The Board of Trustees

Neil Yaris has been involved with The Valerie Fund for close to 20 years. He joined the Board of Trustees in 2017 becoming the chair the following year. Neil is an incredibly effective leader and will continue in the role of board chair for a second two year term through October, 2022. Neil’s passion for continuing education is reflected in his support of scholarships to fulfill Valerie Fund patients’ secondary educational goals. After graduating from the Washington University in St. Louis, Neil worked at some of Wall Street’s biggest banks. Beginning his career as a Municipal Bond trader and then High Yield Bond trader at Goldman, Sachs & Co., Neil has served as a Managing Director at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette, Credit Suisse, Bank of America and at the Royal Bank of Canada, all in the capacity of High Yield Bond Trader and Head Trader.

JC Uva’s experience spans corporate and digital strategy, media sales, and finance. At MediaLink, JC works across many different clients, including traditional media companies, brands and ad tech. He leads the company’s work with strategic and financial investors who seek practical, actionable advice in evaluating specific assets or sectors for a potential transaction.

JC comes to MediaLink from Moelis & Company, where he was an investment banking Associate focusing on M&A and corporate restructuring. At Moelis, Uva worked on a number of complex transactions across multiple industries, including lodging, real estate, health care and power/utilities. In addition to supporting senior internal staff on various projects, he worked directly with private equity investors and company management on a wide range of financial analysis.

Prior to Moelis, Uva received his MBA from NYU Stern with specializations in finance and entertainment, media and technology. Before business school, he began his career at CNN, where he held a number of positions in advertising sales.

Brian is Of Counsel to the law firm of Williams, Caliri, Miller & Otley, PC in Wayne, New Jersey. Previously he was a member of the law firm of Fuhro & Beukas, LLC. His prior employment included professional staff positions with PricewaterhouseCoopers (previously Coopers & Lybrand), and KPMG. Brian is both a licensed CPA and practicing attorney. He is a member of the New Jersey State Society of CPA’s and the NJ State Bar Association. He is a Past President of the Passaic County NJ State Society of CPA’s. Mr. Fuhro and his family are residents of Kinnelon, NJ.

After growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., Barry attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a BS in Finance in 1977. He worked for CBS for three years in finance and marketing before returning to graduate school to get his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1982. From 1982 to 1990, Barry traded fixed income securities for Merrill Lynch, specializing in derivatives and zero coupon bonds. He went on to manage the zero coupon bonds area at DLJ, UBS, and Chase until 1998. Barry learned of The Valerie Fund in 1989 when he attended a dinner for a child being treated at The Valerie Fund Center at Overlook Hospital. He joined the Thanksgiving Ball Committee in 1991 and was asked to join the Board of Trustees in 1993. Barry served on the board until October 2003 when he joined the staff as Executive Director.

Merrie is currently VP of Business Development for FarmLogix she was previously Director of Business Development at Aramark Education. Previously, she was the Director of Business Development for First Transit University shuttle business east region. Prior to joining First Transit, Merrie was the Director of Business Development for ARAMARK Education covering the Northeastern United States. Preceding her tenure at ARAMARK Merrie worked for GE Plastics for over 20 years. She has been involved with The Valerie Fund since 1988 and has served as a member on the Board of Trustees for more than 15 years. Merrie has chaired the Annual Fashion Show and currently chairs the annual Thanksgiving Ball Gala, The Valerie Fund's signature event. Merrie and her husband, Eric, reside in Bridgewater Township, NJ.

Joe is a cancer survivor who was treated by Dr. Kam over 20 years ago. He is a Partner at McKinsey & Company, co- leading the Corporate Finance & Strategy Practice and McKinsey's Activist Investor Defense Team. Since joining McKinsey in 1999, Joe has worked on a wide range of corporate finance and investment related issues. Joe and his family are deeply appreciative of the support they received from the Valerie Fund when he was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease and is excited to help support the mission of the Valerie Fund. Joe holds an undergraduate degree from Yale and received MBA from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to McKinsey, Joe worked for Morgan Stanley. He lives in Short Hills, NJ with his wife Suni and twin children, Jonathan and Saffron.

Mr. DeNichilo is a Partner at Energy Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in North America’s energy infrastructure. He is involved in all areas of the firm’s investment activities, with particular emphasis on fossil and renewable power generation. Prior to joining Energy Capital in 2008, Mr. DeNichilo worked at JP Morgan in the Energy Investment Banking Group where he focused on leveraged finance and M & A transactions among independent power producers.
Mr. DeNichilo received a B.S.E. in Operations, Research and Financial Engineering from Princeton University. He currently resides in New York City with his wife Rachel Cecil.

Dominic and his family have been involved with the Valerie Fund since 2011 after his son was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and began treatment at Morristown Memorial Hospital. Since that time, Dominic has volunteered with fundraising to support the annual run/walk which included a Warren, NJ “Valerie Fund Pride Month” campaign that rallied local schools, businesses, and places of worship support for the Valerie Fund. Previous volunteer work has included fundraising for the American Cancer Society and coaching youth sports.

Dominic is currently Vice President of Asset Management at Competitive Power Ventures (CPV), a group of professionals dedicated to increasing America’s energy sustainability by providing safe, reliable, cost-effective and environmentally responsible electric power. His prior work in the energy space include time with LS Power and Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG). Dominic was also Managing Director at Black & Veatch, a global engineering firm specializing in building power, water, oil & gas, and telecommunication infrastructure. Dominic started his career serving in various positions at sea and ashore for the U.S. Coast Guard conducting and supporting search and rescue, law enforcement, and environmental protection on the high seas. Dominic earned his Masters of Science in engineering from the University of Illinois, Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and is a graduate of the Naval War College. He currently resides in Warren, NJ with his wife Karen. They have three children: Christian, Nathan, and Katherine.

Harriet has been involved with The Valerie Fund since it was founded. In addition to being a past Chairperson of the Board, Harriet has served on the Roast Committee and worked on numerous Holiday Parties, Fashion Shows, and Thanksgiving Balls ( which was founded while she was Chair). Currently, Harriet serves on the Major Gifts Committee. A certified teacher, she taught grammar school. Harriet currently runs her own company called Tagsale Unlimited. She is a long time Short Hills, NJ resident, and is very active in the community.

Chris Johnson is a seasoned entrepreneur and a highly regarded and respected leader in the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry. He grew up working in his father, Ron Johnson’s, Yum! Brands franchisee company, serving in roles across the organization.
He currently serves as CEO of Rackson Restaurants, a franchisee of Restaurant Brands lnternational's Burger King brand with over fifty-five restaurants located in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Chris has been recognized as one of the top franchisees in the country. This recognition is based on a ranking that includes sales, customer feedback, quality, cleanliness, and operational excellence. Although the restaurant industry was hit hard during the pandemic, none of the 1,500 mostly part-time workers faced layoffs which is highly consistent with Chris’ employee first philosophy.
Chris previously served on Burger King's Restaurant Council and currently sits on the board of the Burger King Foundation. Since 2017, his restaurants have enthusiastically participated in The Valerie Fund’s annual Burger King Coupon Campaign raising close to $90,000 to date. Chris serves as Co-Chair of the Board of Overseers for the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and has personally raised over $250,000 on behalf of the organization.
Chris received his Bachelor of Science at Boston College and his MBA at Columbia Business School. He is a former Fellow of Management Leadership of Tomorrow. He is married and has three young children.

Janet Keating has a degree in Cytotechnology (Microscopic Cancer Diagnosis) from Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT. Her professional experience includes employment in large NJ diagnostic laboratories as well as NJ hospitals. Prior to Janet's transition from career to motherhood, she was Cytology Lab Supervisor and Teaching Supervisor at Muhlenberg Hospital, Plainfield, NJ. Along with Janet's commitment to The Valerie Fund Board of Trustees since 1990 (Chairperson 2003-2006), her volunteerism includes The Junior League of Summit, Trinity-Pawling School Board of Trustees (Pawling, NY), and the Covenant House New York Corporate Board. A New Jersey native, Janet resides in Morristown, NJ. She is the mother of three adult children, Brian, Eric (childhood cancer survivor and former patient of The Valerie Fund), and Alison.

Dave first became involved with The Valerie Fund in 1992 as a leader of the team that began Morgan Stanley Rec Day. He is a partner of private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in London, England. Previously, Dave worked in the private equity and investment banking divisions of Morgan Stanley. Dave is a member of the Board of Directors of HD Supply, Rexel, and Italtel, and also serves on the Board of the NSPCC, a leading UK children's charity. He is a member of the European Private Equity Leadership Network, and Amherst College's Executive Committee of the Alumni Council. He graduated from Amherst College and received his MBA from Harvard Business School. Dave and his wife, Jane, have two boys, Ethan and Jonathan

Cara has served on the junior board for The Valerie Fund and has chaired CAREoke for the Kids, an industry event in its 19th year. She was honored at The Valerie Fund Thanksgiving Gala in 2019 for her tremendous contributions to the cause. Cara is currently the US Chief Investment Officer for dentsu’s media service line of business, overseeing all US investment activities including publisher direct media, biddable media, research, economic empowerment, productivity and strategic partnership. Her media career spans 24+ years, with five years of DTC experience between two of the biggest Pharmaceutical Companies (Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline). Cara was named as Cynopsis' Top Women in Media in 2020 as an Industry Leader. She was also honored as a She Runs It Working Mother of the Year in 2020. Cara's expertise is constantly tapped by industry reporters and has been featured in Adweek, Digiday, and MediaPost, to name a few. She is a breast cancer survivor and enjoys the beach, crafting, playing games, reading, sewing, traveling and most importantly being with her family.

Neil Mehta is a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs in the Global Investment Research. He oversees the North American Natural Resources Equity Research team, which includes a highly-ranked group of analysts with expertise in Oil and Gas, Utilities, Midstream, Metals & Mining and Clean Technology. Neil also leads coverage of large cap Energy equities, including ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and Chrevron. Mehta joined Goldman Sachs in 2008 after graduating Columbia University. He is Co-Chair of the Goldman Sachs Global Research Inclusion & Diversity Council and a senior sponsor for the Asian Professional Network and PhD Fellowship Program. Mehta resides in Maplewood, New Jersey along with his wife Paula and two young boys, Dev and Leo.

Julie has been involved with The Valerie Fund since 1993. She has been a volunteer counselor at Camp Happy Times and serves on the Marketing/Communications and Allocations Committee. She has also helped to solidify a long term strategic plan for The Valerie Fund. Julie is currently President at Adaptive Biotechnologies. She was a Senior Director at Pfizer, Inc. in Worldwide Commercial Development, Oncology Products. Julie previously worked at Johnson & Johnson and Collegiate Health Care. She was also a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley in the Global Health Care Group where she participated in the Morgan Stanley Rec Day Program. Julie earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and holds a dual degree BA/BSE from University of Pennsylvania and The Wharton School. She is married and the mother of three children.

Judith Schumacher-Tilton, President of Schumacher Chevrolet Auto Group, is an incredible Valerie Fund advocate. She is the past chairman of the General Motors Women's Dealer Advisory Council, has served on the Tri-State Chevrolet LMA Board for over 15 years and is a former director for Oritani Bank. Locally, she serves on the Montclair State University Foundation Board, the Boys and Girls Club of Clifton, and the Passaic County 200 Club Trustee Board. Judith is the vice-chairman of WASCO and she was recognized as an Ally Dealer Hero by Ally Financial because of her extensive charitable work and service to the local community. She is the co-founder of Give the Kids Hope Foundation, Inc, a 501(c)3 organization which contributes to supporting recreational and educational opportunities for underprivileged children in NJ. Her honors both as a Dealer and Entrepreneur are numerous and include recognitions by NJMonthly, New York Business Journal, and NJ Biz, as well as winning Northeast Regional TIME Dealer of the Year and was published in TIME Magazine as one of the four finalist for the 2012 national title. Winning the Distinguished Women Award from Northwood University in Michigan and she was also recipient of the Mary Mochary and Michael Kasser award for Philanthropic Leadership by Montclair State University.

Steve Squeri, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of American Express has supported The Valerie Fund’s annual American Express Charity Golf Tournament at Baltusrol Golf Club since 2007. His commitment ensures the success of this premiere fund raising event and he is dedicated to making it a memorable day for so many avid golfers like himself. For the last 28 years, Steve has made a significant impact on credit card business operations for American Express. He was instrumental in developing and implementing the company’s point-of-sale capabilities and has spearheaded the effort to grow merchants’ businesses through e-commerce programs. He is a member of the team shaping the future of American Express, responsible for developing the company’s strategic direction and determining key policies.

Sharon is currently a full time Mom who spends much of her free time volunteering in the nonprofit sector. She recently completed her tenure as a board member of the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Essex County which began in 2003. While on the board, she focused primarily on fundraising. Sharon continues in the role of coordinator for Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, who is a hosting site for IHN for two weeks a year. Sharon co-chairs an annual gift drive for The Metro Regional Diagnostic Treatment Center (RDTC) with a friend for the past 5 years. This drive provides gifts for over 150 children who are all victims of of sexual, and sometimes physical and emotional abuse. Sharon is a board member of Willa’s Wish, a charity started by Greg and Leslie Hsu Besner in honor of their daughter who suffers from Type 1 Diabetes. She began volunteering weekly at The Valerie Fund Center at St. Barnabas Hospital in 2008. She then moved into fundraising for this organization with an annual wine tasting along with her husband Josh. She is a firm believer in giving back to the community and does so by being a part of the social action committee ,Tikkun Olam ,at Congregation Bnai Jeshurun. Over the past 15 years she has done several volunteer projects with this committee. Some include holiday parties for the UMDMJ AIDS clinic, Boarder Babies, Gift card and toy drives for a number of non-profit organizations. Sharon received a Bachelor of Science in Textile Science and Marketing from the University of Maryland in 1992. She began her career at the USA Knitting Corporation, a manufacturer of neckwear and hair accessories, where she was the Manager of Production. She then became the owner of What 2 Wear Accessories, a small, but successful jewelry company. She is married to her husband Josh, and has two children, Jamie and Melanie.

Howard is a partner at Weiner Law Group where he is Co-Manager of the Litigation Department. He is a past chair of the board of trustees of The Valerie Fund. Howard is currently a member of the Operations Committee. Howard has served as pro bono legal counsel for many years, and is currently Co-Chair of the Committee for Legal and Business Affairs.

Tara is Vice President, Human Resources at American Express in New York City and is responsible for the Global Merchant and Network Services Group. Prior to her current role, Tara held senior positions in human resources at Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Revlon, and Merrill Lynch. Tara received her MS in Human Resources from the New School University and BA in Psychology from Syracuse University. Tara is a founding member of The Valerie Fund Sickle Cell Leadership Council through which she has worked to raise awareness of the effects of Sickle Cell in the African American community. She and her husband are also proud parents to two boys; the youngest, was a patient of the Valerie Fund Center at Saint Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, NJ.

Ron holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational psychology and has over 20 years of experience developing and implementing practical, business-driven solutions to complex organizational issues. Ron's training in psychology, coupled with his many years of corporate experience, have provided a strong foundation for addressing a wide range of challenges related to the development of individuals and organizations. As an executive coach, Ron has had significant success helping executives achieve breakthrough performance. He has provided high quality consulting to a wide range of Fortune 500 clients that include AT&T, Binney & Smith, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Colgate-Palmolive, Wachovia, Johnson & Johnson and various J&J companies, Kraft/Nabisco, Lucent Technologies, Morgan Stanley, Pharmacia, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Roche, SONY, and The Prudential. Ron is also a former chair of The Valerie Fund Board and father of Justin, a former Valerie Fund patient.

Joe has had a long career in media sales and marketing. He was President of Sales and Marketing at Canwest Mediaworks. He has also worked as Senior Vice President at Time Warner where he was responsible for all multi-platform integrated sales and marketing relationships across the US. Prior to that, Mr. Mangione was Senior Vice President, Global Client Solutions, at Turner Broadcasting. Previous positions included Publisher, Integrated Marketing at Better Homes and Gardens where his activities spanned print and TV properties. Mr. Mangione and his family are long time residents of Cedar Grove, NJ.

Krista may have joined The Valerie Fund board in 2018 but she can take credit for improving the quality of life for Valerie Fund hematology and oncology patients much earlier. Her advocacy of people living with serious chronic illnesses is the hallmark of a career in biopharmaceuticals spanning more than 30 years. Prior to her retirement in 2019 she led the hemoglobinopathy research and development activities at CRISPR Therapeutics, a gene-editing company. Krista and her team brought CTX001 into the clinic as a potentially curative therapy for β thalassemia and sickle cell disease (SCD). This product uses a patient’s own cells and CRISPR Cas9 technology (a type of molecular scissors) to turn on fetal hemoglobin production and correct the underlying anemia.
Prior to joining CRISPR Therapeutics, Krista was a Franchise Global Program Head at Novartis. During her 14 year tenure at Novartis, she was instrumental in developing the first oral iron chelation therapy approved for use in the U.S. - Exjade®, and an improved formulation known as Jadenu®. These medications bind iron, and treat iron overload, a potentially life-threatening condition that is the result of frequent blood transfusions that many patients with SCD and thalassemia receive. The body has no natural way to remove this iron and prior to achieving continuous chelation just by drinking Exjade ® once daily, standard treatment was in the form of IV infusions – a pump and a needle in the stomach that could take up to 12 hours a day to administer. Compliance rates soared when Exjade® and Jadenu® became available and forever changed the lives of those with sickle cell disease, thalassemia and other blood disorders.
Krista’s career in pharmaceuticals began as a sales representative with Merrell Pharmaceuticals in Toronto. A dual citizen of Canada and the United States, she spent 14 years at the Johnson & Johnson family of companies beginning in Canada at Ortho Biotech, and continuing her career in various roles at Johnson & Johnson in the U.S., including work on the global team responsible for the anemia-fighting drug Procrit®/Eprex®. Krista also champions under-served populations in her capacity as an advisor to Hemex Health, a company developing low cost malaria and sickle cell disease diagnostics for Africa, India and other developing countries with high prevalence of these diseases. She promotes women’s entrepreneurial growth as a mentor at Springboard. She holds a BSc (HON) in Applied Health Studies from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University. In her spare time, Krista enjoys skiing, golfing, boating, cooking and learning about wine.

Debbie is a graduate of The University of Arizona. She was formerly president of DSI Interiors, a design firm based in Chicago and New York. Debbie has been actively involved with The Valerie Fund since 2003. She helped establish a fund to provide transportation for Valerie Fund patients and families to be able get to the centers for treatment. Debbie and her daughter, Nicole, also co-founded an endowment fund to ensure the continuation of the Saint Barnabas Valerie Fund Center holiday party. She currently resides in Short Hills NJ with her husband Howard and her three daughters.

Joe is currently the Chairman & CEO of HMG Media. Joe recently held positions as Executive Advisor for Telemundo, and Chairman, Hispanic Enterprises & Content at NBCUniversal.
Joe was President & Chief Executive Officer of Univision Communications Inc., the premier Spanish-language media company in the United States. Since he joined the Company in April 2007, Univision has achieved consistent growth through the successes of its three television networks – Univision, TeleFutura and Galavisión – and its radio and online operations. Under Mr. Uva’s leadership, the Univision Network has consistently outdelivered at least one of the other major networks in primetime among adults and Univision.com has seen double-digit traffic growth and maintained its position as the #1 Internet destination within the U.S. among Spanish-dominant and bilingual Hispanics.
Prior to Univision, Mr. Uva served as President and CEO of OMD Worldwide, an Omnicom Group Company, from January 2002 until March 2007. He oversaw all of OMD’s global operations. During his tenure, OMD was twice recognized as Global Media Agency of the Year by industry leading publications and was consistently ranked as the most awarded media agency in the world by The Gunn Report.
Before OMD, Mr. Uva was President of Turner Entertainment Group Sales and Marketing for Turner Broadcasting Sales, Inc. (TBSI). He handled all domestic sales and marketing for TBS Superstation, TNT, Cartoon Network, Turner South and Turner Sports. Additionally, he worked with corporate marketers in the area of licensing and promotion in the development of integrated marketing programs and oversaw the company’s barter/trade operations.
Mr. Uva joined TBSI in 1984 as an advertising sales account executive with CNN, later serving as Executive Vice President for CNN Sales worldwide.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of TiVo, Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO). Mr. Uva also serves on several non-profit boards including the Ad Council and the International Radio & Television Society Foundation and is a member of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer.
He has been honored by Young Audiences New York and The Valerie Fund for his commitment to children, and has received numerous awards from the media and advertising industries for his professional achievements. He was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in October 2007.
Mr. Uva holds a bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric & Communications from the State University of New York at Albany.

Diane is currently the Vice President of Clinical Development at Novartis Oncology. In this position, she leads a global group of clinical research personnel and oversees the development of a diverse pipeline of oncology and hematology products, including targeted therapies, cytotoxic chemotherapy, and iron chelation therapy. She has pursued her career in research in the pharmaceutical industry for eighteen years, with positions of increasing responsibility at Hoffman-La Roche, Sandoz, and Johnson and Johnson, prior to joining Novartis. Diane lives in Far Hills, NJ, and has two children, Shannon and Ryan.

Dom was first introduced to The Valerie Fund in early 2019 through the organization’s now 30-year partnership with Morgan Stanley. Starting out as a junior chair in his first campaign, Dom then proceeded to sustain the relationship throughout COVID, successfully executing two virtual campaigns with the help of his fellow co-chairs. Non-profit work has been a constant in Dom’s life, stemming from childhood interactions with local Ronald McDonald houses and Polish organizations, such as Polish Childrens Heartline. He is incredibly excited to help revitalize the Young Professionals Network and ultimately create a series of events and initiatives that become recurring annual traditions that bolster young professional exposure and engagement. Dom graduated from Duke University in 2017 with a B.S. in Economics and a minor in Psychology, and currently works as an Investment Banking Associate at Morgan Stanley.

As a Young Professionals Network Board Co-Chair, Dom oversees the Membership & Communications Committee.

Manav first became involved with The Valerie Fund in 2021 while at Morgan Stanley when helping to coordinate the firm's annual Valerie Fund giving campaign. Philanthropy, especially relating to expanding medical access, economic opportunity, and access to education, has been an important part of his life. As a member of the Young Professionals Network, he is excited to continue to support the growing reach and impact of The Valerie Fund and help bring smiles to patients across the tri-state area. Manav is currently an investment professional at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, where he focuses on investments in various areas of healthcare. He began his career as an Analyst at Morgan Stanley in the Investment Banking Division after graduating from Miami University with a Finance major and Italian minor.
As a Young Professionals Network Board Co-Chair, Manav oversees the Events Committee.

Chuck Kohaut is a Senior Director on Cushman & Wakefield’s Equity, Debt & Structured Finance group, where he specializes in raising debt and equity for commercial real estate across all major asset classes with a particular focus on the New York Metropolitan area. Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield, Chuck spent six years in institutional investment sales at Newmark, CBRE, and Colliers International. Chuck graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in Business Management Consulting and Sociology. He has been involved with The Valerie Fund through his family since childhood, and has been a counselor at the Valerie Fund's Camp Happy Times since 2014.

As a Young Professionals Network Board Co-Chair, Chuck oversees the Sponsorships Committee.

Matthew Hirschfeld is a proud lifelong New Yorker. He first began leading volunteer initiatives in his local community in sixth grade and hopes to always continue doing so. Advocating for expanded and improved medical access is something that is near and dear to Matthew’s heart. While at Harvard College, Matthew served as Co-President of the Harvard Undergraduate Global Health Forum, President of the Harvard Undergraduate Bioethics Society, and Co-Director of the Harvard Human Rights Working Group, among other engagements. Matthew studied Chemistry and Computer Science at Harvard, graduating Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and with Highest Honors. Matthew began his career in Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley and is Senior Chair of the Morgan Stanley Valerie Campaign, an annual multi-divisional effort that has raised over $4MM.

Matthew sits on the Young Professionals Network Sponsorships Committee.

Niki has been an active member of The Valerie Fund Junior Board since 2015 but has been volunteering for The Valerie Fund since 2005. Shortly after graduating from The University of Delaware in 2015 she started working at Twitter in New York City and is currently a Client Account Manager on the Tech team.

Sarah Arrighi is a graduate of Villanova University Class of 2020 with a B.S in Mechanical Engineering and concentration in Solid Mechanics. Her grandparents lost their daughter to Leukemia and became involved with the Goldsteins, the founders of The Valerie Fund. It is their legacy for giving back that she hopes to keep alive with a charity that is very close to her family’s heart. Sarah currently works as a Systems Engineering in the Space and Airborne Systems Sector of L3Harris Technologies.

Sarah sits on the Young Professionals Network Events Committee.

Sara Rutherford joined The Valerie Fund's Young Professionals Network Board in early 2023 and is honored to support the organization and mission. Originally from Chicago and working in financial services, Sara moved to New York City to begin a new role at the International Rescue Committee (IRC). At IRC, she is a Sr. Financial Analyst, assisted first-hand with the Afghanistan SIV program in Virginia/D.C. and worked with Ukrainian refugees in Italy. Sara graduated from Butler University in 2019.

Sara sits on the Young Professional Network's Sponsorships Committee.

Andrew Ecoff joined The Valerie Fund Junior board in 2022 and has been involved with the organization since late 2020. He was introduced to The Valerie Fund during his time at Morgan Stanley. As a Senior Chair for the firm’s 30th annual Valerie Fund campaign, Andrew helped raise over $200k to go towards Camp Happy Times and the critical psychosocial services The Valerie Fund provides to patients. Andrew graduated from Northeastern University with a major in Finance and Entrepreneurship. He currently works as a Global Capital Markets Associate at Morgan Stanley.

Andrew sits on the Young Professionals Network Membership & Communications Committee.

Jeremy graduated from Duke University in 2017 with a B.A. in Computer Science. He joined Deloitte Consulting where he worked with clients in the pharmaceutical industry to improve patient access and adherence to life-saving medication. Jeremy started his first year in medical school at New York Medical College in the summer of 2022. He also has prior experience performing research in the oncology space and looks to continue his passion for supporting this patient population as a member of The Valerie Fund's Young Professionals Network Board.

Jeremy sits on the Young Professionals Network Membership & Communications Committee.

Amanda joined The Valerie Fund's Young Professionals Network Board in 2023 after attending their fundraising event in 2022. She graduated from Duke University in 2017 with a B.S. in Statistical Science and a minor in Economics. Since graduation, Amanda has worked at Morgan Stanley. Amanda is currently a Vice President on the Quantitative and Derivative Strategies team within the Institutional Equities Division at Morgan Stanley. Amanda previously spent time working with students through Student Sponsor Partners and she is excited to continue working to support young adults through The Valerie Fund's Young Professionals Network Board.

Amanda sits on the Young Professionals Network Events Committee.

Jacob Weiss joined The Valerie Fund's Young Professionals Network Board in 2023. He first became involved with The Valerie Fund during his time at Morgan Stanley helping to coordinate the firm’s annual Valerie Fund campaign. Jacob is looking forward to increasing his involvement with the organization and is especially excited for Camp Happy Times! Jacob graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Computer Science and currently works as an investment associate at Arsenal Capital Partners.

Jacob sits on the Young Professionals Network Sponsorships Committee.

Brian is an investment professional based in New York. Previously, he worked within strategy and operations for some of the largest healthcare companies in the nation. He started as an entrepreneur in the toy industry and earned his BA from Temple University. Brian joins The Valerie Fund dedicated to affecting positive change in healthcare, particularly by improving the quality and accessibility of patient services.

Brian sits on the Young Professionals Network Events Committee.

Brianna is a young professional living in New York City, working as an Analyst on the Centurion Product Team at American Express. Her proudest role, however, is being a pediatric cancer advocate and Valerie Fund kid. In 2007 the then-nine-year-old New Jersey native was busy being a kid when she was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Now a 14-year cancer survivor, Brianna has become a national spokesperson for childhood cancer, spoken before the US Congress about a bill to help develop new childhood cancer treatments, and helped raise more than $73 million for national pediatric cancer organizations. Brianna graduated from the University of Miami in 2020 with a Business Degree and is a UM 30 Under 30 honoree.

Brianna sits on the Young Professionals Network Sponsorships Committee.

Tamara Jean Charles first became acquainted with The Valerie Fund as a patient at a very young age. She has proudly been in remission for 21 years and currently works as a Junior Treasury Management Service Excellence Specialist at Valley National Bank. Tamara received a Financial Planning Certificate at the University of Phoenix and is concurrently working towards a Bachelor of Science with a Small Business Management Certificate. She stays actively involved with The Valerie Fund through her work as a counselor at Camp Happy Time. She loves to organize events and plan fundraisers and is excited to leverage her past experiences for the Young Professionals Network.

Tamara sits on the Young Professionals Network Events Committee.

Derek Gonzalez is a Miami native living in New York City. Derek graduated from the University of Miami School of Business with a BBA in Finance and is passionate about markets, technology, music, and law. He became a pediatric cancer philanthropist and advocate in college and has attended and participated in numerous pediatric cancer events and organizations such as Hyundai Hope on Wheels, the Financial Services Cares Gala, and The Valerie Fund's Young Professionals Network (formerly the Junior Board) Decennial Gala in 2022.

Derek sits on the Young Professionals Network Membership & Communications Committee.

Erin O’Sullivan graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2019 with a degree in Business. Having supported various pediatric cancer organizations throughout her life, Erin attended her first Valerie Fund Young Professionals Network Gala in 2022 and helped in gathering donations for the silent auction. Erin now works at FullBeauty brands as a Fashion Merchandiser. She is also signed with the modeling agency, State Management.

Erin sits on the Young Professionals Network Events Committee.

Matt was first exposed to The Valerie Fund in 2020 through the organization’s long-standing partnership with Morgan Stanley. Initially serving as a junior chair in his first campaign, he became a senior chair for the firm’s 30th annual Valerie Fund campaign, raising over $200K for the patients of The Valerie Fund. Matt has a strong passion for non-profit work and has been actively involved with various Catholic charities and medical organizations throughout his life. Matt began his career as an Analyst in the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley, and he currently works as an investment professional in the healthcare group at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. Matt holds a B.S. and B.A. in finance and theology from Georgetown University.

Matt sits on the Young Professionals Network Events Committee.