutions including: Yale Law School, NYU Law, Columbia University, and Cardozo Law.  Her legal practice to date has been animated by a deep commitment to the highest quality legal counsel, and handling highly sensitive and confidential matters with discretion and clarity.  She is known and valued for her sound judgment and her commitment to social justice.

Sam is the Chief Legal Officer for Global Atlantic Financial Group, with responsibilities for legal, compliance, regulatory and government affairs, corporate governance and internal audit. In addition, he serves on the Company’s Operations and Management Committees. Sam received his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University and his Master of Science degree in systems engineering from NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He served as law clerk to Judge C. Arlen Beam of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals before joining the New York law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell. He left S&C to join Goldman, Sachs & Co. where he served as a Managing Director & Associate General Counsel and was a founding member of the Goldman Sachs Reinsurance Group, which spun out and was renamed Global Atlantic Financial Group. In 2021, Global Atlantic was acquired by the global investment manager KKR & Co. Inc.

In addition to his work at Global Atlantic, Sam is a member of Cornell’s Engineering College Council as well as a member of its Executive Campaign Committee, Co-Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council for Hofstra Law School, and serves on the Board of Governors of the Association of Life Insurance Council and the Board of Trustees of Hofstra University. Sam lives in Manhasset, NY with his wife and youngest daughter. His eldest daughter is a Nurse Practitioner living in Boston.

Glenn J. Rufrano is the Chief Executive Officer of VEREIT. Since assuming the role of CEO on April 1, 2015, he has reconstituted the Board of Directors, formalized a new management team and implemented a business plan to guide the Company’s strategy. Prior to VEREIT, he was CEO of O’Connor Capital Partners, a real estate investment firm he co-founded in 1983. From 2010 to 2013 he was Global President and CEO of Cushman & Wakefield, Inc., and previously, held executive leadership roles at Centro Properties Group and New Plan Excel Realty Trust, Inc., as well as previously serving on the Boards of General Growth Properties, Trizec Properties, Inc., Columbia Property Trust, Inc. and Ventas, Inc.

Robert B. Schumer is chair of the Corporate Department, a member of the Management Committee and is co-head of the Mergers and Acquisitions Group at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, & Garrison LLP. Over the past 15 years, Bob has served as the lead lawyer in the negotiation and structuring of mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and leveraged buyouts on behalf of a diverse range of clients, including public and private companies, private equity funds, financial institutions and other entities. He regularly provides strategic counsel to corporations and their boards of directors and special committees on corporate governance, fiduciary duty, M&A and other corporate matters. Bob also has significant experience in contested matters, including numerous unsolicited offers and proxy contests.

Meryl Sherman is an active volunteer and fundraiser for NAC. She served as co-chair of NAC’s Benefit Committee and has been involved with fundraising efforts for the March of Dimes and the Dalton School.

Taryn Siglain is the Global Head of Principal Securities Lending at State Street. Previously, Taryn held a variety of roles during her 15-year tenure at Morgan Stanley including Head of Americas Secured Funding and Collateral Trading, Vice President Investor Relations, Global Head Client Financing Strategy, and Vice President Corporate Treasury. During her time at Morgan Stanley, Taryn co-founded an employee diversity and inclusion committee to promote open dialogue and education on D&I topics. She is a founding member and the former President of the NAC Junior Board. Taryn holds a BS in Corporate Finance and Accounting from Bentley University.

Tom Uger is a Partner at Public Pension Capital, a private equity firm. Prior to joining PPC, Mr. Uger was a Partner at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. He holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College. He lives in New York City with his wife and three sons.

Nicole Washington is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where she is a key member of the Firm’s Investment Funds Group.

Nicole is ranked as a leading investment funds lawyer by numerous publications. Most recently in 2022, Nicole was named to Crain’s New York list of Notable Woman in Law and Savoy 2022 Most Influential Black Lawyers. In 2021 she was profiled as one of Law360’s Fund Formation MVPs, one of the most coveted awards that recognizes leading lawyers for their involvement in record-breaking deals and complex global matters. In 2021 she was also recognized as a ‘Rising Star’ by New York Law Journal as part of the 2021 New York Legal Awards and recognized as a ‘Next Generation Lawyer’ by The Legal 500 US. In 2020, Nicole was named by Law360 to the Fund Formation “Rising Stars” list, an annual ranking that recognizes outstanding legal talent under 40 years old. Nicole was also recognized for her commitment to advancing the empowerment of women in law in Corporate Counsel where she was named as an honoree in the “Collaborative Leadership” category as part of the Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards 2020.

Nicole was recognized by The Council of Urban Professionals (CUP) as one of the 2021 “Catalysts in Law.” Honorees were recognized for achieving extraordinary professional success while making significant and impactful contributions to their community through volunteerism, philanthropy, board service, and mentorship. Nicole serves as co-chair of Kirkland’s Transactional Associate Review Committee and the New York Recruiting Committee and is a member of the Committees on Billings and Collections, Diversity and Inclusion and Firmwide Recruiting. She serves as a board member of PeacePlayers International and Just the Beginning and is on the advisory board of Asian University for Women.