Lawrence H. Gennari
Chair of the Board of Directors
Lawrence H. Gennari, Chair of the Board of Directors
Lawrence is a corporate and transactional lawyer and the co-founder of Gennari Aronson, LLP, a boutique law firm serving public and private companies in a variety of industries, as well as entrepreneurs, investors, executives, and board members.
Larry started his career at Ropes & Gray and prior to forming Gennari Aronson, he was a Partner at Choate Hall & Stewart in Boston. He carries a Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ rating and has been named a New England Super Lawyer for both mergers & acquisitions and securities and corporate finance since the inception of the publication. In a recent New England Super Lawyers edition, Larry was ranked in the New England Top 100 Lawyers category.
For more than fifteen years as an Adjunct Professor at Boston College Law School, Larry taught courses on Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Finance, and Advising Entrepreneurs. He developed one of the Law School’s newest courses, Project Entrepreneur, a student-led business fundamentals bootcamp for entrepreneurs with criminal records, many of whom were previously incarcerated. Larry frequently comments and contributes on corporate finance, venture capital, and entrepreneurial topics in publications and as a guest speaker at industry events and seminars.
He earned a J.D. from the College of William and Mary, where he served as editor-in-chief of the William & Mary Law Review, as well as a B.S. in Accounting, summa cum laude, from North Adams State College, where he was the Massachusetts Society of CPA’s outstanding student.
Carol Fulp
Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
Carol Fulp, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
Carol is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fulp Diversity Consultants, where she assists CEOs and their organizations in advancing diversity and inclusion. She previously served as President and CEO of The Partnership, the nationally recognized professional services firm that helps organizations advance and retain multi-culturals. She is also the author of Success Through Diversity: Why The Most Inclusive Companies Will Win, a book praised by Publishers Weekly and Booklist.
Given her own experiences in the workplace and in advising companies on diversity practice, Carol is deeply committed to promoting how people of different races and ethnicities represent an essential asset to contemporary companies and organizations.
She serves on the board of trustees for Eastern Bank and as well as the board of directors for the New England College of Business and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Her civic involvement includes the Harvard Kennedy School Women’s Leadership Board, trustee of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation, as well as founding co-chair of the Massachusetts Conference for Women, the largest professional women’s conference in the country.
Carol received the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Bostonian Award, was noted as one of the “50 Most Influential Bostonians” by Boston Business Journal, and named one of the “21 Most Powerful People in Boston Business” by Boston Magazine in 2017.
A graduate of the University of the State of New York, she also received honorary doctorates from New England Law Boston, Salem State University, and Suffolk University Sawyer Business School, where she served as commencement speaker.
Stephanie Crimmins
Board of Directors
Stephanie Crimmins, Board of Directors
Stephanie is the Chief Executive Officer of Volvo Car Mobility, USA, a shared mobility service dedicated to providing city residents a high quality alternative to car ownership. She is also the Founder & CEO of SMC Ventures, a strategy and management consulting firm that specializes in scaling businesses, funding sources, and marketing and partnership strategies. Stephanie is a passionate advocate for mentoring and empowering young women.
With more than 25 years business experience in investing and operating roles, she is known for her excellent interpersonal and communication skills and for building and leading teams with track records of achieving sales and operational goals, creating strong cross-functional relationships, and coaching and mentoring across all levels of an organization.
Stephanie’s early foundation was in money management and private equity when she led strategy, business development and built and ran a business unit for a large publicly traded company.
Stephanie is an Advisory Board member of Sasaki Foundation, a Babson College WIN Lab Mastermind Executive in Residence, and an angel investor. She holds a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.
Patty Diaz-Andrade
Board of Directors
Patty Diaz-Andrade, Board of Directors
Patty Diaz-Andrade is a first-generation college graduate who joined OneGoal as the founding Executive Director of OneGoal, Massachusetts. In this role, Patty launched the OneGoal program across six Massachusetts school districts (enrolling 600+ students in the program), secured close to $4M across the region’s critical start-up years, and built an incredible team highly focused on student post-secondary success. Patty now leads the New Delivery Model work with the hopes of aggressively accelerating OneGoal’s reach across the country and in so doing, closing the degree divide in America.
Prior to joining OneGoal, Patty directed the Strategic Data Project fellowship program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Center for Education Policy Research. She began her career in education as a teacher in New York City, after earning a B.A. from Cornell University in Government and Economics. Patty also holds a M.A. in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the Steinhardt Graduate School of Education at New York University. She is a mother to two boys – Noah and Ivan.
Thomas R. Graf
Board of Directors
Thomas R. Graf, Board of Directors
Thomas was appointed by the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) Board of Directors as its Executive Director in December 1999. MEFA is a not-for-profit, self-financing state authority whose mission is to promote the economic development of the Massachusetts higher education industry by helping families plan, save, and pay for college. For nearly twenty years, Thomas has led MEFA in expanding education financing services to the students and families in Massachusetts.
Thomas began his public service career in 1979 as a legislative aid. Since then, he has served as Co-Director of the Governor’s Legislative Office, Deputy Budget Director of the Fiscal Affairs Division, and Budget Director for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
In addition to his current role at MEFA, Thomas also serves on a number of local community boards. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Merrimack College.
Ken Jones
Board of Directors
Ken Jones, Board of Directors
Ken is the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at John T. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation, the ninth-largest foundation with $6.8B in assets. He oversees the finance, accounting, and administrative functions. Ken has worked in the nonprofit sector for the last 15 years, most recently as VP and CFO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. He previously held corporate finance positions at Prudential, Ford Motor, Pfizer and Mirant corporations.
In 2018, Ken was recognized by DCA Live as a Star CFO recipient and he was selected as a Presidential Scholar at Concordia College New York. In 2017, Ken was an Arthur Vining Davis Fellow for the Aspen Ideas Festival. Ken also participated in the Council of Foundations’ Career Pathways Program and the Johns Hopkins University Foundation’s Program. In 2010, Ken was selected as a Who’s Who Black Baltimore recipient.
Ken holds a B.A. degree from Boston University, an M.A. from the University of Buffalo and an M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Emily McCann
Board of Directors
Emily McCann, Board of Directors
Emily McCann is a Social Entrepreneur and former CEO of Citizen Schools, a national nonprofit devoted to education equity. Prior to her role as CEO, Emily served as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and President during her 13-year tenure with Citizen Schools. She played an instrumental role in launching new regions, building the organization’s infrastructure and overseeing growth strategy, business planning, and financial management. Under Emily’s leadership, Citizen Schools has served over 45,000 students and engaged 10,000 volunteers in its expanded day programs and has supported teachers and communities in offering Citizen Schools’ signature blend of mentorship and hands-on, real world learning to nearly 200,000 high-need students across 22 communities. Emily represents Citizen Schools on several Commissions and Advisory Boards, including the Aspen Institute’s National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development Partners’ Collaborative.
Prior to joining Citizen Schools, Emily worked as an Associate in Business Planning and Development for the Walt Disney Corporation, supporting the design and development of new cruise ships, resorts, and attractions for Disney’s leading theme park, Walt Disney World. Emily also served as an Associate in J.P. Morgan’s North American Chemicals Mergers & Acquisitions Department, where she supported the analysis and closure of multiple deals. Currently, Emily serves on several National Advisory Boards including Fiduciary Trust’s Charitable Foundation, Teach Plus, and Good Sports. She also serves as a member of Harvard Business School’s Social Impact Steering Committee and as a dedicated coach and volunteer in the Needham Public Schools.
Emily graduated cum laude with a degree in English Language and Literature from Harvard University in 1994 and earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1999.
She lives in Needham, MA with her husband Sean, a secondary school history teacher, coach and admissions officer, and their four children.
Alex Rappaport
Board of Directors
Alex Rappaport, Board of Directors
Alex is an entrepreneur with a focus on education and social enterprise. In 2004, Alex co-founded Flocabulary, a music-based learning platform for students in grades K-12. Under Alex’s leadership as CEO for the past 15 years, Flocabulary reached millions of students around the world and grew into one of the most unique and recognizable brands in K-12 education. In addition to partnering with some of the nation’s largest school districts, Flocabulary also formed partnerships with Turnaround Arts, Bill and Melinda Gates, and The UN. In 2019, Alex led Flocabulary through a successful acquisition by Nearpod. Together, the two companies support students and educators through a comprehensive learning and engagement platform.
Alex currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Future Now, a political organization focused on elections and policy at the state level. He is also on the advisory board of Music in Schools Today, a nonprofit that supports and develops music programming to help underserved students achieve. Fast Company magazine named him one of the Most Creative People in Business, and he is an Executive Member of the International Association of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). A frequent speaker on education, innovation, and entrepreneurship, Alex has presented at the World Knowledge Forum in Seoul, Korea, the Yidan Prize Summit in Hong Kong and at dozens of education and business events across the United States. He graduated from Tufts University with a degree in music and lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and two daughters.
Peter Segall
Board of Directors
Peter Segall, Board of Directors
Peter is a CEO with a successful track record of growing innovative software and service businesses in the education, human capital management, and healthcare industries. As Managing Director at Insight Venture Partners, Peter evaluates potential investments with the investment team, and serves as mentor and executive coach to Executive teams.
He formerly led one of Insight’s portfolio company investments, serving as CEO and President of HealthcareSource, a high-growth, leading provider of talent management software to hospitals and other healthcare providers. Previously, Peter served as President North America Higher Education and member of the Senior Executive Team at Blackboard Inc., was EVP Sales and a member of the Board of Directors at WebCT, and a Partner in the Coopers & Lybrand Higher Education Consulting Group. He also currently serves on the Board of Governors for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Peter is an expert at building SaaS businesses, and is passionate about growing companies with positive, team-oriented cultures that create meaningful value for all stakeholders: customers, employees, partners, and investors.
Carla Thompson Payton
Board of Directors
Carla Thompson Payton, Board of Directors
Carla is Vice President for program strategy at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan where she supports efforts to promote thriving children, working families, and equitable communities.
Carla provides leadership and management for the creative and strategic direction of programming from design through implementation, evaluation, and dissemination. As a member of the executive team, she is also responsible for the overall direction and leadership of the foundation.
In 2012, Carla was deputy director of the Office of Child Care at the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. There, she was responsible for developing national early childhood education policy, managing the $5 billion annual budget of the Child Care Development Fund and providing oversight to 10 regional offices serving states, tribes, and territories. Previously, she was assistant superintendent for early childhood education for the District of Columbia, where she initiated the first publicly funded pre-kindergarten program. She has held former positions with the Department of Education and Department of Public Welfare for the state of Pennsylvania, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and the U.S. Department of Education.
Carla has been honored for her leadership in early childhood education by the Administration for Children and Families, the Children’s Defense Fund, and the Temple University Institute on Disabilities. She also has served on boards and committees for nonprofit associations and professional organizations. In addition, she is the author of three publications related to school readiness and advocacy. The Huffington Post features Carla as a regular blogger, and she has been cited in numerous news media for her expertise.
Carla received her B.A. from Syracuse University in New York. She holds an M.A. in social work and a Ph.D. in educational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
