Biography:

Richard Lam received his Bachelor of Science in Business and Political Economy from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. Recognizing the importance and positive impact of educational programs on underserved communities, he is passionate about helping nonprofits apply best business practices towards fulfilling their missions. Richard has past experience at Cathay Bank and Bloomberg L.P. He was on the investment team at 1199SEIU Benefit and Pension Funds. Richard is a Senior Associate at Willis Towers Watson with the private equity investments team. He has over a decade of service with NYFPS and was Vice President before stepping into the role of President.

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Biography:

Dr. Hope Hirshorn received a B.A. from Oberlin College as well as a M.P.A. and A.P.C. from New York University. She holds a M.A., M.Phil, and Ph.D. from Fordham University. Hope serves on the Alumnae Board at Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, Connecticut. Hope and her husband currently reside in West Harrison, New York with their family. Previously, she was Vice President in the Underwriting Department of AMBAC Indemnity Corporation. Hope is passionate about education and expanding extracurricular program access to students.

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Biography:

Sarah H. Fiess received her B.A. in English and Secondary Education from The College of New Jersey. She holds a M.A. in Teaching of English from Columbia University. She was the Director of Literacy of the Albany Charter School Network. Sarah is a School Outreach Coordinator at Tech Valley High School. She has over a decade of experience in the classroom teaching English Language Arts and Social Studies at both the middle and high school level. She has also taught Gifted & Talented on the middle school level. Sarah has extensive experience working with Future Problem Solving teams. Prior to stepping into the role of Affiliate Director, she was Evaluation Director at NYFPS.

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Biography:

Steven Faiello received his Bachelors of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology. He was an Engineer at Vanton Pump and Equipment Corp. and a Design Engineer with Innovative Solutions & Support. Steven is a Product Engineer at Specified Technologies Inc. and specializes in fire protection systems. He also has experience with engineering design of aircraft instruments and aviation products. Steven's STEM experience combined with over a decade of working with Future Problem Solving participants, brings a wealth of analytical and assessment capabilities to leading NYFPS' Evaluation team.

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Biography:

Jason D. Navarino is a graduate of the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He holds a J.D. degree from Yale Law School, where he was a Senior Editor of the Yale Law Journal and Director of the Community and Economic Development Clinic as well as its Small Business Legal Services program. Additionally, Jason holds a LL.M. degree in Tax Law from New York University School of Law. After law school, Jason served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Barry T. Albin, Supreme Court of New Jersey and was an Associate at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. He is currently Partner at Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP where his practice focuses on tax, corporate, and nonprofit law.

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Biography:

Grace Hirshorn received her Bachelors of Arts from Yale University. She was a Senior Consultant at Mercer Digital. Grace is a Principal Consultant at Mercer. She remains active and connected to her alma mater, Yale University, as an alumni interviewer. Grace has previous experience working as the Coordinator of Future Problem Solving Teams at Convent of the Sacred Heart Upper School in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Biography:

Leslie Blaustein holds a Master's degree in Education and an advanced certificate in Gifted & Talented Education from Hunter College, as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Syracuse University. She is a teacher at PS 77 - The Lower Lab School and is an active participant of Lower Lab’s STEM committee. She also currently volunteers as a workshop reviewer for the National Association For Gifted Children. Leslie has over 20 years of experience teaching at both public and private schools including PS 112, PS 176, The Dalton School, 92nd Street Y Art Center, and Convent of the Sacred Heart School.

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Biography:

Matthew G. Boyas received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Social Science from Dartmouth College. He holds a Master of Arts in Statistics from the University of California, Berkeley. Matthew is a Principal Data Scientist for The MITRE Corporation’s Model-Based Analytics Department. He was previously a Business Analyst at ZS Associates. Outside of his professional life, Matthew is an amateur classical clarinetist who plays with orchestras and chamber music groups.

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