Board of Directors

FRANCESCA ALTEMA

Francesca Altema is an experienced insurance coverage/commercial litigation attorney. She received her Juris Doctorate from St. John's University School of Law. She has over 10 years of experience working at law firms and/or insurers handling a variety of coverage disputes involving professional liability and general liability claims. She is also an experienced classical musician and received her Bachelor of Music from Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Prior to joining the board of READ 718, Francesca served as a tutor and helped bring two students' reading skills up to grade level sufficiency. She enjoys baking in her free time and started an online bakery during the pandemic, Tabou Treats! Francesca resides in Bed-Stuy with her husband Charles and their very spoiled 13-year-old Bichon Frise.

PAMELA ATKINS, CO-CHAIR

Pamela Atkins is a retired financial services executive who specialized in helping organizations fulfill their missions. She has demonstrated expertise in operational, strategic, and reputational risk and a proven track record of leading and driving change through influence. In her most recent role, she served as Chief Risk Officer for Enterprise Risk Management Governance, Operational, and Corporate Center Risk at TIAA. Pamela has been a tutor at Read 718 since 2019 and was recently granted a Certificate of Recognition for volunteerism from the Mayoral Service Recognition Program. Pamela holds an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College and a BA from Wesleyan University. Pamela is a native Brooklynite and currently lives in Bed Stuy with her husband. She is avid music fan and travels regularly to her favorite music festivals.

KIM BOURNE

Kim Bourne, a Certified Public Accountant, and Certified Financial Planner created Playfair Planning Services 25 years ago to help clients be financially prepared for life's unforeseen challenges. Her boutique financial firm, which manages about $150 million, guides families along their financial journey. Kim received her BBA in public accounting from Pace's Lubin School of Business in New York City and was recently recognized by Crain's New York Business as a Notable Woman in Financial Advice.  A swimmer and tennis player, Kim enjoys chasing sunsets at beachfront destinations with good books in tow. As a lifelong Brooklynite, she's committed to creating opportunities for New Yorkers in need of support and encouragement. She serves on the Board of Girl Scouts Council of Greater New York and the Advisory Board of Earl Mosley's Institute of the Arts.  

DAVID HERBSTMAN

David Herbstman has lived in Brooklyn for more than 15 years, and is committed to being an active participant in the life of the local community. He has served on the board of Brooklyn Heights Montessori School, on the board nominating committee for the Cobble Hill Association, as a committee member of the Community Board 6 Parks/Recreation/Cultural Affairs Committee, and as a dedicated member of the Cobble Hill Park Weekly Gardening/Maintenance Crew.

David earned an AB from Brown University. As co-founder of the Company of Science and Art (CoSA) in the early 1990s, he spearheaded the development of the visual effects and animation software After Effects and jointly holds five patents for his innovative engineering. After many years in the software industry, David decided to pursue pottery, a long-time hobby, intensively. He lived in Japan for more than three years and apprenticed in the rural pottery village of Mashiko, where he learned traditional clay and glaze making, kick-wheel throwing, and firing techniques. David now works full-time as a potter. As the father of two sons, one of whom has dyslexia, he is especially excited to contribute to the vital work of READ 718.

CHATISHA HOSTEN

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Chatisha is a single mom homeschooling her 11 year old son with learning differences. Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom, she worked for over 18 years in retail management. She has also been very instrumental serving as Chair to several committees in her son's previous school. Chatisha is a Brooklynite always looking for ways to give back whether it’s volunteering at local food banks, feeding and delivering meals to senior citizens, or working at the polls for the upcoming 2020 election. She is determined to be the change she wants to see in the world. Chatisha is currently living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with her two sons. 

MATTIJS LIMBERGER

Mattijs Limberger is a New York City Public High School teacher with over twenty years of experience in youth development and education. Throughout his career Mattijs has worked to serve under-resourced youth and their families. He started out providing services to young people living in residential foster care, first as a case manager and later as a program director for a residential facility. For the past 10 years, Mattijs has worked in education, initially as a social worker and director of after school programs, and since starting the New York Teaching Fellows program in 2012, he has been employed as a high school special educator. He currently teaches at the Williamsburg Preparatory School. In his free time, Mattijs serves as the chair of the Youth Services Committee for Brooklyn Community Board 9. As of 2019, he also serves as the president of his Block Association. Mattijs earned a B.A. in social work from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, a master’s degree in social work from the Hunter College School of Social Work, and a master’s degree in education from Long Island University. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Prospect Lefferts Gardens.  

TAMMIE CARR MULLANEY

ALLISON OAKES

KATHLEEN O’LEARY

Kat is a Vice President at Scale, a diverse-founded and -led CEO advisory firm providing strategic communications support to leaders of high-profile organizations. Prior to joining Scale, Kat served as Head of Social Media Strategy for McKinsey & Company, where she led the firm’s social media and community management initiatives globally. 

Kat has been a READ 718 tutor since 2018. She has also done extensive volunteer work as a member of the New York Junior League since 2005 and spent five years volunteering as an advocate for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Kat holds a BA in Political Science and English from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

REBECCA ROMANO

Rebecca Romano is an organizational psychologist with over 20-years experience building learning and development solutions that help organizations engage, educate and empower their employees to drive innovative and inclusive cultures.  She currently leads NBCUniversal’s Global Talent Development function and corporate university, and is responsible for designing and delivering curriculum that supports career growth and success at all levels.

Rebecca’s commitment to helping individuals build the confidence and skills needed to reach their full potential is reflected in both her professional background and educational experience. She has a Masters in Personnel and Human Resource Development, and a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology with a focus on talent strategy, executive assessment, coaching and leadership development. Most recently she was on the Board of Brooklyn Heights Montessori School and served on the Committee on Trustees, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion task force, and co-chaired the Strategic Planning Committee. While originally from Pittsburgh and remains an avid Steelers fan, Rebecca is currently a Brooklyn resident and NYC sports enthusiast alongside her husband Jeff and twin girls Jillian and Reagan.

BLANCA RUIZ

Dr. Blanca Ruiz (she/her/ella) is a proud Puerto Rican Brooklynite. Having gone through K-8 public school education, Blanca received an opportunity to attend high school at an independent school 15-minutes away. It was then that Blanca viscerally experienced the disparity in education based on race and class. After a series of tutoring opportunities in DC as an undergrad at Georgetown University, Blanca pursued teaching. This sparked her career in education as a teacher, principal and Director of Leadership Development. She received her doctorate in Educational Leadership with a focus on Authenticity in Latina Leadership, and the necessary structures needed to cultivate that space and the change management to disrupt patterns in schools and organizations. Blanca is an independent consultant who blends her leadership development experience with her anti-oppression and racial consciousness lens as a leadership coach, and an anti-racism facilitator for teachers, leaders, and parents. When Blanca is not facilitating workshops she is probably drinking coffee or water, eating vegan donuts, decanting or labeling (or both). But more often than not, she is basking in mothering two amazing children who continue to teach her the importance of honesty, unapologetic presence and hope that liberation is possible. 

GIANNA SCORSONE, CO-CHAIR

Gianna has been a strategic player in scaling organizations in the SAAS and tech industry for nearly two decades. Her expertise and guidance have been instrumental in improving the processes and cross-departmental efficiencies to drive organizations forward. She is most passionate when a part of a community helping to empower and mentor others to reach their personal and professional goals. Gianna's impressive results and visionary leadership were recently recognized when she was named one of the 2017 Female Executives of the Year by the prestigious Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Gianna serves on the Alumni Council's Strategic Advisory Committee for The Northfield Mount Hermon School and served on the board for Sweet Generation. Her own experience working with tutors to overcome her learning challenges during her adolescence sparked her commitment to creating that same accessibility to others, and thus proudly serves on the READ 718 Board. Gianna is a self-proclaimed borough-hopper having grown up bouncing between Manhattan and Brooklyn.

JUDITH HAUT SETHI

Books and reading have always been at the center of Judith Haut’s life. Her older siblings taught her to read before she could walk and she’s had her nose in a book ever since. Her first job after college was in book publishing, and throughout her 30-year career at Random House Children’s Books, she has seen the power and magic of learning to read firsthand. Judith is a passionate advocate for literacy, dedicating her time to such national literacy organizations as First Book and Every Child a Reader. Judith was raised in Little Rock, Arkansas and lives in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn with her husband and daughter, their dog, cat and many, many books.

INDIA SNEED WILLIAMS

India has vast experience as a leader in governmental and legislative roles, having served as Deputy Director of the New York City Mayor’s Action Plan where she was responsible for interagency coordination of citywide programs and managing a multimillion dollar budget; Chief of Staff and Legislative & Budget Director for two City Council Members where she led bill drafting and negotiations and allocated funds to community partners; and as Executive Director of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian (BPHA) Legislative Caucus engaging legislators statewide on a wide variety of matters. India also served as a Prosecutor in the Kings County District Attorney's Office, leading investigations into officer misconduct and hate crimes and conducting bench and jury trials. India continues to maintain and grow her vast network of agency decision makers and legislators.