Terms of Use

Thank you for visiting the Student Leadership Network Inc. web site (the “Site”). Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using the Site. By accessing the Site in any manner (whether automated or otherwise), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use and any additional terms and conditions that are referenced below or otherwise may apply to specific areas of the Site.

Certain features that you access from or transactions that you make on the Site may be subject to additional terms and conditions presented to you at the time that you use or access such features or make such transactions. For example, if you decide to enter a contest or sweepstakes, we will present the terms and conditions for the contest or sweepstakes to you. In addition, some areas of the Site are provided by our third party partners and are subject to separate terms and conditions of use, which are posted within those areas.

The Site also includes links to our third party service provider’s web site, Classy, for fundraising, event ticketing and direct donations. For more information about our use of Classy’s services and how the information about you collected through Classy’s web site will be treated, please refer to Classy’s privacy policy and terms of use as further described in the Linking Policies section below.

You represent that you are legally able to accept these Terms of Use, and affirm that you are of legal age to form a binding contract, or have obtained parental or guardian consent to do so. If you do not agree to these Terms of Use, you may not use the Site.

We reserve the right to change these Terms of Use at any time. Such changes will be effective when posted. Any changes made to these Terms of Use will only apply prospectively. By continuing to use the Site after we post any such changes, you accept these Terms of Use as modified.

Rules of Conduct

There are a few rules of conduct that you are required to follow when you use the Site:

  • Do not “harvest” (or collect) information from the Site using an automated software tool or manually on a mass basis (unless we have given you separate written permission to do so). This includes, for example, information about other users of the Site and information about the offerings, products, services and promotions available on the Site.
  • Do not use automated means to access the Site, or gain unauthorized access to the Site or to any account or computer system connected to the Site. This prohibition does not apply to search engines accessing the Site solely for web indexing purposes.
  • Do not “stream catch” (download, store or transmit copies of streamed content).
  • Do not obtain, or attempt to obtain, access to areas of the Site or our systems that are not intended for access by you.
  • Do not “flood” the Site with requests or otherwise overburden, disrupt or harm the Site or its systems.
  • Do not circumvent or reverse engineer the Site or its systems.
  • Do not restrict or inhibit another user or users from using and enjoying the Site.
  • If you post something to the Site, such as comments or other content, do not post anything that:
    • infringes any third party intellectual property right (such as copyrights),
    • is defamatory (i.e., something that is negative and untrue about another person or entity),
    • divulges another person’s or entity’s confidential or private information or trade secret,
    • is fraudulent, unlawful, threatening, harassing, abusive, obscene, or discriminatory,
    • encourages criminal conduct,
    • advertises or solicits business for products or services other than those that are offered and promoted on the Site, or
    • contains any virus, malware, spyware or other harmful content or code.

You also must comply with all applicable laws and contractual obligations when you use the Site.

Ownership of Site Content and Submissions

We or our licensors or partners own the intellectual property rights in the content and materials displayed on the Site. You may use the Site (including such content and materials) for your own personal, non-commercial use, but you may not use it for commercial purposes. You may not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, translate, sell, create derivative works, exploit, or distribute in any manner or medium (including by email or other electronic means) any material from the Site unless explicitly authorized in these Terms of Use or by the owner of the materials. You may, however, from time to time, download and/or print one copy of individual pages of the Site for your personal, non-commercial use, provided that you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices.

If you submit or post any materials or content to the Site, you grant us and our affiliates a royalty free, perpetual, irrevocable, transferrable, assignable, sub-licensable, worldwide license to use such materials and content, including alterations thereof, in any form, in any media, and via any technology we choose, whether it exists now or is created in the future. You represent that any materials and content posted or otherwise submitted by you to the Site is original to you and that you have the right to grant us these rights.

Please do not send us your ideas for our organization. We are always thinking and creating, and we may have similar ideas of our own. To avoid any disputes between us relating to ideas that you have submitted to us you agree that, if you send us your ideas, you are giving us the right to use them, and you waive and release us from claims that we have used your ideas without your permission.

Responsibility for Public Postings and Content

Responsibility for what is posted in public areas of the Site lies with each user–you alone are responsible for the material you post or otherwise make available in public areas of the Site. You alone are responsible for assessing the credibility of other user postings. We do not control the material that you or others may post or otherwise make available in such areas, and you understand that we have no obligation to monitor any such material or to edit or delete it. However, we reserve the right do so. We are not a publisher of user posts, and we are not responsible for their accuracy or legality.

You also understand and agree that any action or inaction by us or any of our directors, officers, stockholders, employees, consultants, agents or representatives (collectively, “Our Representatives”) to prevent, restrict, redress or regulate content, or to implement other enforcement measures against any content, conduct or potential Terms of Use violation is undertaken voluntarily and in good faith, and you expressly agree that neither we nor any of Our Representatives shall be liable to you or anyone else for any action or inaction to prevent, restrict, redress, or regulate content, or to implement other enforcement measures against any content, conduct or potential violation of these Terms of Use.

Although Our Representatives may moderate content, conduct and Terms of Use compliance on the Site at our discretion, Our Representatives have no authority to make binding commitments, promises or representations to anyone that they or anyone else on our behalf will “take care” of any alleged problem or complaint, or that they or anyone else on our behalf will otherwise stop, cure or prevent any problem, content, conduct or purported Terms of Use violation from occurring or recurring. Accordingly, you further agree that any representation (written or verbal) by any of Our Representatives (or by anyone else acting on our behalf or by anyone purportedly acting on our behalf) that we (including but not limited to any of Our Representatives, anyone else acting on our behalf, or anyone purportedly acting on our behalf) would or would not prevent, restrict, redress or regulate content (including, without limitation, screen, block, moderate, review, remove, terminate, delete, edit or otherwise stop, cure or exclude any content), or to implement other enforcement measures against any content, conduct or potential or purported Terms of Use violation is superseded by this provision and is nonbinding and unenforceable. Specifically, you agree that we, Our Representatives and anyone else authorized to act on our behalf shall in no circumstance be liable as a result of any representation that we, Our Representative or anyone else on our behalf would or would not restrict or redress any content, conduct or potential or purported Terms of Use violation. This paragraph may not be modified, waived or released except by a written agreement, dated and signed by our Director of Marketing and Communications and dated and signed by the individual or entity to whom the modification, waiver or release is granted.

Electronic Communications

The communications between you and us via the Site use electronic means, whether you visit the Site or send us an email, or whether we post notices on the Site or communicate with you via email. For contractual purposes, you consent to receive communications from us in an electronic form, and you agree that all terms and conditions, agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications that we provide to you electronically satisfy any legal requirement that such communications would satisfy if it were in writing. The foregoing does not affect your non-waivable rights.

Copyright Infringement Notices

If you are a copyright owner who believes in good faith that your copyrighted material has been reproduced, posted or distributed on the Site in a manner that constitutes copyright infringement, please inform our designated copyright agent by email to [email protected]. Please include the following information in your written notice: (1) a detailed description of the copyrighted work that is allegedly infringed upon; (2) a description of the location of the allegedly infringing material on the Site; (3) your contact information, including your address, telephone number, and, if available, email address; (4) a statement by you indicating that you have a good-faith belief that the allegedly infringing use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; (5) a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, affirming that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf; and (6) an electronic or physical signature of the copyright owner or someone authorized on the owner’s behalf to assert infringement of copyright and to submit the statement. Please note that the contact information provided in this paragraph is for suspected copyright infringement only. Contact information for other matters is provided elsewhere in these Terms of Use or on the Site.  We have a policy of terminating the Site usage privileges of users who are repeat infringers of intellectual property rights.

Changes to the Site

We reserve the right to modify, suspend or discontinue (temporarily or permanently), the Site or any portion of the Site. You agree that we will not be liable to you or to any third party for any such modification, suspension or discontinuance.

Suspension or Termination of Access

We have the right to deny access to, and to suspend or terminate your access to, the Site, or to any features or portions of the Site, and to remove and discard any content or materials you have submitted to the Site, at any time and for any reason, including for any violation by you of these Terms of Use. In addition, we have a policy of terminating the Site usage privileges of users who are repeat infringers of intellectual property rights. In the event that we suspend or terminate your access to and/or use of the Site, you will continue to be bound by these Terms of Use that were in effect as of the date of your suspension or termination.

Linking Policies

The Site may contain links to other web sites, including to third party web sites offering third party products and services. Such links are provided for your convenience only, and you access them at your own risk. We are not responsible for, and do not endorse, the content, accuracy, security or the products and services sold on such sites. When you visit a linked site, you should read the terms of use and privacy policy that govern that particular linked site. You will need to make your own independent judgment regarding your interaction with any linked site.

We use Classy, a third party service provider, for fundraising, event ticketing and direct donations. If you click a link on the Site to register for an event or make a donation, you will be redirected to Classy’s web site. Classy collects information about your visits and transactions on its web site, such as contact information (including name, email address, and phone number), billing information (including billing address), credit card information and other information submitted by donors. Any information that you provide to Classy will be subject to its terms of use and privacy policy, rather than these Terms of Use. In accordance with Classy’s terms of use and privacy policy, certain of this information is also shared by Classy with us.  We encourage you to read Classy’s terms of use and privacy policy to understand how your information will be collected and handled by Classy.  For information about the types of donor information we collect or receive and how we will use and disclose donor information, please see our Donor Privacy Policy.

We welcome links to the Site so long as: (i) the Site opens in a new browser window which displays the full version of a page of the Site (e.g., not merely one of its frames, and not an “in-line” link to a particular image or object on the Site), (ii) the link to the Site does not state or imply any sponsorship of the Site or service by us or by the Site; and (iii) the Site is not display framed within or obfuscated by other content. You may not use on the Site any trademarks, service marks or copyrighted materials appearing on the Site, including but not limited to any logos, without our express written consent. We reserve the right to revoke your right to link to the Site upon notice. If you receive such a notice from us, you agree to discontinue your link to the Site.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold us and our affiliates, and our respective directors, officers, employees and agents, harmless from and against any claims, liabilities, losses, damages, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising from your use of the Site, your submissions to the Site, or any violation of these Terms of Use, or applicable law, by you or by someone accessing the Site via your account (if any). We reserve the right, at our own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you, in which event you agree to cooperate with us in defending such claims. This indemnification, defense and hold harmless obligation will survive these Terms of Use and the termination of your use of the Site.

Jurisdictional Issues

We control and operate the Site from our facilities in the United States of America, and unless otherwise specified, the materials displayed on the Site are presented solely for the purpose of promoting offerings available in the United States, its territories, possessions, and protectorates. We do not represent that materials on the Site are appropriate or available for use in other locations. If you choose to access the Site from other locations, you are responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable.

Applicable Law; No Waiver; Severability

These Terms of Use, and the relationship between you and us, will be governed by the laws of the United States and the State of New York, without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law. Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms of Use will not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of these Terms of Use is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, unlawful, void or otherwise unenforceable, you and we nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of these Terms of Use will remain in full force and effect.

Governing Jurisdiction

ANY DISPUTE NOT INITIATED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT WILL BE LITIGATED BY EITHER PARTY IN A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION ONLY IN the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York or, if such court would not have jurisdiction over the matter, then only in a New York State court sitting in the Borough of Manhattan, City of New York. Each Party submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of these courts and agrees not to commence any legal action under or in connection with the subject matter of thESE TERMS OF USE in any other court or forum. Each Party waives any objection to the laying of the venue of any legal action brought under or in connection with the subject matter of thESE terms of use in the Federal or state courts sitting in the Borough of Manhattan, City of New York, and agrees not to plead or claim in such courts that any such action has been brought in an inconvenient forum.

Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SITE AND ITS CONTENT AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL, ENTERTAINMENT AND PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES.  WE PROVIDE THE SITE ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED (INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT). THIS MEANS THAT WE MAKE NO PROMISES THAT:

  • THE SITE WILL BE AVAILABLE AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME,
  • THE SITE WILL MEET ANY PARTICULAR REQUIREMENTS OR PROVIDE ANY PARTICULAR RESULTS,
  • THE INFORMATION ON THE SITE WILL BE ACCURATE OR UP-TO-DATE,
  • THE SITE OR THE INFORMATION TRANSMITTED TO OR FROM IT OR STORED ON IT WILL BE SECURE FROM UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS,
  • INFORMATION AND MATERIALS THAT YOU STORE IN YOUR ACCOUNT (IF ANY) OR ON THE SITE WILL REMAIN RETREIVABLE AND UNCORRUPTED (UNLESS WE PROMISE THIS IN A SEPARATE AGREEMENT WITH YOU), OR
  • THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS, OR THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED.

WE LIKEWISE MAKE NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING ANY OFFERINGS REQUESTED OR PROVIDED VIA THE SITE. ANY OFFERINGS REQUESTED OR PROVIDED VIA THE SITE ARE PROVIDED “AS IS,” EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT, IF AT ALL, OTHERWISE SET FORTH IN A SEPARATE AGREEMENT ENTERED INTO BETWEEN YOU AND US OR BETWEEN YOU AND A THIRD PARTY.

IF YOU PURCHASE A PRODUCT OR SERVICE FROM A THIRD PARTY AFTER FOLLOWING AN AD OR LINK ON THE SITE, THE TERMS OF SALE FOR YOUR PURCHASE ARE BETWEEN YOU AND THE THIRD PARTY FROM WHOM YOU MADE THE PURCHASE. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH THIRD PARTY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES OR FOR DISPUTES BETWEEN YOU AND THEIR SELLERS.

YOU AGREE THAT USE OF THE SITE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. ALTHOUGH WE TRY TO ENSURE THAT THE INFORMATION POSTED ON THE SITE IS ACCURATE AND UP-TO-DATE, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR MAKE CORRECTIONS TO ANY OF THE INFORMATION (INCLUDING PRICING) AT ANY TIME. WE CANNOT, AND DO NOT, GUARANTEE THE CORRECTNESS, TIMELINESS, PRECISION, THOROUGHNESS OR COMPLETENESS OF ANY OF THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE SITE, NOR WILL WE BE LIABLE FOR ANY INACCURACY OR OMISSION CONCERNING ANY OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE SITE. NO ADVICE, RESULTS OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM US OR THROUGH THE SITE SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY MADE HEREIN. WE HEREBY DISCLAIM, AND YOU HEREBY WAIVE, ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES AND REPRESENTATIONS MADE IN OUR LITERATURE, FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS DOCUMENTS, SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION, BY OUR EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS, AND OTHERWISE ON THE SITE OR IN CORRESPONDENCE WITH US OR OUR AGENTS. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CONTENT OR MATERIALS POSTED TO THE SITE BY USERS, NOR FOR DISPUTES BETWEEN USERS, OR BETWEEN USERS AND THIRD PARTIES.

THESE DISCLAIMERS APPLY TO US AND OUR AFFILIATED AND RELATED ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL AS THIRD PARTIES THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION OR DISTRIBUTION OF THE SITE, AND ANY OF THEIR EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS.

Limitations of Liability

IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH THE SITE, OR ANY MATERIALS, OFFERINGS, OR SERVICES ON THE SITE, OR WITH ANY OF THE SITE’S TERMS OF USE, YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO DISCONTINUE USING THE SITE.

IN NO EVENT WILL WE OR ANY OF OUR AFFILIATES, OR ANY OF OUR OR THEIR DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS OR CONTENT OR SERVICE PROVIDERS, BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES) ARISING FROM, OR DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY RELATED TO, THE USE OF, OR THE INABILITY TO USE, THE SITE (OR THE CONTENT, MATERIALS AND FUNCTIONS PROVIDED AS PART OF THE SITE), WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, OR STRICT LIABILITY, EVEN IF WE KNEW, SHOULD HAVE KNOWN OR HAD BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. NOTWITHSTANDING AND WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, YOU AGREE THAT OUR LIABILITY AND THE LIABILITY OF OUR AFFILIATES, AND OF ANY OF OUR OR THEIR DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS OR CONTENT OR SERVICE PROVIDERS, IF ANY, ARISING OUT OF ANY KIND OF LEGAL CLAIM IN ANY WAY RELATING TO THE USE OF THE SITE, WILL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE ACTUALLY PAID TO US, IF ANY, FOR USE OF THE SITE, OR, IF APPLICABLE, FOR USE OF THE SPECIFIC SITE FEATURE OR SERVICE FROM WHICH THE CLAIM IN QUESTION FIRST AROSE. BECAUSE SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IN SUCH STATES, OUR LIABILITY AND THE LIABILITY OF OUR AFFILIATES, AND OUR AND THEIR DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS OR CONTENT OR SERVICE PROVIDERS, IS LIMITED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY SUCH STATE LAW.

Other

These Terms of Use and any additional terms and conditions that are referenced herein or otherwise may apply to specific areas of the Site, constitute the entire agreement between us and you with respect to the Site. This agreement is personal to you and you may not assign it to anyone.

These Terms of Use are not intended to benefit any third party, and do not create any third party beneficiaries. Accordingly, These Terms of Use may only be invoked or enforced by you or us.

YOU AGREE THAT REGARDLESS OF ANY STATUTE OR LAW TO THE CONTRARY, ANY CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION THAT YOU MAY HAVE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO USE OF THE SITE, OR THESE TERMS OF USE, MUST BE FILED BY YOU WITHIN ONE YEAR AFTER SUCH CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUED OR BE PERMANENTLY BARRED.

Last Updated: [January 2020]

Brad Ruskin

Board Chair

Brad Ruskin joined Student Leadership Network’s Board of Directors in 2014 and was elected Board Chair in 2023. He believes passionately in equity for all students.

Brad is a Partner at Proskauer Rose LLP, and has tried a significant number of high profile, headline-generating cases to verdict, each one with a complete victory for Proskauer’s clients on issues ranging from so-called “bet-the-company” antitrust challenges to questions of Russian constitutional and military law. He currently serves as a Director of the Legal Aid Society, the nation’s oldest and largest legal services provider to the indigent. He also serves on its Executive Committee. He is a frequently published author of articles, has taught a graduate school class at NYU’s Tisch School, and has testified before legislative and other bodies concerning the administration of justice and court operations in New York State.

Beth Cohen

Senior Managing Director, Growth Strategy and Development

Beth H. Cohen is passionate about connecting people, ideas, and resources to create a more equitable world. Throughout her career, she has successfully managed teams for various impactful organizations to generate over $150M.

For the past decade, Beth has worked to generate support for initiatives that allow young people across the U.S. to gain access to transformative educational opportunities. In September 2022, she joined Student Leadership Network as Senior Managing Director of Growth, Strategy, and Development. Previously, Beth served as Vice President of External Relations at New Classrooms. At New Classrooms, she led the fundraising team to raise over $80M to support the growth and expansion of innovative learning models. Before that, Beth served as Vice President of Leadership Gifts at Teach for America, where she cultivated the organization’s largest national supporters and champions.

Early in her career, Beth focused on international poverty issues. From 2001-2011, she was Director of the Synergos Institute’s Global Philanthropists Circle, a dynamic network of leading philanthropists addressing questions of strategy, meaning, and impact.  Previously, she worked with Catholic Relief Services as Senior Program Manager in Lima, Peru, and as an Internal Program Auditor. As an Internal Program Auditor, she assessed the effectiveness of diverse programs in Africa, Latin America, and the Balkans. Beth also worked as a Change Management Consultant for Andersen Consulting, where she designed and developed training programs for public sector clients in Texas and Puerto Rico.

Beth holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a joint Master’s degree in Public Affairs and Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, teenage daughters, and fluffy bernedoodle.

Sara Clarke

Chief Operating Officer

Sara C. Clarke is the Chief Operating Officer of Student Leadership Network. As a dedicated TYWLS volunteer and active contributor for 15 years, Sara is delighted to join the organization to apply her collaborative leadership and business acumen to help drive increased scale and impact. She brings over 20 years of experience at the confluence of strategic analysis, project management, and talent development. Sara has a proven commitment to equity and access to opportunity through decades of volunteer leadership focused on literacy, education, and career advancement.

Sara was most recently the Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy, Analysis, and Collaboration at Showtime Networks Inc. She oversaw an adaptable, solution-oriented team, providing competitive analysis and strategic recommendations that helped Showtime exceed its performance targets. Earlier in her career, Sara was a consultant for Accenture in the Media and Entertainment practice. She serves as Co-President of the HBS African-American Alumni Association and has also served on the Board of Directors of the New York Chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications, chairing the award-winning Prime Access Executive Mentoring program and community service committee.

Sara holds a master’s degree from Harvard Business School in Business Administration, and a bachelor’s degree with honors in Modern Culture and Media from Brown University.

Meg Kayman

Managing Director, Finance and Administration

[email protected]

Meg is the Managing Director of Finance and Administration and has been with the organization since March 2009.  During that period, the organization has grown from a budget of $3.5 million to $11.0 million. She is part of the Administration Team which is responsible for building infrastructure to support the growing needs of the organization.

Prior to Student Leadership Network, Meg worked in the Financial Services Industry including positions as an equity research analyst at Goldman Sachs and a senior research analyst at General Electric’s Commercial Finance Division.  She also has been an active volunteer with numerous non-profit organizations and a board member of the HIV Law Project from 2005 to 2013.  She holds a B.A. in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management from Michigan State University and an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University.

Rob Robinson

Senior Managing Director, CollegeBound Initiative

[email protected]

Robert Robinson is the Senior Managing Director of CollegeBound Initiative (CBI). Prior to joining Student Leadership Network’s central office team in 2008, he served as director of college counseling for CBI at two Brooklyn high schools: Juan Morel Campos and Middle College High School at Medgar Evers College. As a college counselor, Robert worked primarily with first-generation students of color with the goal of preparing them academically and financially for college enrollment. Before joining CBI, Robert served as an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at his Alma Mater, New York University (NYU) for nearly four years where he worked specifically with the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) in an effort to increase minority and financially disadvantaged student enrollment.

Robert received both his Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and his Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from NYU.  He has also spent a summer in South Africa where he had the opportunity to study higher education and social reform. Robert prides himself on being an active member of his community.  He has volunteered with various non-profit organizations such as Grand Street Settlement and Publicolor. As a member of the New York State Association for College Admissions Counseling (NYSACAC), he has served as a Conference Presenter, Workshop Moderator and Planning Committee member. He has also served as a Summer Institute Mentor where his responsibilities included training new high school and college admissions counselors.

Laura Rebell Gross

Senior Managing Director, Girls’ Education National Team

[email protected]

Laura Rebell Gross is the Senior Managing Director for the Girls’ Education National Team — comprising The Young Women’s Leadership Schools (TYWLS) and Young Women’s Leadership Network (YWLN) — which serves more than 10,000 students every year. A leader in the education field for decades, Laura implements a vision for developing innovative programs that enrich students’ lives, create experiential leadership opportunities, and build a path to college. Her expertise is widely recognized and she has been honored by Jewish Women International and The Center for the Women of New York. Laura is a national speaker and expert on girls’ public education.

To impact the lives of girls beyond New York City, Laura co-founded the Young Women’s Charter Prep School of Rochester, a YWLN affiliate, and takes the lead in identifying and establishing new school affiliates nationwide. Notably, Laura’s path to leadership started as a public school teacher, including serving as an English teacher at SL Network’s flagship school in East Harlem for six years.  She earned a BA from Tufts University, an MAT from Brown University, and has completed coursework toward an Ed. D. in Curriculum and Teaching at Teacher’s College, Columbia University and the Warner School, University of Rochester.

Jon Roure

Executive VP & Chief Innovation Officer

[email protected]

Jon Roure is the Executive Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) for the Student Leadership Network. As the organization’s first CIO, Jon oversees program planning and implementation across the network. He continues to provide overall leadership to CollegeBound Initiative (CBI) while developing the work streams that support the organization’s strategic planning efforts. This includes increased focus and programming around alumni engagement, research and evaluation, and national expansion via Young Women’s Leadership Network affiliate schools.

Prior to this year, Jon served as the Senior Managing Director of CBI for many years and totals decades of college counseling and management experience in both the higher education and nonprofit sectors. Jon began his career at Columbia University as an Early Intervention Initiative Coordinator for the Double Discovery Program and a College Advisor for Columbia’s Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). In 2001, Jon was hired by SL Network (formerly Young Women’s Leadership Network) as one of four inaugural counselors to pilot CBI in some of New York City’s Title 1 public high schools.  He served as a CBI director of college counseling at Health Opportunities High School for almost five years where he worked to build a college-going culture with its families, faculty, and staff that helped guide nearly 400 students to college.

Jon holds a B.A. in Sociology (1998) with a minor in Professional Youth Work from Rutgers University and an M.A. in Student Personnel Administration (1999) from Teachers College, Columbia University.  He is a proud alumnus of the Educational Opportunity Fund Program (EOF) at Rutgers University and is an example of what opportunity and access to higher education can do for first generation students.

Lesley Guggenheim

Chief Operating Officer

[email protected]

Prior to joining Student Leadership Network Lesley spent 15 years supporting school systems, schools, and educators across the country to ensure students in under-resourced schools have access to the excellent education they deserve. She began her career working at – and later leading – the NYC Teaching Fellows (NYCTF) program and later became a Partner and then a Vice President at TNTP (formerly The New Teaching Project). Lesley has a BA in political science from Union College and an MPA in non-profit management from New York University’s Wagner School.

Yolonda Marshall

Chief Executive Officer

[email protected]

Yolonda Marshall has committed nearly two decades of her life working to ensure that children growing up in underserved communities across the country receive the education they deserve.  She is Student Leadership Network’s first-ever Chief Executive Officer charged with overseeing the management of the organization’s $13M budget, leading the implementation of the organization’s strategic direction, operations and ensuring that the organization is a great place to work and grow.

Prior to joining Student Leadership Network, Mrs. Marshall served as the Deputy Chief Officer, Regional Programs for New Leaders; an organization whose mission is to ensure high academic achievement for all children, especially students in poverty and students of color, by developing transformational school leaders and advancing the policies and practices that allow great leaders to succeed.  In this role, Mrs. Marshall was responsible for managing a team of Executive Directors who led all local program implementation, client engagement and management of 70+ staff across the country.

Mrs. Marshall began her education non-profit career with Teach For America where she held a number of leadership roles on their national development and human assets team, and also served as Interim Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia region. Prior to joining Teach For America, Mrs. Marshall had a 14 year career with Showtime Networks Inc where she honed her sales and marketing skills, provided strategic direction to the nation’s top cable companies and managed a team of marketing specialists that created and executed comprehensive marketing plans to help launch critically acclaimed and Emmy award winning programming.

Mrs. Marshall received her BS degree in Marketing from Tuskegee University and her MBA with a concentration in Marketing and Media Management from Columbia Business School.

Ann Rubenstein Tisch

Founder and President

A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Ann began a 19-year career in broadcast journalism at WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas. She then moved to WCOO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and later joined NBC Network News as a national correspondent, where she developed a strong interest in educational issues.

After covering dozens of education stories for the network and reading and studying data on single-sex education, she was inspired to create an all-girls inner-city public school to serve disadvantaged families. In 1996, with the unanimous approval of the New York City Board of Education, Ann turned her idea into a reality and opened The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of East Harlem – the first public all-girls school to open in the United States in 30 years. Her vision was to provide students growing up in underserved communities a high-quality college preparatory education modeled on the finest private schools.

Ann was educated at Washington University in St. Louis, where she graduated summa cum laude with degrees in psychology and sociology. She currently serves as a trustee on the Board of Washington University in St. Louis. She also serves on the Dean’s Council of The New York University Tisch School of the Arts and is a trustee of the Center for Educational Innovation. She consults with many school districts and parent groups across the country about creating schools similar to TYWLS.

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