Board

Mary Bernard is an accomplished lawyer whose 20-year career focused on corporate finance and investment banking.  From 2004 through 2008, Mary served as Global General Counsel of Credit Suisse’s investment bank and was a member of the Bank’s operating, risk management and global commitment committees.  Mary began her legal career in 1988 at King & Spalding in Atlanta, became a partner in 1996 and moved to New York to lead the Firm’s corporate finance practice.  Since retiring in 2008, Mary has run a family investment and real estate office.  Mary’s charitable activities focus on children and education. In addition to serving on our Board, she is a former director of Student Sponsor Partners and has sponsored high school students through the SSP program for more than 15 years.

Victoria Dunning is a program officer for BUILD at the Ford Foundation. The 10-year, $2 billion BUILD initiative builds institutions and networks through multiyear flexible funding and institutional strengthening. Victoria also leads BUILD’s efforts in learning and evaluation, and develops partnerships for grantee learning and technical assistance. She has more than 20 years of philanthropy, global health, and organizational development experience with
nonprofits and NGOs in the US, Europe, and the Global South.

Prior to joining Ford, Victoria was executive vice president of The Global Fund for Children, where she oversaw a grants and capacity-building program for community-based organizations around the world. She previously served as senior program officer for women and population at the United Nations Foundation, overseeing a program portfolio on reproductive and sexual health and youth development UN and international NGO partners.

Victoria is a frequent speaker and writer on philanthropy practice, capacity building, and learning and evaluation at universities, conferences, and in philanthropy and social sector publications. She has a Master in Public Health degree from Columbia University, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and International Affairs from Mount Holyoke College, as well as a certification in co-active leadership coaching, CPCC.

Peter Ginsberg is the Founder and CEO of Onaroll, a software startup founded to serve and celebrate shift workers. Onaroll inspires teams at quick service restaurants to stay longer and to perform better by leveraging games and incentives. Previously, Peter worked alongside Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson and the executive team to launch Siren Ideas, a group designed to bring innovation to customers and employees. He began his career by working at high growth startups in NYC and SF. Peter graduated from Yale University with a BA in American Studies, with a concentration in American Technology.

Peter’s dedication to serving his community literally dates back to his childhood, where he has always sought ways to inspire friends, family, and neighbors towards a shared mission and to channel their passion, purpose, and capital into impactful philanthropy. Whether focused on improving environmental efficiency or springing into action for disaster relief, some of Peter’s greatest joys have come from serving his community. In addition, Peter’s passions include cooking with his wife and spending time in the mountains ski touring, biking, and climbing.

Jim Head currently serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Multiplan Corporation since November 2021. Prior to being appointed to his current role, he served as a Partner at BDT & Company, LLC from 2016 until June 2021 and, prior to that, worked at Morgan Stanley for 22 years where he held various executive leadership roles.  Jim has been on the ESYNYC Board of Directors since 2017 and has served as Board Treasurer since 2018. He assumed the ESYNYC Board Chair in spring of 2022.  He lives in New York City with his wife Courtney and two sons.

John Lyons is a film producer who resides in New York City. As an independent producer, he has worked on many successful films, including BOOGIE NIGHTS, PIECES OF APRIL, AUSTIN POWERS, and SISTERS. From 2003 to 2011, he was the President of Production at Focus Features, overseeing all aspects of production and marketing of popular and award-winning films. Among the films he produced, twelve won Academy Awards and fifty-five received Oscar nominations.

David Maupin was born in California and studied art history at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Pennsylvania. He started his professional career abroad in Italy, where he met Lehmann Maupin Gallery co-founder Rachel Lehmann in 1991. For nearly two decades, Lehmann Maupin has fostered the careers of a diverse group of internationally renowned artists, both emerging and established, working in multiple disciplines and across varied media.

Raph Osnoss is a Principal at General Atlantic, a growth equity firm, where he focuses on investments in financial technology. He previously held roles at Goldman Sachs and private equity firm Berkshire Partners. He received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Manhattan and Washington, CT with his wife, Kimberly, and two sons.

Alexander Smalls is an iconic figure in American cooking and a James Beard Award winning author/chef/ restaurateur. He has owned multiple celebrated Harlem eateries including the re-opened Minton’s Playhouse, The Cecil—which was Esquire Magazine’s “Best New Restaurant in America” in 2014—and the acclaimed Café Beulah which was the first fine dining African American restaurant in NYC. Smalls was named one of Zagat’s NYC Restaurant Power Players. He is the author of 3 critically acclaimed cookbooks, and his most recent book, Meals, Music, and Muses, was named one of the Top 5 Lifestyle Books 2020 by Publisher’s Weekly. Smalls is a world-renowned opera singer and the winner of a Grammy and a Tony Award.

Brett Williams is the Executive Vice President of External Affairs & Public Policy at CreativeFuture, a nonprofit coalition of over 560 companies and organizations and over 250,000 members who advocate for the value of creativity in the digital age. Brett began his career in New York, and spent over a decade in independent film production. He has a lifelong passion for food, cooking, and education. Brett grew up in Texas and Singapore, and currently lives in Los Angeles with his partner and two pugs, Beverly and Frances.

Cynthia Wood is a native New Yorker with a love for food, travel, and the arts. Cynthia
works at Columbia University where she oversees a variety of digital and volunteer initiatives for Columbia Alumni Association and University Relations.

Cynthia has diverse experience in within the culinary arts. She founded a food production company and has worked with a list of clients that includes: San Francisco Museum and Historical Society, Habitat for Humanity, and Central Park’s 200th Anniversary. Her products have been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine.

She lives on the Upper West Side with Jasper, her Yorkshire Terrier.