Board

ROBERT HOLLAND, JR., April 11, 1940 – December 22, 2021
Chairman of the Board
Robert “Bob” Holland, Jr. is a business executive and entrepreneur who grew up in Albion, Michigan. He earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Union College and an M.B.A. from Bernard Baruch, Graduate School of Business.

He was an Associate and Partner at McKinsey & Company for over a dozen years, where although based in NYC, he spent several years in their Amsterdam, London, and Cleveland offices. He then became the principal owner, Chairman, and CEO of Rokher-J Inc., City Marketing, and Gilreath Manufacturing, Inc. He then continued to provide corporate leadership as President and CEO of the Vermont-based, publicly traded ice cream maker – Ben & Jerry’s.

Driven by his commitment to empowering others, Holland founded the Detroit, MI, Make-A-Difference Dropout Prevention Program and was the Chairman of the Board of Spelman College, where he was on the Board for 25 years as well as Board Vice Chair and Chair for the Harlem Junior Tennis Program for over 40 years. He was also on the NCAA’s Advisory Board, the Research Corporation’s Board, and in NYC, the Board of the Children’s Aid Society and the Lincoln Center Theater.

Over the years, Mr. Holland’s highly distinguished career includes serving on the Boards of Directors of Carver Bank, Lexmark, Neptune Orient Lines, YUM Brands, the African American Advisory Board of PepsiCo, Frontier Communications, The MONY Group, Neptune Orient Lines (Singapore), New York Dock Railway and Olin Corporation.

Most recently, he served on the Business Advisory Board of the US Pentagon, Department of Defense, Washington, D.C., and was the Chief Mentor, Managing Partner, and Advisory Board Member of ESSEX Lake Group, a profit enhancement firm in Shanghai, New Delhi, and New York. He currently serves as Chairman of the Northeast STEM Starter Academy (NSSA) in Mt. Vernon, where Bob is working on raising graduation rates and preparing more African American and other underserved, at-risk students for careers within the STEM sector.

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ROBERTA HARRIS
Board President
Dr. Harris grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and moved to Westchester with her husband over twenty-five years ago. She is the mother of 3 wonderful children and is currently the Associate Vice President of the King Graduate School at Monroe College. Before her tenure at Monroe, Dr. Harris worked in Corporate America for more than a decade in direct marketing, product management, global marketing, and strategic planning for Time Inc., Reader’s Digest, J. Crew, Coach, and TIAA/CREF. She earned her MBA and Doctoral degrees in Marketing and International Business from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business after earning a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts.

Dr. Harris believes that we as educators need to redefine education and the learning environment in the 21st century to allow for more flexible learning. She believes that learning is not about preparation for a job. Learning is the job. As a result, we need to transform our learning platforms into a more collaborative learning environment that involves a “team approach” similar to what has been adopted in the global business world. A collaborative learning model will facilitate meaningful learning, leading to endless employment opportunities and career paths for our youth.

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DR. SAUNDRA AUSTIN JOHNSON
Board Treasurer
Dr. Saundra Johnson Austin dedicated her career to promoting equity for African American youth and women in STEM. At the University of South Florida, she leads project coordination for the Florida Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (FL-AGEP) and Project Racism In School Exclusionary Suspensions (RISES).

Dr. Johnson Austin held positions as math faculty at Academy Prep Center of Tampa; executive director of Curated PathwaysTM to Innovation; senior vice president for operations at the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc.; president and CEO of St. Michael’s High School; executive vice president of the Community Partnership for Lifelong Learning; executive director of the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science; and Minority Engineering Program director at The Pennsylvania State University. She began her career as a cost engineer at Bechtel Power Corporation. She also founded Charis Consulting Group, LLC.

Numerous organizations recognized Dr. Johnson Austin for promoting equity and STEM education access. Her most notable award is Outstanding Engineering Alumnus in Civil and Environmental Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University. She is a member of various STEM organizations, including the United States White House endorsed initiative, Algebra by 7th Grade, and an advisory committee member for the Smithsonian Science Education Center’s ‘Zero Barriers in STEM Education.’

She earned a BS in Civil Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University, an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, and an Ed.D. in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California.

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LYNDA BAGLEY
Board Member
Lynda Bagley is a native of Mount Vernon, NY. She has served in leadership roles of several businesses, civic, and community-based organizations, such as the National Council of Negro Women, Inc., where Dr. Dorothy I. Height appointed her to the New York State Convener Team, has served as president of the NCNW Westchester Section and is a Legacy Life Member. She was a national NCNW Board of Directors member and the National Program Committee. She chairs the NCNW Northeast Regional Leadership Training Conference, which hosts the annual STEAM/HBCU Summit.

Lynda has received numerous awards and recognitions for her service to the community and political campaigns. She was among the first African American women selected to receive the Eleanor Roosevelt Award by the organization Eleanor’s Legacy for political advocacy. The Westchester County Board of Legislators designated July 3, 2016, and September 26, 2018, as “Lynda Bagley Day in Westchester County.” She served as Technology Chairman for the 2008 and 2012 Westchester Obama Campaigns and was appointed to the Westchester County Women’s Advisory Board by County Executive George Latimer.

Lynda’s professional career has been marketing, sales, special event management, and Executive Administrative management for Xerox Corporation, Coca-Cola, Bayer Healthcare, and T-Mobile. Lynda is an alumna of the Florida A&M University School of Business & Industry, the immediate past president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Zeta Nu Omega Chapter, and is a lifelong member of the Grace Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon, NY.

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CHARLES R. GEE
Board Member
Charles is a lifelong resident of Westchester County. He grew up in the Village of Tuckahoe, Town of Eastchester, NY, and was educated in their school system. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree (Business Education) at Saint Paul’s College, VA (an HBCU), and an MSW degree (Community Organization) at Fordham University, NY.

Charles’s career background includes law enforcement, having served as a Probation Officer at the Westchester County Probation Department, Probation Consultant in the New York State Division of Probation, and various roles as a Sales Executive, Sales Manager, and Data Network Specialist in the information technology and telecommunication sectors of global companies: International Business Machines, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Siemens Information and Communication Networks. Additionally, he established a sales consulting business, G-Digit Enterprises, LLC, delivering strategic sales services.

Charles has been active in several capacities as a political activist, mentor, and board member in social and educational environments: Board Member, the local chapter of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency; Trustee, Rye Country Day School; Board Member, Beta Alpha Foundation; Big Brother, Yonkers Big Brother/Sister Program; Mentor, White Plains Youth Bureau and Chairman/District Leader, North Greenburgh Democratic Committee. Additionally, his membership in social and family organizations whose charters include important community services, such as Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Hansel, and Gretel, demonstrates his concern about helping youth reach their potential.

Married to Marilyn Keeler Gee, their daughter, her husband, and two children reside in Frisco, Texas.

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MARK W. GREIN
Board Member
Mark Grein is a business executive, social entrepreneur, and investor.

Mark is a 30-year veteran of the information technology industry, having served in sales, sales management, and executive leadership roles. He has launched start-up ventures and has directed billion-dollar operations. At Sun Microsystems, Mark sponsored Sun’s “Best of the Best” program, which guided women and people of color into STEM careers.

In 2012, Mark transitioned his career to enable education and employment for individuals with neurological differences. While Executive Director at Specialisterne, Mark led assessment, training, and employment initiatives in 8 states and nine countries. He designed and implemented Autism@Work programs that have subsequently been institutionalized by employers, including Microsoft, SAP, and HP.

As a member of the AHIMA Foundation’s Advisory Board, Mark partnered with others to create entry-level and career advancement apprenticeships in the healthcare field. These apprenticeships offer training, mentorship, and permanent employment. They increase opportunities for underserved populations, particularly people of color and single moms.

Currently, M. W. Grein Advisors furthers the mission to create opportunities for those living in low-income communities, including federally registered Opportunity Zones. Mark is President and CEO of Grefam Capital Management LLC, a private company that provides its clients with active investment and wealth management.

Mark has a BA in Economics and Public Service Studies from Oberlin College and an MBA in Operations Management and Marketing from Case Western Reserve University. He lives with his son in Stamford, Connecticut.

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DOMINICK ABITINO
Board member
Dominick Abitino is the oldest of three brothers who have assumed responsibility for running their family business, Abitino’s Pizza and Italian Kitchen, established in 1992 in Midtown Manhattan. Over the years, Abitino’s Pizza has opened other locations throughout Manhattan, including one at John F. Kennedy International Airport in the American Airlines Terminal 8.

Abitino has maintained a life-long commitment to philanthropy, children, and education throughout the greater NY area. His service on the NSSA board is just one example of his dedication to the success of children and the improvement of education in Mount Vernon and throughout the greater New York area. “We have to invest in our children and in their education if we want to see our communities and our nation grow towards a bright, successful future,” explains Abitino.

Abitino and his wife Lucy are proud parents of three beautiful children.

EXECUTIVE ADVISORY BOARD
• Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Executive Advisory Board member.
• Fred Schwam, Executive Advisory Board member
• Jonathan Brown, Executive Advisory Board member
• Walter J. Eddie, Executive Advisory Board member