Clarence Sundram is an expert on conditions in institutions and community programs for persons with mental disabilities. Most recently, as the Independent Monitor for the federal court he oversaw the successful implementation of a class action settlement that offered approximately 4,000 persons with mental illness residing in adult homes in NYC the opportunity to move to supported housing with services. (His reports to the Court have influenced refinements in the implementation process, including the creation of a “peer bridger” program.) He has also served a member of the Willowbrook Review Panel monitoring the implementation of the Willowbrook Consent Judgment, and as the Special Master & Court Monitor in class action lawsuits in New York, Washington, DC and Maine involving the rights of persons with mental disabilities under the Constitution, the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws.  In March 2011, he was appointed Special Advisor to the Governor for Vulnerable Persons. His April 2012 report, "The Measure Of A Society: Protection of Vulnerable Persons In Residential Facilities Against Abuse & Neglect," recommended sweeping reforms regarding incidents of abuse and neglect of persons in residential care. In response, Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed, and the legislature unanimously adopted, The Protection of People with Special Needs Act; key recommendations were implemented in June 2012. Previously, Mr. Sundram served as the Founding Chairman of the NYS Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled; an Assistant Counsel to the Governor; and a law clerk to Judge Lawrence H. Cooke of the NY Court of Appeals. Mr. Sundram has participated in international efforts to reform mental health services in Argentina, Armenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kosovo, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, the Russian Federation and Uruguay as a member of the Board of Disability Rights International and as a consultant to UNICEF and WHO.

Max Feldman is counsel at Hecker Fink LLP. He is engaged in a wide-ranging litigation practice, representing companies, institutions, and individuals in complex civil litigation and criminal and regulatory enforcement matters.

Previously, he worked at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University (NYU) School of Law, where he litigated voting rights matters, advised policymakers on election issues, and authored reports on election administration, including a plan to protect the 2020 election from the coronavirus that was widely endorsed by civil rights groups and political scientists. Mr. Feldman started his legal career as a law clerk for Judge Bruce M. Selya of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and as an associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson. Prior to law school, he served as the head speechwriter for New York Governor David Paterson and as a speechwriter for New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson during his 2008 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Mr. Feldman earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and his law degree with honors from NYU School of Law.

Nick Smirensky has served on the New York State Teachers Retirement System board since 2007. He is vice president of the board and chairs the Investment Committee.

He was most recently the chief investment officer of the New York Health Foundation, where he was responsible for managing the Foundation’s investment portfolio and developing its investment strategy. Prior to joining the Foundation, Smirensky was deputy chief investment officer and director of private equity with the New York State Common Retirement Fund. He previously served as director of New York’s College Savings Program. He was deputy director for tax policy analysis at the New York State Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee. Smirensky holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, a B.A. degree from Columbia College, and an M.A. degree from Columbia University. Smirensky was also an adjunct associate professor at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and was an adjunct faculty member of Columbia-Greene Community College, where he taught business classes for Hudson Link for Higher Education at Greene Correctional Facility. He has also taught at Union College’s Graduate School of Management. Smirensky is a board member of the National Health Law Program.

Caitlin Sikes is Deputy General Counsel at Jain Global, an investment management firm. Caitlin previously worked for 8 years as a private criminal defense attorney. During that time, she volunteered for pro bono matters in which she represented indigent individuals charged with federal crimes, as well as contributed to impact litigation targeted at the criminal justice system.

Stanley Richards is the President & Chief Executive Officer of The Fortune Society (Fortune), a service and advocacy non-profit organization established in 1967 and based in New York City whose mission is to support successful reentry from prison and promote alternatives to incarceration. A formerly incarcerated man of color with over three decades of experience in the criminal justice field, Stanley’s professional experience began in 1991 at Fortune, where he initially worked as a Counselor. Between 1997 and 2001, he served as the Deputy Director of Client Intervention at Hunter College Center on AIDS, Drugs and Community Health. As Deputy Director of Client Interventions, having managed a multimillion-dollar randomized study of jail and community-based discharge planning and community follow-up funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. After returning to Fortune and receiving a series of promotions, Stanley became the second-highest executive with responsibilities in the overall management of Fortune and oversight of all direct service programs. He also represented Fortune’s fundraising and advocacy work, having taken on a leadership role in its David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy.

Jay is a growth leader whose experience sits at the intersection of big brands, data, and technology. Currently he is President & GM of Adara, an advertising technology company that was recently acquired by RateGain, a global provider of SaaS solutions to travel and hospitality brands.

Arti Finn is Chief Development Officer and Co-Founder of Orjjin, which provides digital tools for correctional education contexts. Arti is a business development expert with more than 20 years' experience creating and selling marketing opportunities for such brands as The New York Times.

Michelle Daniel is a doctoral student in the American Studies program at NYU. While incarcerated, Michelle published and presented her research findings to dispel notions of about the reach and intellectual capacity of justice-involved women.

Jessica joined Bank Street in 2016 and served as Director of Scholarship on Educator Practice. The practice of teaching, the development of teachers, and the research of teachers, teaching and teacher education have constituted the bulk of Jessica’s professional and scholarly interests and activities.

Martha W. King is a Senior Program Officer Charles H. Revson Foundation. Prior, she was the Executive Director of the New York City Board of Correction, which establishes and ensures compliance with minimum standards regulating the conditions of confinement and correctional health and mental health care in the City’s jails, including Riker's Island.

As Deputy Executive Director of the Bronx Defender, Wesley Caines, a Bronx native, joins The Bronx Defenders from Brooklyn Defender Services where he was Reentry Specialist/Coordinator/Advocate.

Kenneth Henderson’s corporate and securities transactional experience is focused on mergers and acquisitions, public and private financings, and domestic and international joint ventures.

Rich Foudy spent most of his professional career in the technology consulting business, retiring as CEO of NDS, Inc in 2008. He is a graduate of Manhattan College and has a master’s degree in finance from Fordham University.

William Snipes retired as partner at Sullivan and Cromwell. Bill is one of the principal co-founders of the Pipeline Crisis/Winning Strategies Initiative—his innovative brainchild—that was launched in 2006 to marshal private sector leadership, investment, and advocacy to address the social and economic gap between young black men and their peers.