The New York Common Pantry Board of Directors includes leaders across the business, beauty, and culinary industries.
BOARD OFFICERS
Margie Sung
Board Chair
Margie Sung spent 14 years on Wall Street advising hedge funds and mutual funds on their equity portfolios. Margie joined the NYCP Board in 2014 and was appointed co-chair of the Development Committee shortly thereafter. She also served on the Executive and Food Professionals Committees. Margie was the co-chair of our Fill The Bag Benefit from 2016-2020 and in 2022, she was honored with the “The Distinguished Partner Award,” recognizing her extraordinary volunteerism, dedication and service to NYCP. Under her and Ed Brown’s leadership, the annual Dick Cattani Memorial Golf Outing was created to honor the memory of R/A’s former CEO and NYCP’s Board member. Margie and her husband Michael Schmidtberger are members of NYCP’s Bread and Butter major donor circle.
Ed Brown
Board Vice Chair
Chef Ed Brown is Chief Executive Officer for Restaurant Associates (R/A) and Officer of its parent company, Compass Group. For more than 30 years, Chef Ed has cultivated culinary prowess by working in some of the most celebrated kitchens in the world, earning wide acclaim, including a Michelin star and 14 stars from The New York Times. He joined the NYCP Board in 2023. Under his and Margie Sung’s leadership, the annual Dick Cattani Memorial Golf Outing was created to honor the memory of R/A’s former CEO and NYCP’s Board member. Chef Ed is a member of the Executive Committee and currently chairs the Golf Outing Committee.
Elaine Clark
Board Vice Chair and Community Partners Committee Chair
Elaine Clark is the former Regional Head of Corporate Communications, ING Americas and brings more than 20 years of corporate marketing and communications experience to NYCP. Elaine currently serves as NYCP Board Vice Chair, chairs the Community Partners Committee and is a regular volunteer in the Choice Pantry program. A Board member since 2010, she has helped to spearhead corporate volunteerism for NYCP. Elaine served as Board Chair from July 2019 – June 2023, is a member of the Executive Committee and chairs the Community Partners Committee.
Thad Davis
Development Committee Chair
Thad Davis is currently a Senior Managing Director in Investment Banking at Leerink Partners. Thad shares responsibility for healthcare sector coverage with a specific focus in the healthcare technology, digital health, and behavioral sub-sectors. He joined the Board in 2016. Thad is a member of the Executive Committee and chairs the Development Committee. He and his wife Debra are members of NYCP’s Bread and Butter major donor circle.
Paul Emery
Board Vice Chair and Finance and Audit Committee Chair
Paul Emery is a Partner in the New York office of Altas, a Toronto-based investment firm. He has been a Board member since 2015, serving as Treasurer from 2016-2021. Paul serves as Chair of the Finance Committee and Audit Committee; he also is a member of the Executive and Investment Committees. Paul and his wife Caitlin are members of NYCP’s Bread and Butter major donor circle.
Charlie Higgins
Board Vice Chair and Campaign Executive Committee Chair
Managing Director
JP Morgan
Dominique R. Jones
Program Committee Chair
Dominique R. Jones is the Executive Director of Global Kids, a youth development non-profit. She brings to NYCP more than 24 years’ experience helping NYC youth access opportunities toward future success. Dominique was previously the Executive Director of the Harlem Boys and Girls Club and Chief Program Officer at Food Bank for New York City. She joined the Board in 2017 and is a member of the Executive Committee and chairs the Program Committee.
Susan L. Merrill
Personnel Committee Chair
Susan Merrill is a retired Partner and former litigator at Sidley Austin. Susan joined NYCP in 2017, and in 2019 was honored to accept the award for Corporate Honoree on behalf of Sidley Austin at the annual Fill The Bag Benefit. She is Chair of the Personnel Committee and a member of both the Executive and Nominations and Governance Committee. Susan and her husband Tom Faneuff are members of NYCP’s Bread and Butter major donor circle.
Alan Pardee
Secretary
Alan Pardee is a Managing Director at Valor Equity Partners, focused on the Firm’s capital raise and client service functions, and brings more than 30 years of financial services experience to NYCP. He was one of three Managing Partners and Co-Founders of Mercury Capital Advisors, the global private funds placement agency. Alan joined the NYCP Board in 2021. He serves as Board Secretary and is a member of the Executive, Community Partners and Development Committees.
Brian Rose
Treasurer and Investment Committee Chair
Brian Rose is a Managing Director at Viking Global Investors, where he has worked since 2014, and currently runs the Software/Technology private equity investing practice. Brian joined the NYCP Board in 2019, contributing his finance and analytical skills to the Board. He is the Board Treasurer and a member of the Executive and Finance and Audit Committees, and chairs the Investment Committee.
Matias Stitch
Nominations and Governance Committee Chair
Matias Stitch is a Managing Director at Rothschild & Co Merchant Banking, where he is heading the Direct Lending Group’s U.S. operations. Matias joined the NYCP Board in 2018, and is a member of the Executive Committee and Finance and Audit Committees, and chairs the Nominations and Governance Committee. Matias and his wife Katie are members of NYCP’s Bread and Butter major donor circle.
BOARD MEMBERS
Sherrell Andrews
Attorney at Law, representing Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church
Brad Beckstrom
Vice President, Government and Community Affairs
Mt. Sinai Health System
Hartley Bernstein
Attorney/Partner
Bernstein Cherney LLP
Edward Brown
CEO
Restaurant Associates
Scott Crawford
Vice President
Baldor Specialty Foods, Inc.
Didi Fenton-Schafer
Community Volunteer
Jim Fishman
Professor of Law Emeritus
Haub School of Law at Pace University
Candice K. Frawley
Community Volunteer
Amy Fritz
Executive Vice President, Strategic Accounts, U.S. Global Wealth Management
PIMCO
Annie Huneke
Community Volunteer
Christina Li
Managing Director/Alternative Capital & Markets
Goldman Sachs
Doreen S. Morales
Representing Park Avenue Methodist Church
Michael Nachman
Former President
Mantex Fabrics Corporation
Wendy A. Stein
Art Historian
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Cathy Taub
Senior Global Real Estate Advisor and Associate Broker
Sotheby’s International Realty
Pierre Thiam
Chef, Author, and Social Activist
Lara Thyagarajan
Partner
Sidley Austin
Frank Walter
Financial Advisor
UBS
Blair Washington
Head of Minority Depository Institution Engagement
Citi
Janine Weisenbeck
Therapist at Soffer and Associates
Ken Ziman
Partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Michael Fitzsimons
Chairman and CEO
DeskNet
Edward Gallagher
President/CEO
American Scandinavian Foundation
Katherina Grunfeld
Community Volunteer
Representing Park Avenue Synagogue
Robert Hetu
Managing Director – Head of Underwriting – GIP Credit
Global Infrastructure Partners
Jamie Hirsh
Community Volunteer
Linda E. Holt
Community Volunteer
Rene Jocelyn
Community Volunteer
Stephen Jury
Vice Chairman
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
David McInerney
Co-Founder and Former CEO
FreshDirect
Sara Moss
Vice Chairman
The Estee Lauder Companies
Kathy L. Nalywajko
Managing Director & Business Development Officer
MAI Capital Management, LLC
Neda Navab
Community Volunteer
Rebecca Robertson
President
Park Avenue Armory
Andrew Skobe
Managing Director – Office of the CFO
Ankura
Elaine Weiss
Community Volunteer
ASSOCIATE BOARD
Shelby Anderson
WilmerHale
Seferina Berch
Membership Co-Chair
WilmerHale
Kailee Di Vico
Apollo Global Management
Brooke Eigen
Associate Global Banking
Karisha Ewell
Bronx Bridges High School
Nicolle Heagney
Simpson Thacher Bartlett
Ivana Korusiakova
Membership Co-Chair
SVB Securities
Michelle Loh
NYCP Volunteer
Ruth Mauldin
Associate Board Co-Chair
Spring Soiree Co-Chair
Kathy McTigue
Citi Bank
Ivan Mendezabal
Blackstone
Darsh Shah
Spring Soiree Co-Chair
Ericsson
Tim Shu
W Capital Partners
Constance Su
W Capital Partners
Nikkita Thompson
Independent Production Coordinator
Melanie Wagner
Amazon