Board of Directors
Our Supporters Volunteers Board of Directors Staff
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.
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.
KEITH BROOKS
Helping people reach their full potential is Keith's life's purpose. For sixteen years, Keith has served communities as a teacher, assistant principal, and most recently as a founding school principal. He has helped families, students, and his staff realize their gifts, talents, and dreams. Under Keith's leadership, his school boasted some of the highest academic gains in the city. He is equally proud of the fact that this was accomplished while having incredibly high staff retention, adult culture, family satisfaction, and student investment. Keith is inspired to create conditions for others to thrive. This work, which he refers to as his "heart work," motivates him to get out of bed each day. As an executive coach, he's now transferring that passion to others. He has a range of experience 1:1 coaching, leading professional development for groups, and supporting teams to create positive sustainable working conditions. Keith believes that his job as a coach is to help people to get out of their own way so that they can be the best versions of themselves that they can possibly be in order to help others to do the same. It's a virtuous cycle. Keith earned a B.A. in philosophy and religion at Colgate University and received a master’s degree in educational leadership at Nova Southeastern University. He serves as a meta-coach in the Goleman Emotional Intelligence Coaching Certification program. Keith is married and the father of three children, two of whom currently attend the school that he founded. Keith enjoys binge-watching HGTV shows and playing online video games.
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.
RAI-TONICIA KING, CHAIR
Rai King is an educator, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and non-profit leader. Graduating from Spelman College with a degree in Early Childhood Development and from Arizona State University with a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction, Rai was an elementary school teacher for 16 years. A teacher’s teacher, Rai often jokes that she has taught in every way possible to teach-from public, private, parochial, and charter schools, to homeschool, and even international school.
As a nonprofit leader, Rai served as the Equity and Learning Director for City Year New York. In response to the Covid pandemic, Rai recognized a major gap in kids’ enrichment opportunities and started her own nonprofit called Hands-In Learning-an education group providing academic and arts classes to families all over the world regardless of their ability to pay.
In addition to being a wife, mother of 5, and doctoral student at Vanderbilt University, Rai currently serves as the Associate Director at Connect NYC.
TAMMIE CARR MULLANEY
Tammie is the director of The LB & TD Foundation, which targets giving to nonprofits that provide services to communities in need. She has been working at the foundation since 2001, when she moved to NYC. She has a BA (English and Secondary Education from Boston College), and she previously taught high school English in Hong Kong and the Boston area, working with a number of English as Foreign Language learners. She has been tutoring at READ 718 for over 2 years, where she’s worked with kids who inspire her passion for equity in education.
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.
ALLISON OAKES
Allison is the mom of 2 teens and has called Brooklyn home for over 16 years. She currently works as the VP of Finance Strategies and Initiatives at Saks OFF 5TH working on process improvement, key projects and governance. She previously served on the board of the Brooklyn Heights Montessori school where she chaired the Development Committee working on key community building and fundraising initiatives including the school’s capital campaign, block party and other events. Originally from Pittsburgh, Allison graduated from Lafayette College, majoring in English and American Studies. She is passionate about youth literacy and her local community.
TAMIA B. SANTANA
Tamia B. Santana is the Executive Director and founder of The Brooklyn Dance Festival and Jeté Dance Center. She was born, raised and is currently raising her family in Brooklyn, NY and an advocate for the arts. Tamia serves on the Board of Directors for One Brooklyn to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, the Resident Dance Director of the Brooklyn Museum, and this year’s proud Producer of the 2018 Bessie New York Dance and Performance Awards. As a prominent concert dance producer, she has executive produced and directed concerts and events at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Alvin Ailey, Summer Stage, The Schomburg Center, The Brooklyn Arts and more. Her previous experience as a dancer has been performing at venues such as Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theater, Lincoln Center, and in Europe.
GIANNA SCORSONE
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.
TAD SENNOTT
Tad is a partner at Prince Street Capital, an emerging market asset management company. He has served on the boards of the National Theater Workshop of the Handicapped, Grand Street Settlement House, and Free Arts NYC. Tad has volunteered with J.U.M.P., a youth mentoring program, as well as with GMHC. Tad graduated with a BA in History from Beloit College. He currently lives in Brooklyn with his twin sons.
ERIN TEXEIRA
Erin is a writer, editor, and volunteer with a passion for widening opportunities to underserved communities through education and the arts. During her fifteen-year newspaper career, she was an award-winning staff writer at the Associated Press, Newsday and the Los Angeles Times, among other publications. Her coverage focused on race/ethnicity, demographics and social justice movements. Since 2007, Erin has worked as a freelance writer and editor. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Brooklyn Children’s Theatre, is a Vice President of the Parents’ Association at Poly Prep Country Day School, and a member of the Whitman Circle at the Brooklyn Public Library. Erin received a B.A. in Mass Communications from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.S. from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Born and raised in southern California, Erin now lives in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, with her husband and two children.