Retired media executive
Board
Board of Trustees Leadership
Earl Monroe
Legacy Trustee
A transcendent superstar, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe dazzled fans and teammates alike with his on-court prowess. The innovative playmaker drew crowds at each stage of his career, whether fans witnessed him in Philadelphia high school gyms, at Winston Salem State, or with the Baltimore Bullets and New York Knicks. “Slick and always exciting,” the legendary Sports Illustrated writer Frank Deford said of Monroe. “The Pearl” led the Knicks to their last championship season in 1973 and is a member of the National Basketball Hall of Fame and one of the Top 60 Players in NBA history.
Monroe’s legacy extends beyond the hardwood. He continues to preach the importance of education and has been involved in various community affairs programs, including the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Health, the Crown Heights Youth Collective and the Literary Assistance Fund. Additionally, for his extensive humanitarian work, he has received many honors, including the Harlem Professionals Inspiration Award, Most Outstanding Model for American Youth, and the Big Apple Sportsman of the Year. In 2008, Earl Monroe was awarded a Peabody for producing the four-hour documentary, Black Magic.
Dan Klores
David Stern
Legacy Trustee (In Memoriam)
David Stern served as commissioner of the National Basketball Association from 1984 to 2014. Prior to his tenure as the longest-serving Commissioner in the history of North American sports, Stern first joined the NBA as a general counsel in 1978. In his 30 years of leadership, Stern brought the league and the game itself to unprecedented levels of financial success and global exposure. Choosing to market the sport around the star power of the league’s talented players, Stern oversaw the NBA’s rise to the forefront of American popular culture during the 80’s and 90’s, while also expanding its popularity internationally. Today, the league holds offices in 12 cities outside the U.S. and broadcasts to over 200 territories in 40 languages. Alongside the growth of the NBA, Stern also helped found the WNBA and NBA G League.
Stern was born in New York City, where he also attended Columbia University Law School after graduating from Rutgers University. He is a member of both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as well as the FIBA Hall of Fame. He has been recognized across America’s most esteemed institutions, such as Harvard and Yale Universities as well as the NAACP, for his contributions to African-American culture as well as his superb executive leadership. Following his retirement as Commissioner, Stern served as an advisor to various investment banks, venture capital firms and consultancies, in addition to directly investing in technology and sports startups. Stern died in January 2020, he is survived by his wife of 47 years, Dianne, and his two sons Eric and Andrew.
Board of Trustees
Jack Irushalmi
Vice-Chair
President and Managing Director, Tri Star Construction Corp
Aaron Saperstein
Treasurer
Executive Director, Morgan Stanley, Global Sports and Entertainment
Anita Reyes
Secretary
Executive Director, The Bronx Neighborhood Health Action Center
Rudy Acree
Deputy Director, Public Defender Service
Len Elmore
Retired attorney, business leader, television sports personality and educator
Alan Fishman
Chairman, Ladder Capital Finance Corporation
Ernesto Freire
Chief of Staff and Communications Director, Bloomberg Associates
Derrick Green
Field Technician, Verizon; former NY Rens Head Coach
Jackie Harris
Sports Marketing Executive, Philanthropist, Lawyer
Laurie Lindenbaum
English teacher, Riverdale Country School; Fmr. consumer marketing at Best Foods
Estefany Lopez
Chief Operating Officer, Comp Sci High
John Mogulescu
Founding Dean of the CUNY School of Professional Studies
Michael Salzer
President; MacGuffin Films, Assembly Films, and the Rec. Room
Milton Sipp
Assistant Head of School, Riverdale Country School
David Strasser
Managing Director at SWaN
William Wesley
Executive Vice President, New York Knicks
Board of Advisors
Senior Managing Director, Mesirow Wealth Management
CEO, Clairvoyant Media Strategies; Fmr. Chief Communications Officer, Madison Square Garden
Managing Member/Chairman, Strategic Vision Group; Founder, Optical Distribution Group
Fmr. U.S. Senator from New Jersey; Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee; Author; Investment Banker
Senior Advisor, Blackstone Group
Emmy Award-winning Sportscaster for Madison Square Garden and the Knicks
CEO/Co-Chairman, Rudin Management Company, Inc.; Chairman, Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY)
Author, DJ, Filmmaker
Practice Area Attorney, Cravath, Swaine and Moore LLP
Political Consultant, Author, Actor
Worldwide CMO, Grey Group
Chairman and CEO, Atlantic Records Group
Co-Founder, Scoggin Capital Management
Professor and Cultural Historian, New York University
Writer, Playwright, Director
Global Head of Blackstone’s Tactical Opportunities Group; Co-Chairman, Harris Blitzer (Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, the Prudential Center)
Founding Partner, Cross Rate Technologies LLC
General Counsel, Associated Capital Group
Founder and President, Rockwell Group; Tony Award-winning designer
Fmr. Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office Prosecutor; leading defense attorney on Long Island
Philanthropist
Administrative Judge of the New York County Supreme Court - Criminal Division
CEO, Affinity Marketing Partners
Retired teacher
Director of Corporate Initiatives, American City Business Journal
Founder and Principal, Gary Zarr & Associates
Nationally-recognized criminal defense attorney and First Amendment advocate
Hakiem Yahmadi President, Community Education Council 7; Organizer and Activist
Director of Admissions, Friends Seminary
Senior Advisor for Education, Bloomberg Philanthropies; Fmr. Deputy Mayor for Michael Bloomberg; Fmr. CCO, Hillary Clinton (2008)
Sports journalist, New York Times; Author
RENS UNITED Director, Development Officer
Senior Media Executive focusing on Advertiser Sales
President and CEO, AMC Networks
Top-rated General Litigation Attorney
Founder, Somerset Partners LLC
Director of Strategic Planning, Davidoff, Hutcher and Citron, LLP; Veteran New York State Assemblyman
Founder, Sunshine Sachs Public Relations
Managing Partner, Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, P.C.
Professor, Columbia University; Founder, PENCIL
Sports journalist, New York Times; Author
President, BLDG Management Company
Partner, Mukasey Frenchman & Skarloff LLP
Professor, Educational Psychology
former Global Senior Director Business Affairs, Nike
Founder and CEO, Geller and Company; Co-Owner of Philadelphia 76ers
Hall of Fame Broadcaster
Noted ESPN Broadcaster, Host, and Author
Attorney, Former Executive Director of NBA Players Association
Senior Director, New York City Department of Education
Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee; Youth Counselor
Head, Sroka Worldwide Consultants; Real Estate Advisor
SVP, Multimedia Production, NBA Entertainment
Retired Managing Director and Global Head of Media and Entertainment, Barclays
Professor of Education, St. Francis College, Brooklyn
Senior Advisor, Apollo Global Management; Fmr. Special Assistant to President Barack Obama; Member of the 2001 Duke University NCAA Championship team
Co-CEO, Ramy Brook; Founding Partner, MidOcean Investment Group
Seasoned Educator, Bronx
Vice Chairman, Galatioto Sports Partners; Deputy Commissioner and COO, National Basketball Association; Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee
Principal Consultant, Civic Solutions Group
Chairman and CEO, PBM, LLC
Managing Director, Deloitte Consulting
Chair, DHC Administrative Law and Government Relations Groups; Davidoff, Hutcher & Citron, LLP
Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee; Co-Founder, Baker League - Philadelphia
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright
Founder and President, Tonio Burgos Associates; Founding member, DNC LGBTQ Caucus
Commissioner, Big East Conference
Managing Partner, Courtside Ventures; Founder/CEO of Krossover
Partner, The Gilchrist Group of Oppenheimer & Co. Inc
Actor, Artist, Photographer