William Bassell became the Principal of the Academy of American Studies in September 2011. Prior to that, he was the Principal and the Transformation Mentor Principal at Long Island City High School from August 1994 to August 2011, making him one of the longest serving high school principals in the New York City public schools.
Bassell is a staunch advocate of arts education. Unlike other principals, Mr. Bassell is also a teacher. While at Long Island City High School, he taught his own opera appreciation class and ensures that high level academic expectations for all are combined with aesthetic education in art, music, technology, and culinary arts to create a first rate secondary education.
Bassell is credited as being a guide to students and is said to “always have time to listen, no matter how busy he was.” Bassell was awarded the Special Arts Recognition Award by Americans for the Arts in honor of his extraordinary accomplishments as well as to celebrate New York City’s commitment to arts education.
Linda is Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Scholastic Inc., the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books and a leading developer of educational technology. Linda is responsible for handling all of the labor and employment law issues for the approximately 10,000 employee workforce, and among other responsibilities, serves as the key legal advisor to two of the company’s largest divisions – Scholastic Book Fairs, Inc., headquartered in Lake Mary, Florida and the National Service Organization, the manufacturing and distribution arm of the company, based in Jefferson City, MO. Linda also supports the Company’s retail store, and employee benefits, facilities, manufacturing, and travel services departments. As a key business partner with her client groups, Linda plays a critical role in helping the company achieve its strategic objectives.
Most recently, Linda has been named by The Network Journal (TNJ) as one of 2011′s “25 Influential Black Women in Business.”In 2010, she was named one of Diversity MBA Magazine’s Top 100 Under 50 Executives & Emerging Leaders. Linda is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School, Cornell University and New York University School of Law.
Gary is a Partner at Ernst & Young LLP and is based in New York City. He serves as the Global Client Service Partner for several of the largest global financial institutions which are Ernst & Young clients. In addition to serving as the single point of contact to coordinate Ernst & Young’s services to these institutions, Gary provides specific advice in the areas of risk management, regulatory and business/operations improvement matters to address strategic change and implementation requirements.
Gary is active in the Firm’s activities with Junior Achievement NY (“JANY”) Organization. As a part of JANY Gary holds the role of treasury and executive committee board member. Gary also serves as the overall Partner for the US Firm regarding coordinating the involvement in local Junior Achievement chapters between the Ernst & Young LLP and the US National Junior Achievement Organization. He is actively involved as a sponsoring Partner in the Ernst & Young’s financial services campus and experienced hire recruiting for their Advisory Practices.
Previously to joining EY in May 2002, Gary was a Partner at Andersen where he headed the New York Financial Services Office Business Process and Risk Consulting Practice. Gary has led global engagements involving EMEA, Americas and Asia Regional Teams.
Gary is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor. He is a member of the New York Society of Certified Public Accountants. Gary earned a B.S. at Cornell University and a M.B.A at New York University.
Eddie Rodriguez is the principal of a general practice law firm, which focuses on civil litigation, criminal defense, commercial and business disputes, appellate matters, and general business law.
Mr. Rodriguez has a longstanding commitment to public service and civic leadership. In October 2007, he co-founded Rewarding Achievement (REACH) (www.reachnyc.org), the largest nonprofit inner-city high school scholarship program of its kind in the nation; he served as Executive Director of REACH until 2010, when he transitioned onto the organization’s Board of Directors. In 2002, the New York Times called his work as president of his local community school board “particularly dynamic,” in recognition of tangible gains in student achievement in his Brooklyn school district (Sunset Park, Red Hook, Park Slope).
Professionally, Mr. Rodriguez spent nearly four years in the Office of the New York State Attorney General, specializing in complex civil rights and constitutional litigation in federal and state courts, and also served as an attorney with the NYC Department of Education. He has also been associated with prominent boutique law firms in New York City, and has served as a Visiting Associate Clinical Professor at Seton Hall University School of Law.
Prior to law school, Mr. Rodriguez was a public middle school teacher at the Dual Language Middle School in Manhattan.
Mr. Rodriguez is a graduate of Regis High School, Columbia College and New York University School of Law. He is past-President of the Black, Latino, Asian Pacific American Law Alumni Association (BLAPA) at NYU Law, and was a founding Board member of the Red Hook Initiative, a community-based organization committed to confronting and affecting the consequences of intergenerational poverty in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Robert Reffkin is a Vice President in the Principal Investment Area of Goldman Sachs. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, he worked at Lazard Frères and McKinsey & Company. In 2005, he was appointed as a White House Fellow to serve as special assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury. He was selected to be a member of the Economic Club of New York and a Council on Foreign Relations term member.
Robert currently serves on the Board of Directors of USI Holdings Corporation, Citizens Committee for NYC, and Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. He was appointed by Mayor Bloomberg to serve on the NYC Workforce Investment Board and the NYC Board of Education, known as the Panel for Educational Policy. He also founded Success Academy charter school and is an Adjunct Professor at Brooklyn College.
Robert received a B.A. from Columbia University and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.
Laura assists the Workshop to define and provide a transformative educational experience for pre-schoolers in classrooms and centers across America using Sesame Street’s educational content. Laura’s work focuses on how Sesame Street can best provide effective instructional materials for children, professional development for teachers, and new ways to engage parents and families to learn together at home. Her responsibilities include conducting research and analysis to inform strategic direction, coordinating a cross-functional project team to design and launch key programs, and securing internal and external support and investment from diverse audiences.
Most recently, Laura served as Assistant Commissioner for External Partnerships and Research with the New York State Department of Education. Her previous experience in the education field includes work with the New York City Department of Education, NYC Center for Charter School Excellence and the San Diego City School District. Smith earned a B.S. in Human Development from Cornell University and a M.B.A. from Northwestern University.
Jacob G. Wright is a portfolio entrepreneur who develops, finances, owns and operates hotels and restaurants throughout the continental United States. Mr. Wright has also provided professional consultation and feasibility analysis on developments totaling over 500 million in assets. In addition to his operational experience, he maintains knowledge of current trends in academia through his positions of Visiting Lecturer and Entrepreneur in Residence at Cornell University. Combining experience with educational analysis, he takes a real world approach to creating successful businesses.
Mr. Wright has been quoted as an expert in his field, providing multiple articles and interviews for publications including the Cornell “eship” series, Hospitality News, and National Restaurant News, while also participating as a business plan judge and panel expert at annual conferences and competitions. Mr. Wright dedicates significant time contributing to his hometown community of Syracuse by participating on many charity boards including the March of Dimes, Erie Canal Historical Museum, and Crouse Hospital Foundation board.
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