board of directors

Jassen is Vice President at Goldman Sachs Management Controls, and is responsible for the design and execution of various strategic initiatives. Prior to his current role, he served as lead business liaison on cross-divisional process and technology redesign initiatives, and as an internal auditor covering the firm's Asset and Wealth Management businesses. Prior to joining Goldman, he was a technology project manager at J.P. Morgan Chase, a Sergeant in the German Military Police, and a member of the NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Jassen was born in Bulgaria, raised in Germany, and now lives in the New York area with his wife Ashley. He is a graduate of Pace University in New York and was introduced to Rocking the Boat through a Goldman Sachs work-sponsored volunteer program held in the boatbuilding shop. His expertise in management oversight and strategic development, in combination with his generous spirit and love for water sports, make him a great asset to the Board.

Jennifer Maldonado grew up in the same Bronx neighborhood as many of Rocking the Boat’s students and holds the position of Communications Director for the New York Liquidation Bureau, which deals with statewide insurance matters. She has worked in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors and, in a recent position as Intergovernmental Affairs Director for the Empire State Development Corporation, had considerable influence on a range of large-scale projects across New York. She serves on the Board of Sinergia, a community-based, multi-service organization for people with disabilities.

An Attorney with Schulte Roth and Zabel, LLP, Michael focuses on structuring complex and sophisticated financial instruments for qualified investors. Prior to his law career, Michael worked in various Compliance and Controllers functions with Goldman Sachs. Michael brings to the Board a wealth of experience in establishing and monitoring corporate financial controls and efficiency procedures. Michael enjoys the outdoors, traveling, and reading about history.

A lawyer at the New York Legal Assistance Group, Elissa coordinates the "Justice at Work" project, which provides low-wage workers with training on employment law and provides legal representation to low-wage workers in cases involving unpaid wages and/or employment discrimination. She brings to the Board her enthusiasm for Rocking the Boat and her experience in fundraising and community-building.

Ari Bayme is a lifelong sailor of New York City waterways. He is a principal at Modern Capital, an investment bank focused on Internet and technology transactions. Previously, Mr. Bayme was a New York State Attorney for the Hon. Ferne Goldstein. Mr. Bayme holds degrees from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, where he received the jury prize for his student film "The Fencer's Paradox".

Mr. Bowser teaches environmental science at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, and is science educator for the NYSDEC Estuary Program and Hudson River Research Reserve. After serving two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mauritania, West Africa, Mr. Bowser worked for the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater in several roles including Education Director. He holds degrees from Rutgers University and Clark University.

Sara is lifestyle editor for Conde Nast's Portfolio.com, overseeing the business site's coverage of arts, cars, food, real estate, travel, and other topics. Prior to that, she was lifestyle editor at Forbes.com, and a reporter for newspapers in New York and Alabama, where she won awards for her work on chemical weapons and environmental issues. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Johns Hopkins University, and a master's in journalism from Columbia University. She grew up sailing on Long Island Sound.

Erika holds master's degrees in both business and journalism from Columbia. She has held managerial positions in a number of different media companies--among them: National Geographic, CBS, The New York Times, and the National Basketball Association. She is currently a principal in the firm Dilday Meyer & Associates which specializes in marketing, fundraising and event management for socially responsible causes.

Bill Isaacs is a Vice President of Business Affairs, Original Programming at HBO, where he works on documentary and family programming and new media initiatives. He is a graduate of the University of Richmond, holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Connecticut and spent many years involved in theatre. He enjoys sailing, camping and reading.

Amy is a consultant to New York City nonprofit organizations. Her previous positions include: Director of Policy and Planning at The After-School Corporation (TASC); Founding Director of the New Settlement Apartments College Access Center; and Program Officer at New Visions for Public Schools. She brings 15 years of experience supporting school-community partnerships to Rocking the Boat. Amy is a graduate of Yale University (BA in English), Brown University (MA in Teaching) and the French Culinary Institute (Certificate in Pastry Arts).

Ned has spent most of his life in New England, sailing, studying environmental science, logging, farming, and building houses. He has sailed and taught environmental science all over the world. He brings to the Rocking the Boat Board a great love of wooden boats and education, and a great deal of life experience. He was formerly on the Board of Directors of The Robbins-deBeaumont Foundation.

President and COO of Healthcare.com, Jose was previously the founder and CEO of MailCreations.com, Inc., a successful online marketing and lead generation company with a worldwide registered user database of over 100 million and clients including 3M, Oracle, MBNA, Citibank, Orchard Bank, Microsoft and HBO. The company was profitable since its inception and its revenues grew over 100% year over year. MailCreations.com was acquired by a publicly-traded Japanese technology group in 2004. Mr. Vargas serves as Director of the Organization of American States Young American Business Trust Chapter and is a member of the Florida International University Council of 100. He graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration from Florida International University, where he also served as an adjunct professor in 2003 teaching Internet Marketing.

Hanna works as the Director of Project Management at the national I Have a Dream Foundation. Prior to that, she directed the Chelsea-Elliott “I Have a Dream” program in Manhattan for 7 years. She served two years in Americorps from 1996-1998. She has a BA in Biology from Carleton College and an MS in Non-Profit Management from the Milano Graduate School for Management and Urban Policy at the New School.