Our Leadership

Jennifer Ashley, Ph.D., is a Managing Director and the Chief People Officer at iCapital Network. Prior to joining the firm, Jennifer was the Global Human Resources Leader for CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm. In her almost 15-year career there, Jennifer held various leadership positions in Human Resources, Marketing, and Sales & Strategy. Before joining CBRE, she spent four years in the aviation industry and was instrumental in Boeing’s acquisition of a mission-critical software development firm, which she then helped manage and grow. Jennifer started her career as a change management consultant at Anderson Consulting, and went on to help found the Chief Executive Leadership Institute (now affiliated with Yale University). She holds a BS from the University of Michigan, an MA in Psychology from Hunter College, and a PhD in Psychology from Emory University.

Florida E. Starks, Ed.M., Ph.D. is a human resources leader with more than 20 years of combined experience in leadership, team development, and diversity and inclusion. She is currently the SVP and Chief Diversity Officer at Pearson. Florida is responsible for developing and integrating Pearson’s strategy for increasing diverse representation and building an inclusive culture. She is also responsible for ensuring processes, products, and supply chain reflect DE&I ambitions. Before joining Pearson, Florida was a human resources leader at highly recognized companies, including Conagra Brands, Verizon Communications, and Best Buy.

Florida is currently a member of the Arizona State University Difference Engine Board of Advisors. She holds a degree in Human Resources Management from Lindenwood University, a master’s degree in Adult Education Management from Strayer University, a PhD in Higher Education Leadership from Capella University, and is a certified diversity and inclusion professional (CDP).

Florida is a proud mom of two adult sons and resides in New Jersey.

Michael Nissan, Esq., is a senior partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, one of the world’s leading law firms. He has a wide-ranging practice in private equity focusing primarily on executive compensation and related matters, including representation of private equity firms and their portfolio companies. He also represents investment professionals in connection with their joining or separating from private investment firms. Mr. Nissan is also a Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School where he has taught Private Investment Funds for over 15 years. He also serves as pro bono counsel to Baby Buggy Inc. and as a member of its Board of Directors. Mr. Nissan is a graduate of Syracuse University and the New York University School of Law. He joined the MHA-NYC board in 2007.

Seth is an entrepreneur and executive who is primarily focused on the use of technology to reshape healthcare.   Most recently he founded and served as CEO of a health software firm in the “digital therapeutics” field that was successfully acquired by a national health insurer [Magellan Health] where he serves as the Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Medical Officer of Medical and Digital Innovation.  This software is used on more than 20 million benefit lives in the US as well as in the UK National Health Service.  He is active in improving healthcare quality, patient experience and outcome measurement and in the digital health field broadly [as well as outside of health] and focused on a variety of projects including “software as prescription therapy”, re-thinking the healthcare ecosystem to improve care and efficiency, and leveraging technology for better integration of care.  He serves on the boards of several corporations [for-profit and non-profit] and he continues to work clinically as a criminal forensic psychiatrist and supervise trainees on the faculty of the Yale University School of Medicine.

Scott Cutler is a seasoned executive with extensive global business experience and a belief in the transforming power of technology. He oversees eBay’s Americas business unit, which includes Canada, United States, and Latin America. His responsibilities include marketing, merchandising, operations, business selling, consumer selling, shipping, payments and risk, and trust.

Scott has a B.S. degree in Economics from Brigham Young University and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law.

Robert Chang is a seasoned executive focused on individuals and communities within a rapidly advancing technological landscape. He is the CEO and Founder of Sidetime, a SaaS platform enabling access to mentorship and expertise for all, the Head of Growth and Innovation at Inverted AI, and a co-founder of HepBNow. He has previously held leadership roles at the intersection of innovation, access, and social impact at venture-backed firms, Fortune 50 companies, and leading nonprofit institutions. He is currently also a board director at the Chinatown Health Clinic Foundation, a partner at Bitspiration (a CEE deeptech VC fund), and leads Blue Titan Ventures (an early-stage VC investor benefiting public education). He also is an award-winning independent producer of narrative and documentary feature films that have premiered at Sundance and SXSW. Robert is a graduate of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), and has a B.A. from the University of Chicago, and an M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management.

Robert S. Nash, Esq., is a partner at the New York law firm Schulte Roth & Zabel where he focuses his practice on commercial leasing (on behalf of both landlords and tenants); real estate development, sales and acquisitions; real estate brokerage; and property management. Mr. Nash has extensive experience negotiating commercial leases on behalf of private investment funds and other companies. A member of the New York State Bar Association, he is a graduate of Bucknell University and St. John’s University School of Law. Mr. Nash joined the MHA-NYC board in 2007.

Grant Hilary Brenner, MD, DFAPA is a board-certified Psychiatrist, Psychoanalyst and Consultant, a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine. He is on faculty at the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital, former Director of the Trauma Service at the William Alanson White Institute and Co-Chair of Vibrant’s Crisis and Emotional Care Team Advisory Board, Co-Chair of the Disasters, Trauma and Global Health Committee of the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry, past CEO and Co-Founder of Neighborhood Psychiatry & Wellness, and current Chief Medical Officer of The Collective – Integrated Behavioral Health. He completed 2 years of General Surgery training at Northshore-LIJ, general adult Psychiatry residency at Mount Sinai in New York City, and Psychoanalytic and Organizational Psychodynamic training at the William Alanson White Institute. In his private practice, Dr. Brenner is known for enabling his clients to overcome stubborn obstacles, unleashing the entrepreneurial spirit, and maintaining resilience. Dr. Brenner brings nearly two decades of consultation, workshops, speaking engagements, therapy, and coaching to his clients, who range from individuals seeking to overcome emotional obstacles to executives seeking to function better in the workplace. He emphasizes a humanistic and integrative perspective, incorporating evidence-based approaches as well as innovative techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and neurofeedback.

Dr. Brenner is co-author of Making Your Crazy Work for You: From Trauma and Isolation to Self-Acceptance and Love, Irrelationship: How We Use Dysfunctional Relationships to Hide from Intimacy and Relationship Sanity: The Art of Creating Healthy Relationships. He is an author in and Chief Editor of the book Creating Spiritual and Psychological Resilience: Integrating Care in Disaster Relief Work, and has published a number of book chapters and papers. He is an experienced consultant, lecturer and teacher on subjects including resilience and self-care, psychiatry and psychopharmacology, psychotherapy theory and practice, trauma and neurobiology, organizational dynamics and disaster mental health. Dr. Brenner has appeared regularly in national media spots addressing a variety of subjects. He is sole author of the popular Psychology Today blog entitled ExperiMentations.

Lawrence Calcano is Chief Executive Officer of iCapital Network. He began advising and working with iCapital shortly after its 2013 founding to lead key strategic and business development initiatives. Lawrence was a partner at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he spent 17 years, most recently serving as the co-head of the Global Technology Banking Group of the Investment Banking Division. He serves on the Boards of the Mental Health Association of New York City and Capitol Acquisition V, a Special Purpose Acquisition Company. Lawrence was named to the Forbes Midas List of the most influential people in venture capital in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Lawrence received a BA from the College of the Holy Cross and graduated from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College as a Tuck Scholar.

Dr. Noradeen Farlekas, CFA is an Assistant Professor of the Practice at Fairfield University’s Dolan School of Business. Her teaching portfolio includes Intro to Finance, ESG Investing, Stakeholder Value, and Global Capital Markets. As a Lecturer at Northeastern University, she taught Impact Investing, Environmental Economics, Sustainable Economic Development, and Law and Economics.

Prior to joining Fairfield University in 2022, Noradeen was Chief Investment Officer (CIO), for a nonprofit organization with $3 billion in AUM. Prior to this role, she was Head of Global Equity for the IBM Retirement Fund. During Noradeen’s twenty-year tenure at IBM, she built, established, and maintained strong and collaborative relationships with external investment managers at over 20 world-class investment management firms. Noradeen was also responsible for in-house investment management ($21 billion at peak) including operations, trading, back office, and custodian relationships.

Noradeen holds a doctorate in law and policy and an MBA from Northeastern University and undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Econ/Finance. She is also a CFA charterholder. Noradeen’s doctoral research investigated combining impact investing and philanthropy to increase educational outcomes. Her research included the qualitative study of eight educational programs, including both pre-k through 12 models and Promise programs.

Noradeen is presently an Advisor to JUST Capital and serves as a Board Member and Co-Chair of the Finance Committee for the Norwalk Community College Foundation.

Noradeen and her husband, Don, have two young adult daughters, Olivia and Alexandra. Noradeen and Don live in Madison, CT with their very large (and slow moving) chocolate Labrador Retriever, Bruce.

Charles P. Fitzgerald is the Founder and Senior Managing Partner of V3 Capital Management, L.P., a New York City-based asset management firm investing in publicly-traded real estate and real estate related securities. Before founding V3 in 2011, Mr. Fitzgerald was Managing Partner, Co-Portfolio Manager, and Director of Research for High Rise Capital Management, L.P. Before High Rise, he served in various roles at JP Morgan Fleming Asset Management, Prudential Real Estate Securities Investors, Prudential Real Estate Investors and Gabelli Asset Management. Mr. Fitzgerald holds a BA in Economics and Finance from Northern State University and is a CFA charterholder.

Dr. Sander Koyfman is a board certified psychiatrist and a Medical Director for Behavioral Health at WellCare of New York. Prior to this, he has served as the Medical Director of Behavioral Health at Emblem Health; Medical Director of Adult Inpatient Psychiatry at Kings County Hospital and Director of Consultation and Liaison Service and Treatment Resistant Depression Program at New York Methodist Hospital. He graduated from New York University and SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn and completed his psychiatric training at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He has served on the Board of Disaster Psychiatry Outreach, a New York based non-profit, since 2001 and as the Board President for the past five years. He lives in Brooklyn with his family and has been a proud New Yorker since 1991.

Meyer Mintz, CPA, JD, LL.M., is a tax partner at Berdon LLP, and has been with the firm for more than 15 years. He has particular expertise in the tax aspects of partnership agreements, limited liability companies, and other business organizations and has also worked with attorneys in litigation matters. Mr. Mintz is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Bar Association. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Touro College, a Juris Doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School, and a Master of Laws in taxation at New York University School of Law. Mr. Mintz joined the MHA-NYC board in 2011.

Tuhina De O’Connor is the Director of Donor Services at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. A 16-year veteran in the non-profit sector, she most recently worked at the Robin Hood Foundation, a large public charity in New York City whose mission is to fight poverty in the five boroughs. Prior to that, Ms. O’Connor was the CEO of a non-profit organization, the New York Asian Women’s Center, a direct service provider of domestic violence services and shelter for Asian women and children. She has been a member of the MHA-NYC board since 2012.

Joseph F. Peyronnin, III, is a veteran broadcast news executive and Emmy Award-winning journalist and has held leadership positions at several prominent news organizations. He was the President of Fox News, Vice President and Assistant to the President at CBS News and founded Telemundo Network News in 1999. Mr. Peyronnin is an associate journalism professor at Hofstra University as well as an adjunct professor at New York University. He has an MBA from the Walter Heller School of Business at Roosevelt University and Columbia College Chicago. Mr. Peyronnin has been an MHA-NYC board member since 1996.

John D. Robinson worked in the Fixed Income Division at Morgan Stanley for 30 years and has been a board member of MHA-NYC since 2004. Mr. Robinson graduated from the University of Richmond in 1983. He joined the MHA-NYC board in 2004.

Bruce J. Schwartz, M.D., is currently the Deputy Chairman, Clinical Director and a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry in of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Schwartz’s responsibilities include oversight of all teaching, clinical, departmental practice and research activities in the Department at the Weiler, Moses, Wakefield and Behavioral Health Clinics at Westchester Square and Turnbull Divisions as well as the Division of Substance Abuse. He is a graduate of SUNY Downstate School of Medicine and has been a member of the MHA-NYC board since 1995.