Nancy Lewson Kurz
Board Chair and CEO
Beginning with Children
Michelle Brooks
Senior Director, Treasurer
Chobani
Chris Gaulin
HealthCor Management, L.P.
Portfolio Manager
Deborah Goldfarb
Managing Director
Barclays Capital
Mychal Harrison
Managing Director
Huron Consulting Group
Eric Hoffman
Principal
Centerbridge Partners, L.P.
Kofi N. Kankam
Co-Founder and CEO
Admit.me
Marshall King
Partner
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Justin Nowell
Associate
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Carol F. Reich, Ph.D (1935-2019)
Co-Founder
Beginning with Children
Joseph H. Reich
Emeritus Board Member, Co-Founder
Beginning with Children
The principles we were building our school on, presented something potentially huge in education reform. These principles-parental choice, freedom to operate in a manner consistent with the needs of specific children, parent involvement, longer school days and a longer school year, merit compensation for teachers-could be a game changer for children of poverty. It was the growing sense of this possibility that re-energized us and gave us the strength to push on, for as long as necessary.
We both shared a common and basic belief: families of means can afford to send their children to private schools or relocate to an affluent neighborhood where public schools have greater resources. The poor cannot. We recoiled against this injustice. We made it our own struggle.
Ms. Lewson Kurz provides overall strategy and direction to BwC. Ms. Lewson Kurz received an Ed.M. in Education Policy from Teachers College with concentrations in charter schools and education equity. Previously, she was an advisor in the New York City Mayor’s Office and a Deputy Commissioner for Legal and Legislative Affairs at the Department of Environmental Protection. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and New York University School of Law, she practiced law at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, founded the Urban Environmental Law Foundation and was a fellow at the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany.
Ms. Kolz manages the operations, strategy and growth of BwC schools. Previously, Ms. Kolz served as the chair of the Board of Trustees for Community Partnership Charter Schools Education Corporation. She has worked in investment banking and equity capital markets at Goldman Sachs, business journalism at The American Lawyer and as an entrepreneur in culinary arts. Ms. Kolz received her Bachelors Degree in Economics from Duke University and has completed coursework at New York University and the Institute of Culinary Education.
Ms. Licurse manages the financial operations and technology of BwC and the schools in BwC network. Ms. Licurse oversees all aspects of financial accounting and reporting for the four organizations. Previously, Ms. Licurse was a manager with Goldstein Golub Kessler, LLP certified public accountants and consultants. During this time she oversaw audits, and performed compliance and consulting services for not-for-profit organizations nationwide. Ms. Licurse received her BA in Accounting and Information Systems from City University of New York, Queens College.
Tamara oversees development, communications and marketing at BwCF. Previously she was the Senior Director of Development at the “I Have A Dream” Foundation National Headquarters. Prior to that Tamara was Director of College Guidance & Programming at the Urban Assembly Institute of Math & Science for Young Women where she managed and facilitated all college readiness activities. Mara holds a BA from Northeastern University a Master’s in Public Administration from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service.
Ms. Young supports program design for BwC and schools in BwC network, as well as oversees BwC Alumni Program. Previously, she was a Program Officer at New Visions for Public Schools where she facilitated professional trainings for new public high schools and collaborated with the Annenberg Institute to support educational partnerships between the United Kingdom and New York City. She also served as an Interim Director of Programs for the Harlem Educational Activities Fund, a Consultant for the New York State Board of Education, and an Assistant Director of Admissions for the Stern School of Business at New York University.
Mr. Ogbahon manages the academic and instructional practices for BwC schools. He is the founding Principal of Beginning with Children Charter School 2 and has worked as an elementary school teacher and school leader. Previously, Mr. Ogbahon was part of the founding teaching team at Achievement First Crown Heights Charter School. He has also served in the capacity of Assessment Coordinator and Curriculum Director at various schools. Mr. Ogbahon graduated from Bucknell University majoring in Economics, received his Masters in Elementary Education from Brooklyn College and completed a second Masters at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Andrea manages institutional funding sources for BwCF, as well as data management & reporting processes for the Legacy Network. Andrea comes to BwCF from the “I Have A Dream” Foundation, where she oversaw all of the national office’s performance management & data reporting efforts, and at the NYC Department of Education, where she worked for the After School Professional Development Program. Andrea received her BA from the University of Chicago in Political Science, and holds an MS in Government Analytics from Johns Hopkins University.
Mr. Muguercia is responsible for providing information technology support to schools in BwC network. Prior to joining BwC, Mr. Muguercia was a Systems Administrator and a Technical Trainer for six years at Etek Training in New Jersey. Mr. Muguercia is a Microsoft certified trainer and holds the following certifications: MCSE, MCITP, CRM 4.0, Great Plains, Sharepoint 2010 and Microsoft server virtualization. He has an AAS from Borough of Manhattan Community College and is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree from Monroe College.
Ms. Ortiz-Gulardo provides parent engagement and community outreach services for BwC. The founder of the BwC Alumni Program, previously Ms. Ortiz-Gulardo was the Founding Principal of Beginning with Children Charter School. She has worked under Mayor Koch’s Administration as the Assistant Director for Early Childhood Education, and has served as a classroom teacher, staff developer, and Director of Bilingual Programs in East Harlem. She serves on the boards of the READ Foundation, Literacy, Inc and ReConnect. Ms Ortiz-Gulardo received a BS in Sociology and a MS in Education from Hunter College of the City University of New York.
Mr. Sanders is responsible for supporting the management of BwC data systems, ensuring data quality practices at the schools, and is the main point of contact for technical support and training in regards to all student data systems. He also manages the reporting and analyzing of data related to student outcomes. His professional experience spans both the information technology sector and the education sector; over ten years in each. He joined BwC in July of 2016 after working at New Dawn Charter HS. Mr. Sanders holds a BE in Electrical Engineering from Pratt Institute and a MA in Math Education from Adelphi University.
Wendy Silva is the Human Resources Manager. She handles employee inquires, employee relations, and benefits for school staff. Previously she was the Human Resources Administrator at Forrest Solutions. Wendy has a BBA in International Business from Iona College and an MBA in Human Resources Management from American Intercontinental University. Wendy is an avid tea drinker, and always has a book handy.
Mr. Stemmer manages the financial accounting and reporting for BwC and the network schools. Additionally, his responsibilities include all aspects of business management, human resources and benefits for the BwC network. Prior to joining BwC, Mr. Stemmer was the controller for a privately held precious metal jewelry manufacturer. He received his Bachelor of Accountancy from George Washington University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Mr. Whitten oversees strategic projects and initiatives aligned to school design, network operations and compliance, board governance, and local, state, and federal accountability. Previously, Mr. Whitten served in roles in the NYC Department of Education as a school compliance officer and an associate director of district planning, where he planned and oversaw proposals related to new school openings, co-locations, special programmatic offerings, and re-zonings. A graduate of Boston University School of Law, Fordham University Graduate School of Education, and Emory University, Mr. Whitten began his career as a special education teacher with Teach For America in New York City before entering law school and clerking in the Boston Public Schools Office of Legal Advisor.
Justice Ginsberg speaks at our memorial for Beginning with Children founder Carol Reich.
Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.
Thank you Justice Ginsberg, for your support of Beginning with Children and for your legacy of creating pathways and opportunities for the underestimated and disenfranchised.