Meet the Team
Operational Team
Colin Smith, Executive Director
Colin Smith is the Executive Director and a member of the Board of Directors for Change for Kids. He has operated as Chief Financial Officer and Co-President of the Junior Council for the organization. Previously, Mr. Smith was a Vice President in the Direct Private Placements group at Atlantic-Pacific Capital, where he raised growth and acquisition capital for private transactions. Prior to Atlantic-Pacific, he was in the Private Equity Placements Group at Banc of America Securities. Mr. Smith is the Co-President of the Junior Board for Pro Mujer, a microfinance charity providing financial and social services to Latin American women. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance with Distinction from the University of Virginia.
Michael Quinzio, Program Director
As the son of a U.S. Diplomat, Michael was raised in Egypt, East Germany, Ecuador, and Bolivia. He studied International Relations at the University of Virginia and helped coordinate forums for the XVI International AIDS Conference while interning at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. In November of 2005, he accompanied a group of high school seniors on a Hurricane Katrina relief trip to coastal Mississippi. Before joining Change for Kids in July of 2008, he helped found an NGO in Peru and served as a Rural Community Development Volunteer with the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, where he taught English classes, worked with a women’s group, and assisted the local development association.
Ai Kuroda-Khaliq, Piano Instructor, P.S. 154
Mrs. Ai’s love for music began when she was only five years old, growing up in Kanagawa, Japan. The traditional Japanese melodies inspired her to pursue a career in music that would eventually lead her to the renowned Juilliard School in New York City. While studying at Juilliard, she became interested in music education, and jumped at the chance to share her passion with local elementary school students. In September of 2008, Mrs. Ai helped Change for Kids fund our newest music instruction program at P.S. 154 in Harlem. She currently works with her students on basic music reading techniques and piano method. Mrs. Ai is enrolled in the Teachers College at Columbia University.
Majid Khaliq, Violin Instructor, P.S. 73
Born in New York, Majid Khaliq found his first love – music – at a very young age. Majid started violin lessons at the age of five with Rachel Manevich, who recognized his talents early on, and placed him in a performance ensemble she led at the Harlem School of the Arts. For years, Majid played with the ensemble, performing at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, City Hall, Steinway Hall, and St. Petersburg Hall in Russia. He has also appeared on Entertainment Tonight and Good Morning America, and, as a member of the Harlem School of the Arts String Ensemble, played for such luminaries as President Bill Clinton, then-Senator elect Hillary Rodham-Clinton, Mayor Koch, Mayor Dinkins, Isaac Stern, Leonten Price, Martena Arroyo, Max Roach, and Andre Watts.
Benjamin Salka, Story Pirates
At the age of 23, Mr. Salka directed the off-Broadway production of “I Sing!” (recent productions in Australia, Boston and London), and served as a producer on the “I Sing!” cast album, available worldwide. He began assistant directing and producing on- and off-Broadway performances at theaters such as The Roundabout, MTC, and The Atlantic Theater. Highlights include “The Dazzle” (Outer Critics Circle Award, Assistant Director to David Warren) and “The Goat” (Tony Award, Assistant to Producer Scott Rudin). In film, Mr. Salka assisted Rudin on the Oscar nominated “The Hours,” and Jonathan Glickman at Spyglass Entertainment on “Bruce Almighty,” and the Oscar nominated “Seabiscuit.” He directed David Warren’s production of “Matt and Ben” in Chicago and Toronto. He is currently developing a new musical for producer Aaron Harnick and collaborating on two pilots in development for the Bravo network. He is the co-creator and Director of Creation Nation, and Executive Director and Producer for the Striking Viking Story Pirates.
Lee Overtree, Story Pirates
A founding member of the Striking Viking Story Pirates and the former Office Manager at Change for Kids, Lee is now an actor, director, and puppeteer for Striking Vikings. Besides working with the talented cast, crew, and staff of the Story Pirates, Lee enjoys being a teaching artist and playing music.
Sergio Bessa, Bronx Museum of the Arts
Sergio Bessa, Director of Programs, is a graduate of Steinhardt School of Education, NYU, where he defended a thesis on the relationship of the visual arts and writing in the work of Brazilian-born conceptual artist Öyvind Fahlström. He has over 20 years experience as an educator, having worked for institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Scandinavia House, The School of Visual Arts, and Teachers College at Columbia University.
Angelina Lopez, Research and Evaluation Analyst
Angelina is currently pursuing her MS in Urban Policy Analysis at Milano the New School. She is also a Project Support Specialist for Metis Associates, working on research, evaluation and program development projects. Prior to her graduate studies, she served as a Dependency Case Manager with the Florida Department of Children and Families and Children's Home Society. Raised in Central Florida, she earned a BA in Sociology at Rollins College.
Kristin Black, Communications Director
Kristin Black spent two years in book publicity and media relations before returning to her favorite profession—teaching. She is currently an instructor of developmental reading and writing at Truman College in Chicago, though she’s also spent time teaching at the secondary level. She holds a master’s degree in English language and literature from the University of Virginia, where she helped organize and run Model United Nations conferences for high school students. When not in the classroom, she spends time marking papers and completing the occasional freelance writing project.
Caitlin Smith
Caitlin is the Office Manager of Change for Kids. She is also actively pursuing roles in New York City theater productions and has appeared in such productions as Rocky Horror Picture Show, Grease and Punk. Caitlin graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Musical Theater, one of the world’s premier musical theater programs. She also attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.
Board of Directors return to top
Chris Forbes, Chairman
Chris Forbes has been the CEO of Knovel Corporation since the company's founding in 2000, guiding the company to its current position as the leading online technical resource collection for engineers and applied scientists. Mr. Forbes helped launch and grow Knovel to serve thousands of subscribers, including 75 Fortune 500 companies and over 300 leading technical universities worldwide. Previously, Mr. Forbes was President of William Andrew Publishing, where he leveraged his background in finance, publishing, acquisitions, and general management to boost William Andrew's market share in technical reference publishing. Before joining William Andrew, he founded and was Managing Director of Toronto Dominion Securities (USA), now TD Ameritrade in New York City. Mr. Forbes is the Chairman of the Board of Change for Kids and is a member of the Young President's Organization (YPO). He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Finance from the University of Toronto.
Elaine Crowley, Vice-Chair
Elaine Crowley has been on the Board of Directors of Change for Kids for two years and on the Advisory Board prior to that. Elaine was previously a Legal Assistant at Kirkland & Ellis. Prior to Kirkland & Ellis, she was Grants Manager, Planning Office and then Parks and Recreation Manager, Manhattan Borough Office for New York City Parks & Recreation. She has been involved in a number of nonprofits in a variety of capacities, including as Assistant Program Coordinator for Ariel Education Initiative, a member of the Junior Committee of Lawrence Hall, a member of the Junior Boards of I Have A Dream and Union Settlement Association, and on the Board of Directors of Tonalmotion, Inc. Elaine has received a BA from University of Chicago, an MS in Public Service Management from DePaul University and a JD from Seton Hall University School of Law.
Terrence McLean, Finance Chair
Terrence McLean is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Insight Catastrophe Group. Before joining Insight, Mr. McLean worked for RenaissanceRe's Corporate Risk Management Group and served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at a Florida homeowner insurer. Mr. McLean oversaw software development operations for the Investment Banking division of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette after spending two years in Financial Institutions Investment Banking. He graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and School of Engineering and Applied Science with concentrations in Actuarial Science, Finance and Computer Science.
Louise Phillips Forbes, Fundraising Chair
Louise Phillips Forbes is an Executive Vice President at Halstead Property, LLC. For more than 19 years, Louise has been a leader in New York City’s residential real-estate market, surpassing $1 billion in sales. She is a frequent guest lecturer for the Real Estate Board of New York and was recently profiled in Gotham Magazine’s “Leading Ladies of Real Estate.” In 2006, she was named in the Wall Street Journal’s “Real Estate Top 200,” which included top real estate brokers from throughout the country. In addition to her role as a Board member of Change for Kids, Louise serves on an advisory committee for Habitat for Humanity and is an active member of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Richard Ziade, Marketing Chair
Richard Ziade is the founder and partner at Arc90, a New York City based technology and design consulting firm. Richard graduated from law school in 1995 and soon after shifted careers towards design and technology. Since then, he has worked at both small technology startups and larger companies in various capacities revolving around product design, product management, and interaction design. In 2004, Richard founded Arc90 based on principles that technology, architecture, and design are indelibly tied to one another. Richard is committed to using the social, viral, and network effects of the Internet to help spread awareness and reduce barriers that hinder involvement and participation for worthwhile causes.
Colin Smith, Executive Director
Colin Smith is the Executive Director and a member of the Board of Directors for Change for Kids. He has operated as Chief Financial Officer and Co-President of the Junior Council for the organization. Previously, Mr. Smith was a Vice President in the Direct Private Placements group at Atlantic-Pacific Capital, where he raised growth and acquisition capital for private transactions. Prior to Atlantic-Pacific, he was in the Private Equity Placements Group at Banc of America Securities. Mr. Smith is the Co-President of the Junior Board for Pro Mujer, a microfinance charity providing financial and social services to Latin American women. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance with Distinction from the University of Virginia.
Scott Delman
Scott Delman is a senior executive in the professional publishing industry. He currently serves as Group Publisher for the Association for Computing Machinery, a leading professional association in the technology sector and as an Industry Advisor for Fidelity Equity Partners, a mid-market private equity firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition, Mr. Delman serves on the Board of Directors of Spatial Q, a search technology start-up based in Northwestern Canada. Previously, Mr. Delman has served as Vice President of Publishing for Wolters Kluwer and Vice President of Business Development for Springer Science + Business Media.
Chris Denniston
Chris Denniston is an award-winning Senior Writer/Producer in Creative Services at HBO where he has been director, producer and editor on marketing campaigns for HBO’s biggest hits: The Sopranos, Entourage, Sex and the City, Deadwood and True Blood. Career highlights include directing Will Ferrell in a spoof car dealership commercial, shooting with the late George Carlin prior to his final stand-up special and conducting the farewell interview with the cast and creators of The Sopranos. During his involvement with Change for Kids, Chris has co-produced and edited the organization’s annual benefit documentary. Chris also volunteers as a youth soccer coach in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Hal Epstein
Hal is the Community Academic Officer with Community Learning Support Organization at the NYC Dept of Ed, providing support to 21 NYC secondary schools in instructional and organizational leadership, accountability and professional development. From 2004-2007 he was the Local Instructional Superintendent for NYC's Region 9 where he supervised 12 secondary school principals. From 1997-2004 he was the founding Principal of the Brooklyn Studio Secondary School, after serving as the Principal of the Junior High segment of the same school. From 1988-1996, Hal acted as a supervisor of speech pathologists, first as a Clinical Supervisor in Queens and Manhattan High Schools and then as a Supervisor of Speech Improvement at Community School District 21. In addition, Hal has been a Mentor at the New York City Leadership Academy for aspiring principals, an Adjunct Lecturer at Brooklyn College Graduate School of Education and a Professional Advisory Board member for the National Council for Learning Disabilities. Hal received his P.D. in Supervision and Administration in Education, M.S. in Speech and Hearing Science and B.A. in Speech Pathology from Brooklyn College.
Laura Farah
Laura Farah is an investment banking recruiter at Morgan Stanley. Prior to joining the board, Laura was involved with CFK as Director of Events and was part of the literacy program at P.S. 243. Previously, she was a Vice President at Glocap Search, an executive search firm, where she placed investment professionals into real estate firms, hedge funds, and private equity funds. She began her career at Banc of America Securities in the High Grade Debt Capital Markets group covering Financial Institutions. Laura graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Finance.
Stacey Griffith
Stacey Griffith is a premier indoor cycling instructor and celebrity trainer at Soul Cycle in New York City. Stacey studied Ashtanga Yoga with Sri Pattabi Joyce in India and was one of Schwinn Cyclings' first Master Instructors. Stacey has inspired a loyal following over the years including celebrity clients Nicole Kidman, Jody Foster, Brooke Shields and Katie Lee Joel. Stacey recently became the Fitness Expert for Brooke Shields Colgate Total Healthy Upgrade team. Stacey resides in New York City with her family and four dogs.
Lisa Kalhans
Lisa Grey Kalhans is a Senior National Account Sales Manager with PepsiCo. Previously, she served as a Marketing Manager on the Mountain Dew brand team. Prior to joining PepsiCo, she was a Senior Director of Member Services at the Corporate Executive Board in Washington DC and London. Lisa received her BA in Political Science with Highest Honors from Haverford College and her MBA with Honors from Columbia Business School.
Harish Rao
Harish Rao is currently the founder and Principal of Interpersonal Frequency LLC (IF), an online communications and strategic advisory firm for non-profit and corporate clients in the Americas and Europe. IF works in tandem with traditional-media analysts and creative media experts to focus on the science of moving ideas through culture, in all forms of communication. Harish was Director of Information Technology for Dean for America, where he was responsible for all back-end technologies for Howard Dean’s 2004 Presidential campaign, including communications-technology-infrastructure and data services. Harish and his team created the online outreach program that would influence nearly all political campaigns that followed, raising $15 million per quarter and galvanizing community movement on a massive scale. Following the campaign, Harish co-founded and was the CEO of EchoDitto, growing the business into a multi-million dollar corporation focused on building vital and effective online communities for clients such as The Clinton Foundation, Research in Motion (BlackBerry), and Rosie O’Donnell. Harish holds a BA from the College of William and Mary and is beginning his doctorate in Computing and Information Science at Rochester Institute of Technology in the Fall of 2010.
Sheila Spence
Sheila Spence is the Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, for WPP Group. She is responsible for corporate development in North America for WPP, including evaluating, structuring and negotiating acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, minority investments and partnerships. With over $13 billion in revenue, WPP is one of the world's largest communications services groups, and includes companies such as Ogilvy & Mather, Young & Rubicam, JWT, Hill and Knowlton, Burson-Marsteller, TNS and Millward Brown. Prior to joining WPP in 2006, Ms Spence was the Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, for PRIMEDIA Inc., a KKR-portfolio company in the business of targeted media and content. At PRIMEDIA, she was head of corporate development, responsible for numerous transactions including EMAP/Petersen USA, Automotive.com, About.com, Seventeen and New York Magazine . Prior to joining PRIMEDIA, Ms. Spence worked in the Investment Banking division of Salomon Brothers (now Citigroup). She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an HBA from The University of Western Ontario.
Samaya Ziade
Samaya Ziade is the sole principal and founder of Travelution, a travel agency focused on personalized planning and booking for individuals and businesses. Samaya is actively involved with the City Harvest organization and regularly supports other charities and organizations including Operation Warm and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. She is committed to devoting both her time and resources to causes that benefit the less-fortunate, and children and youth in particular. Samaya was born in Lebanon and spent the majority of her life there, relocating to New York City in 2004.
Junior Council return to top
Christy Williams, Co-Chair
Christy Williams works at Sotheby's Old Master Paintings and Drawings. Christy began her involvement with Change for Kids in 2005 and is now the Co-President of the Junior Council and sits on the Board of Directors. She is also board member of the Virginia Club of New York as well as the Director of Sponsorship and Marketing for the Harriman Cup Polo Match in Darien, CT. Christy graduated from Deerfield Academy and the University of Virginia.
Scott Kotchko, Co-Chair
Scott Kotchko is a Director at Whitman Insight Strategies, where he serves as a political consultant and brand strategist. Mr. Kotchko is a Co-Chairman of the Change For Kids Junior Council, and has been involved with CFK since 2009. He is also on the board of the Christopher B. Elser Memorial Fund, a charity dedicated to providing opportunities for at-risk youth in Baltimore, MD. Mr. Kotchko holds a Bachelors degree in International Relations and a Masters degree in Political Communication, both from The Johns Hopkins University.
Andrew Maxwell, Co-Chair
Andrew Maxwell is an Assistant Director at Studley, where he advises on real estate transactions and strategy for many of the firm's largest clients. A recent addition to the Junior Council, Mr. Maxwell began his involvement with Change for Kids in 2009. He is also active with the alumni associations of his high school, The Westminster Schools, and Vanderbilt University. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Mr. Maxwell graduated from Vanderbilt with a Bachelors degree in Political Science and Managerial Studies.
Kimberly Weber, Co-Chair
Kimberly Weber works at Citi as a Recruiting Coordinator. Ms. Weber first got involved with Change for Kids in 2008 and recently became a member of the Junior Council. She earned a Bachelor of Science with Distinction in Business Administration from Villanova University where she majored in Finance and minored in Marketing.
Courtney Cervantes
Courtney Cervantes works for Booz Allen Hamilton as a consultant in the fields of privacy and identity theft. She began her involvement with Change for Kids in 2008 attending an ABC's Reading activity at one of the partner schools and quickly realized how much she enjoyed interacting with the kids. Courtney now joins the Change for Kids team as a member of the Junior Council. Courtney earned a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia.
Prather Claghorn
Prather Smith Claghorn works at Glocap Search as an Associate Recruiter. Ms. Claghorn began her involvement with Change for Kids in 2008. Prather has been involved in various education-related organizations both professionally and personally; these include Headstart, the GO Project and a prior career working for a subsidiary company of Kaplan, Inc. Originally from Evergreen, Alabama, Ms. Claghorn graduated from Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia and the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.
Elisabeth Cramer
Elisabeth Cramer works in Documentation at New Visions for Public Schools, a non-profit organization dedicated to systemic reform of the New York City public school system. She became involved with Change for Kids in the fall of 2009 and looks forward to supporting work that broadens the scope of educational opportunity for inner-city students. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 2007 with a double major in English and French language and literature.
Dave Gardner
Dave Gardner is an equity research analyst at BlackRock in Princeton, NJ. Prior to his current role, he worked on the global proprietary sales desk at Merrill Lynch. He has been involved with Change for Kids since 2006. Dave graduated from the University of Virginia, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree from the McIntire School of Commerce, with concentrations in Finance and Marketing as well as a minor in Economics. He hails from Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he attended the McCallie School.
Jamie Hinman
Jamie Hinman is a Recruiting Coordinator for Schulte Roth & Zabel. She joined Change for Kids in 2007 and is an active member of the Junior Council. Jamie graduated from Columbia University with a degree in political science.
Kaylee Hultgren
Kaylee Hultgren is an associate editor for Best Events magazine, which covers meetings and events throughout the New York, Boston, California and Washington D.C. markets. In addition, she translates French and Italian blog posts into English for E-Blogs by Wikio, which launched this year (http://e-blogs.wikio.co.uk/). Kaylee has also written articles for Filmmaker Magazine, ESPN The Magazine and Sheckys.com. She earned a Bachelor's degree in English and American Literature from the University of California at San Diego, followed by a Masters in Translation Theory and Practice from University College London. Ms. Hultgren joined the Junior Council in the Fall of 2009.
Alicia Jayo
Alicia Jayo is the Executive Director of the University of Virginia Club of New York. She also sits on the Board of Directors of the Harriman Cup Polo Match and Benefit. A native of Winston-Salem, NC, she moved to the City after graduating from UVa in 2009 with a degree in both History and Art History. Ms. Jayo is excited to join the Junior Council after attending last spring's event and volunteering at CFK's P.S. 73 school clean-up.
Evan Neuhaus
Evan Neuhaus works at The Buckley School as an assistant teacher in the lower school. She became involved with Change for Kids in January of 2007 after attending several Junior Council meetings and getting involved in the planning of the JC Benefit that Spring. Ms. Neuhaus graduated from the University of Virginia in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History, and is now working towards her Masters in Early Childhood General Education at Bank Street College in New York City.
Jason Novack
Jason Novack works for DRS Technologies as a Systems Engineer, developing avionics in the Aerospace Industry. He is a cofounder of 1308 Productions, a nonprofit company in his hometown of Miami, Florida that supports music education programs in public schools. Looking to get involved with the schools in New York City, he joined the Junior Council upon moving to the area in the Summer of 2009. Jason holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.
Polly Pereos
Polly Pereos is the first grade associate teacher at St. Bernard's School. Previously, she served as the Director of the University of Virginia Club of New York. She volunteers in the Early Morning Reading Program at PS 64M and is one of the event coordinators of the Harriman Cup Polo Match and Benefit. Ms. Pereos is excited to join the Junior Council after attending last spring's event and visiting CFK's Piano Program in Harlem. A native of Norfolk, VA, Ms. Pereos graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Art History.
Scott Schachter
Scott Schachter is Social Media Marketer/ Digital Video Producer based out of New York City. He has worked with such companies as Sony Pictures, IFC, PBS and The Rao Group. Scott joined Change For Kids in 2009 and graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in Film/Video.
Allison Smith
Allison Smith is an associate on the Prime Services Hedge Fund Coverage desk at Credit Suisse Securities. Miss Smith is new to the Change for Kids Junior Council this year having joined after assisting with last Spring's event. She graduated from Middlebury College in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.