The Junior Board

Ryan attended his first event held by The Valerie Fund in 2012, and became more involved in the organization by joining the Junior Board in 2016. Ryan graduated from Princeton University in 2013 with a B.S.E. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He currently works as a Senior Consultant in the Life Sciences division at a strategy consulting firm called Simon-Kucher & Partners, primarily working with pharmaceutical and biotech clients.

Nicki Schiller has been involved with the Valerie Fund since 2005 when she began raising money for the annual Saint Barnabas Valerie Fund Center Holiday Party. She set up an endowment fund, with the help of her mother Debbie, to ensure the continuation of the holiday party. Nicki also volunteered at the Saint Barnabas Valerie Fund Center. Nicki recently graduated from the University of Michigan and now lives in NYC. She works at Oscar Health Insurance, which is a start-up that is trying to reform the health insurance industry.

Greg has been a proud and active supporter of The Valerie Fund Junior Board since 2013. Greg grew up in Mendham, New Jersey and is motivated to work with The Valerie Fund because of the organization’s ties to his home town area. Greg currently works at Magnitude Capital as a Vice President after starting his career at Credit Suisse. Greg was a four-year monogram winner for the University of Notre Dame baseball team. He graduated with a B.S. in finance from the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame in 2011.

Dan was introduced to the Valerie Fund in 2014 by a friend Don Robinson, the director of finance at the Valerie Fund. Dan first got involved as a volunteer at the 2014 Rec Day, where volunteers usually spend an entire day with the kids in the arcade center, and upon moving to New York City he joined the Junior Board and has been actively involved in all board initiatives since. After visiting Camp Happy Times in the summer of 2016 and seeing the significant impact The Valerie Fund has on the lives of the kids it supports firsthand, Dan took up the role of the education chair within the board to spread the word of such worthy cause even further. Dan is currently an associate at Morgan Stanley Investment Management in New York, primarily working with Asia private equity funds.

Molly joined the Valerie Fund Junior Board in November 2017 after participating in a fundraising campaign for the charity in her office. After spending a day at Camp Happy Times and meeting some of the children that benefit directly from the organization, Molly was committed to continuing to work with the organization on a more regular basis. Last year during the planning process for the annual gala, Molly helped procure silent auction donations from RSM partners and engaged her alumni network to identify a designer for the gala’s promotional materials. Molly graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Accounting and Marketing in 2013, and currently works as a Supervisor in the Business Risk & Consulting Practice at RSM.

Kieran has been a member of the Valerie Fund Junior Board since 2015. He graduated from Bentley University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance. He currently works as a VP in Equity Research at Credit Suisse

Patrick became an active supporter of The Valerie Fund in 2015. Patrick attended the University of Tampa, where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in the Science of Accounting. He currently works as a Senior Auditor at Deloitte & Touche LLP, and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Kathleen recently joined The Valerie Fund Junior Board in 2017 after running a fundraising campaign in her office for the charity, raising over $80,000. Kathleen was inspired to continue her work with the organization after having a chance to meet some of the individuals who have benefitted from the services and care of the Valerie Fund. Kathleen graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Finance and Marketing in 2014, and currently works as a Senior Associate in the Risk Advisory Practice at RSM.

Ian Carow is excited to contribute to the mission of The Valerie Fund Junior Board and make a meaningful impact in the lives of children with cancer and blood disorders. Ian joined the Junior Board in 2015 after being introduced to The Valerie Fund's great work by high school friends and junior board members Greg Sherry and Matt Crnkovich. He currently works at Alvarez and Marsal as a consultant in their Financial Services practice, and began his career working at Deutsche Bank in MBS and Securitized Product Strategy from 2011 to 2015. Ian graduated form Vanderbilt University in 2011 with a BA in Economics and History, and grew up in central New Jersey.

Pat Clancy currently serves as a member of the Junior Board of The Valerie Fund. He first became involved with The Valerie Fund in 2014 while working as an Analyst at Morgan Stanley in the Leveraged Finance Group and was co-chair of the Firm’s entirely analyst-run fundraising campaign in 2015, the same year he joined the Junior Board. After visiting Camp Happy Times in the summer of 2014, Pat found the impact that the Valerie fund has on the children truly remarkable and considers himself fortunate to have the opportunity to work with such a great organization (and of course the kids!). Pat graduated from The McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University in 2013 with a B.S. in Finance and International Business and a minor in Economics. Today, he works as an associate at KKR & Co. in New York.

Jacob has spent 3 years working with the Valerie Fund since he moved to NYC in 2014. While working at Morgan Stanley, Jacob served as a senior chairperson of the Morgan Stanley - Valerie Fund Partnership, which is an entirely analyst run program that supports, educates and fundraises for The Valerie Fund across the United States. In his two years there, he helped to raise over $350,000 for the Fund. Jacob currently works as an associate at Lindsay Goldberg and continues to be involved with the Fund and its junior board. Jacob received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina.

Natalie Hojnacki recently joined The Valerie Fund Junior Board in 2017 after attending the Spring Junior Board Gala in 2016 and volunteering at the Taste of Giving in February. Natalie became inspired to help after talking to patients and survivors that have had life altering experiences from the services and care that the Valerie Fund provides. She is a Vice President of Strategy, focusing specifically on M&A and external strategy at Annaly Capital Management, a mortgage real estate investment trust. Natalie attended Lehigh University, where she was a member and captain of the women’s soccer team. She graduated with a B.S. in Finance in 2010 and a M.S. in Economics in 2011.

Spencer has been a member of the Junior Board and Young Associate of The Valerie Fund since 2014. Spencer graduated Babson College in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. He currently works as a Senior Associate at RFE Investment Partners.

Richard became involved with The Valerie Fund in 2013 when his grandmother passed away from cancer. His grandparents were lifelong summer camp owners, which Richard attended for over ten years. As a former camper he appreciates the value that Camp Happy Times provides children struggling with cancer, even if only for a week. Richard graduated from the Kelley School of business at Indiana University and holds a B.S. in Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting and Finance. He is currently an investment professional at Thomas Weisel Global Growth Partners and is a non-practicing CPA.

Gabe has been a Junior Board member and Young Associate of The Valerie Fund since 2013. After helping plan two successful and meaningful annual Mardi Gras Galas, Gabe is excited to become a Valerie Fund educational liaison. Gabe graduated from Cornell University in 2011 with a B.A. in Economics and is currently an associate in the Debt Capital Markets group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Veronica Lopez joined The Valerie Fund Junior Board in 2015 through a high school friend on the board and after attending the Spring Junior Board Gala. Veronica is motivated to help raise funds for The Valerie Fund to help children with cancer and blood disorders receive the support they need to enjoy their childhood. Veronica is the strategic associate at MK&A, a consulting firm that specializes in patient advocacy, including previous strategic planning work with The Valerie Fund. Veronica has an MPH in Health Policy Analysis from Columbia University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.

Bobby became involved with The Valerie Fund in 2014 after attending his first Junior Board Gala that year and witnessing the tremendous support for the organization. Bobby looks forward to increasing his involvement and contributing to this meaningful cause. Bobby graduated from Georgetown University in 2013 with a B.A. in Government and minor in Economics. Today, Bobby works as an analyst at The Blackstone Group in New York.

Jeff has been actively involved with The Valerie Fund since joining Morgan Stanley as an Investment Banking analyst in 2011. After co-leading the 21st annual Morgan Stanley fundraising campaign, he had the opportunity to spend a day with some of the children of TVF at Camp Happy Times and was immediately motivated to continue to work for and support both this organization and all of the wonderful programs it hosts. He joined the Junior Board in June of 2013 and became a Co-Chair at the end of that summer. Jeff graduated from Northwestern University in 2011 with a B.A. in Economics and currently works as an investment associate at Vestar Capital.

Sean began working with the Valerie Fund as a Junior Board member in 2013 when he moved to NYC from Chicago. In his capacity as a Junior Board member, Sean helped plan and organize the annual Mardi Gras Gala and other fundraising events that support The Valerie Fund. After being exposed to the organization's mission and leadership team, Sean broadened his involvement with The Valerie Fund by working as a Young Associate, a capacity in which he continues to be involved today. After graduating from Northwestern University, Sean worked for several years at McKinsey & Company before joining Compass, a real estate technology firm, where he leads their expansion efforts.

Dustin Zhang joined the Junior Board in 2016 after being introduced by friends and fellow board members Greg Sherry and Matt Crnkovich. Dustin is proud to contribute to the Valerie Fund and its mission of helping children with cancer and blood disorders. Dustin grew up in Calgary, Alberta and attended the University of Notre Dame on a golf scholarship. He graduated with a B.S. in Finance from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business in 2011. Dustin currently works on the investment team at Water Island Capital, a New York based mutual fund.