Mel Campos (he/him)
Board Chairman
Mel serves as Chief Professional Officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Mount Vernon. Mel started his association with the Boys & Girls Club as a member of the Pathways for Youth Boys Club in the Bronx and has held leadership roles in many Boys & Girls Clubs. He is a lifetime Boys & Girls Club Advocate. Prior to his work with Boys & Girls Clubs, Mel held leadership positions with the Bank of New York, the City Volunteer Corps, the Albany Service Corps, the New York National Guard Challenge Program, Public Private Ventures, and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. A graduate of Manhattanville College, Mel is married to Barbara Allen and has three children, Adam, Lorin, and Brian.
Shelley Hoberman (she/her)
Board President
Shelley is a certified clinical social worker with over 30 years of experience working in child welfare, family and children’s services and in New York City public schools. She has directed parenting centers for the Educational Alliance for the NYC Department of Education Pre-Kindergarten program. Through parenting workshops and children’s counseling groups, Shelley has reached out to the many diverse communities and people that make up our city. She is honored to have spent a career talking with and about children and their parents.
Kristin Hogan (she/her)
Secretary
Kristin is a licensed master social worker and licensed attorney, with over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector in New York City. She currently maintains a private mitigation practice working with clients who have open criminal court cases. Her prior nonprofit experience includes work with The Osborne Association, Community Service Society, The Bronx Defenders, and The Samaritans of New York. She holds an MSW from Columbia School of Social Work, a JD from Columbia Law School, and a BA in psychology and political science from New York University.
Suzanne Valetutti (she/her)
Treasurer
Suzanne is a New York City elementary school teacher. Her life long focus has been to help children build and maintain the love of reading! Suzanne’s resume includes work in children’s book publishing and curriculum development for the Department of Education’s recent Algebra For All initiative. Suzanne was chair of the school book fair for seven years- ensuring a choice of books that featured characters from all background and insuring every child is happy and excited to read the books they purchased. Suzanne was a volunteer for the NYC Kids Project for four years before joining the board in December 2019. Suzanne earned a BA in History from Tulane University and a MS in Elementary Education from Hunter College. In her spare time, she enjoys genealogy research, theater, and travel and raising her children in our richly diverse city.
Carla Giordani (she/her)
Past President
Carla specializes in working with nonprofits and has been in the nonprofit sector for over 10 years. She has worked for cultural and educational nonprofits. She brings with her a wealth of expertise, in fundraising and events. She is knowledgeable raising funds in today’s world pulls from the very latest innovative strategies and technologies. She currently works at the New York Junior league and manages their Annual Fund and their donor database. She holds a BA in Liberal Arts from the College of New Rochelle.
In her spare time, Carla enjoys traveling, cooking, dancing, and brunching with friends.
Julia Betancourt (she/her)
Julia was named to Diversability’s 2023 Disability Impact List for her activism. She graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University with her BA in English/Creative Writing. As an undergraduate, she was an inaugural peer mentor with the Center for Accessibility Resources and Disability Services (CARDS) peer mentoring program. During her tenure as Alumnae Class of 2021 President, she helped establish the first Barnard Alumnae with Disabilities Reunion Reception and worked on the first Columbia Disability Affinity Graduation. In 2022, she received her MSEd from City College, where she helped found the Alliance for Disability Inclusion, a committee to address issues of access for all people with disabilities on campus. Julia is a published author whose writing has appeared in The Manifest-Station, The Mighty, ReadWorks, Immigrantly, and The Columbia Spectator, among others. She has worked with the ReelAbilities Film Festival as a Production Assistant, an Accessibility Coordinator, and as a member of the film screening committee. Her most recent professional role was at the United Nations. A life-long New Yorker, she enjoys seeing shows with family and friends around the city.
Julie Ehlers (she/her)
Julie currently serves as the Program Officer for the Vienna Philharmonic Society and the Chumir Foundation for Ethics and Leadership. She served on the Boards of the Duke University Alumni Clubs in New York and Washington DC metropolitan areas for over 30 years focusing on building engagement and affinity between alumni and the University through planning and executing a wide range of events. She served as Co-Chair of Duke Alums Engage NYC, which for 7 years organized a Health and Wellness Event in Central Harlem to inspire and provide tools for those in the community to lead healthier lives. Prior to moving to the non-profit sector, Julie held management and sales positions at several fashion wholesalers and was a buyer at a department store chain that is now part of Macy’s. A graduate of Duke University, she loves the beach and making a difference in the lives of kids through her volunteer work.
Doug Oldiges (he/him)
Doug is currently an instructor and student advisor with the New York Institute of Art & Design. He has been a longstanding mentor with the iMentor organization, whose goal is to give every young person a fair chance to graduate college and fulfill their potential. He is also an active member and volunteer of the Church of Saint Francis Xavier where he teaches ESL classes. Doug earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of Akron. In his spare time, Doug enjoys collecting, competitive sports (running, tennis, Spartan Warrior racing), and film.
Our Advisory Board includes…
Arnold Barkus, Eli Schuldiner, Emily Ladau, Jaclyn Okin Barney, Janice Hamann, Kaeden Ruparal, Kyle Khachadurian, Liz Leahy, Meredith Rossbach, Zazel Chavah O’Garra