Friends of Excel Academy Foundation Board
Friends of Excel Academy is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that supports Excel Academy and its fundraising pursuits.
Seth Reynolds (President)
Seth is currently Managing Director and Partner in the Education Practice at Parthenon EY, a strategy consulting firm, where he advises clients across a variety of industries including education. Seth started his career as a bilingual teacher through the Teach for America program. Seth was a founding board member of Excel Academy and served on its Board of Trustees from 2003-2014. He is a graduate of Amherst College and earned an MBA at the MIT Sloan School of Management and MPA at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Megan Preiner (Treasurer)
Megan M. Preiner is a Principal at Thomas H. Lee Partners. Prior to joining THL, Ms. Preiner worked in the Media & Telecommunications Group at Credit Suisse in New York. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and Harvard Business School.
Douglas Chope
Douglas is currently Solutions Consultant at Tableau. In addition to his position on Excel’s Foundation Board, he serves on a working committee for Tenacity (inner city youth development program) and works with the Church of the Redeemer Stewardship program.
Peter Fisher (Clerk)
Peter is a financial services and growth strategy professional, with over 25 years of experience in business development, new product development, market strategy, and applied economics. Peter is the founder of Cortus Advisors, a growth strategy and business development advisory firm. Previously, Peter was a Partner with Tapestry Networks, where he led their financial services practice in global banking, insurance, and asset management, and a Managing Director at Fidelity Investments in new business development, institutional strategy, and thought leadership. Peter graduated with a Ph.D., Business Economics, Strategy and Finance from Harvard University after earning his BA in economics at Northwestern University.
Massachusetts Excel Academy Board of Trustees
The members of the board of trustees (board) of a charter school are responsible for governing the school and hold the charter for the school, as it is granted by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE).
Ben Howe (Chair)
Ben is the co-founder and CEO of AGC Partners in Boston, MA. Prior to founding AGC, Ben was a Managing Director and Head of M&A at Cowen Securities. Prior to Cowen he led Montgomery Securities’ East Coast and European Tech Investment Banking practice. He graduated from Trinity College and received an M.S. in Accounting from NYU’s Stern School of Business.
Caitlin Brumme (Vice Chair)
Caitlin Reimers Brumme currently serves as program director at the Impact Collaboratory at Harvard Business School. Previously, Caitlin was a director on the Capital Markets Team at Social Finance where she led the financial structuring and capital raising activities to drive social impact at scale. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School.
Matt Ottmer (Clerk)
Matt Ottmer is a healthcare professional with over 20 years of experience working in leadership roles at companies such as Momenta Pharmaceuticals and Biogen. Matt is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Tania Del Rio
Tania currently serves as Executive Director for Mayor Marty Walsh’s Office of Women’s Advancement. Prior to this role, Tania worked as the Diversity Outreach Officer for the Mayor’s Office. Before joining the City of Boston, Tania was the Head of the Protection and Community Affairs Departments at the Consulate of Mexico in Boston. Previously, Tania has worked with the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs on using data to identify barriers and make recommendations for increasing gender diversity in the Foreign Service. Tania holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from New York University and a Master in Public Policy degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Pamela Klein
Pam currently serves as Vice President & Chief of Staff to the CEO at Beacon Health Options, a behavioral health organization focused on increasing access to mental health services. Prior to joining Beacon, Pam worked as a Case Team Leader at Bain & Company, where she consulted on strategic planning, process improvement, and organizational development for healthcare and financial services clients. Prior to Bain, Pam worked in Strategic and Financial Planning at Comcast, and as an Assistant Vice President at J.P. Morgan. Pam received an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA with honors from Harvard University.
Devon Petersmeyer Johnson
Devon currently serves as Vice President of Marketing at Converse (owned by Nike). Prior to joining Converse, Devon was Vice President of Marketing at Catalant Technologies after working in brand management at Procter & Gamble and in consulting at Parthenon-EY. She is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School.
Robert Lytle
Robert currently serves as the Head of EY-Parthenon’s Education practice. Robert was with Parthenon for 15 years before its combination with EY in August 2014. For two decades, he has led client engagements on general strategy, performance improvement, and investment due diligence across a broad spectrum of educational organizations. His clients include high-growth companies, publicly listed global 100 companies, nonprofit institutions, financial investors, and international governments. Robert is a frequent speaker at leading global forums in the education sector. Prior to joining Parthenon, Robert was with Bain & Company and served as a US Army aviator. He holds a BSE in Economics from the Wharton School of Business and an MBA with high distinction from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Stephen Mugford
Steve currently serves as Executive Vice President, Head of Strategy at Capital One. Prior to joining Capital One in 1998, Steve was with the Boston Consulting Group in Los Angeles and later in Boston. While at BCG, Steve led strategy engagements with Fortune 500 clients in a variety of industries, including retail, consumer goods, telecommunications, and tech. Steve received an MBA from Harvard Business School and received a BA in Economics and English from Amherst College. Steve is a competitive masters swimmer and enjoys beach volleyball, golf, and singing. He is also the father of three young daughters.
Steven Zrike
Steven Zrike is currently the Receiver/Superintendent for the Holyoke Public Schools. Previous to this role, Steve served as the Superintendent of Schools in Wakefield, Massachusetts. From 2011- 2013, he was the Chief of Elementary Schools for the Pilsen-Little Village Network in the Chicago Public Schools. In addition to his experience in Chicago, Steve also served the Boston Public Schools as the turnaround principal of the William Blackstone Elementary School, an inquiry facilitator and leadership coach for four Boston schools, and as principal of both the William Ohrenberger Elementary School and John Philbrick Elementary School.
Bernabe Rodriguez
Bernabe is the current Director and Co-founder of 311 Services for the City of Chelsea. Prior to this position, Bernabe served as the Executive Secretary to the City Manager for two years. Bernabe graduated from Bentley University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and is an Excel Academy alumni.
Yahaira Acuna
Yahaira is a Commission Uses Analyst at Fidelity Investments. Yahaira has been at Fidelity for two years and previously worked as an Analyst in strategy and planning. Yahaira graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance from Bentley University and is an Excel Academy alumni.
David Stolow
David Stolow teaches courses for undergraduates and MBAs students on social enterprise and nonprofit management at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. Prior to joining the BU faculty in 2011, David worked for 20 years in nonprofit management positions in the fields of education, community development, community service, and services for children and families. David has also served on several nonprofit boards and has consulted widely on financial management for nonprofit leaders. David graduated from Yale University with a major in American Studies and earned his master’s degree in Public and Private Management from the Yale School of Management. David’s grandparents and great grandparents who were immigrants in the early 20th century lived in Chelsea and East Boston.
Nery Castro
Nery is a dedicated member of the East Boston and Chelsea communities. Nery currently serves as a Community Outreach and Enrollment Coordinator at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center. Nery is originally from El Salvador and the parent of two children at Excel Academy.
Rhode Island Excel Academy Board of Trustees
Mayor Charles Lombardi
Mayor Jorge Elorza
Mayor Maria Rivera
Channavy Chhay
Carlene Fonseca
Chiv Heng
Liz Giordano
Advisory Board
The Excel Academy Advisory Board offers guidance and assistance to the Trustees and organizational leaders on strategic management and educational issues. The Board will also be helpful in advancing Excel’s mission of ensuring students and graduates of Excel succeed in high school and college and are active citizens in their communities.
Tania Del Rio, Chair
Executive Director for the Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement
Adrian Madaro
Massachusetts State Representative, First Suffolk District
Daniel J. Ryan
Massachusetts State Representative, Second Suffolk District
Salvatore LaMattina
Former Boston City Councilor, District One
Carlo Basile
Former State Representative and Secretary to Governor Baker
Debra Cave
Founding Governing Board Member, Excel Academy Charter Schools
Bob Giannino
CEO, uAspire
Anthony Petruccelli
Kearney, Donovan & McGee P.C.
Karen Schwartzman
Principal, Polaris Public Relations
Alejandra St. Guillen
Director of the Mayor’s Office of New Bostonians, WTC
Rebecca Cass
Managing Director of Network Programming, Building Excellent Schools
Rebecca Sullivan
Senior Vice President, MassDevelopment
Ambassador Council
Excel Academy’s Ambassador Council is a volunteer group of driven young professionals who are socially conscious, passionate about education, and committed to advancing the mission and values of Excel.
Joe Brigati
Joe currently serves as a Foreign Exchange Associate at Silicon Valley Bank, where he has been since 2016. Joe’s main responsibilities include advising technology based clients on FX risk management and providing strategic support. Prior to joining Silicon Valley Bank, Joe worked in Business Development at ISN after interning at ICAT Systems. Joe graduated with his BBA, Finance from Southern Methodist University.
Christina Cardillo
Christina currently serves as Office Manager and Accounts Receivable at Richie’s Italian Ice in Everett, MA. Christina graduated from Westfield State University and is a graduate of Excel Academy.
Dan Govoni
Dan currently serves as a Senior Project Manager at Northstar Project & Real Estate Services, where he has been since 2012. Dan’s primary responsibilities include project management of a variety of development, commercial, utility, and residential real estate projects of varying values up to $75 million in total budget. Prior to joining Northstar, Dan worked as a Project Manager for a local real estate development firm. Dan graduated with his BS in Construction Management from Roger Williams University.
Rob O’Connor
Rob currently serves as an Associate Director at The Siegfried Group, where he has been for the last 2 years after starting his career at Deloitte & Touché in their financial services assurance practice. In his role, Rob works with leading financial executives and serves as a Leadership Advisor to help his clients tackle strategic business initiatives. Rob graduated with a BS in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts’ Isenberg School of Management and played on the football team.
Stephanie Oliveras
Stephanie currently serves as an SVP, Senior Relationship Manager at Bank of America, where she has been since 2006, with a primary focus on community development banking. Stephanie has held positions within the bank such as Assistant Vice President, Portfolio Manager, and Credit Analyst in Commercial Real Estate Development. Prior to joining Bank of America, Stephanie was an Intern at Deloitte. Stephanie also has served on the Board of Trustees at Achievement Prep in Washington D.C. Stephanie graduated with her BS in Business Administration, Dual Concentration in Accounting and Finance from Boston University in 2006.
Francis Pruell
Francis currently serves as Director of Treasury Analytics at Hologic. Previously, Francis worked as an Associate at Analysis Group. Prior to joining Analysis Group in July 2017, Francis was a Principal Treasury Analyst, Capital Markets at EMC, where he worked for nearly four years. Francis began his career as a Financial Analyst at Raytheon. Mr. Pruell is also a Chartered Financial Analyst having earned his charter in August of 2014. Francis graduated with his Master of Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Francis also holds his MA, Economics from Northeastern University and his BA, Finance from Providence College.
Estevan Puerta
Estevan currently serves as the Network Operations Associate for Excel Academy, where he has been since January 2017. Estevan’s primary responsibilities include executing new student and teacher enrollment, new parent on-boarding and support, and state reporting. Estevan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from Stonehill College. Estevan was also a member of the third graduating class of Excel Academy.
Nandini Srinivasan
Nandini currently serves as an Associate at Tyton Partners. Before joining Tyton Partners in May of 2018, Nandini was the founding Operations Manager for Excel Academy Charter High School in East Boston where she was a 2017 Education Pioneers Visiting Fellow. Prior to Excel Academy, she worked for McMaster-Carr Supply Company in Atlanta, GA. Nandini graduated with a BS in economics from Duke University.