Board of Directors

David C. Hodgson (Chairman), General Atlantic, LLC
Maya Ajmera, The Global Fund for Children
Esther Benjamin, United States Peace Corps
Steven P. Buffone, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Peter J. Campbell, Educational Capital Partners
Guy de Chazal
Cheryl L. Dorsey (ex-officio), Echoing Green
Betsy Fader, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Marianne Gimon, Consultant
David Issroff
Andrew R. Kassoy, B Lab
Dr. Marie Kelly, CTPartners Board Consultants
Ajay Nagpal, Barclays Capital
Diana Propper de Callejon, Expansion Capital Partners, LLC
Marc Saiontz, American Securities
Jerome C. Vascellaro, TPG Capital LP
Dan Weiss, St. Martin's Press

David Hodgson, Chair

David Hodgson is a Managing Director of General Atlantic, a global private equity firm. In addition to serving as a director for a number of public and private companies, David is a member of the board of directors of the Manhattan Theater Club, a member of Dartmouth College's President's Leadership Council, serves on the Stanford Business School Advisory Council, and is a trustee of Johns Hopkins University. David graduated from Dartmouth College and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. 

Maya Ajmera

As a 1994 Echoing Green Fellow, Maya Ajmera founded the Global Fund for Children, where she continues to serve as the President. She currently serves on the National Executive Board of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and the Washington Area Women's Foundation. She is on the advisory boards of Youth Philanthropy Worldwide, Whole Child Initiative, Room to Read, and the Emerging Markets Foundation. Maya earned her BA from Bryn Mawr College and her MPP from the Sanford Institute for Public Policy at Duke University.

Esther T. Benjamin

Esther Benjamin is the Director of Global Operations for the United States Peace Corps. Prior to joining the Peace Corps, Esther was the Executive Director for Resource Development at International Partnership for Microbicides. Previously, she served as Vice President for Business Development at the International Youth Foundation, where she focused on developing strategic partnerships and programs to support children and youth initiatives around the world. During the 1993 to 1994 humanitarian crisis in Somalia, Esther was appointed United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Officer, the youngest person appointed in this position, and in 1999 President Clinton appointed her a White House Fellow. Esther's private sector experience includes management consulting with Andersen, with Grant Thornton LLP, and with Richard S. Carson & Associates. Esther is Co-Founder of the Good Samaritan Fund and currently serves on the board of directors of Women in Community Service. As a College Scholar, Esther earned her undergraduate degree in political science and English from North Central College, and she earned graduate degrees in applied economics and international affairs from American University, where she was a Graduate Fellow.

Steven P. Buffone

Steven P. Buffone is a Partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He serves as Co-Chair of the Firm's Corporate Transactions Practice Group, as well as Co-Chair of the Firm's Energy and Infrastructure Practice Group. He is a corporate transactional lawyer who has represented clients in mergers and acquisitions, public and private issuances of debt and equity securities, venture capital financings, corporate restructurings and bankruptcies and general corporate counseling.

Steve is a cum laude graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and Cornell and Stanford Law Schools. He began his career at Gibson Dunn in 1984 and practiced in the Los Angeles and London offices before relocating to the New York office in 1990. He is a member of the New York and California bars and is active in firm management, having served for many years as Co-Partner In Charge of the New York office. Steve is also a former member of the firm's Executive Committee.

Steve has spoken at a number of national seminars involving mergers and acquisitions, securities and other corporate and transactional matters. Most recently, he spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations on "Energy Policy in the Obama Administration," to the Houston Bar Association on "The Convergence of Private Equity Firms and Hedge Funds," at the American Conference Institute's program on "M&A: Trends and Developments in the Law" and at the New York City Bar Association's program on "Beyond M&A, Structuring Deals in a Difficult Economy." He has authored articles on various M&A and joint venture topics for a variety of publications, has been quoted for his M&A knowledge in The Wall Street Journal, Inc., Forbes, The New York Times, The Daily Deal and other publications and has appeared numerous times on CNN, CNBC, Lou Dobbs Moneyline and CNNfn to discuss various corporate law issues. In 2009 and 2010, he fulfilled a lifetime dream by twice performing (to the extent speaking is a performance) at the world famous Apollo Theater in Harlem.

In 2007, Steve was recognized by Euromoney for his involvement in one of its Project Finance Deals of the Year (North American Merchant: NE Energy). In 2008, he was recognized by Project Finance magazine for his involvement in its "North American Single Asset Deal of the Year." Most recently, he was named a leading M&A attorney in the 2008 through 2010 editions of the IFLR1000, a guide to the world's leading financial law firms and lawyers.

Steve serves on the Board of Governors of Georgetown University, the Board of Visitors of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Do Something.Org, a national charity that inspires and trains teenagers to be leaders in community service. In 2010 over 1 million teenagers will take action in their communities using the resources of Do Something. Steve was recently honored for his pro bono and community service activities by receiving the Cornerstone Award from the Lawyers Alliance of New York and the Outstanding Citizen Award from Do Something.

Peter Campbell

Peter Campbell is a Managing Partner at Educational Capital Partners. He previously served as a Partner at Generation Partners, a private investment firm. Peter joined Generation Partners in 2000 as entrepreneur-in-residence; he was named a partner in 2001. Prior to joining Generation Partners, Peter worked in global marketing at Colgate Palmolive. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Quality Committee of Norwalk Hospital. Peter earned his BA from Middlebury College and his MBA from Harvard Business School.

Guy de Chazal

Until recently, Guy was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and President of Morgan Stanley Venture Partners (MSVP). He remains on the board of one of MSVP's portfolio companies, Thrupoint Technologies and a previous portfolio company, Lionbridge Technologies (LIOX). He also serves on the board of Uhlig in Kansas and AMC, the Asset Management subsidiary of International Finance Corporation. He served on the board of the National Venture Capital Association, co-chairing the Education Committee and chairing the Annual Convention in 2005. In 2004 and 2005, he was an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, teaching Venture Capital to second year MBA students. Prior to his twenty-two years at Morgan Stanley, he worked at Citicorp Venture Capital and, before that, McKinsey and Co. In the nonprofit sector, Guy serves on two boards in addition to Echoing Green; Fountain House, a residential, service and advocacy program for people living with mental illness and three Connecticut schools, Eagle Hill, The Forman School, and Suffield Academy. Guy has a BS in Engineering from Manchester University in the UK and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is married to Kitty Choate and has two teenage children, Justine and David.

Cheryl Dorsey

An accomplished social entrepreneur with expertise in health care, labor issues and public policy, Cheryl Dorsey was named President of Echoing Green in May 2002. She is the first Echoing Green Fellow to lead the social venture fund, which has awarded over $28 million in start-up capital to over 450 social entrepreneurs worldwide since 1987. Read more.

Betsy Fader

Betsy Fader is the Chief Program Officer at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Ms. Fader assists with strategic planning for the Foundation's program areas and properties, and oversees the Foundation's grants program on Child Abuse Prevention, as well as the grants program of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. Prior to her arrival to DDCF, Betsy was the Executive Director of Student Pugwash USA -- the "junior" arm of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (which in 1995 won the Nobel Prize for Peace). Betsy also worked as a legislative assistant in Washington, DC and as a Parliamentary Assistant in the House of Commons in London, where her work focused on alternative energy technology, biomedical research policy, higher education policy and ethics in research. Betsy holds a Master's degree in Education and Social Policy from Harvard University and a BA in Political Science from Vanderbilt University. She also serves on the boards of Computers for Youth and the Women's Law Initiative.

Marianne Gimon

Marianne Gimon works as an independent consultant specialized in gender and international development. She worked with the UNICEF Syria Country Office on developing protection interventions for vulnerable adolescent Iraqis living in Syria. She previously worked for the Population Council, the Social Science Research Council, the United Nations Development Program and Equilibres et Populations. She taught English in Yantai, China as a Worldteach volunteer. Marianne is a family council member of the Flora Family Foundation, a board member of the Hewlett Foundation, and a board member of Echoing Green. She earned her Bachelor of Arts at Brown University and her Master's Degree from the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University.

David Issroff

David Issroff is a private investor residing in New York with his wife, Lisa, and three children. Born in South Africa, David was educated in the United Kingdom and the United States, where he graduated from Wesleyan University in 1988 with a BA (High Honors) in Government and in Russian and Soviet Studies. Prior to moving to NYC in 2006, David was a Senior Partner with privately held Glencore International AG of Switzerland, where he was responsible for the global Ferro Alloys and Nickel Division of one of the world’s largest suppliers of a wide range of commodities to industrial consumers. In this capacity, David served as a non-executive Director of various public corporations, including Xstrata pic from 2002-2006. Together with his wife Lisa, David founded the Issroff Family Foundation, whose mission is to provide support for youth in Southern Africa, Israel and NYC in a tangible and sustainable way that will give them a basis for uplifting their lives and realizing their potential. David currently serves on the board of Town and Village Synagogue.

David has read applications and served as a judge two years in a row, while Lisa and David served on the Meet the Finalists 2010 host committee and hosted a group of friends at the Big Bold Benefit. Additionally, they both have attended numerous EG events including Brain Trusts, the Women’s Lunch, Work on Purpose launch, etc. David is also a supporter of several EG Fellows’ organizations, including the African Leadership Academy.

Andrew Kassoy

B Lab is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create a new sector of the economy that harnesses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Lab certifies B Corporations, creates standards to measure the social and environmental impact of business and to transform corporate accountability, and promotes public policy and capital markets innovations that will accelerate the growth of beneficial business. B Corporations are a new kind of company for this new economy. B Corporations meet higher standards of accountability, transparency, and social and environmental performance. There are over 210 Certified B Corporations in 31 industries and 25 states, alleviating poverty, improving the environment, creating great places to work, and building local living economies.

Prior to co-founding B Lab, Andrew spent 16 years in the private equity business; as a Partner at MSD Real Estate Capital, an affiliate of MSD Capital, the $12 billion investment vehicle for Michael Dell, and as Managing Director in Credit Suisse First Boston's Private Equity Department, a founding partner of DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners, and President of its international business.

He is a Board Member of the Freelancers Union and the Freelancers Insurance Company, a Board Member of Echoing Green, a member of the investment committee of the Patient Capital Collaborative, and an Advisor to the NYU Reynolds Fellows Program. He was raised in Boulder, Colorado and graduated with Distinction from Stanford University where he was a Truman Scholar and President's Award winner. He is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. Andrew lives in New York City with his two sons, the Emperor Maximilian (five years) and the Boy King Jedidiah (three years).

Dr. Marie Kelly

Dr. Marie Kelly is a Partner with CTPartners Board Consultants, a premier practice committed to performance, quality and results. Marie collaborates closely with clients to build effective boards, recruiting leadership talent dedicated to outstanding governance.

As a member of CTPartners Board Consultants, Marie serves clients ranging from global corporations to non-profits. She identifies outstanding contributors to fill specific talent needs, many requiring unusual skill sets. Marie undertakes assignments to fill individual or multiple director positions as well as structuring entire boards. Through board assessment, she assists clients in evaluating current board composition and functioning in order to enhance board performance. Marie works across industry sectors including financial services, industrial, life science, and professional services.

Marie’s career includes thirteen years with Merrill Lynch and Company as Managing Director of Global Institutional Marketing for Fixed Income Products. She also led the Firm’s Diversity Initiative. Previously, she was with McKinsey and Company for seven years as senior engagement manager where she served U.S. and overseas multinational clients with an emphasis on global strategy development, organization design, and financial management. Her clients included industry leaders in financial services, healthcare, technology, transportation, consumer products, and manufacturing.

After graduating from The University of Kansas with a Bachelors degree in Mathematics, Marie earned a Master’s degree in Finance and a Doctorate in International Business from The Pennsylvania State University. At Penn State she taught International Business and conducted original research on the U.S. banking system and on global investment decision making. Her book “Foreign Investment Evaluation Practices of U.S. Multinational Corporations” and subsequent articles on global decision making have become source references for international business curriculums in colleges and universities around the world. She is based in the firm’s New York headquarter.

Marie is also a member of Echoing Green Development Committee. Believing deeply in the power of education to transform lives, Marie has devoted herself to Boards in this arena including: Prep for Prep, The Collegiate School, The Spence School, Trinity College Board of Visitors at Duke University, and the Dean's Council at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Ajay Nagpal

Ajay is head of Prime Services at Barclays Capital. He joined Lehman Brothers in 2001 and has held leadership roles within Capital Markets including head of Equity Sales from 2005 to 2008 and head of Liquid Market Sales within the Fixed Income Division from 2001 to 2004. Ajay was previously with J.P. Morgan where he ran the Municipal Derivative effort as well as the firm’s Financial Institutions Derivatives Sales Group. He holds a B.A. from Brown University and a Masters of Public Policy from The Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Diana Propper de Callejon

Diana has more than fifteen years of work experience in Clean Technology, in the areas of energy, water, advanced materials and transportation, combined with recognized domain expertise and a global network of entrepreneurs, venture capital investors and large corporations active in Clean Technology. Her background encompasses work with Fortune 500 companies, venture-backed technology companies, financial institutions and private investors in Clean Technology. Prior to Expansion Capital, Diana was the co-founder and Managing Director of EA Capital, a financial services firm that advised clients on new business and investment opportunities in resource efficiency and productivity. One of the first firms specialized in this area, EA Capital established itself as a leading investment advisory firm focused on Clean Technology.

Diana is a frequent speaker at Clean Technology related conferences and investment forums (e.g. Cleantech Venture Network, Triple Bottom Line, NREL Growth Forum, and the Hewlett and Rockefeller Foundations) and has written on venture capital investing in Clean Technology, for such publications as Morgan Stanley's Investor Outlook and Sustainable Business Investor. Diana is Co-Editor of the ground breaking report, Cleantech Venture Investing: Patterns & Performance, which was published in March of 2005. Diana holds a BA, summa cum laude, from Duke University, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Jerome Vascellaro

Jerome Vascellaro is a partner of TPG, the firm’s Chief Administrative Officer and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Prior to joining TPG in 2006, Mr. Vascellaro was a senior Director at McKinsey & Company. During his 28 years at McKinsey & Company, he served clients in a range of industries in the United States and Europe to improve the effectiveness of their organizations, develop strategies for entering new businesses and markets, and turn around troubled businesses. In addition, Mr. Vascellaro held several leadership and management positions at McKinsey & Company where he was responsible for worldwide activities, including oversight of critical personnel activities and the partner personnel processes. He has a B.S. in Engineering from Brown University, where he graduated with highest honors, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar. Mr. Vascellaro is Vice Chancellor of the Board of Trustees and Fellows of Brown University and co-chairs Brown’s Comprehensive Campaign. He is also on the board of Echoing Green Foundation for social entrepreneurship and is a board member of the California Academy of Sciences. 

Marc Saiontz

Marc Saiontz, Managing Director, has been with American Securities for more than a dozen years. Marc concentrates his investment efforts on the industrial and service sectors. He is currently a director of Weasler Engineering, PDM Bridge, NEP Broadcasting, Unison Holdings and Xerium Technologies. He was previously a director of Unifrax Corporation and worked extensively on the firm's investments in CTB International and Anthony International.

Marc temporarily left American Securities to attend Stanford Graduate School of Business and during this time he worked overseas with a European-based telecommunications and infrastructure investment firm. He rejoined American Securities upon receiving his MBA. Earlier in his career, Marc was with Morgan Stanley Capital Partners where he focused on private equity investments. He is a member of Echoing Green’s Social Investment Council and previously served as the council’s Co-Chair.

Daniel Weiss

Daniel (Dan) Weiss is the Publisher at Large at St. Martin's Press. Prior to joining St. Martin's Press, Dan was a Publisher of Quamut.com and Sparknotes.com units of Barnes & Noble. He has worked for over thirty years in the fields of communications and publishing, producing books, magazines, and multi-media for children and adults, with a focus on education. A graduate of NYU's School of the Arts in Film and Television, Dan began his career in educational television, making short animated films for Sesame Street, documentaries for the government and public service organizations, and political commercials. In the early seventies, he transitioned into book publishing, working at Golden Press, Scholastic, and Simon and Schuster, prior to forming his own company, Dan Associates, Inc. (DWAI), in 1980. DWAI was the producer of numerous bestsellers, including the SWEET VALLEY HIGH series of books, merchandise and television entertainment; adult how-to books, fiction and magazines. Dan sold DWAI in 2000 to AlloyOnline, a teen marketing company. In 2001, Dan initiated and closed the transaction wherein SparkNotes.com, a start-up online publisher, was acquired by Barnes & Noble, Inc. The company, presently known as Spark Publishing, LLC, is a wholly owned subsidiary with over 550 titles in print after 4 years, and a website that has grown to become the largest educational site on the Internet.