Board of Directors
Vicki Craver, Chair
Eric Cochran, Vice-Chair
Erick Hong, Vice-Chair
Melissa Hughes-Humphrey, Secretary
Mark A. Steffensen, Treasurer
Da'Von Boyd
Barbara Clancy
Robert DeSantis
Joshua Dumas
Rebecca Velez Frey
Hope Johnson
Maritza McClendon
Doug Michelman
Amy Nickin
Swati Patel
Jon Michael Reese
Melinda Rolfs
Roland Smart
Lorna Smith
Daniel Yih
William D. Young, III
Vicki Craver, Chair
Vicki Craver serves as President of the Board of Trustees of the Greenwich Country Day School. Vicki has worked extensively with non-profits, serving most recently as Co-President and Co-Founder of Impact Fairfield County, and Chair of the boards of the UNC College of Arts and Sciences Foundation and Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. Previously, she was a Vice-President on the corporate bond trading desk at Goldman Sachs in New York City. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, Vicki lives in Riverside, Connecticut with her husband David and their three daughters.
Eric Cochran, Vice-Chair
Eric Cochran, a recently-retired partner from the New York law firm of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, is the Head of Corporate Development for Sila Nanotechnologies, a provider of advanced materials for lithium ion batteries. He is a long-time and enthusiastic supporter of schools and educational organizations. He has served as a board member and treasurer of Little Red Elisabeth Irwin, the progressive K-12 independent school in Greenwich Village; as a member of the finance committee of Friends Seminary, the oldest continuously co-educational school in New York City; and as a trustee of Williams College. Eric also has served as a trustee and the board chair of the Clark Art Institute, and currently serves as an independent director on the Board of The Research Foundation of the State University of New York.
Erick Hong, Vice-Chair
Erick Hong is Head of Investor Relations and Business Development at The Voleon Group, a leader in the application of cutting-edge machine-learning research to financial markets. Previously, Erick spent nearly a decade at the investment firm Bridgewater Associates, was a member of the Private Equity practice at Bain & Company, and a management consultant at Oliver Wyman. Erick has also worked with a wide range of nonprofit organizations including Kiva.org and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Erick earned his B.A. from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Melissa Hughes-Humphrey, Secretary
Melissa Hughes-Humphrey is a strategic global senior brand director and digital enthusiast with a background in creating strong go-to market executions for consumer-packaged goods organizations, and quick-service restaurants. Melissa is an unconventional thinker and bold decision-maker with in-depth integrated marketing and sales planning expertise. She has successfully driven business turnarounds for generation z and millennial brands with digitally-led omnichannel strategies. She is passionate about crafting brands with purpose to improve consumers' lives. Melissa currently works as the VP of Brand Marketing & Communications for Foxwoods Resorts & Casino, and has previously held roles with Vail Resorts, Founders Table Restaurant Group, L’Oréal, Henkel, and Unilever, helping to modernize brands and creating partnerships for greater impact. Melissa earned a marketing degree from Howard University School of Business Executive Leadership Honors Program. She is also a Harvard Summer Venture Management Program and Unilever Future Leaders Program alumnus. In 2019, Brand Innovators New York Region honored her with a “40 Under 40” achievement award. Her true passion for diversity and inclusion lies in helping organizations to better understand not only their consumers but also their own employees. Melissa believes that we each have a role to play and is looking forward to seeing what strides we make together in the future!
Mark A. Steffensen, Treasurer
Mark is the Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel at HSBC North America Holdings, where he manages a team of over 150 attorneys and para-professionals supporting HSBC’s four global business lines in the US, as well as managing the corporate secretary and governmental relations functions in the US. He also acts as the principal legal advisor to the US public company board of directors, and provides long-range planning and strategic guidance to the US CEO and senior leadership team. Mark has a long history of involvement with HSBC, and has held several senior roles within both the Investment and Commercial Banking divisions. Prior to HSBC, he held leadership positions at Morgan Stanley and the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and was previously associated with the law firms Vedder Price in Chicago and Davis Polk in New York. Mark received his JD from the University of Iowa (UI) College of Law, and his MBA from the UI College of Business Administration. He also serves as a Director on the board of each of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) and The Clearing House Association, two trade organizations of the financial services industry.
Da'Von Boyd
Da’Von Boyd serves as an Associate Board Representative to the Horizons National Board. Da’Von is the Gaius Charles Bolin fellow in the Department of Political Science at Williams College and a joint doctoral candidate in the African American Studies and Political Science departments at Yale University as a Beinecke Scholar. Da'Von graduated Summa Cum Laude from Morehouse College with a B.A. in Political Science as a Stamps Leadership Scholar, Mellon Mays fellow, and the recipient of the Robert Brisbane Award, given to the top-ranking scholar in the Department of Political Science. His research, tentatively titled The Black Spirit, offers a theoretical and historical account of Black political theology in constructing the philosophical, ethical, and political design of the Civil Rights Movement by examining the political theories of its preeminent organizations, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Nation of Islam, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. For his work thus far, Da'Von was awarded the 2021 Alex Willingham Best Political Theory Paper Award at the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. He has received the Prize Teaching Fellowship, Poorvu Center’s Teaching Innovation Grant, and Sterling Prize Fellowship. Additionally, he was inducted into the prestigious Edward Bouchet Graduate Honor Society at Yale. Da’Von is a proud alumnus of Horizons Hampton Roads and has worked for the program as a teacher, a teacher’s aide, and a volunteer. He now gladly works on the Horizons National Associate Board as its Vice Chair, where he seeks to further the mission of the Board to serve alumni throughout the Horizons Network.
Barbara Clancy
Barbara Clancy is Head of Latin America & the Caribbean at PIMCO, a global investment management firm, where she is responsible for setting the strategic direction for PIMCO’s client servicing and business development efforts across all of Latin America & the Caribbean. She has worked with PIMCO for over ten years in a range of roles where she has developed and led key strategic initiatives to transform the firm’s U.S. wealth management business and partnered closely with clients to bring them high-quality thought leadership and investment solutions. Before joining PIMCO, Barbara held positions with Platinum Grove Asset Management, L.P. and Morgan Stanley. She graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a degree in International Relations and Economics, and earned her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. She is also a CFA Charterholder.
Robert DeSantis
Robert DeSantis serves as an Affiliate Representative to the Horizons National Board. As a Trustee of Tower Hill School in Wilmington, DE, Robert led a task force that sought ways the 100-year-old, independent private school could engage more meaningfully with its community. The outcome was the school becoming Delaware’s first Horizons affiliate. Robert spent 20 years in the financial services industry, starting his career at T. Rowe Price in Baltimore, MD before joining MBNA America Bank in Delaware. He was with MBNA when it became a publicly traded company and remained there until its merger with Bank of America. During that time, he held several positions, including overseeing the company’s regional call centers, and directing its administrative division that included Communications, Facilities, Aviation, Purchasing, and Food Services. Since leaving the corporate world, Robert has focused on venture capital investing and non-profit work. He is the founding Board Chair of Horizons at Tower Hill and heads Horizons National’s Affiliate Board Council. In addition to being a Trustee of Tower Hill School, he is on the Board of Trustees of Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA and chairs the Advisory Board of Elon University’s Catholic Campus Ministry in Elon, NC. He is a past Trustee of Loyola Blakefield School in Towson, MD and serves a variety of non-profit organizations in his hometown. Robert, a 1985 graduate of Loyola University Maryland, lives in Wilmington, Delaware with his wife Suzanne and their four children.
Joshua Dumas
Joshua Dumas serves as an Associate Board Representative to the Horizons National Board. Hailing from the Bridgeport, CT public school system, Josh’s journey with Horizons began in 2001 as a student of Horizons at Greens Farms Academy. By having Horizons as a consistent presence in his life for over 20 years, the organization’s commitment to equity has bled into Josh’s being. His career has been dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people that need care the most. As a Healthcare Consultant, Josh assists physicians and health systems in delivering better care with an emphasis on equity, value-based care delivery, and financial optimization. Previously, Josh served as an Executive Director for a leading Value-Based Primary Care Delivery organization, where he opened and/or operated 12 practices across the country in communities that need high-quality healthcare the most. Josh earned his pre-med degree from Central Connecticut State University and a Master’s degree in Health Administration from Cornell University. Josh’s enduring commitment to the Horizons mission has led him to assume the role of the founding chair of the Horizons National Associate Board, contributing to the Horizons National’s alumni network development. His passion for creating thriving communities and addressing disparities in marginalized communities is deeply rooted in Horizons' mission and its direct impact on his childhood.
Rebecca Velez Frey
Rebecca Velez Frey is a Director with Oxeon, an executive search and investments firm focused on transformative healthcare companies. Prior to that, Rebecca worked in executive search in the legal sector placing attorneys at financial institutions and multinational consulting firms. Rebecca received her Bachelors of Science degree from Cornell University's School of Industrial & Labor Relations. She lives in Nashville, TN with her husband.
Hope Johnson
Hope Johnson is an experienced Global Finance Leader with a consistent record of increasing responsibility in the private sector. Hope is uniquely skilled in business and financial management, controllership, business pricing, revenue/sales planning, risk management and strategic planning. She is a recognized “Change Leader” with significant experience and results in driving transformation. As a CFO and Finance leader, Hope has had significant corporate board exposure and experience. She led IBM’s Board process which included planning, coordinating, and preparing IBM’s CEO, CFO, and other Senior leaders for Board meetings and presentations. In her current capacity as CFO and Treasurer of Haven Technologies, Hope is responsible for all Financial and Business presentations and communications to the Board of Haven Technologies. Previously, she served as Vice President and Assistant Controller, Business Controls at IBM, where she managed the Controls and Risk Management program across all IBM Business Units and Geographies. Additionally, Hope has been a mentor for high school students for several years. Most recently, she has been engaged in developing a mentoring program with Manchester High School in Jamaica. She has a vested interest in diversity and was a founding member of the IBM Poughkeepsie Black Diversity Group (Spectrum). She also led IBM Ireland’s Multicultural Diversity efforts as a member of Ireland’s Diversity Council. Additionally, she was a founding member and president of Jamaica Impact, Inc (JAMPACT) a US-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving basic school education in Jamaica. Hope received her BSc. in Management with First Class Honors from The University of The West Indies. She received her MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School, earning Beta Gamma Sigma Honors designation. A native of Jamaica, West Indies, Hope has studied and worked in Jamaica, the USA, the UK, and Ireland.
Maritza McClendon
Maritza McClendon is a 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist and the first African American woman to make a US Olympic Swim team and medal. At the age of 7, she was diagnosed with severe scoliosis and her doctor recommended swimming as a medical remedy. At the University of Georgia (BA in Sociology, 2005) under Olympic Coach Jack Bauerle, Maritza ended her college career as a 27-time All American, 11 NCAA titles, the first African American female to break an individual American record (2002), and to break a World Record (2000) in swimming. While no longer swimming competitively, Maritza continues to actively engage communities nationwide to inspire people to lead a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially swimming. Additionally, she is a dynamic motivational speaker who travels the country to speak about swimming as a life-saving skill. She is dedicated to changing the narrative around water safety as a member and national spokeswoman for Sigma Gamma Rho’s Swim1922 initiative with USA Swimming. Maritza now works as the Director, Talent Development & Corporate Communications, HR at Carter’s, Inc., the largest branded marketer in the United States and Canada of apparel and related products exclusively for babies and young children. In her role, she leads global strategy and execution for performance management process, diversity and inclusion education and programming, corporate communications, special events/projects, and learning and development. Maritza is a wife and a mom of two young children located in Atlanta, GA.
Doug Michelman
Doug Michelman is the former Chief Communications Officer of Visa Inc and Sprint. He also launched and served as President of the 1Million Project, a non-profit that provided free internet connectivity to high school students across the country who did not have reliable internet at home. The 1Million Project served more than 500,000 students in 35 states. Doug also serves on the board of Ploughshares Fund, an organization committed to non-proliferation of nuclear arms. Doug graduated from Duke University and lives in Norwalk, CT.
Amy Nickin
Amy Nickin is a partner to the Entertainment Group at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein + Selz, a media, advertising, and litigation firm based in New York City and Los Angeles. Amy represents actors, writers, directors, and television production companies in all business and legal aspects of their film, television, and theatrical careers and businesses. A leading advisor to high-profile talent, The Hollywood Reporter has included Amy on their "Power Lawyers" list consecutively for the past several years. The Legal 500 recognizes her as a top media and entertainment lawyer and she has also been featured by Super Lawyers magazine as a New York-area "Super Lawyer" in the field of entertainment and sports. Amy was also named on the list of The Best Lawyers in America 2024 for Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television by Best Lawyers, the oldest and one of the most respected peer reviewed lawyer recommendation services. Prior to Frankfurt Kurnit, Amy spent her career as an attorney at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and The Shooting Gallery. Her current clients include Allison Williams, star and executive producer of M3GAN; Ian Brennan, co-creator of Glee and Netflix dramas The Watcher and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story; Erik Jendresen, co-writer of Mission Impossible 7 and the upcoming Mission Impossible 8; John Goodman, star of Connors and Righteous Gemstones; as well as many others. Amy is admitted to practice law in both California and New York.
Swati Patel
Swati Patel serves as an Affiliate Representative to the Horizons National Board. Swati is the founder and founding Board co-Chair of Horizons at Carolina Day School in Asheville, NC. She and her husband, Himanshu Karvir, have been co-Chairs of the Horizons Board since 2018. A 1992 graduate of Carolina Day School, Swati earned her B.A. degree from Davidson College, and her M.P.H. from Emory University. She worked for two years at Lucent Technologies in Chicago, after which she and her husband Himanshu decided to move back to Asheville in 2003 and join the family business of hospitality. Swati is Secretary of the Carolina Day School Board of Trustees and is in her 7th year of service on the CDS Board. Swati is Chair of the Committee on Trustees, member of the Risk Management Committee and serves on the Executive Committee. Swati and Himanshu have a son Aakash ’26, and a daughter Janaki ’28, both of whom have attended Carolina Day School since Pre-K.
Jon Michael Reese
Jon Michael Reese is a Principal at General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm, where he focuses on investments in the firm's healthcare sector. Prior to joining General Atlantic, Jon Michael held roles with GTCR, where he also concentrated on healthcare investments, and with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, in their Leveraged Finance Group. Jon Michael served as the Chairman of the Chicago Foundation for Education Associate Board and as a member of the NorthShore Health System Associate Board, both in Chicago. Jon Michael earned his MBA with honors from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his BA in Economics from Vanderbilt University. Jon Michael lives in New York with his wife, Katie, and son, JJ.
Melinda Rolfs
As Director, Data Science at Mastercard, Melinda Rolfs manages a team focused on applying artificial intelligence to data to improve operational efficiencies and enhance revenue growth. Previously, as Senior Director at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, she launched a product concept that leverages data and analytics to better understand individual charitable giving trends, and managed new partnerships with top academic institutions, leading think tanks, and non-profit organizations to build and support the use of data and analytics for social good. Prior to joining Mastercard, Melinda was a senior equity research analyst with CastleRock Management. A Certified Public Accountant, she holds a BS in Marketing from Juniata College, and has been a guest speaker at Urban Institute, Gates Foundation, Stanford University, and various finance classes at Manhattanville College. She has two daughters and enjoys running, spinning, skiing, and reading in her spare time.
Roland Smart
Roland is CEO and co-founder of TheraHive, an online education company focused on mental health education. He’s served as Chief Market Officer at Product School, previously as a VP of marketing at Oracle, and advises early-stage startups. He is a longstanding advocate for applying agile development practices to marketing and authored a book on this topic entitled The Agile Marketer: Turning Customer Experience Into Your Competitive Advantage (Wiley 2016). He served on the board of the Smart Family Fund and can regularly be found hiking and biking in the hills of Mill Valley with his wife and two boys.
Lorna Smith
Lorna joined Horizons National in 2004 and became CEO in 2007. Under her leadership, the organization has grown from 13 sites to more than 70 in 20 states. Lorna has developed a strong organizational identity and financial stability, has championed systems that foster program quality and innovation, and has worked alongside the Horizons Network to create a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion, helping Horizons National become a vital resource for Horizons affiliates. Her professional experience combines market research expertise with extensive client service in several industries, and she has co-owned two businesses, both of which experienced substantial growth and earned excellent reputations under her management. Lorna holds a B.A. from Wellesley College, an M.B.A. from Cornell University, and completed a fellowship at Stanford University’s Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders. She was a founding board member for the National Network of Schools in Partnership. Lorna is currently an active member of NationSwell Council and Social Venture Partners of CT, and chairs the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Committee at IMPACT Fairfield County.
Daniel Yih
Daniel "Dan" Yih is recently retired but spent his career in operations, asset management, and investment. Dan spent the past 17 years with Starwood Capital Group, a global private investment firm with a primary focus in real estate, serving in various roles including Global Chief Operating Officer, Chief Investment Officer-Europe, and most recently as President, Starwood Outdoors. Prior to Starwood, Dan worked with GTCR LLC, a leading private equity firm. Dan was also CEO of BR Guest Restaurants and the CFO of Welbilt Corporation and Midway Airlines. He currently serves on the Board of Rush Street Interactive. Dan was previously Chair of The Thacher School Board and a member of the boards of Starwood Hotels and Resorts and Anne Inc. Dan received his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Stanford University; JD degree from the University of Chicago Law School; and MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Dan and his wife Nancy live in Jackson, Wyoming.
William D. Young, III
Currently Vice President of Research & Development, Engineering, & Quality at Pylon Manufacturing in Florida, Will Young has over twenty years experience in corporate automotive engineering with a core focus in Product Design, Product Development, Program Management, Quality Management & manufacturing process improvement. Will is listed as Inventor/co-inventor on 10 + US Patents and 2 International Patents relating to automotive products released in the automotive retail & original equipment markets. He has served as Board President of the Winans Academy of Performing Arts, a Public Charter School Academy in Detroit, MI, and volunteered in the Detroit Public Schools for many years, teaching engineering labs for students in grades 3-5. Will is also active in community outreach and youth ministry in his local church in Florida.