Year Up benefits from the active involvement of dozens of accomplished and dedicated professionals. From the National Board of Directors and Technical Advisory Board to the local Advisory Boards in each Year Up market, these corporate and philanthropic leaders play a critical role in Year Up's success.

national BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Year Up's Board of Directors assists the Year Up team in areas such as strategic direction, fundraising, financial control and overall corporate governance. In addition, we also rely on guidance and support in areas such a our technical curriculum, apprenticeships and our overall technical infrastructure from our board of corporate advisors, and our technical advisory board. Year Up is proud to have such accomplished and dedicated professionals on our boards.

In addition to Gerald Chertavian, Founder & CEO, other Board members include

national TECHNICAL ADVISORY BOARD
The Technical Advisory Board consists of senior technical executives who provide Year Up with current data on the technical skills that are most in demand for IT positions. Year Up uses this information to modify its curriculum to meet market demand. They are:

back to top

LOCAL ADVISORY BOARDS
massachusetts advisory board
rhode island advisory board
new york city advisory board
washington d.c. advisory board

national BOARD OF DIRECTORs bios

Timothy Dibble - Chairman
Founder & Managing General Partner, Alta Communications

Timothy Dibble is the Managing General Partner of Alta Communications. Tim joins the Board of Year Up with over 13 years of experience working with and investing in various new business ventures. Tim joined Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co. in 1989 and in 1996, the firm transitioned to become Alta Communications, a Boston-based venture capital firm focusing on telecommunications. Tim began his career at the Bank of Boston in the Acquisition Finance Division, structuring and monitoring the performance of management buyouts in cash flow industries. Tim received a degree in Economics from Wesleyan University.

Tim and Alta have incubated Year Up from idea stage through to execution - offering office space, support, and resources. Tim also sits on the Board of the Big Brother Association of Massachusetts and is co-chair of the Steering Committee.

back to top

Eileen Brown
Founder and Chancellor, Cambridge College
Eileen Moran Brown is the Founder and Chancellor of Cambridge College, an independent graduate school for working adults. During the 1960s, Eileen taught high-school English for eight years in the inner-city. Following an M.Ed. degree in 1971, she created the educational model which became Cambridge College. She has been consultant to many educational entities and is designer/moderator of a series of colloquia, "Role Models and Mentors in the Professional Lives of Women." Eileen adds an additional layer of expertise to our Board of Directors. She has a keen understanding of how urban adults learn best. Eileen, and her more than 30 years of teaching and program administration experience, enhance our capacity to design and evaluate curriculum, teach and document best practices.

back to top

Andrea Feingold
Founder and Partner, Feingold O’Keeffe

Andrea Feingold is a partner and founder of Feingold O’Keeffe Capital, a long/short hedge fund which focuses primarily on high yield bonds. Prior to forming Feingold O’Keeffe, Ms. Feingold was co-head of High Yield at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO). While at PIMCO she managed $3 billion in high yield separate accounts with a variety of mandates. Before joining PIMCO, Ms. Feingold was Portfolio Manager at Columbia High Yield, part of FleetBoston Financial Corporation where she managed several high yield mutual funds. Ms. Feingold graduated from Columbia University with honors.

back to top

David Ford
Executive Director, Smith Family Foundation

In April, 2002, David Ford joined the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation as Executive Director. The Foundation focuses on medical research, youth development and poverty alleviation, and contributes about $116 million a year primarily in the Boston area. Organizational capacity building is an overarching theme of the Foundation. For four years prior to joining the Smith Family Foundation, Ford was President of the Lucent Technologies Foundation and head of the Corporation’s community affairs program. And from 1988-1998, Ford was President of the Chase Manhattan Foundation which provided grants to several thousand nonprofit organizations around the country and world. Previously, Ford was Director of the Center for Human Resources at Rutgers University for nine years, provided philanthropic consulting services to a number of private foundations and corporations, was Deputy Director of the Bergen County, NJ Community Action Program and Director of the Upper Passaic County, NJ Head Start Program, and taught English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Lincoln High School in Milwaukee (while in VISTA). Ford also traveled and studied in Asia and Europe for two years. He has a B.A. in English and Political Science from Colgate University and a M.A. in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Ford is or has been a member of the boards of the Independent Sector, Council on Foundations, Associated Grantmakers, NY Regional Association of Grantmakers (past President), NJ Council of Grantmakers, Corporate Contributions Council of the Conference Board (past Chairman), National Executive Service Corps, Wise Giving Alliance, AFS-USA, W. Bergen Mental Health Center, Riverside Community Care, the Lars Anderson Auto Museum, Hale Reservation, Year Up, the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, the Dedham Savings Bank and the Daimler and the Lanchester Owners Club of North America.

back to top

Peter Handrinos
Senior Partner, Hale and Dorr
Peter Handrinos practices general corporate and securities law at Hale and Dorr, with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital transactions and public offerings for life sciences and technology companies.

Peter has advised both public and private companies in connection with a broad range of matters, including initial and follow-on public offerings, asset purchases, divestitures, cash mergers, stock mergers and tender offers. He has counseled a variety of start-up companies and venture capital firms in venture capital financings. Peter has also represented underwriters in connection with public offerings of debt and equity securities. A significant portion of his practice involves general corporate work for ongoing clients on matters such as SEC compliance, securities and disclosure issues and corporate governance matters.

Peter received a J.D. degree from the New York University School of Law and M.B.A. and B.S. degrees from Carnegie Mellon University. He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the state of Connecticut.

back to top

Archie Jones
VP of Business Development, Kenexa

Jones joined Kenexa from Maplegate Holdings, a private equity investment firm he co-founded that focuses on small-cap buyouts. Previously, he was a principal and charter member with Parthenon Capital, a private equity firm focused on providing financial backing and strategic support to middle market companies for acquisition and internal growth strategies. In this role, Jones was responsible for the origination, negotiation, execution and management of buyout transactions. He began his career as a financial analyst with Merrill Lynch Capital Partners, where he was responsible for analyzing, structuring and monitoring investment opportunities, and worked closely with equity investors, debt capital providers and senior executives of the portfolio companies.

Jones was a director on Kenexa's board from 1999 to 2002. He has also served on the board of Franco Apparel Group and held the role of the organization's interim CFO in 1999. Jones holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and graduated magna cum laude from Morehouse College with a degree in accounting and business administration. He is based in Atlanta.

back to top

James Pallotta
Managing Director & Head of U.S. Equity Securities, Tudor Group
James J. Pallotta is the Managing Director and head of U.S. Equity Securities of the Tudor Group affiliated companies. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Tudor Group.

Prior to joining the Tudor Group, Jim was Senior Vice President and Director of Research at Essex Investment Management Company in Boston, actively directing the management of client funds of up to $550 million.

In addition to Year Up, Jim is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the following organizations: Big Brother Association, Boston Children's Hospital Trust, Fessenden School for Boys, Red Auerbach Youth Foundation, The Steppingstone Foundation, Squashbusters, and Tudor Group. He is also a member of the University of Massachusetts Foundation Investment Committee.

Jim has a BBA in Finance from the University of Massachusetts and an MBA from Northeastern University.

back to top

Paul Salem
Co-founder & Senior Managing Director, Providence Equity Partners

Paul Salem has been investing in private equity for the past 13 years and is a Senior Managing Director and co-founder of Providence Equity Partners. Paul oversees Providence's European investment activities. Paul has been responsible for investments in incumbent telephone companies, competitive local exchange carriers, advanced data solution providers including web hosting and ISPs, publishing, wireless data networks, Internet content, and telecommunications infrastructure. He was, during the period of Providence's investment, a director of AT&T Canada, Inc. (formerly MetroNet Communications Corp.), Song Networks Holding A.B. (formerly Tele1 Europe Holding A.B.), Netcom Canada, NC Holdings, Interep National Radio Sales, Inc., Unisite, Inc., Verio, Inc., and Wired Ventures, Inc.

Prior to joining Providence, Paul worked for Morgan Stanley & Co. in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to that time, Paul spent four years with Prudential Investment Corporation, an affiliate of Prudential Insurance, where his responsibilities included private placement financings, leveraged buyout transactions, and establishing Prudential's European investment office. Paul received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University.

back to top

Joseph Smialowski
Executive Vice President of Operations and Technology, Freddie Mac

Joseph Smialowski is the Executive Vice President of Operations and Technology at Freddie Mac. Joe is responsible for managing the largest segment of Freddie Mac's business operations, including all of the company's mortgage origination and servicing, investment and capital markets operations, and information systems divisions.

Prior to joining Freddie Mac, Joe was Executive Vice President at FleetBoston Financial where he was part of the firm's management committee and had direct oversight of its information technology, bank operations, corporate real estate, procurement, security and business continuity for Fleet's business lines in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. He held a key role on the integration team following the acquisition of FleetBoston by Bank of America.

Prior to joining FleetBoston in 1998, Joe was chief information officer at Sears, Roebuck and Co., overseeing all of the information technology units for the company's retail, credit, product service and direct-response businesses in North America. During this time, he also served as the chairman of the National Retail Federation's Technology Council and was a recipient of the National Center for Supercomputing Center's Grand Challenge Award.

Early in his career, Joe held increasingly responsible management, technology and operations positions at Dennison Manufacturing, Xerox and The Hartford. He received a B.A. in philosophy from Merrimack College and a master's degree in computer systems management from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

back to top

Richard Smith
Chairman of the Board, The Neiman Marcus Group
Co-Chairman, The Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation

Dick Smith has held a wide range of influential business and civic positions over the course of his career. He was the former Chairman of the Board and CEO of Harcourt General, The Neiman Marcus Group, and the GC Companies. He has held directorships at The First National Bank of Boston, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and Wang Laboratories.

Dick is also currently involved in numerous other civic activities including: Board of Directors, Harvard Management Company, Inc.; Member, American Academy of Arts & Sciences; Vice Chairman of the Board, Dana Farber Cancer Institute; Trustee, Joslin Diabetes Center; Trustee, Boston Symphony Orchestra; Honorary Trustee, Beth Israel Hospital and Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, Inc.

His former principal civic activities include: Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Facing History & Ourselves Foundation; Fellow of Harvard College; Joint Committee on Appointments, Harvard University; Vice President, United Cerebral Palsy Research and Education Foundation; Former Member, Board of Overseers, Harvard University; Director Emeritus, John F. Kennedy Library Foundation; Chairman and President, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Dick holds a B.S. from Harvard College and honorary doctorate degrees from Harvard University and Boston College.

back to top

Gail Snowden
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, The Boston Foundation

Gail Snowden is the Vice President for Finance and Operations at the Boston Foundation. Gail oversees the finances and administrative operations of the $650 million community foundation as a key member of the senior management team. She is a veteran of the banking industry and a nationally recognized leader in urban community development.

Gail's contributions to the legacy banks of Fleet and BankBoston have been many, including the awarding of "Outstanding" Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) ratings at the banks, the White House Ron Brown Award for Advocating for the Needs of Minority and Low-income Constituents, and pioneering bold new initiatives, such as Fleet Community Bank. Gail served in many capacities through the bank's numerous mergers, including her membership on Fleet's Leadership Advisory Group. She developed and led the community investment efforts at BankBoston and Fleet which resulted in the formation of a nationally recognized, specialized retail and investment arm, the Community Investment Group, with a targeted focus on urban, low-income communities and minority- and women-owned businesses.

Gail serves as an emeritus chair of the Freedom House Board of Directors and has served on several other boards, including those of Boston Foundation, Northeastern University, Simmons College, the Efficacy Institute, and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City. She has received numerous awards, including the Rosoff Diversity Award, honorary doctorates from her alma mater, Simmons College, and several other colleges. She was named one of the nation's Top Business and Professional Women by Dollars and Sense magazine, one of 50 African-American Women at the top in corporate America by Ebony magazine, and one of Boston magazine's 100 most influential women.

back to top

Pamela Trefler
Director, Trefler Foundation
As a long-standing supporter of the Boston educational community and Director of the Trefler Foundation, Pam Trefler has made a tremendous impact on Boston's educational system. Since student teaching at Dorchester High School, she has become a champion of the Boston educational landscape and takes a hands-on role in the organizations that receive the Foundation's support. Pam has given hundreds of Boston students the opportunity to see options in their futures. She has provided them with challenging and competitive educations and the chance to advance to higher learning. Not only has she opened doors for Boston’s teens, but she continuously works to educate other funders to adopt a more innovative style of funding. We are honored to have Pam on our Board.

back to top

Craig Underwood
Vice Chairman, Sports Loyalty Systems, Inc.

Craig Underwood advises and supports loyalty, social and political entrepreneurs. All of Craig’s work is centered on developing strategies for enterprises to increase customer and employee loyalty through understanding, engaging and thriving in the new world of social computing and commerce. He is one of the world’s experts on coalition loyalty programs and has deep expertise in nonprofit growth strategies and board development and mission support. Clients include the Harvard Institute of Politics; SocialSphere Strategies, a new Web 2.0 strategy firm where he is a founding partner; Alliance Data Systems; and several sports teams and leagues. He is developing a new fundraising platform for the 2008 presidential contenders.

Craig was the founder and CEO of The Loyalty Group, the Canadian company that created and runs the AIR MILES Reward Program – one of the most successful coalition loyalty programs in the world. Started by Craig and two colleagues in a Toronto hotel room in 1991, Loyalty now employs over 1500 people; over 70% of Canadian households are active members of the program. While at Loyalty, Craig developed over 20 innovative coalition database marketing programs for sponsoring companies, including Safeway, American Express and Bank of Montreal and launched airmiles.com, the first loyalty program on the internet. Craig led the sale of the company to Alliance Data Systems, at the time a Welsh Carson company and now a successful public company (NYSE ADS).

Craig also has years of experience in management & strategy consulting across a number of industries having served as a partner at both Bain & Company and Bain’s nonprofit affiliate The Bridgespan Group. He was a founding board member and served as interim CEO of Sports Loyalty Systems and a co-founder of Year Up, the innovative work force development program. He has served on over 10 public, private and nonprofit boards.

Craig earned a BA in Political Science at West Virginia University, an MA from Oxford University in Politics, Economics and Philosophy where he was a Rhodes Scholar and an MBA from the University of Chicago

back to top