Council appoints four new high-powered Board Members - Alan B. Lubin, The Honorable Rose Sconiers, Reinaldo Pérez, and Mark S. Thomas.
Meet Our Founder
Council for Unity was born out of racial violence in 1975 when Founder, Robert J. De Sena, an English teacher, recruited six gang leaders from Brooklyn's John Dewey High School to end the cycle of violence that beset the school and surrounding community for decades. Since then its outreach has expanded beyond Brooklyn to New York City’s five boroughs and throughout New York state, across state lines and overseas. Learn more about Council through Meet our Founder.
Board of Directors
CFU’s board of directors provides stewardship and governance. The Board plays an active role in CFU strategy definition and development and serves as a vital part of the network of experts tapped when helping our partners address their key strategic challenges. To increase our effectiveness, over the past two years Council has expanded the Board creating a more diverse group of men and women with expertise and viewpoints critical to managing a growing and dynamic organization dedicated to helping children at risk.
CHAIRMANWilliam A. Serrao
VICE CHAIRMAN
Douglas Perlman
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
William Serrao, Partner, IBM, New York, New York
Robert J. DeSena, Founder and President, Council for Unity, Inc., New York, New York
Henry Beinstein, Partner, Gagnon Securities, New York, New York
Thomas Bumbolow, Vice President, J. P. Morgan, New York, New York
Thomas Butler, President, Butler Associates, LLC, New York, New York
Louis J. DiBella, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, DiBella Entertainment, New York, New York
Gregory Floyd, President, Local 237, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, New York, New York
Hank Kim, President, Hank Kim Consulting, New York, New York
Lee Lazarus, President, A. P. T. Parking Technologies, New York, New York
The Honorable Doris Ling-Cohan, Supreme Court Judge, New York, New York
Alan Lubin, Executive Vice President, New York State United Teachers, Albany, New York
Reinaldo Perez, Vice President, NY/Northeast Community Relations, Citi Corporation, Global Consumer Group, Fresh Meadows, New York
Douglas Perlman, President, Accrue Advisors and Managing Director, Accrue Sports and Entertainment Ventures, New York, New York
Jennifer Robbins, Theatre Producer, New York, New York
Jim Russo, Founding Member, Council for Unity, Inc., New York, New York
The Honorable Rose Sconiers, Supreme Court Justice, Supreme Court – 5th Justice, Buffalo, New York
Jennifer Silver, Chief Process, Technology & Administration Officer, The Doe Fund, New York, New York
Lewis B. Spann Jr., Managing Director, Management Consulting and Controls Group, Inc., New York, New York
Mark S. Thomas, National Accountant Sales Manager, Pepsi-Cola North America, Puchase, New York
Saundra P. Thomas, Vice President of Community Affairs, WABC-TV, New York, New York
Frank Volpicella, Vice President, Academic High Schools, The United Federation of Teachers, New York, New York
Randi Weingarten, President, The United Federation of Teachers, New York, New York
Chair Emeritus
The Honorable Arnold I. Burns, Chairman, QuanStar Group, LLC, New York, New York
Gale Barrett, External Affairs Consultant, Palisades, New York
ADVISORY BOARD
CHAIRMAN
Edward Doody
Edward Doody, Executive Vice President, Strategic Alliances, National Research Center for College & University Admissions (NRCCUA), Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Daniel Avrutsky, Director, Perella Weinberg Partners LLP, New York, New York
Andy Belth, Vice President, Database Marketing, Alloy Media & Marketing, New York, New York
John Ferrandino, National Academy Foundation, New York, New York
Karen Johns, Executive Director, Diversity Alliance Pipeline, McLean, Virginia
Josef Katz, Senior Director of Marketing, Trump University, New York, New York
Marty Lerner, Manhasset, New York
Jay Rosner, Executive Director, Princeton Review Foundation, New York, New York
Heather Shaw, Director of Corporate Responsibility, Time Warner Inc., New York, New York
Joyce Smith, Executive Director, National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC)
Steve Stolls, Vice President of Sales, Elite Marketing Group, New York, New York
Antonio Tijerino, President & Chief Executive Officer, Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Washington, D. C.
Scott Widmeyer, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Widmeyer Communications, New York, New York
SENIOR STAFF
Robert J. DeSena, Founder and PresidentJim Delia, Co-Chief Operating Officer
John Szczepanik, Co-Chief Operating Officer
Lisa Wright, Director, Programs
Sean “Dino” Johnson, Director, School-Based Initiatives
Marisa Provenzano, Associate Director, School-Based Initiatives, Elementary & Middle Schools