Board of Directors
Richard has been serving the children and families of Boston Public Schools (BPS) for the last 14 years. He is returning as the Co-Headmaster of the Josiah Quincy Upper School (JQUS) after having served as a high school Academic Superintendent in the district’s superintendent transition during SY2018-2019. Having implemented the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years and Diploma Programmes at JQUS, Richard is supporting the expansion of IB Programmes in BPS K-12 schools under Superintendent Brenda Cassellius. Richard’s commitment to public education arose from his own experience as a low-income immigrant student of color attending public schools in Montgomery County, MD and New York City. He graduated from Harvard University and Boston College Law School. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and enjoys traveling with his family.
David was born in the US and raised in Guatemala until the age of seventeen. He has worked in the field of education for 25 years as a high school teacher, counselor, and school administrator. Currently, he is an Assistant Principal in Boston Public Schools for the Curley K-8 School in Jamaica Plain. He holds a BA from UMass Amherst in Political Science and History as well as a Masters in Education with a concentration in Administration, Policy, and Planning. He is a Boston Public Schools graduate. He is also the President of the Board of Deacons of Congregation Lion of Judah, where he attends with his wife and three children.
Jennifer is a doctoral student in Global Leadership and Change through Pepperdine University’s graduate school of education. Most recently, Jennifer served as Gordon College’s Vice President for Student Life. Prior to joining the Gordon College administration in 2013, Jukanovich lived and worked in Rwanda, where she served as communications director for a USAID project, founded a women’s business and a preschool, launched bi-yearly youth camps, and volunteered extensively with orphans and their caregivers, providing advocacy, training and adoption facilitation. From 1998 to 2006, she served as the Founder and Executive Director of The Vine, a national gathering that brought thousands of young adults together across differences of Christian tradition. From 1994 to 1997, she was personal assistant to President Clinton’s volunteer religious liaison and an associate with the Renaissance Weekends. She is a 1994 graduate of Gordon College, and earned an M.A. in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2003. Jennifer and her husband, Dano, live in Wenham, Massachusetts, with their three children.
Carolina oversees the major gifts program at Compass Working Capital. Prior to joining Compass, Carolina worked as a Coordinator of Marketing, Outreach and New Initiatives at NorthStar Asset Management, a firm based in Jamaica Plain that focuses on socially-responsible investing. Carolina’s professional background also includes several years at State Street, where she worked on sales in the Latin American region and as a portfolio manager for non-profit clients. She has also volunteered as the Vice President of ALPFA Cares, the community and volunteer arm of the largest chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America. Carolina holds a Masters in Business Administration from Suffolk University, and a Bachelors of Business degree in Finance from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Monica is the Chief Engagement Officer for Boston Public Schools, overseeing Welcome Services, Family-Community Partnerships, and several other offices focused on building the capacity for schools to authentically and effectively engage with BPS families and external organizations.As Chief Engagement Officer, Monica also oversees the student assignment process and is responsible for ensuring the integrity of those processes is fully maintained. She has spent 17 years in public education, most of which have been with the Boston Public Schools in various capacities. Monica is a proud graduate of Boston Latin Academy. She holds two master’s degrees from Boston College, one in Political Science and the other in Business Management; and a Bachelor of Arts from Brandeis University.
Wilson was born in the Dominican Republic came to the United States as the age of 4. Currently, he is a Supervisor of Attendance in Boston Public Schools and has worked in the field of education for 15 years as a high school counselor and program director. Before joining BPS, he worked also worked in Human Services for DSS and DCF. He holds a BA from Fitchburg State University in Criminal Justice and a Master’s in Education with a concentration Guidance Counseling from Cambridge College. He is also on the Board of Deacons of Congregation Lion of Judah, where he attends with his wife and two children.
Until his retirement in 2016, Mark was an Executive Vice President of State Street and head of State Street Global Markets’ Sales, Trading and Research division. In this role, he led State Street’s principal market-making activities in foreign exchange, rates, and multi-asset class strategy research services. Mr. Snyder joined State Street in 1983 in the Capital Markets Group. In 1989, he and his family relocated to Hong Kong and he served as General Manager of State Street’s branch there. He and his family moved to Sydney in 1993 to open the first US bank branch in Australia. In 1999, Mr. Snyder was appointed Global Head of Foreign Exchange Trading and Sales. Mr. Snyder holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Wheaton College (Illinois). He is the former Chairman of the New York Federal Reserve Bank’s Foreign Exchange Committee.
Dave has worked with youth and in urban ministry his whole adult life. He was director of the Higher Education Resource Center (HERC) in Lawrence, MA from 2000 to 2007. In late 2007, Dave helped start the La Vida Scholars program in Lynn at the invitation of La Vida founder, Bob Hildreth. Dave and his wife, Carmen Ana Rodriguez, reside in Revere, MA and are active members of Congregacion Leon de Juda in Roxbury, MA. Dave holds a Master of Arts in Urban Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Jennifer Oakley is a Program Partner with the Imago Dei Fund. She manages the fund’s portfolio of local and global grantee partners and works to advance the fund’s strategic priorities domestically and internationally. Prior to joining IDF, she practiced law at firms in Washington, D.C., Boston, and Hong Kong, representing and advocating for clients in a variety of civil matters. She currently serves on the Steering Committee of the Professionals in Christian Philanthropy (PCP) network and on the Program Committee for the Network of Engaged International Donors (NEID) network. She has a strong interest in promoting educational equity and was a founding board member of Park Street School and member of the Advisory Board for Boston Trinity Academy. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Music from the University of New Hampshire, and a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law. She and her husband have three adult children and live on the South Shore.
Samuel Afari-Aikins is a Partner, and a member of the Wealth Management practice in the Boston office. Sam is passionate about helping clients develop and define their goals and providing objective, comprehensive financial planning, and investment management. Before joining Cerity Partners, Sam was a partner, senior client advisor, and the president of Daintree Advisors. In his role as President, Sam was responsible for the firm’s day-to-day management, focusing on executing its mission to help clients meet their financial goals. As an advisor, Sam enjoyed building deep relationships with clients, assisting clients to define and prioritize their goals, and guiding them through critical financial decisions. Prior to joining Daintree, Sam worked as the Group Financial Controller of The Works Media Group, a London-based independent film production and distribution company. Before The Works Media Group, Sam worked as a Corporate Resource Officer at the United Kingdom Department of Health. Sam began his career as a Sales Representative of Guinness Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of Guinness Brewing Worldwide in Ghana, West Africa, before relocating to England to study. Sam has been named a Five Star Wealth Manager in Boston Magazine for 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.