Advisory Committee

Dave Bolotsky founded Uncommongoods L.L.C. in 1999 and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Bolotsky spent twelve years as a retail research analyst for Goldman, Sachs & Co. He is a Member of the Board of Advisors of Comprehensive Development, Inc. (CDI), a non-profit organization that works with an innovative NYC public high school to provide tutoring, legal and medical advice, job placement, and homelessness prevention to its student body, which consists of 17-22 year-old students who are either previous drop-outs or recent immigrants to the U.S. Mr. Bolotsky graduated from the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he managed the school’s record store.

Diane Edelson has more than 20 years of experience in recruiting, job placement and personnel services. She is responsible for managing the company’s business relationships and business services in all Grant Associates offices. Ms. Edelson also manages all of the company’s administrative and operational activities. Prior to Grant Associates, Ms. Edelson held leadership positions at America Works, Forum Personnel and the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Queens College and a master’s in education from New York University.

Diane Edelson has more than 20 years of experience in recruiting, job placement and personnel services. She is responsible for managing the company’s business relationships and business services in all Grant Associates offices. Ms. Edelson also manages all of the company’s administrative and operational activities. Prior to Grant Associates, Ms. Edelson held leadership positions at America Works, Forum Personnel and the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Queens College and a master’s in education from New York University.

Suzanne Foran joined Eckerd Youth Alternative as Chief of Program Services, Northern Division in 2016. She was recently appointed as the organization’s Vice President of Operations. She has over 20 years of executive leadership experience in workforce development. Suzanne has extensive knowledge of workforce legislation and was instrumental in the development and administration of the first Youth Opportunity grant administered through the United States Department of Labor.

Most recently, Suzanne served for 11 years as Northeast Regional Manager for Henkels & McCoy Training Services. Prior to this, Suzanne was retained by the U.S. Department of State as an expert service provider to conduct workshops in Vienna, Austria focused on the assimilation of 2nd generation immigrant youth. Suzanne has participated in various workgroups charged with analyzing and deciphering workforce development policy nationally most notably the Workforce Innovations and Opportunities Act (WIOA).

Suzanne currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Workforce Professionals Training Institute (WPTI) in New York City where she is the chairperson of the Organizational Development Committee. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the City University of New York, Queens College.

Since joining Modell’s, Greg has held various positions that have included Store Manager, Regional Training Manager and Field Human Resources Supervisor. In his role as Talent Acquisition Manager/Field Human Resources his responsibilities includes but is not limited to the hiring of store management and corporate positions, overseeing various company sponsored training and development initiatives, as well as supporting retail store locations with entry level and supervisory recruitment initiatives for the entire northern region. In addition he assists with various human resources and training related responsibilities for the company’s Distribution Center. Greg is passionate about community development and is involved with many initiatives aimed at the economic growth of youth in NYC and New Jersey. He has aligned Modell’s with a number of NYC initiatives such as DYCD’s Summer Youth Employment Program and Work Learn and Grow program just to name a few.

Greg Hambric is chair of the citywide Community Action Board (CAB) which is an advisory group to the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) in New York City, a member of the Barack Obama Green Charter High School Board of Trustees in Plainfield, NJ, board member for JobsFirstNYC and the NYC Youth Board/Youth Council. In addition he is a mentor, classroom presenter and judge for the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), an organization that teaches students in inner city neighborhood schools, the concept of owning and running their own business and was appointed to be a member of Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s Jobs for New Yorkers Task Force. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising from Iona College.

Lowell J. Herschberger has 20 years’ experience in youth and workforce development. As the Director of Career and Education Programs at Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, he leads several innovative models to promote economic opportunity in the low/moderate income neighborhood of Cypress Hills / East New York in Brooklyn. He specializes in supporting young adults as they transition into successful careers. The programs include the COACH Young Adult Internship Program, the Youth LEAD program to help young people obtain their High School Equivalency Diploma, Building Works (a partnership with the Carpenter’s Union), Summer Youth Employment Program, Work Learn Grow Youth Employment Program, the CHAMPION Network Sectoral Initiatives in Transportation, Food Service, and Office Services, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and Cypress Hills Business Partners. Cypress Hills is home to over 300 small businesses many of whom are immigrant-owned. He first came to Cypress Hills from Columbus, Ohio, where he designed and implemented Teen Options, a program to prevent teen pregnancy. Prior to that role, he served in vocational rehabilitation at Columbus Area Community Mental Health Center where he first developed the passion for meaningful workforce development. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Social Work from Ohio State University and Cedarville University.

Pam Hoberman became the NYCLMIS Director in the summer of 2018, bringing with her nearly five years of experience running much of the organization’s daily operations. In her time at NYCLMIS, Pam has watched it become a thriving thought and business partner to stakeholders in workforce, education, and economic development in NYC and abroad. Demand for action-oriented research in these fields grows unabated, and Pam and her team of skilled researchers and subject matter experts continue to explore new ways to expand NYCLMIS’s reach where it is needed the most. Before she became director, Pam helped to manage the organization and lead research projects. In this time, NYCLMIS emerged from a startup to an established think tank, doubled in size, and diversified its project portfolio beyond government to include regular clients in philanthropy, education, consulting, and direct service. As a project lead, Pam regularly contributed to research materials and publications, facilitated trainings and TA on LMI literacy, and specialized in developing sophisticated, user-friendly analytical tools customized to end-users. Through these and other activities, Pam has developed subject matter expertise in several career areas and broader fields of work, including health information, hospitality, technology, engineering, and more. Pam holds a Master of Public Administration from NYU Wagner, as well as an undergraduate degree in government and politics from the University of Maryland, College Park. Outside of NYCLMIS, Pam is known to many as an avid runner, dog enthusiast, and MS Excel fanatic (just ask her!).

Faiza S. Issa is Director at the Markle Foundation where she oversees strategy and operations for Skillful, the Foundation’s leading programmatic initiative. Previously, she worked for NYC government as Assistant Commissioner at the Department of Small Business Services where she led the agency’s Innovation & Strategy team. She also served as Director of Entrepreneurship Initiatives at the New York City Economic Development Corporation; in this role, she oversaw the expansion of the city’s incubator initiative and spearheaded other real estate and talent programs to support NYC’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. Prior to joining NYCEDC, Faiza worked at the Council on Foreign Relations and Goldman Sachs. She holds a BA from Yale University, a JD from NYU Law, and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Melinda Mack is the Executive Director of the New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals (NYATEP), a nationally recognized, leading non-profit membership association in the field of workforce development. NYATEP convenes, educates, and develops workforce boards, business organizations, education and training providers, economic development entities, organized labor, elected officials, and government agencies to sustain and enhance education, training, and employment for all New Yorkers.

In her previous role, Ms. Mack was selected to serve as the founding Director of Graduate NYC!, an ambitious initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to bring together the largest systems in the country; the City University of New York (CUNY), New York City public schools, New York City Mayor’s Office, and a range of external partners to dramatically improve education outcomes across K-12 and higher education. Ms. Mack has also served as the Senior Vice President for the New York City Workforce Investment Board (WIB), which oversees federally funded workforce development programing in the largest workforce area in the country. Previous to working in New York City, Ms. Mack worked in Upstate New York at the local government level working in both municipal finance and economic development in Buffalo and Albany.

Ms. Mack earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from SUNY Buffalo, a Master of Regional Planning degree and a Master of Public Administration degree from SUNY Albany. She is a graduate of the NYC Workforce Leaders Academy, Leadership Buffalo and the 2015 Senior Non-Profit Leadership Program at Columbia University.

Paul Ortega has more than 20 years of consulting, training and organizational development experience and has worked with Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries. Paul’s professional expertise includes talent strategy and development, performance management, competencies, selection systems, learning and development, coaching, and leadership and management consulting. He partners with clients to create organization change strategies to achieve sustainable solutions for critical business challenges.

As the National Director of Training and Organizational Development, Paul created and developed a training program that reaches 1600 employees throughout North America. Paul created training and development courses based off of a needs assessment process that helps determine the priority of changes in knowledge, skill, attitude and behavior that will provide the greatest impact on achieving our goals. The goal of the Swiss Post Training program is to develop Leaders and Build Teams in order to provide optimal support to our clients. His approach is to teach our employees how our core value can be applied to both their personal and professional lives.

Paul holds a degree in education from the University of California Los Angles, an MBA from the Anderson School of Management (Organizational Behavior and Leadership).

Jose (“Joey”) Ortiz, Jr. is the Executive Director of the New York City Employment & Training Coalition (NYCETC). Joey has spent his career developing and overseeing programs and initiatives across education, leadership, innovation and workforce development. NYCETC supports the workforce development community to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to the skills, training and education to thrive in the local economy, and every business is able to maintain a highly skilled workforce. A member organization, NYCETC currently represents over 180 community-based organizations and workforce training providers, that collectively serve over 800,000 New Yorkers.

Immediately prior to joining NYCETC, Joey served as the Managing Director of External Affairs at Coalition for Queens (C4Q), a Long Island City based workforce nonprofit that prepares underserved and underprivileged individuals without college degrees for software development jobs at some of the world’s most innovative companies. In this capacity, Joey led the development of partnerships with government, nonprofit and employer partners, along with fundraising and resource development. Prior to C4Q, Joey spent more than a decade leading Youth & Family programs, leadership initiatives, and conferences at the 92nd Street Y (92Y), a world-class cultural and community center. While at 92Y, Joey was a founding member of the Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact which co-produced the annual Social Good Summit and 7 Days of Genius, and created the global day of philanthropy called Giving Tuesday.

Marjorie Parker joined JobsFirstNYC as deputy executive director in May 2014. She was appointed as the organization’s President and CEO in 2017. She has over 20 years professional experience providing oversight of adult and youth services initiatives, and as an organizational consultant. She most recently served as the deputy executive director of programs at Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT) in Brooklyn with broad responsibilities for program operations, organization infrastructure management, and strategic planning. Marjorie also held positions at the Research Foundation CUNY, New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), and The Valley, Inc. She serves on the boards of Unique People Services, Inc. and Reconnect Brooklyn​.

Valerie Payne is the University Director of the Continuing Education and Workforce Programs (CEWP) unit at the City University of New York (CUNY). CEWP plans, supports, and helps implement policy and programs focused on improving students’ knowledge, sector-specific skills, and workplace readiness. The CEWP unit manages over $18 million in grants and contracts and includes the Office of Workforce Partnerships with several tech initiatives including the recently launched CUNY TechWorks – a collaboration of three community and the CUNY Tech Consortium with 15 colleges. CEWP also manages a large tech internship program for 500 students annually and provides technical assistance and support to Continuing Education programs at the 24 CUNY campuses. Valerie also has extensive experience developing and managing workforce development programs serving low-income and unemployed adults in the non-profit sector. Prior to joining CUNY she worked with The Doe Fund, a transitional employment and housing program for the homeless and formerly-incarcerated, where she oversaw the establishment of educational services and occupational training in variety of sectors, as well as increased the involvement of employer partners. She is a member of the Executive Committees of the Board of Directors of the New York City Employment and Training Coalition and the Career and Technical Education High School Advisory Council. Valerie has a MS in Urban Planning and Management from The New School and a BA in Government from Skidmore College.

Kelly Richardson is the Managing Director, NY of Per Scholas. In this role she sets the vision and strategy for Per Scholas NY, represents the organization externally, and leads the NY team to meet ambitious programmatic and fundraising goals. She also ensures Per Scholas NY is an engaging and rewarding place to be for both students and staff.

Kelly previously held a program management role at Per Scholas, and several roles in workforce development policy and planning at NYC Department of Small Business Services. Prior to starting her career in workforce development, Kelly worked as a credit trader for Deutsche Bank. She holds a B.S. in Physics and Economics from the University of Michigan and a Master’s in Public Administration from New York University.

Linda Rodriguez heads The Fellowship Initiative (TFI) and works on youth employment strategy for global philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Prior to joining the firm, Linda served as an assistant commissioner for Capacity Building at the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), New York City’s youth development funding agency. For close to twenty years, Linda has worked in nationally recognized youth and workforce development organizations where she has designed and led programs, created resources, and produced papers, including an article in the Afterschool Matters journal.

As a Vice President of Global Philanthropy, Jennie works to implement the firm’s commitment to expanding economic inclusion in the Northeast US through innovative programs, research and by leveraging the firm’s vast resources and talented employees. Jennie’s investment portfolio focuses on workforce development, career connected education and career pathways. Jennie joined the firm in 2016; she was most recently the Director of the Job Opportunity Investment Network (JOIN), a partnership between philanthropy, government, community organizations and employers in Greater Philadelphia that creates a collaborative space for developing and testing industry-led job training models. Prior to leading JOIN, Jennie served as the first Director of Human Capital Investments in the City of Philadelphia where she was responsible for the coordination of Philadelphia’s anti-poverty programs and workforce development initiatives, including the strategic realignment of the city’s workforce agencies. Previously, Jennie worked in the federal government and local and national policy organizations.

Jennie holds a Bachelors degree from Barnard College, Columbia University and a Masters degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University. She has served on numerous local and national boards including as a trustee of Community College of Philadelphia, and on the partner’s council of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions.

Faith Wiggins oversees the Homecare Education Fund’s grant and collective bargaining training programs, the Basil Paterson Scholarship Program, the Citizenship Program and the English as a Second Language Program. Faith has over 25 years of leadership experience in community development, finance, healthcare, and workforce development. Prior to joining TEF, she served as Director of Workforce Development at Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA), a worker-owned home care agency, and was a founding board member and staff member of the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI). She is devoted to serving the home care sector, and to issues of social and economic justice.

Faith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Affairs with a concentration in Psychology from Barnard College, Columbia University, and received a HUD Fellowship to complete a Master of Science in City and Regional Planning with a concentration in Community Economic Development from Pratt Institute. Faith is on the Board of Directors of the New York City Employment and Training Coalition and serves as an advisor to the National Skills Coalition’s Skills Equity Committee. Faith has been honored to serve as a presenter in many venues for a number of distinguished organizations, including the American Society on Aging; the Aspen Institute Domestic Strategy Group; the Center for Cooperatives at the University of California – Davis; and the Center for Aging and Translational Research at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.

Ira Yankwitt is the Executive Director of the Literacy Assistance Center (LAC), a non-profit professional development and technical assistance organization dedicated to building the capacity and improving the quality of adult literacy and out-of-school youth education programs. Ira has worked in the field of adult literacy education since 1993. Prior to becoming the ED of the LAC in December 2012, Ira was the Executive Director of Program Initiatives for the New York City Department of Education’s Office of Adult and Continuing Education, where he oversaw curriculum, instruction, and professional development for a program that served over 30,000 adult students annually. Ira is a longtime adult literacy advocate. He plays a lead role within the New York City Coalition for Adult Literacy (NYCCAL), and was the chair of NYCCAL’s predecessor, the NYC Grassroots Literacy Coalition. Ira has taught high school equivalency, managed a community-based adult literacy program, and trained teachers and administrators. He served as the Director of the NYC Regional Adult Education Network from 2004 through 2007. Ira holds a Masters in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a BA from Oberlin College.