Patricia Bransford
Founder and President
The National Urban Technology Center

Ms. Bransford is the founder and President of the National Urban Technology Center. She is a senior marketing executive with over 17 years of experience at IBM where she directed IBM's New York City public sector marketing office. She was the developer of IBM's first "1-800" direct marketing and distribution channel for personal computers, achieving a substantial increase in its market share. She has also served as the chair of Mayor David Dinkins and New York State Comptroller Carl McCall's highly successful finance committees.

She is a graduate of the NYU Stern School of Business.

Richard (Rich) Bilello
Director of US Business Operations
Pfizer, Inc.

Rich Bilello, a senior director at Pfizer, Inc., provides operational and strategic leadership across the US for all Regional Accounts and supports seamless coordination with National Accounts through all managed care payer settings.

He has over 15 years of world-wide experience in the health care industry, encompassing senior management, sales, training, and government relations.

A decorated U.S. Army Officer and West Point Graduate, Mr. Bilello is fluent in Middle Eastern studies, Arabic, and German. He is a Dean's List MBA graduate of the NYU Stern School of Business.

Thomas L. Bransford
Vice President and Teasurer
The National Urban Technology Center

Tom Bransford is a senior manager with 30 years experience in information technology, largely with IBM. His last assignment with IBM was as State Education Advisor to the New York City school system where he oversaw the implementation of technology to assist in the education of over 1 million children. Mr. Bransford joined UTC in the fall of 1995. He holds a BA from Dartmouth College.

Mrs. Bobbie (J. Player) Crosby
Teasurer
Somarela Fund

Mrs. Bobbie Crosby is a philanthropist and socialite. She is the widow of the late John Player Crosby, who, at the time of his death, was president of Lenox Capital, an international investment capital firm and founding partner of Finamex International, which became Mexico's fifth largest investment brokerage firm with $100 million in equity capital in 1996.

Mrs. Crosby is the former owner of a catering business in Lenox and currently serves as Treasurer of an African-based non-profit, the Somarela Fund, “founded as a living memorial to J. Player Crosby’s dedicated work on behalf of the people and wildlife of southern Africa.” In addition to her work and support for the Somarela Fund, Mrs. Crosby is a generous contributor to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and National Urban Technology Center, to name a few.

Gena Davis Watkins
Executive Director
National Urban Technology Center

Gena Davis Watkins is a non-profit and fundraising executive with twenty-five years experience and proven track record in strategic philanthropy and fund development. She has extensive expertise in building strategic alliances with Fortune 500 corporations, multi-national and family foundations, individual philanthropists and municipal, state and Federal government agencies. She has designed and managed annual, major gifts, special events, direct mail and marketing and promotional campaigns.

At Urban Tech, Ms. Davis Watkins focuses on increasing and diversifying the organization’s financial resources, enhancing brand awareness, identifying new markets for expansion, overseeing professional development initiatives, and organizational capacity building. Ms. Davis Watkins joined Urban Tech after six years with the Institute for Student Achievement (ISA) where she was Vice President and Chief Development Officer. Ms. Davis Watkins oversaw all ISA fundraising activities with a focus on significantly increasing and diversifying its financial resources to achieve maximum growth. Ms. Davis Watkins also served as Senior Vice President and Chief Development Office for National Urban League where she oversaw all fundraising, including a $50 million endowment campaign, raising $23 million in the first 18 months of her tenure.

Ms. Davis Watkins holds a Master’s in Education and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as certification from the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy.

Dawn Hankin Cliette
Senior Physician Network Contractor
UnitedHealthcare

Dawn Hankin Cliette is an Urban Tech “alumna’” having worked for the organization for two years. She is an accomplished lawyer with twelve years of operations and management experience, performing management consulting and lead operations management in the healthcare administration and not-for-profit industries. For United Healthcare, Ms. Hankin ensures that UnitedHealthcare's strong business relationships with hospitals, physicians, pharmacies, and ancillary providers are maintained, and works to develop innovative approaches to contract issues in order that their network composition includes an appropriate distribution of provider specialties.

Ms. Hankin is an active member of numerous philanthropic endeavors and professional network organizations including the Metro Manhattan Chapter of The Links, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, The National Alumnae Association of Spelman College, and more. She has a BA from Spelman College and a JD from Hofstra University School of Law.

Jessica C. Isaacs
Managing Director
And Head of International Small and Medium Enterprises
MARSH, Inc.

Jessica C. Isaacs is currently the Managing Director and Global Head of Small and Medium Enterprises at Marsh Inc., the world’s leading insurance broker and risk advisor; a Marsh and McLennan company. In her capacity, Ms. Isaacs is responsible for establishing and leading the business strategy to grow Marsh’s presence in the Middle Market business segment and overall Small and Medium Enterprises in four Geographic Regions which span over 70 countries. Ms. Isaacs began her professional career as an intern and is now a senior executive in the Financial Services sector. She has worked globally for over 17 years in both emerging and mature markets including Latin America, Europe, UK, Africa, and Asia, overseeing the development of Consumer and Commercial Lines insurance business. Her expertise includes development of strategic business planning, marketing, staff development, product development, risk management, market segmentation, and multi-distribution management.

Jessica Isaacs epitomizes the meaning of the words “corporate social responsibility,” “giving back,” and “paying it forward.” She finds it critical to translate her corporate leadership into service to the community, especially to youth. In keeping with her mantra, “you get what you give,” Jessica dreams of fighting social injustice by donating as much time and money as she can to help disadvantaged youth obtain an education and the development skills needed to enable them to have a better quality of life and fight injustice. Jessica has committed herself to “building bridges by building value.” In February 2010, she was recognized by Black Enterprise as one of the Top 75 Most Powerful Women in Business and in the February 2009 as one of the 100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America. In 2006, she was named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Women in Business by Network Journal magazine. Ms. Isaacs is a graduate of Spelman College and received her law degree from the John Marshall Law School.

Alia Jones-Harvey
Producer
Front Row Productions

Alia Jones-Harvey (Producer) joined Front Row Productions, Inc. in 2006 to bring classic works featuring African American actors to Broadway. Jones co-produced the first African-American revival of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on Broadway, which became the biggest grossing play on Broadway that season. Jones-Harvey produced the West End transfer of the production featuring African American actors to London’s West End. The West End observed record new audiences for this production and it received the 2010 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play.

She has over 15 years experience in strategic planning, marketing, finance and operations. Ms. Jones-Harvey began her career with Procter & Gamble developing systems for Global Perfumes, consolidating the Corporate Cash Flow and in Interactive Marketing as a project manager. She worked for six years in financial services with Lehman Brothers and Stonehedge Partners in private client services, hedge fund marketing and hedge fund administration.

Ms. Jones-Harvey earned a Bachelor of Mathematics from Spelman College and Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech. She completed her MBA in Finance and Marketing at New York University Stern School of Business. With a commitment to education, innovation and the arts, Ms. Jones-Harvey supports several community organizations including the National Urban Technology Center.

David Perlin
Partner
The Cypress Group

David Perlin is a partner of the Washington, DC-based Cypress Group and a founding partner at Keel Capital LLC, a Connecticut-based technology hedge fund. Recently, Mr. Perlin served as Managing Director, BTIG and Managing Director of HSBC Securities. He also held the positions of Managing Director, Equity Department and Manager of International Sales Trading at Goldman Sachs & Co. and US Sales Trader at CS First Boston. Mr. Perlin received his MBA in Finance from the New York University Stern School of Business. Mr. Perlin is an Urban Tech Adopt-a-School and Student Scholarship Sponsor, a supporter of various arts organizations and a Member of Glen Arbor Golf Club.

Richard Rubenstein
Chief Executive Officer
Rubenstein Public Relations, Inc.

Richard Rubenstein advises some of the most recognized figures in business, real estate and entertainment. Throughout his 25-year career in public relations, Richard has devised media campaigns that have yielded substantial, high-profile exposure, helping both new businesses and existing brands achieve unprecedented market success. With a staff of 40 and growing, Rubenstein Public Relations’ clientele includes many of the most well-known names in luxury lifestyle, business, and consumer brands.

In the last several years, Mr. Rubenstein has served as a high-level counselor to business leaders and public figures faced with sensitive litigation disputes and crises. His proven strategies have helped mitigate negative exposure and reframe public perception. In addition to his business activities, Mr. Rubenstein is involved in a number of philanthropic organizations. He helped found the Jewish Enrichment Center and sits on the Communications Board of UJA-Federation. He also supports the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, the American Folk Art Museum, the Municipal Art Society, and is a member of the Real Estate Board of New York.

John Starks
Founder/President
John Starks Foundation

Founded in 1994 by former NBA star and Tulsa native John Starks, The John Starks Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing financial assistance to high school seniors in the form of academic scholarships. In addition, the Foundation provides community programs focused on furthering the educational, recreational and career development of children and their families.

At a very young age, John Starks knew he wanted to become a professional basketball player. With the support of his family, specifically his mother Irene and grandmother Callie, and through sheer determination, he achieved his goal on October 1, 1990 when he signed with the New York Knicks. In 2003, he retired as one of the most beloved players in New York Knicks history. To this day, he remains a fan favorite in the New York area. After his tenure with the Knicks, Starks played for the Golden State Warriors (1998 through 2000), the Chicago Bulls (1999-2000) and the Utah Jazz (2000 -2002). In each NBA city, John was dedicated to the team’s community outreach efforts and volunteered his time and support when needed.

In 2003, Starks was named Alumni and Fan Development Advisor for the New York Knicks. Starks is involved in the day-to-day efforts to expand the Knicks Alumni Relations, Community Relations and Fan Development Programs. In addition, he serves as a pre-and-post-game analyst on MSG Network’s home Knicks game coverage. His autobiography, John Starks: My Life was released in the fall of 2004.

Eric Woods
Entrepreneur & Co-Founder
Urban Capital Group

Eric Woods has more than 10 years of Wall Street experience in trading at JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs. Sensing a need for a more fulfilling experience, he leveraged the exceptional training and knowledge received at those prestigious firms to embark on the path of an entrepreneur. As the CFO of NuAmerica Agency, a multi-cultural marketing and advertising firm, he helped steward five-fold growth in the business. As the founding COO of UPTOWN Magazine, the first upscale lifestyle magazine directed towards African Americans, Eric was instrumental in the development of the business into a nationally distributed publication and securing investment capital. Eric is also co-owner of Harlem Vintage, a wine boutique, and Nectar Wine Bar, both of which are the first of their kind in Harlem. These exciting entrepreneurial experiences led Eric to co-found the Urban Capital Group, a private equity fund focused on small to medium sized inner city businesses.

Eric is a graduate of Georgetown University and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business.

Kathy Zukerman
Senior Vice President
Bass Trading

Kathy B. Zukerman, a Senior Vice President and equity sales trader, joined Bass Trading, LLC in New York City in February 2005. Ms. Zukerman manages institutional clients, principally US and UK based hedge funds. Before joining Bass Trading, Ms. Zukerman was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs in the Equities Division, most recently managing international hedge fund relationships. For nine years at Goldman Sachs, she was based in New York City and for two years she was based in London as a global institutional sales trader.

Ms. Zukerman graduated from Stanford University with a major in Sociology and has an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA.