Board of Trustees

CHURCHILL SCHOOL AND CENTER BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Meet the Churchill Board of Trustees, a devoted team of volunteers who deeply appreciate the profound impact Churchill has had on their lives and the lives of countless others. Driven by an unwavering commitment to Churchill’s mission and vision, these exceptional individuals are inspired to give back. They generously share their collective experiences, expertise, and resources to guide the strategic direction of our organization and empower every member of our community to see unlimited possibilities.

David Mack, President

David Mack is a lawyer, investor, and company director. David grew up in Sydney, Australia before moving to New York in 2000 - he is not a fan of New York winters. During his time in New York he has worked at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Perry Capital LLC and Drivetrain LLC in the areas of finance and restructuring. He is married to Robin Michaelson (former Churchill PA Secretary and Trustee) and lives in Brooklyn with their two daughters and two cats. His daughter Amelia graduated from Churchill in 2022.

Lauren Munfa

Lauren Munfa is a Managing Director and Head of Compliance & Operational Risk for the Wealth Management Americas Division of UBS. She is currently the Chief Compliance Officer for UBS Financial Services Inc. and previously the Chief Compliance Officer and Board member for UBS Securities LLC. Prior to UBS, Lauren worked at Goldman Sachs in various roles, including Legal and Compliance covering Banking, Capital Markets, Sales and Trading and Research. At Goldman, Lauren also served as Chief of Staff for the Global co-Heads of the Investment Management Division and took on a Product Strategy role for Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Lauren is a graduate of Yale University where she was captain of the varsity tennis team. Lauren lives in the Upper East Side with her husband, Antoine, and two children, Charlotte (Marymount) and Robbie. Robbie has been a student at Churchill since Kindergarten and is in the Churchill class of 2031.

Ben Schippers

Ben Schippers graduated from Churchill in '96. Following high school, he attended Bates College, where he studied history and education.

Ben co-founded his first company shortly after graduation, which was acquired four years later. He is currently the CEO of HappyFunCorp, an award-winning product engineering company, co-founder of TezLab, and co-chairs Brooklyn Roasting Company.

Ben is considered to be one of the top product architects in New York City and the broader technology sector. He has years of experience building some of the greatest startups and working with leading brands. His work has garnered such titles from Apple as ‘app of the year,’ he is a contributor to TechCrunch and has been featured in Inc. Business Insider, Forbes, and The New York Times.

Ben resides in Brooklyn with his wife, two children, two cats, and beta fish (Sweeshan).

Norma Diana Stanton

Norma is a screenwriter who made the jump to completely focus on writing due to the pandemic when her management position became obsolete.

Through dramedies, Norma uses laughter to discuss topics that are often perceived as heavy, painful, or cause friction. Although her work frequently highlights issues around mental health, her aim is for everyone to have a feel of healing through watching her series, hoping most will feel seen and heard.

Ultimately, the characters created by Norma should be known for their human traits rather than their physical outer trades, sexual orientation, or any other label that we place on ourselves.

Norma currently has one of her films optioned at Farlane Media and is in development for her college dramedy "NOMAD."

"After serving on Churchill’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee as well as the Philanthropy Committee and serving as a class parent for several years, it's my pleasure to serve on the Board. I'm excited to assist in executing the vision to continue to build a more connected community at Churchill,” Norma said.

Norma’s son Carter is in Churchill’s Class of 2027. Carter has attended Churchill since Kindergarten.

Greg Williamson

Greg Williamson is a real estate investor and residential real estate broker. Additionally, Greg produces live concerts across the country including “Love Rocks NYC,” the annual benefit concert for God’s Love We Deliver which feeds New Yorkers who are unable to cook or shop for themselves. To date, the Love Rocks NYC concert has raised over six million dollars for God’s Love We Deliver. Greg and his wife Katy are also actively involved in Tulane University and Central Synagogue. They reside on the Upper West Side with their twin boys Charlie and Sidney and their dog, Henry. Greg is an alum of Churchill and graduated in 1991.

Jesse Friedman, Secretary

Jesse Friedman is a Senior Vice President, Corporate Client Group Director and Certified Financial Planner at Morgan Stanley. He joined his business partner in 2001, four weeks after graduating from Brandeis University with a double major in economics and political science and a minor in international business. He is the primary day-to-day contact for clients and their other advisors, including attorneys, accountants and family office directors. He is also responsible for managing the financial planning process for existing clients and developing customized solutions for new ones, while leading the other team members in a concerted effort to help ensure that client needs are met efficiently and effectively.

Jesse grew up in Westfield, New Jersey, where he attended high school with his future wife Melissa. They now reside in Sutton Place with their sons Elijah and Zachary. Eli has thrived at Churchill since joining its Kindergarten class, and will be graduating high school in 2030. Zach, who is two years younger than Eli, happily attends PS 59.

Outside of work, Jesse enjoys traveling and tennis, and is a passionate fan of the New York Rangers and New York Giants. He is an active member of the Sutton Area Community, the Brandeis University Alumni Association and Central Synagogue.

Chadwick Roberson

Chadwick Roberson is the President of Pivotal Advisors. He works closely with the firm’s CEO and CIO, to set the firm’s investment strategy and is also responsible for overseeing trading operations for Pivotal. Chadwick also leads the firm's day-to-day operations and serves on the investment committee.

Chadwick began his professional career at J.P. Morgan working with wealthy families in the Private Bank, before moving to the Sales & Trading division where he helped institutional middle market clients with their foreign currency exposure. Chadwick later went on to The New York Life Insurance Company and subsequently to Momentum Advisors where he focused on financial planning and investment management for wealthy families and institutions before joining Pivotal Advisors. Chadwick is an Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor with over a decade of financial services and investment advisory experience.

A native of Dallas, TX, Chadwick received his bachelor’s degree in Finance & Economics from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Chadwick is a devoted husband and a proud father of two young sons, Caleb and Carter. Caleb has excelled at Churchill since joining its Kindergarten class and will be part of the graduating class of 2034. Outside of work, Chadwick enjoys traveling, playing golf, and spending time with his family. Chadwick is also committed to making time to serve his community through his membership in the Wall Street Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc and with the New York Urban League where he serves as Treasurer for the Board of Directors. He also serves on the Advisory Board for Healthy Places By Design.

Cynthia Wainwright

Cynthia C. Wainwright is President of The Bridge, Inc., a citywide mental health agency. She also serves on the boards of Roundabout Theatre Company, the Children’s Museum of the Arts and the Historic House Trust of New York City.

Cynthia retired as Deputy Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at JPMorgan Chase in 2001. She was Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for Chemical/Chase Manhattan banks from 1989 to 1998. She previously held a variety of other managerial positions at Chemical Bank.

From 1969 to 1979, Cynthia worked in New York City and State governments. Her last position was as deputy commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction.

Cynthia attended Sarah Lawrence College and earned an MBA from Columbia Business School. She is married to Stephen Berger. Their daughter, Robin, graduated from Churchill in 2006.

Stephen Wright

Stephen Wright is the father of Elana, a Middle School student who has been attending Churchill since kindergarten. He is a Managing Director and Head of Business Risk at Neuberger Berman, where he has held various roles since joining the firm in 2004. He is a member of the firm’s Operating Committee, as well as a member of the Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers Board, in addition to the Neuberger Berman Foundation Board. Prior to joining Neuberger Berman, Stephen was in a branch office supervision role in Merrill Lynch’s Global Private Client Group.

Stephen earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Providence College, and a Masters of Business Administration from the NYU Stern School of Business. He is actively involved as a volunteer with New York Presbyterian’s Weill Cornell Medical Center, currently serving as the Chair of the Komansky Children’s Hospital Family Advisory Council.

Stephen and his wife Lea met sharing a taxi in the Financial District in 2005, and they have remained residents in the neighborhood for more than 20 years.

Raul Pineda, Treasurer

Raul Pineda is an Institutional Consulting Director at Graystone Consulting and a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, where he has worked since 1998. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Raul worked at the JPMorgan Private Bank based in New York. He also worked from 1988 to 1995 at Interacciones Casa de Bolsa in Mexico. Raul graduated from Harvard Business School in 1997 with an MBA. He also holds a BA from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico. In addition to serving as a trustee here at Churchill, Raul also serves on the board of the Browning School, the Marymount School, and Highbridge Voices. Raul has also served on the board of Ballet Hispanico, and was the treasurer of the West Side Montessori School 2007-2013. Raul loves reading, running, and tennis and resides in New York and East Hampton with his wife, Mayalen, and their three children. Their son Raul graduated from Churchill in 2021.

John Lyons

John Lyons is a film editor and a New Yorker. Best known for his work with writer and director Ritesh Batra, John’s most recent project, PHOTOGRAPH, is again a collaboration with Ritesh. In addition to his work with Batra, John has cut the directorial debuts of actors-turned-directors, Paul Bettany and Meg Ryan. Bettany’s film, SHELTER, premiered at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival and stars Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Mackie. Ryan’s film, ITHACA, reunited Ryan with long-time screen partner Tom Hanks. Other notable projects include Tom Kalin’s SAVAGE GRACE which premiered at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and stars Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmayne; DARE, director Adam Salky’s debut film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival; and Boaz Yakin’s highly personal drama DEATH IN LOVE, starring Josh Lucas, Jacqueline Bisset, also at Sundance in 2008. In between his feature film work, Lyons has worked in television -- editing the American adaptation of the British cult series Skins for MTV. John is a graduate of Colby College in Waterville Maine and teaches film editing at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. John’s son graduated from Churchill in 2018.

Andy Springer

Andy Springer is a Partner and the Head of Structured Credit Group at Marathon Asset Management and a member of Marathon’s Executive and Investment Committees. Prior to Marathon, Andy worked at Guggenheim Capital Markets as a Managing Director where he established a trading and advisory business focused on credit sensitive situations relating to structured finance and hard assets in real estate related markets. Prior to his role at Guggenheim, Andy worked at Smith Barney where he was a Director and Head of Commercial Mortgage trading and securitization. He began his career at Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette where he spent nine years in the Real Estate Finance Group. Andy lives in Brooklyn Heights with his wife Chrissy, their 3 children Liam (a sophomore at Davidson College), Aaron, Kate and their dog Lincoln. Aaron was a student at Churchill since the third grade and graduated in 2022.

Scott Weiss

Scott Weiss is a Founding Partner and President of Melius Research, an independent research, data analytics, and investment firm that helps clients make better investment and strategic decisions. In his role as President, Scott is responsible for all business development activities at the firm. Prior to Melius, Scott spent over a decade as an institutional salesperson at Barclays Plc and Lehman Brothers. Scott received his B.A. and MBA from Cornell University. He currently serves as Chair of the Alumni Board and Trustee for Rye Country Day School. Scott is also a member of the Dean’s Leadership Council for Cornell’s Johnson School of Management, a former member of its advisory board and a Council Member for Cornell University. Scott’s son, Nolan started at Churchill in Kindergarten and is a member of the Churchill class of ’31.

Kim van Doorn

Kim is a Managing Director and Senior Compliance Executive who has worked for BNY Mellon, Raymond James, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, General Electric Capital, and TIAA. She has a master of business administration from Fordham University, a master of science in Industrial Management from Stony Brook University, and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Stony Brook University. She holds a Certified Regulatory Compliance Professional (CRCP) designation from the FINRA Institute at the Wharton School. Kim is a third term Trustee at the Churchill School. She is the mother of a 25 year old daughter, and a native New Yorker.