Board of Directors
Amit Bhandari, Director
Amit Bhandari is a Partner in the Financial Services practice of Oliver Wyman, an international management consultancy. Prior to joining the firm’s New York Office in 2006, Mr. Bhandari managed the Strategic Planning department of First Horizon, a top 30 U.S. Bank. While in Memphis, Mr. Bhandari was a fellow at the Leadership Academy and an inaugural member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the School of Business at Christian Brothers University. Mr. Bhandari holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business and a BS from the Stern School of Business at NYU.
Yuka Broderick, Director
Yuka Broderick is a tech sector analyst at Marshall Wace, an investment firm based in Cos Cob, CT. Prior to Marshall Wace, Yuka was a tech sector equities analyst at Glenview Capital, an equity research analyst at Goldman Sachs covering the Semiconductor sector, and an R&D Engineer at Agilent Technologies. Yuka attended Oxford University in England as a British Marshall Scholar, receiving an M.B.A with Distinction from the Said Business School; she also holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Yuka was formerly a Mentor with Minds Matter and is in her third year on the board; she is a member of the Organizational Development & Governance Committee.
Shannon Daly, Director
Ms. Daly is a CPA and President of Tucker Tax LLC, an accounting practice located in Greenwich, CT specializing in tax preparation for airline personnel. In addition to her work as a tax accountant, Ms. Daly runs a private tutoring business. Focusing on SAT and ACT prep, Ms. Daly has become a much sought after resource for students in Westchester, NY. Her experience as a private tutor led her to the test prep program at Minds Matter. Ms. Daly holds a BA from Trinity College and a MS from Pace University.
Jeff Goldsmith, Director
Jeff Goldsmith is currently an Executive Director at JPMorgan Chase, where he is a senior leader of the Internal Consulting Team. He previously worked as a consultant with The Boston Consulting Group and with First Manhattan Consulting Group. Mr. Goldsmith graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Hotel Administration and with an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Allen Gurevich, Director
Allen Gurevich is a Director at Newmark Knight Frank, a global real estate service firm, where he specializes in both tenant and agency representation throughout the New York metropolitan area. As a tenant representative, Allen’s position focuses on the acquisition and disposition of office and retail properties for clients in the financial and legal services, not-for-profit, apparel, media and entertainment industries. As an agency representative, Allen serves as the exclusive leasing agent and asset manager for several Newmark Holdings portfolio properties. Allen is a member of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY). Prior to joining Newmark Knight Frank, Allen served as a senior financial analyst with W.R. Huff Asset Management, where he played a key role in the firm’s investment strategy. Allen received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Erika Halstead, Director
Erika Halstead is a Program Officer at the New York Council for the Humanities where she directs youth and family programs. Before joining the Council, Erika was a doctoral student in Comparative Literature at the City University of New York Graduate Center with focus on Mexican and Latino/Chicano literature and film, and taught English literature at Hunter College from 2006 to 2010. Prior to graduate school, Erika was a Region XIII teaching fellow and bilingual educator in Austin, Texas. She holds dual degrees in English and Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
Phil Hart, Director
Phillip Hart is a portfolio manager in the U.S. Behavioral Finance Small Cap Equity Group at JPMorgan Asset Management. An employee since 2003, his responsibilities include managing structured small-cap core and small-cap value accounts. Previously, he worked on quantitative research and the daily implementation and maintenance of portfolios for the group. Phillip obtained a B.A. in economics from Cornell University and is a CFA charterholder.
Brendan McLaughlin, Vice Chair
Brendan McLaughlin is a Vice President at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch in the Enterprise Client Coverage group, where he is focused on business development and strategic initiatives within the Global Corporate & Investment Bank and Global Wealth Management divisions. Previously, Brendan was an AVP in Investor Relations at Citigroup. He began his career in equity research at Citigroup, covering the transportation industry. Brendan has been involved with Minds Matter since 2003. Most recently, he served on the New York Executive Committee as Co-Director of the Senior Program, a position he held for 4 years, as well as Senior Program Rep to the National Executive Committee for the last 2 years. Brendan holds a B.B.A. in Finance from James Madison University.
Kim Moore, Director
Kimberly M. Moore has worked with various non-profit organizations, in fundraising and development, over a decade. Kimberly has also volunteered with a number of organizations and causes that focus on youth, education, and women. She was formerly a Mentor with Minds Matter and is proud to put her background to use as a board member this year. She is currently working with The Episcopal Church to establish a major gifts development office. She received her B.A. in English and Asian Studies from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Minhaj Patel, Director
Minhaj Patel is Executive Director of Investments for LFG, the private investment business of the Lowy family, where he is focused on investing in publicly listed equities. Prior to LFG, Minhaj was a Director at Citi Principal Strategies, a hedge fund affiliate of Citigroup, and has also served in Senior Investment Analyst roles at Magnetar Capital and Highline Capital Management. He started his career at Wasserstein Perella Merchant Banking where he focused on private equity and venture capital investments. Minhaj graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College with a double major in Economics and Psychology and a minor in Applied Mathematics. He spent 3 years as a mentor with Minds Matter, prior to joining the Board. He is also actively involved with the Association for Development of Pakistan, a US-based non-profit focused on engaged philanthropy in Pakistan. Minhaj is originally from Karachi, Pakistan.
Stephanie Pfeffer, Director
A magazine editor, Ms. Pfeffer has worked at Family Circle, Seventeen, New York and Ladies’ Home Journal, among other print and online publications. Media appearances include numerous lifestyle and news segments on Today, NY1, CBS, NBC and BetterTV. This is Ms. Pfeffer’s ninth year of involvement with Minds Matter; she’s been a mentor, team leader, co-director of senior mentees and co-director of the Senior Program. She holds an M.S. in Magazine Publishing from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and a B.A. in English and Mass Communications from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Dennis Ruhl, Chair of the Board
Dennis Ruhl is a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM), where he heads the U.S. Behavioral Finance Small Cap and Quantitative Research groups. He began his career at JPMAM in 1999 and was named JPMorganChase Mentor of the Year in 2003. Mr. Ruhl was involved with Minds Matter from 1999 to 2007 and served in a variety of roles including as the founding Chair of the National Board, Chair of the New York Board, President of the Executive Committee, and Co-Director of the Prep Program. He currently serves as a Regional Vice Chair of the MIT Educational Council, coordinating interviews for all Manhattan-area applicants to MIT. Dennis also served on the Board of Directors of the MIT Club of New York from 2001 to 2010. Dennis has his Master’s Degree in Computer Science and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science, all from MIT.
David Salpeter, Director
David Salpeter is a director with Citi’s corporate and investment bank where he is responsible for the origination and execution of emerging market debt financings for infrastructure and capital investment projects. Prior to joining Citi, David was a management consultant to telecommunications and media companies with Accenture. David started volunteering with Minds Matter last year as a Math Matters tutor in the sophomore program, and joined the board of directors this year. He holds an MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business and a BBA from James Madison University. He is a fluent Portuguese speaker and a proficient Spanish speaker.
Steven Song, Director
Steven Song is a Vice President at Altpoint Capital, a private equity firm based in New York. He began his career as an investment banker at JPMorgan in 2001 and was selected as a Training Mentor for the first year JPMorgan IB analyst class of 2003. Steven has been a Board Member with Minds Matter since 2011. He currently serves or is an observer on the Board of Directors for Ford Models, AHN International and Sanchez Resources. Steven graduated with a joint Bachelor of Art degree in Economics and Mathematics from Columbia University.
Jeff Vogel, Director
Jeff Vogel is a Principal at Court Square Capital, a middle market private equity investment firm. Prior to joining Court Square in 2004, Jeff was an analyst at Morgan Stanley in their Technology Investment Banking Group. Jeff has been involved with Minds Matter since 2004 and has served in a variety of roles including Co-Director of Mentees in the Senior Program, Team Leader and Mentor in the Junior and Senior Programs. Jeff received his B.S.E. in Operations Research and Financial Engineering, a Certificate in Finance, and a Certificate in Engineering Management Systems from Princeton University. Jeff also serves on the boards of ANCILE Solutions, Inc., CompuCom Systems, Inc., Newmarket International and Rocket Software, Inc. He previously served on the board of Auto Europe Group and as a board observer of NTELOS Holdings Corp.
