board of directors

Bill Isaacs is a Vice President of Business Affairs, Original Programming at HBO, where he works on documentary and family programming and new media initiatives. He is a graduate of the University of Richmond, holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Connecticut and spent many years involved in theatre. He enjoys sailing, camping and reading.

Sara is deputy business editor of the New York Post and co-founder and editor of Recessionwire.com, a website created to capture the stories and improve the lives of urban professionals impacted by the economic downturn. She was previously lifestyle editor for Conde Nast's Portfolio.com and Forbes.com, and a reporter for newspapers in New York and Alabama, where she won awards for her work on chemical weapons and environmental issues. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Johns Hopkins University, and a master's in journalism from Columbia University. She grew up sailing on Long Island Sound.

Amy Alterman is a senior strategy and business development executive with broad general management, strategy, and finance skills. This includes 10+ years in corporate strategy, business development, and marketing for American Express coupled with management consulting experience at A.T. Kearney. She has significant experience conceiving and implementing successful growth strategies and has also been recognized throughout her career for building and leading high performing teams. Currently residing in Manhattan, Amy enjoys traveling, skiing, cooking, and wine tasting. She has run two marathons: Anchorage and New York City.

In her current role at TimeWarner Inc., Vidya Murali manages the financial, strategic and business operations for aviation and corporate responsibility. Prior to this role, Vidya worked in the Internal Audit groups at TimeWarner and KPMG LLP where she specialized in operational reviews. Vidya brings to the board a wealth of experience in business and financial operations with a strong focus on achieving operational efficiency and developing best practices. Vidya enjoys the outdoors, playing tennis, reading and traveling.

Karen Carter is a payroll secretary for the New York City Department of Education serving the JHS 99 Educational Complex in East Harlem and mother of six, three of whom are former Rocking the Boat program participants. Ms. Carter has over 20 years of experience serving in various positions on PTA/PA executive boards and School Leadership Teams, and facilitating parent workshops and fundraisers. She has also organized several college fairs for Life Sciences Secondary School. Ms. Carter recently earned a BA degree in Organizational Management from Ashford University and is currently working towards a Masters in Adult Education at Fordham University.

An Attorney with Schulte Roth and Zabel, LLP, Michael focuses on structuring complex and sophisticated financial instruments for qualified investors. Prior to his law career, Michael worked in various Compliance and Controllers functions with Goldman Sachs. Michael brings to the Board a wealth of experience in establishing and monitoring corporate financial controls and efficiency procedures. Michael enjoys the outdoors, traveling, and reading about history.

Zack Friedman is an investment professional at Arrowhawk Capital Partners. Prior to joining Arrowhawk, Mr. Friedman worked at The Blackstone Group and Morgan Stanley. Mr. Friedman also served as a White House intern for the Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton. Mr. Friedman received a BA from Johns Hopkins University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and an MPP from Harvard University. He also earned a JD from Columbia Law School, where he was named a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Friedman is vice chairman of ZaBeCor Pharmaceuticals and previously served as its chief operating officer. He is a member of the Pacific Council, Bretton Woods Committee and the California Bar. He also serves as a board member of The Asia Society Young Patrons. USA Today named him one of the Top 20 college students in America as a member of the All-USA College Academic First Team.

Dustin is a director for The Blackstone Group Informational Technology division. Previous to Blackstone, Dustin worked for Cisco Systems, Citigroup, and has consulted independently for many Wall Street firms. Dustin has spent time working as a volunteer for City Year and Year Up at various locations in the South Bronx and is on the board of NYCwireless. He is a avid sailor and resides in Brooklyn, NY. Dustin's passion for working with young people along with his love of the water and boats are great additions to Rocking the Boat's board.

Ned has spent most of his life in New England, sailing, studying environmental science, logging, farming, and building houses. He has sailed and taught environmental science all over the world. He brings to the Rocking the Boat Board a great love of wooden boats and education, and a great deal of life experience. He was formerly on the Board of Directors of The Robbins-deBeaumont Foundation.

Mike has spent most of his life on the water. Whether sailing his own boat or crewing with others, he has raced extensively both offshore and in competitive regattas. After a career in Sales and Marketing in the home textile industry, he opened his own sailboat rigging business and has since diversified into marketing sailboat racing trophies. He has intimate knowledge of the boating industry. He is Race Committee chairman of the Cresthaven Yacht Club which runs three race series and several longer races during the season. A five year volunteer at Rocking the Boat, he has come to admire and respect the students who participate and is passionate about continuing his involvement in this admirable program.

Conley Rollins works in the Investment Management Division at Goldman Sachs where he focuses on investments in Private Equity. Before joining Goldman he worked for the City of New York as Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President at the Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). At the NYCEDC he focused on strategic internal and external initiatives and oversaw intergovernmental and press affairs as well as research and strategic planning. He grew up in Charleston South Carolina, where he quickly learned to love the water.

Jassen is Vice President at Goldman Sachs and serves as Deputy Chief of Staff of Internal Audit. Prior to his current role, he was responsible for the design and execution of various strategic initiatives, served as lead business liaison on cross-divisional process and technology redesign initiatives, and was an internal auditor covering the firm's Asset Management and Private Wealth businesses. Before joining Goldman, he was a technology project manager at J.P. Morgan Chase, a Sergeant in the German Military Police, and a member of the NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Jassen was born in Bulgaria, raised in Germany, and now lives in the New York area. He is a graduate of Pace University in New York, was introduced to Rocking the Boat in 2005 through a Goldman Sachs work-sponsored volunteer day, and served as the Board's Treasurer from 2006-2007 prior to being elected President. His expertise in management oversight and strategic development, in combination with his generous spirit and love for water sports, make him a great asset to the Board.