About Us
Home
About Us What We Do What's New Look Who's Talking Make A Difference
About Us

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.

CHAIRMAN
Saundra P. Thomas

VICE CHAIRMAN
Douglas Perlman

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Henry Beinstein, Partner, Gagnon Securities, New York, New York
Michael Corriero, New York, New York
John "Sean" Coffey, New York, New York
Kery Davis, Sr. Vice President for Prorgramming HBO Sports, New York, New York
Louis J. DiBella, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, DiBella Entertainment, New York, New York
Dawn Edwards, New Canaan, Connecticut
Gregory Floyd, President, Local 237, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, New York, New York
Robert Frome, Partner, Olshan Grundman Frome Rosenzweig & Wolosky LLP, New York, New York
Hank Kim, President, Hank Kim Consulting, New York, New York
Keith Hamlin, Principal, Hammerline Capital and Development, Pound Ridge, New York
Frank Lieberman, President, IBC Worldwide Ltd
The Honorable Doris Ling-Cohan, Supreme Court Judge, New York, New York
Ernest Logan, President, Council of School Supervisors & Administrators, Brooklyn, New York
Alan Lubin, Executive Vice President, New York State United Teachers, Albany, New York
Michael Mulgrew, President, United Federation of Teachers, New York, New York
Andrew Pallotta, Executive Vice President, New York State United Teachers, Latham, 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
The Honorable Rose Sconiers, Supreme Court Justice, Supreme Court – 5th Justice, Buffalo, New York
Neva Shillingford, Executive Vice President, 1199 SEIU
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
William Serrao, Executive, Finance/Strategic Planning

SENIOR STAFF

Robert J. DeSena, Founder and President
John Szczepanik, Chief Operating Officer
Lisa Wright, Managing Director
Sean “Dino” Johnson, Director, Program Marketing
Marisa Provenzano, Director, School-Based Initiatives, Elementary & Middle Schools
Yvonne Prescod, Director of School-Based Initiatives, High Schools