Elected to the Board in 2014, Mr. Corbett is Co-Chair of Community Partners, the pro bono consulting program to nonprofits of the Harvard Business School Club of New York. Previously, he was a managing partner of a seed-stage venture fund as well as an executive at Salomon Brothers, Lehman Brothers and Prudential Insurance. Additionally, he was COO of EMI Music Publishing and EMI Recorded Music. He has served in U.S. Government at the Congressional Budget Office, as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and as Associate Commissioner of the Social Security Administration and has experience in local, congressional, gubernatorial and presidential campaign management. He was a member of the Alumni Board of Harvard Business School and is a marathon runner (New York and Boston). Corbett received his MBA from Harvard Business School and his B.A. from Harvard University.
Dennis R. Tarzian, Vice President
Elected to the Board in 2018, Mr. Tarzian is a Managing Partner and Member of the Board of Directors at BCHT Holdings LLC, a privately held investment group. Prior to joining BCHT Holdings LLC, Mr. Tarzian was Co-founder, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner at National Registered Agents Inc., a legal services and technology firm. Previously, he was President and Chief Executive Officer for New Century Education, a privately held provider of instructional technology and computer-based training products. Mr. Tarzian received his MBA from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and his B.S. in Systems Engineering and Computer Science from the Polytechnic Institute of New York University. He is a Member of the Board of Directors for the Karagheusian Foundation and is both a Member and Treasurer for the Fund for Armenian Relief.
Umber Ahmad, Treasurer
Elected to the Board in 2008, Ms. Ahmad is CEO and Founder of Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery, a renowned bakery concept in New York City and the Washington, D.C. areas. Prior to founding Mah-Ze-Dahr, Ms. Ahmad co-founded Specialized Capital Management, a boutique investment advisory firm. Previously, she was a Vice President in the Private Equity Group of Goldman Sachs and an associate in the investment banking division of Morgan Stanley. She earned her MBA in Finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a M.P.H. in Public Health from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Biogenetics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Rachel Heisler, Secretary
Elected to the Board in 1999, Ms. Heisler is the Executive Director of American Friends of Soroka Medical Center. She was previously President and founder of the Tudor Healthcare Group, Inc., specializing in global nurse recruitment, and a Vice President at Citigroup, with 15 years of experience in retail industry corporate finance and trade finance. She has family experience with eye donation: Her son became a living eye donor following a traumatic accident. Ms. Heisler received her MBA from the William E. Simon School of Management at the University of Rochester and is a graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University.
David R. Adler
Elected to the Board in 2022, Mr. Adler is Chief Executive Officer of Adler Asset Management, LLC, a registered investment adviser. Previously, he spent twenty-five years in investment banking, including as a managing director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Financial Institutions Investment Banking Group and as a managing director at J.P. Morgan in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group. Mr. Adler received his MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and his B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago. He is a member of the Investment Committee for the Worcester Art Museum Endowment.
Joseph D'Ambrosio
Elected to the Board in 1997, Mr. D’Ambrosio served as President of the Board of Directors from 2009 to 2015. He is the founder and President of Ibis Management, LLC, an investment management firm. From 1988 to 1996, he was a Managing Director of The Taylor Simpson Group and previously a Vice President at Hampton Partners. Prior to that, he was a member of the Corporate Finance Department of Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. He received his B.S. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also a CFA charterholder.
Giovanni DiCenso
Elected to the Board in 2004, Mr. DiCenso is currently a Tax Manager in the Merger and Acquisition Services Group at Deloitte and Touche LLP, New York. Since 1998, he has held several positions at this firm, including Senior Consultant with the International Tax Group in Philadelphia and Tax Manager with the National Transfer Pricing Team in Washington, D.C. Mr. DiCenso earned his LL.M. in International and Comparative Laws from Georgetown University Law Center, his J.D. from the Claude W. Pettit College of Law, Ohio Northern University and his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. Mr. DiCenso has also co-authored several research articles related to international tax and is fluent in Italian.
Courtney DiTullio
Elected to the Board in 2021, Ms. DiTullio is a Managing Director at Cantor Fitzgerald, a privately held investment bank and brokerage, where she focuses growing sales and trading revenues in equities and equity-related products. She works in conjunction with the Private Capital Markets division to help raise capital for private companies, specifically those in fintech, healthcare and technology. Previously, Ms. DiTullio was a Director at Barclays Capital and a Managing Director at Nomura Securities. Ms. DiTullio received her B.A. in Economics and Psychology from Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. She currently volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC and helps fundraise for Bright Horizons – Bright Space.
Paul Kayaian
Elected in 2010, Mr. Kayaian is President of Mosaic Enterprises, LLC and a 25-year veteran of the business of global corporate sponsorship and marketing for a wide range of properties and events. Past clients include: Madison Square Garden, the NBA, NFL, XFL and NASCAR. Mr. Kayaian is one of the founders of the NBA’s International Division and was a Managing Director of the NFL’s European operations. Born and raised in New York City, Mr. Kayaian holds a B.A. in Marketing from St. John’s University and resides in Westchester County with his family.
Manish Krishnan
Elected to the Board in 2021, Mr. Krishnan is the Founder and CEO of ATCS, Inc. (Advanced Technology Consulting Service), a global IT consulting firm which focuses on providing digital and analytic solutions to Fortune 500 clients in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, finance and automotive industries. Mr. Krishnan received his MBA from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and his undergraduate degree from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) in Pilani, India as well as completed an Executive Education program focused on Leading Professional Service Firms from Harvard Business School. He is involved in multiple initiatives in the areas of child education and health and volunteers with non-profit organizations focused on meeting the needs of underserved children.
Joan L. Larson
Elected to the Board in 2017, Ms. Larson is currently Senior Advisor at Sandalwood Securities, Inc. Prior to joining Sandalwood Securities, Inc., Ms. Larson was Vice President of the Private Portfolio Group at Citigroup/Solomon Smith Barney, Inc. Previously, she served as Corporate Director and Trustee of Nationwide Circuit Products, Inc. and held account executive positions with a variety of investment firms. Ms. Larson received her M.A. in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management and holds a B.A. from Rutgers University.
Audrey MacIsaac
Elected to the Board in 2021, Mrs. MacIsaac, a donor mother, is Vice President of Business Operations at Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience. Previously, she was Vice President of Business Operations at Moat, a SaaS analytics company, which was acquired by Oracle in 2017. She started her career off in investment banking followed by financial technology before joining technology start-ups in New York City. Mrs. MacIsaac graduated from Wellesley College with a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics and, for the past 14 years, she has served on the New York Wellesley Club Board in the positions of President, Past President and is currently Treasurer.
Michele Masucci
Elected to the Board in 2022, Ms. Masucci is a partner at Nixon Peabody LLP in the Health Services practice group, focusing on private equity transactions within the healthcare industry. Prior to her work at Nixon Peabody, she was a McDermott Will & Emery LLP partner. She also served as the in-house counsel at Northwell on Long Island (formerly North Shore University Hospital). In addition to her work with The Eye-Bank, Ms. Masucci sits on the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Foundation board and is the Vice-Chair of the Board of RIP Medical Debt. She received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and her B.A. from Brown University.
Jeanne McCooey
Elected to the Board in 2018, Ms. McCooey is recently retired as Senior Managing Director of Communications for the Metropolitan Golf Association (MGA) where her career spanned for nearly 40 years. While there she was the founding staff member and contributing writer for The Met Golfer magazine, now in its 35th year in publication. She also was a founding member of the MGA Foundation, the charitable 501(c)(3) arm of the Association and served as its Director of Operations for 20 years. She is credited with creating GOLFWORKS, the Foundation’s flagship program that provides paid internships for at-risk youth at the association’s area country clubs. Ms. McCooey is the 2015 recipient of the MGA’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. She is a graduate of Hunter College in New York with a B.A. in English.
Richard Mittenthal
Elected to the Board in 1996, Mr. Mittenthal is President of TCC Group, a management consulting firm that provides planning, evaluation and grants management services. He joined the firm, formerly known as The Conservation Company, in 1989. He is a member of the International Network on Strategic Philanthropy, an initiative involving 58 individuals from North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. Mr. Mittenthal spent 12 years at the New York Community Trust, where from 1983 to 1989 he served as a Vice President for Program, overseeing the discretionary grant program at the largest U.S. community foundation. Active in civic and cultural affairs, he served for six years as a mayoral appointee to the New York City Commission on Cultural Affairs. He currently serves on the boards of Symphony Space and the Alliance for the Arts and served as a Trustee of Meet the Composer, the American Symphony Orchestra League and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He received his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management and is a graduate of Roosevelt University. Mr. Mittenthal is a bilateral cornea transplant recipient.
Andrea Nordquist
Elected to the Board in 1996, Ms. Nordquist has long been active in local community and veteran affairs on Long Island, including serving as Military Blue Star Mothers of Nassau County Chapter President and as a volunteer with other veteran groups—LIAFA, Rolling Thunder and ABATE. She retired from the position of Director of Student Enrichment at St. Martin de Porres Marianist School in 2014. The Nordquists donated their son’s eyes to The Eye-Bank when he died in a tragic accident at the age of two and the Young Ambassador Scholarship was established in his memory. This scholarship is awarded each year to a high school senior or college student who has helped promote eye donation through a community service public education project.
Rocío Sanz
Elected to the Board in 2022, Ms. Sanz is the Chief Executive Officer of Sanz Property Management, Inc. and the owner of the Pepe Restaurant Group, including Tio Pepe, The Taco Shop, Las Ramblas de Tapas, and Burrito Loco Mexican Restaurant. She is an active member of the New York City small business community, serving on the boards of Manhattan's Community Board Two, the Community Housing Improvement Program, and the Small Property Owners of New York. She received her B.A. from Hunter College in Manhattan. Ms. Sanz is personally connected to The Eye-Bank's mission as both her husband and her mother have received the gift of sight through cornea transplantation.
Joseph J. Shaheen
Elected to the Board in 2022, Mr. Shaheen is a private practice attorney focusing on pro bono work. He is admitted to practice law in New York and Florida. He has volunteered his services to organizations such as the NYC Department of Parks, the NYC Department of Health and The Golden Retriever Club of America. Previously, he served as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 25 years, primarily investigating and gathering intelligence for the international terrorism program. Mr. Shaheen began his career as a confidential law clerk for the New York Supreme Court before taking a position as a trial attorney. He received his J.D. from Albany Law School and his B.A. from Marquette University.
Michael Zambrelli
Elected to the Board in 2008, Mr. Zambrelli is President and Creative Director of Zambrelli, LLC, a New York based advertising agency which he founded in 1997. With an emphasis on creativity and strategic development, Zambrelli, LLC serves such clients as Chuck E. Cheese, Firmenich, New York Laundry and Sideways and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. Prior to forming his agency, Mr. Zambrelli worked with Ogilvy and Mather; Young and Rubicam; and Wells, Rich and Greene, with clients such as Proctor and Gamble, Sports Illustrated and General Foods. Mr. Zambrelli received his graduate degree from Harvard University and his B.A. from Harvard College.
Honorary Directors
Mel. M. Immergut
Elected to the Board in 1981, Mr. Immergut is the former Chairman of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy LLP (1995 – 2013) and has been a partner in the firm since 1980. Mr. Immergut has extensive experience in a wide variety of corporate transactional work, including merger and acquisition transactions, financing transactions, leveraged leasing and real estate finance. He is responsible for, among other clients, the firm’s representation of JP Morgan Partners, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America, Anheuser-Busch, Astoria Financial, Mastercard, NASCAR, Tyson Foods, Tyco and William E. Simon and Sons. Mr. Immergut received his J.D. and MBA from Columbia University and his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. He serves as a Trustee and Past-President of the American College of Investment. Mr. Immergut is a member of the New York State Bar Association and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He serves on the Board of the Legal Aid Society and on the Columbia Law School Board of Visitors. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
David Paton, M.D.
Elected to the Board in 1995, Dr. Paton has been an Honorary Director since his retirement from active medical practice as an ophthalmologist and cornea transplant surgeon in 1994. His career was in academic medicine, serving on the faculties of Johns Hopkins (The Wilmer Institute); Baylor College of Medicine (Director, the Cullen Eye Institute); Professor, Cornell University College of Medicine (Chairman, Ophthalmology at Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens). Over the years, he has served eye banking in various countries of the Middle East, South America and Asia. He is a past Chairman of the American Board of Ophthalmology and founded Project ORBIS, serving as its Medical Director from 1972 to 1987. He is the recipient of two honorary degrees (one from Princeton University, his alma mater), and in April 2005 he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award at Johns Hopkins. In 1984, he received the Paton Award, named for his father, R. Townley Paton, M.D., from the Eye Bank Association of America. In addition, Dr. Paton was awarded the French Legion of Honor from President Mitterand and the President’s Citizen’s Medal from President Reagan, the first physician so honored.