United Way of New York City Announces Board Committees

United Way of New York City Announces Board Committees

Aug 20, 2024| Blog, Blog Featured Articles, News

United Way of New York City (UWNYC) is proud to announce the appointment of its Board of Directors committees. These appointments will help to drive UWNYC's mission of mobilizing their communities to break down barriers and build opportunities that improve the lives of low-income New Yorkers for the benefit of all.

In additional changes, Samir Gandhi, a long-standing Board member, was recently appointed as Board Co-Chair and now serves in that capacity. He joins Larry Klane, whose continued dedication as Board Co-Chair remains critical to UWNYC's work. Sam is a Partner and global practice leader in Sidley Austin LLP's Capital Markets group and Larry is the Co-Founder of Pivot Investment Partners.

"Our Board Committee Chairs bring a wealth of experience and passion to our organization," said Grace Bonilla, President and CEO of United Way of New York City. "Their leadership will be instrumental as we continue to address the most pressing challenges facing our city. Together, we will drive meaningful change and ensure that every New Yorker has the opportunity to thrive."

Board Committee Chairs include the following:

• The Executive Committee, responsible for overseeing the overall governance of UWNYC, will be co-chaired by Samir Gandhi and Larry Klane. Vice Chairs will be Joseph Cabrera and Bernice Clark.
• The Audit Committee, which is tasked with ensuring the integrity of UWNYC's financial reporting and internal controls, will be chaired by Lorraine M. Lynch.
• The Community Impact & Public Policy Committee, responsible for aligning UWNYC's programs with its mission and public policy objectives, will be co-chaired by Kenneth Bronfin and Hedieh Fakhriyazdi.
• The Finance & Investment Committee, which oversees the financial oversight responsibilities of UWNYC, will be chaired by Christine Fenske.
• The Nominating & Membership Committee, charged with recruiting and planning for the succession of Board leadership, will be co-chaired by Joseph Cabrera and Karyn Twaronite.
• The Resource Development & Marketing Committee, which is dedicated to increasing UWNYC's financial support and enhancing its brand visibility, will be co-chaired by Ann Vermes and Jennifer Warren. Supporting them as Vice Chairs will be Robert J. Ancona and Robyn Zivic.

"The committees serve as a vital resource and partner to the organization's leaders," said Sam Gandhi, Board Co-Chair and Co-Chair of the Executive Committee."I look forward to working with these leaders to continue to build upon the organization's work throughout the city of New York."

"I am proud to work alongside driven people with a shared passion for empowering New Yorkers," said Bernice Clark, Board Co-Vice Chair and Vice Chair of the Executive Committee. "I am excited to leverage our expertise to drive steadfast, meaningful change."

"I am thrilled to play a critical role in maintaining the financial integrity of United Way of New York City," said Lorraine M. Lynch, Chair of the Audit Committee. "I look forward to partnering with my fellow committee members."

"I am honored to reaffirm my commitment to United Way of New York City as a Co-Chair of the Resource Development and Marketing Committee," said Ann Vermes. "I look forward to working alongside my incredible colleagues as UWNYC expands its capacity to make a real difference in the lives of all New Yorkers."

"Together, as the Board of Directors Committees, we will make a positive impact on New York City, making tools and resources needed for success more equitably accessible for all," said Robert J. Ancona, Vice Chair of the Resource Development and Marketing Committee. "I am energized by the lasting, meaningful effect we will have."

These appointments represent an unwavering commitment by UWNYC to ensure strong leadership and effective governance while it empowers New Yorkers to succeed and addresses barriers to economic mobility.

Please find abbreviated biographies below:

Samir Gandhi, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
Samir Gandhi is the global practice leader of Sidley's capital markets group and a member of the firm's Executive Committee. Sam previously served as the managing partner of Sidley's New York office. Sam focuses on capital markets offerings, corporate matters and private equity transactions. He represents issuers and underwriters in a broad range of capital markets activities and has extensive experience advising corporate clients on disclosure and governance matters, complex financial structures, public offerings and private placements. Sam also represents domestic and foreign fund sponsors, investment banks and other private investors in their private equity and venture capital activities and rights holders and media companies in sponsorship and media contracts in the sports and entertainment industries.

Larry Klane, Co-founder, Pivot Investment Partners
Larry Klane brings broad leadership experience in financial services across an array of wholesale and retail businesses around the world. He has developed and executed transformative business strategies with a focus on delivering tangible results. Prior to co-founding Pivot Investment Partners, Larry was the Global Financial Institutions Group Leader for Cerberus Capital Management. In this capacity, Larry worked to maximize the value of the firm's financial services activities, including new transactions as well as the existing portfolio of companies. He served on the Board of Directors of Aozora Bank, a publicly-traded bank in Japan in which Cerberus held a controlling interest.

Joseph Cabrera, Vice Chairman, CBRE
Joseph A. Cabrera, a Vice Chairman with CBRE, is one of the most active dealmakers in the real estate industry. He consistently delivers integrated real estate solutions to corporate tenants and landlords across the region and around the world.

Over the course of his 30+ year career, Mr. Cabrera has completed more than 4,000 transactions, totaling in excess of 50 million square feet of space in 250 cities globally. Thomson Reuters, Sidley, FactSet Research Systems, KPMG, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Campari Group, Bank of Montreal, Skanska, AlixPartners, and many other well-recognized brand names in the corporate arena have benefitted from his expertise, innovative thinking and commitment to real estate strategies that facilitate long-term success.

Bernice Clark, Executive Vice President, External Affairs, NYCEDC
Bernice Clark leads the External Affairs division, which comprises three departments: Government & Community Relations, Marketing, and Public Affairs. This division creates connection and engagement with the public, by building relationships with communities and stakeholders and communicating NYCEDC's work to benefit New York City and New Yorkers. Bernice served as Chief Marketing Officer prior to her current role and spearheaded the launch of the digital-first targeted "Why NYC" business development campaign.

Prior to joining NYCEDC, Bernice was Senior Vice President, Marketing at Macy's, the $24B omnichannel national retailer, where she held key senior marketing roles across digital media, ecommerce, marketing operations, brand, and product content that were critical to re-positioning and evolving Macy's as a national brand and top-25 US advertiser. Prior to joining the Macy's organization, Bernice worked at top-tier advertising agencies such as Leo Burnett, Young & Rubicam, and Saatchi & Saatchi.

Lorraine M. Lynch, Group Head of Audit, National Grid plc
Lorraine M. Lynch is the Group Head of Audit at National Grid plc where she is responsible for providing objective assurance to the National Grid Board and Audit and Risk Committee on internal controls and governance arrangements. This covers all aspects of operations at National Grid, from safety to information systems to operational and financial controls. As such, Lorraine works closely with the Board and both the UK and US Leadership Teams and National Grid Executive Committee. Lorraine joined National Grid plc in 1991 and has held a number of leadership positions at the company.

In addition to sitting on the UWNYC board, Lorraine is also a board member of the National Grid Foundation and its Investment Committee.

Kenneth Bronfin, Senior Managing Director, Hearst Ventures
Kenneth A. Bronfin is one of the key forces behind Hearst's transformation from traditional media company to interactive media leader. He is a senior managing director for Hearst Ventures, a team that makes strategic investments in companies operating at the intersection of media and technology. His primary focus is on the division's international investments, and he sits on the boards of several Hearst Ventures' portfolio companies. Kenneth joined Hearst in 1996 and has held a number of leadership positions at the company.

Hedieh Fakhriyazdi, Chief Diversity Officer, White & Case LLP
Hedieh Fakhriyazdi is the Chief Diversity Officer at White & Case where she is responsible for accelerating the Firm's diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts to further build a diverse work environment and nurture a culture of inclusion across our global offices, among our clients, and in the broader communities in which we live and work.

Hedieh joined the Firm from another major international law firm where she was Director of Social Responsibility and head of its charitable foundation, and previously served as Associate Director of Global Diversity. She also worked at Bloomberg LP, where she lead programs and strategy for a variety of ESG functions, including diversity and inclusion, employee engagement and corporate philanthropy. Prior to Bloomberg, Hedieh worked at the Tahirih Justice Center, a US-based nonprofit organization, providing legal and social services to immigrant survivors of gender based violence. Hedieh began her career as a community organizer in South America.

Christine Fenske, Former Managing Partner Financial Services, Baker Tilly
Christine Fenske retired from Baker Tilly, where she began working in 2004. She was the Managing Partner of Baker Tilly's New York region, and oversaw three offices in the NY metro area. Christine also led the firm's Financial Services practice.

In addition to her leadership roles, Christine worked exclusively with financial institutions and served as the partner-in-charge on numerous engagements. Prior to joining Baker Tilly, Christine was a senior manager in charge of the Wisconsin financial institutions marketplace for a Big Four firm. She was also regularly involved in both the accounting profession and financial industry, maintaining memberships in such organizations as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants (WICPA), and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA).

Karyn L. Twaronite, Global Vice Chair Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness, Ernst & Young LLP
Karyn Twaronite is EY's Global Vice Chair - Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness. She is a member of the EY Global Practice Group leadership team and the EY Global Talent Committee. In her role, she is responsible for driving innovations that maximize the strength and effectiveness of the firm's diverse workforce of almost 400,000 people across 150 countries in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEIA). Karyn received a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, a Master's degree in Taxation, and is a licensed CPA of New York.

She holds a certificate in Strategic Human Resource Management from Harvard Business School and is a graduate of the Partnership for New York City's David Rockefeller Fellows program. She and her husband and family, live in New York City.

Ann M. Vermes, Chief Operating Officer - Litigation, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Ann Vermes is the Chief Operating Officer of Weil's Litigation Department. In this role, she works closely with the department's co-chairs to manage its business and operations. Ann is also Weil's Chief of Strategic Initiatives. In this role, she oversees the Firm's social responsibility and philanthropic initiatives, including the Weil Foundation, and provides strategic leadership and management for complex and high-stakes projects on behalf of the Firm, including heading up the renovation of the Firm's headquarters. Previously, Ann was the Firm's Chief Business Development Officer. In that capacity, she led the Firm's business development, marketing and communications activities. Before that, Ann was the Director of Administration, working closely with Weil's Executive Director on a broad range of significant projects.

Jennifer Warren, Senior Executive Vice President, Head of Institutional Services and Equipment Finance, M&T Bank
As the Head of Institutional Services and Equipment Finance for M&T Bank/Wilmington Trust, Jennifer Warren brings decades of experience in professional services, technology, and banking. Jennifer has an extensive track record of enacting transformative change, crafting revenue-enhancing market strategies, and developing organizational structures to meet risk and business growth expectations. During her career, Jennifer has led her teams through both periods of extended global crisis and outsized growth and has brought her varied experiences to bear serving on multiple public and private boards in the U.S. and Canada.

Jennifer began her career as a business lawyer and rose to become a senior executive of Rogers Communications - one of the world's largest technology and communications companies. In that role, she was a key member of the senior deal team and worked directly with company founder Ted Rogers for a decade structuring multiple acquisitions, financings, and the first-ever launch of broadband internet access in Canada.

Robert J. Ancona, Vice President & General Manager, B2B Product, Partner & Client Management (BPPC), American Express Global Merchant & Network Services
Robert J. Ancona is the Vice President & General Manager of the U.S. B2B sector within the Global Merchant & Network Services organization. In this role, he oversees a portfolio of American Express' largest B2B merchants focused on identifying opportunities for growth and delivering value to these merchants. He also oversees the product development and partnership strategy for B2B merchant/supplier value.

Prior to this, Robert was the Vice President of the U.S. Small Business Charge Card Product Management & Loyalty Programs. In this role, he was responsible for the Business Gold, Business Platinum, and Business Centurion products, including managing these P&Ls, Loyalty drivers, the portfolio strategy, and end-to-end customer experiences.

Robyn Zivic, Senior Relationship Manager
An alumni of McGill University, Robyn Zivic spent 13 years at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC.) Prior, she held the role of Director at financial institutions Barclays Capital and Lehman Brothers. She also serves as Advisory Board Member at Irrational Capital, providing insights and guidance on leveraging corporate culture and employee motivation data for investment decision-making.