Board of Directors

Eric Adler is co-founder and managing director of The SEED Foundation.   Mr. Adler taught high school physics for eight years and was dean of students at St. Paul's School in Baltimore, before earning an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.   Mr. Adler has been a management consultant to Fortune 500 clients, the principal of an investment advisory firm and an adjunct faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University Graduate Division of Business and Management.   He is a graduate of the Sidwell Friends School and of Swarthmore College, where he earned degrees in engineering and economics.   Mr. Adler is an Echoing Green fellow and was named a Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine.  He serves on the boards of Swarthmore College and the Baltimore Educational Scholarship Trust.  He is a 2001 recipient of the Manhattan Institute’s Outstanding Social Entrepreneurship Award and received an Oprah Winfrey “Use Your Life” Award.  He is also a recipient of the Innovations in American Government Award from the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and is a multi-year recipient of Fast Company/Monitor Group’s Social Capitalist Award. 

Donald Brown is a founder, officer and director of The JBG Companies and a founding senior partner in the law firm of Brown, Gildenhorn & Jacobs. He has taught at The George Washington University School of Business and Public Management and the Harvard University School of Business Administration. Mr. Brown received a presidential appointment to serve as Commissioner to the International Cultural and Trade Center in 1988. He was named Washingtonian of the Year in 1989 and Man of the Year by the University of the District of Columbia in 1997. He is on the executive committee of the Federal City Council and serves on the boards of the Phillips Collection, Blair House and the National Trust for the Humanities.

Helen Colson is president of Helen Colson Development Associates, a management and development consulting firm currently serving independent schools. Prior to establishing her firm in 1990, Mrs. Colson served for 12 years as associate headmaster for development and planning at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. She is the author of Philanthropy at Independent Schools, published by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). A graduate of Wellesley College, Mrs. Colson received a master’s degree in economics from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. In 1990, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) awarded her the Robert Bell Crow Award for service to the national independent school community. In 1997, she received CASE’s Steuben Apple Award for teaching excellence. Mrs. Colson has served as a trustee of five independent schools and is a frequent speaker at NAIS and CASE conferences.

Leslie Crutchfield is a Director of Ashoka and co-author of the forthcoming book, Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits (Jossey-Bass, Fall 2007). Prior to joining Ashoka in 2001, she was co-founder of Who Cares: The Tool Kit for Social Change, a national magazine for social entrepreneurs reaching 50,000 readers in circulation from 1993 - 2000. Leslie has consulted on strategy with leading philanthropic and nonprofit groups, and is a writer and speaker on issues such as social entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, and international development. She served as a Crossroads Africa volunteer in The Gambia; she has served as an Advisor to organizations such as Duke University's Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship, The Radcliffe Quarterly, and Rediscovery House; and she currently serves on the Board of Directors of The SEED Foundation. Leslie earned her MBA and AB from Harvard University, and resides in the Washington, D.C., area with her husband and children.

Tom Downey, a Democrat, represented the 2nd District of New York in the United States Congress from 1975 to 1993. He served on the House Ways and Means Committee, its Trade and Human Resources Subcommittees and on the Armed Services Committee. He was instrumental in landmark legislation including NAFTA and GATT, Superfund, the 1988 welfare reform legislation and the Family Support Act. He was an advisor on both the SALT and START negotiations and headed the HHS, HUD and VA cluster of the 1992 presidential transition. Congressman Downey serves on the boards of Appropriate Technology International, The Food Research and Action Center, Child Trends and the Center for Social Gerontology.

Charles Dwyer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education and an academic director in the Executive Education Center at the Wharton School. Dr. Dwyer co-founded The Swarthmore Academy, an independent school with a diverse student body, 40 percent of which is composed of inner-city residents. He was chairman of The Swarthmore Academy from 1982 to 1992.

James W. Dyke, Jr Mr. Dyke is a partner at the law firm of McGuireWoods and formerly  served as the group leader for the Tysons Business Group, co-chair of the education law team and team leader for the Year 2000 Solutions Group.  He also previously served as Virginia’s secretary of education under former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder, and as domestic policy advisor to former Vice President Walter Mondale.  Mr. Dyke is an active leader in the Northern Virginia business community, having served as chairman of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce; chairman of the Northern Virginia Business Roundtable; chairman of the Northern Virginia Community College Educational Foundation; and chairman of the Emerging Business Forum, an organization focused on enhancing minority entrepreneurs’ access to capital.  He has served or is serving on various commissions and committees including the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia (“SCHEV”) and the Commission to Restructure Virginia's Tax Structure.  Mr. Dyke is currently chairman of the board of the University of the District of Columbia.

Vasco Fernandes is a consultant with over twenty five years of experience as a business innovator, management consultant and advisor to organizations in the public non-profit and private sectors.  Mr. Fernandes was formerly vice-president of Mercer Management Consulting in the area of transportation and logistic and a member of the management committee of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Before joining the consulting profession, he taught math at an inner-city school and at The George Washington University. Mr. Fernandes graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Princeton University and received a master’s degree from The George Washington University.

Ann B. Friedman is a part-time first grade reading and writing teacher in the Montgomery County public schools. Mrs. Friedman serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of The National Symphony Orchestra and as a trustee of World Learning in Brattleboro, VT, and Conservation International in Washington, D.C. She also serves on the board of WETA, the public broadcasting television and radio station. She received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a master’s degree in international relations from The London School of Economics, and a master’s degree in teaching from American University.

Glen Lewy is a partner at Hudson Partners, a New York venture capital firm. Mr. Lewy was formerly co-chairman and managing director of BT Wolfensohn, as well as a member of the management committee of Bankers Trust. Mr. Lewy joined BT Wolfensohn in May 1986 as a senior investment banker from the New York law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton, where as a partner he practiced corporate law, specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Lewy received a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.   He  is the Chairman of the Anti-Defamation League National Commission. He is also a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and sits on the Board of Trustees of the New York Historical Society.

Robert Livingston is founder of The Livingston Group, a government relations firm.  After a successful legal career in the public and private sectors, Mr. Livingston was elected in 1977 as the first Republican in 102 years to represent Louisiana’s First Congressional District.  He was re-elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for eleven successive terms.  From 1995 to 1999, Mr. Livingston chaired the House Appropriations Committee, on which he served for 18 years.   Mr. Livingston was elected by his peers to serve as Speaker-designate for the 106th Congress, but choose to retire from the House in 1999.  Respected by Republican and Democratic members alike, Livingston is the only former chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee now in private practice.

Marc Miller is a partner at McLeod, Watkinson & Miller, a District of Columbia law firm. He has been active in various Washington arts organizations, serving on the board of the Washington Area Performing Arts Video Archive and lecturing for the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts and as Of Counsel to the National Theatre.  Mr. Miller served as Administrative Assistant to two members of the House of Representatives before practicing law.  He is the author of Politicians and Their Spouses Careers, a manual for families in political life and public service, and his law practice features an expertise in government ethics and intellectual property.  A graduate of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and Harvard Law School, he is the chair of the Princeton Alumni Association’s Committee on Community Service.

Patricia Modell is a former television actress, and has appeared in Broadway plays and more than 200 live television shows.  She retired from show business the year Art Modell and she were married.  Pat’s husband, Art, is the former majority owner of the Baltimore Ravens.  Mrs. Modell helped to establish the Ravens Foundation for Families (RFF) during the Ravens’ first season in Baltimore.  The foundation seeks to help change fundamental ills facing Baltimore and Maryland families in their pursuit of healthy and productive lives both for themselves and for their community.  Pat is an active supporter and board member of The Baltimore Symphony and The House of Ruth. 

Virginia W. Newmyer has served on the boards of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington and Sidwell Friends School and was chairman of the board of Library Trustees of the District of Columbia. She has lectured on travel, history and literature for the Smithsonian Institution since 1980 in both Washington, D.C. and the British Isles. In addition, Mrs. Newmyer has lectured at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Folger Shakespeare Institute; through the Potomac Speakers Bureau, she has given lectures at various clubs and universities. She has published book reviews, travel articles and historical pieces in the Washington Post and other publications. Mrs. Newmyer attended Smith College, received a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College and earned a master’s degree from American University.

Lou Perez recently created and assumed the role of managing director of Modell Ventures, LLC, which administers all wealth management aspects for the holdings of Arthur Modell and his family.  Prior to this position, Perez served as vice president and chief financial officer of the Baltimore Ravens and controller for the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers and as controller for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1992-1997.  From 1986 through 1992, Perez was a member of the international accounting firm of KPMG, becoming a Certified Public Accountant in 1988.  Perez graduated from The College of New Jersey in 1986 with a bachelor's degree. 

Mitchell Rales is a founder and chairman of the executive committee of Danaher Corporation and is the founder and director of Colfax Corporation. Colfax was founded in 1995 to acquire and develop world-class companies in the industrial positioning, fluid and material handling industries. Mr. Rales has served as the chairman of the Capital Campaign for the Hospital for Sick Children, as treasurer, trustee and chairman of the Capital Campaign of the Norwood School and as a member of the Advisory Council of Miami University of Ohio, from which he graduated in 1978. He currently serves on the board of trustees of the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden as well as the trustees’ council of the National Gallery of Art.

Harold A. Richman is the Hermon Dunlap Smith Professor of Social Welfare Policy Emeritus in the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration and College. He was the founding director and is currently a research fellow at the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago. The Chapin Hall Center was established in 1985 as an independent center dedicated to research and development on policies, programs and practices affecting children, families and the communities in which they live. Mr. Richman has served as dean of the School of Social Service Administration and was the founding director of the University of Chicago’s public policy studies program. He has helped to establish and serves on the boards of children’s policy research centers in the United States and in Israel, Jordan and South Africa.

Michael G. Ryan is the chief financial officer of Equity Group Holdings. He is the officer and director of various investment and operating companies. Mr. Ryan is also an adjunct professor of finance at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. He previously worked as an audit manager at Arthur Andersen in Washington, D.C. Mr. Ryan received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Georgetown University and an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Rita Schreiber is a psychologist and learning specialist. Her work has focused on individual psychotherapy with children and adults, parent counseling and remediation with children who have learning disabilities. Mrs. Schreiber and her husband co-founded the Educational Promise Foundation, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to providing educational, mentoring and support services to poor, inner-city children and young adults. She is also a member of the San Francisco Summerbridge advisory board – a program that, in conjunction with University High School in San Francisco, selects students for scholarships at private, college-preparatory high schools – and serves on the board of the San Francisco Jewish Museum.

Eileen Shields-West is an accomplished journalist, author and philanthropist with a wide range of expertise in education, international affairs and governance. Ms. Shields-West serves on the board of Refugees International and is a past chair of Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School. A dedicated advocate of humanitarian issues, she has traveled extensively to places such as Darfur, Sudan, Rwanda, the Congo and Cambodia while serving as vice chair of Refugees International. Ms. Shields-West has also worked extensively as a reporter for CNN, CBS News, Time Magazine and Business International. She received a bachelor’s degree in education, history and social science from St. John’s University in New York and a master’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University.

Rajiv Vinnakota is co-founder and managing director of The SEED Foundation.   Prior to co-founding SEED, Mr. Vinnakota was an associate at Mercer Management Consulting, where he worked on strategic and financial projects in a variety of industries.   He graduated from Princeton University with a degree in molecular biology and a certificate of studies from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy.  Mr. Vinnakota has been an Echoing Green fellow and an Ashoka fellow.   For his work at The SEED Foundation he was named a Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine and has received the Manhattan Institute’s Outstanding Social Entrepreneurship Award, the Princeton Club of Washington’s Community Service Award, an Innovations in American Government Award from Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, an Oprah Winfrey “Use Your Life” Award and two Fast Company/Monitor Group’s Social Capitalist Awards. He served on the board of The Empower Program, which works with youth to end the culture of violence, and is currently a trustee of Princeton University.

David Webb is the Managing Director of the Structured Finance Group at Cassidy & Pinkard Colliers in Washington, D.C. and previously served as Executive Vice President of Cushman & Wakefield’s Project Finance Group, which he founded in 1998.  He has been involved in commercial real estate development and brokerage in Washington, D.C. for the last 20 years, before which he practiced law in Atlanta. He is a member of the D.C. Bar and a licensed real estate broker in Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland. He served on the Jubilee Support Alliance board of directors. Mr. Webb received a J.D. from T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Virginia.

Director Emeritus
Melvin Cohen is chairman of District Photo, Inc. and a philanthropist in the Washington, D.C. area. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Cohen is highly involved in music and the arts. He serves on the boards of the National Symphony Orchestra, the Shakespeare Theatre, the National Gallery of Art and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, among others.