Our Team

Sue Atkins has over 40 years of experience leading Corporate Financial Restructurings. She previously was the Global Head of Workout at JPMorgan. Sue currently serves as an Independent Director for several pre and post restructuring companies. She also serves on non-profit boards including Her Justice, which provides legal help to women living in poverty in NYC; Journeys2Change, which develops and leads interactive civil rights learning trips; as a Mentor for Refugee Employment Project, finding employment opportunities for refugees that are legally able to work in the US and on the Special Advisory Committee of Every Woman, advancing a treaty to prevent worldwide violence against women and girls. Sue was a founding board member and long-time Chair of the Board of LitWorld, where she established a strategic plan, developed governance protocols and systems for tracking financial and community impact. She also negotiated corporate partnerships for some of LW’s programs, which now contribute to the stability and sustainability of the organization. Sue has a degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA in Finance from the University of Minnesota. She lives in New York City.

Lauren Blum has been a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner for over 35 years and currently practices at Union Community Health Center in the Bronx, a Federally Qualified Health Center that recognizes and promotes the vital role of literacy in family health and wellness. A committed volunteer and advocate, she serves on advisory boards supporting children’s welfare and global health initiatives, emphasizing the link between literacy and lifelong well-being. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Emory University and a Master of Science in Nursing from Columbia University.

Christine J. Chao is currently General Counsel and former Interim CEO of Foremost Group, an international shipping company. Christine has extensive corporate and commercial law experience having worked in senior legal positions for three Fortune 100 companies: GE, Federal Express and Ultramar Corporation. Christine began her legal career upon graduation from Columbia Law School with the Wall Street law firm of Dewey & LeBoeuf focusing on M&A, US securities, leasing and project finance. Christine holds a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for her alma mater and is a former Board member of Foremost Foundation, which strives to help young people access higher education and greater opportunities generally, and The One Love Foundation, which promotes healthy relationships, especially among our young people.

Sabrina Conyers is a Senior Manager at Ernst & Young, LLP, specializing in partnership tax planning. Sabrina has an LLM in Taxation from NYU Law School (2010). She received her JD from Columbia Law School (2004) and her BA from Morgan State University (1999). Prior to joining EY, Sabrina practiced corporate, real estate and tax law at the law firms of Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in New York City. In the nonprofit sector, Sabrina assists clients with the formation of nonprofit corporations and securing exemption from federal income taxation. She also provides general corporate counseling advice to nonprofit organizations advising them on a broad range of operating issues including corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, structuring subsidiaries, grants management, program related investments and other tax issues. Sabrina has been a frequent lecturer on the legal issues facing nonprofit organizations for various nonprofit organizations throughout New York City.

Ellen Fredericks is an executive coach and founder of Partners in Possibility, a consulting company focusing on executive and leadership development.  Prior to starting her own business, Ellen held executive positions in marketing and product management in the telecommunications industry. She is one of several hundred coaches worldwide awarded the designation of Master Certified Coach by the International Coach Federation (ICF). Ellen holds a certificate in coaching, a BS in Computer Science and an MS in Management. She attended Executive Management Training Programs at Duke University and Arizona State University. Ellen is a contributing author to the ASTD published book, “Coaching for Extraordinary Results” and the co-author of three books on executive development.

Dr. Ernest Morrell is Associate Dean of Humanities in the College of Arts and Letters, Coyle Professor of Literacy Education, Professor of English and Africana Studies, and the Director of the Center for Literacy Education at the University of Notre Dame. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Education, Fellow of the American Educational Research Association and a past-president of the National Council of Teachers of English. Ernest is the recipient of the NCTE Distinguished Service Award, the Kent Williamson Leadership Award from the Conference for English Leadership, and the Divergent Award for 21st Century Literacies. He is also the Director of Teachers College’s Institute for Urban and Minority Education (IUME). Prior to this, Dr. Morrell was an award-winning high school English teacher in Northern California, and he continues to work with teachers, schools and adolescents across the country to infuse multicultural literature, youth popular culture and media production into standards-based literacy curricula and after school programs. Dr. Morrell received his Ph.D. in Language, Literacy and Culture from the University of California at Berkeley where he received the Outstanding Dissertation Award. He is an award-winning published author of ten books, and his books include Critical Media Pedagogy: Teaching for Achievement in City Schools and New Directions in Teaching English. He has also co-authored books with Pam Allyn, including Every Child a Super Reader: 7 Strengths for a Lifetime of Independence.