Executive Team
Nancy Biberman, Founder and President, is an expert on green, affordable housing and community development with over thirty years of experience in advocating for greater equity and justice in New York City. Nancy began her career as a Legal Services lawyer and went on to help create the SRO Law Project. While studying at Columbia University's School of Architecture and Planning with a Revson Fellowship, she conceived and developed the West End Intergenerational Residence. Subsequently, she developed over 700 units of affordable housing in the Highbridge section of the Bronx. She founded WHEDco in 1991 and has served as its President since. Nancy has received the Paul Davidoff Award for Leadership in Housing and Equal Opportunity from the American Planning Association, the Fannie Baer Besser Award for Public Service from Rutgers Law School, and a James A. Johnson Fellowship from the Fannie Mae Foundation. Nancy received her BA from Barnard College of Columbia University and her JD from Rutgers University School of Law. Nancy serves on the Board of Directors of Hostos Community College Foundation and the Freelancers Union Insurance Company.
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Davon Russell, Executive Vice President, joined WHEDco in 1997 to develop and launch WHEDco’s After School program at neighboring public school PS/MS 218. As the Director of Education and Youth Development, Davon coordinated and supervised the After School, Summer Arts, and Teen programs. In 2007, Davon was promoted to WHEDco’s Vice President for Programs, and two years later, to Executive Vice President. Prior to joining WHEDco, Davon worked as a professional actor for five years. Davon is the 2001 recipient of the PASEsetter Award Certificate in recognition of outstanding service to New York City’s youth from the Partnership for After-School Education. He previously served as a Program Coach in The After School Corporation's Coach-Mentee Program, and the Advisory Committee of the Madison Square Garden Cheering For Children Foundation. Former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión appointed him to serve on the Community Education Council of the New York City Department of Education. Davon earned a BA in Telecommunications and Film and an MA in Theatre from the University of Oregon, Eugene.
Deepak Butani, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, first joined WHEDco as Director of Finance in 2004. After three years in this position, he became the Chief Financial Officer of Care for the Homeless, a health care and housing non-profit organization. In September 2011, he returned to WHEDco to serve in his current role as Vice President and CFO. Prior to WHEDco, Deepak has held controllership positions at the American Red Cross and Bronx Works, and has experience working with different city, state and federal agencies and funding streams. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Institute of Management Accountants. In 2009, he was awarded the Executive Certificate of excellence from the Support Center for Nonprofit Management. He serves on the board of A Place for Kids and is a volunteer IRS tax preparer. Deepak holds a Masters in Law (LLM) from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, an MBA and a JD. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Management Accountant (CMA).
Rebecca Kramnick, Vice President and General Counsel, joined WHEDco in 2005 after working for four years as a senior staff attorney at Lawyers Alliance for New York, a nonprofit law firm serving community-based organizations in New York City. At Lawyers Alliance, Rebecca advised nonprofits on a wide range of legal issues, including employment, corporate, tax and insurance law. She has provided training to nonprofit managers on legal topics pertinent to their work, and has also taught continuing legal education courses to attorneys on subjects related to nonprofit and employment law. She is a co-author of The Volunteer Workforce: Legal Issues and Best Practices for Nonprofits, published by Lawyers Alliance. Prior to working at Lawyers Alliance, Rebecca practiced employment law at three New York City law firms. She earned her BA from Harvard College and her JD from Cornell Law School.
Directors
Katie Aylwin, Director of Education and Youth Development, joined WHEDco in 2005. She currently supervises a staff of 65, including teaching artists and high school employees, to ensure the highest level of youth programming at PS/MS 218. Previously at WHEDco she was Director of the Teen Program and mentor of the first cohort of Project STEP students. Prior to joining WHEDco, Katie taught at Columbia University's Double Discovery Center, a program for low-income students in New York City, and at New Smyrna Beach High School in Florida, where she received Teacher of the Year Award in 2003.
Maggie Colon, Director of Finance/ Controller, joined WHEDco in 2007 to track and prepare financial reports for WHEDco's senior management. Maggie has worked in the nonprofit sector for 25 years. Before joining WHEDco, she worked for The Salvation Army as the Assistant Chief Accountant for the Social Services Division for 12 years.
Rebecca Eigenbauer, Director of Housing Development, joined WHEDco in 2010. She has over ten years of experience in real estate development and management. Prior to joining WHEDco, Rebecca worked in several capacities at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD), including project management and underwriting for multifamily preservation projects. Most recently, she was the Director of the Third Party Transfer Disposition and Finance Program at HPD. Prior to working at HPD, she was a Program Assistant at the Village Alliance Business Improvement District. Rebecca holds a BA from Chatham College and a Master's Degree in Urban Planning from Hunter College.
Eric Matern, Director of Information Technology, joined WHEDco in 2010. With a decade of experience in information technology, Eric manages WHEDco's technology infrastructure and is carrying out a technology plan to support WHEDco's growth. Prior to joining WHEDco, Eric worked at an international shipping company where he consolidated and improved office technology to efficiently communicate with over 20 offices all around the world. He has also worked in the financial and software industries.
Kerry A. McLean, Director of Community Development, joined WHEDco in 2008. She has over ten years of experience working in community development in the U.S. and overseas, and manages WHEDco's community planning, commercial revitalization and healthy microenterprise initiatives. Prior to joining WHEDco, Kerry was a Housing Planner in the Office of former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión Jr. Kerry has also worked on international development issues. In 2011, Kerry was the only individual working in the Bronx to be selected for New York City's Coro Neighborhood Leadership Program. She has an MA in International Development from American University and a Masters in Urban Planning from Hunter College of The City University of New York.
Chris Nieves, Director of Education and Youth Development, joined WHEDco in 1997 as an Americorps volunteer. Chris oversees WHEDco’s arts-based After School program at PS 2/63, which serves 240 children and families in the Crotona Park East neighborhood of the Bronx. Previously at WHEDco he started the Teen Program to help high school students attend college, and he was Assistant Director at PS 218, serving over 1,000 students and parents through the early education program he co-initiated. Chris specialized in Early Childhood Education at Hostos Community College.
Diana Perez, Director of Childcare Services, joined WHEDco in 1995. She is an expert on assisting childcare providers to enhance their skills and establish viable businesses. Prior to joining WHEDCO, Diana worked with the Athena Project, a community-based microenterprise program in the Bronx. Her previous experience includes working as a parent educator with the Mount Hope Housing Corporation in the Bronx, and training in early childhood development, child abuse, and family day care. She was trained at Bank Street College of Education and is an advocate and policy advisor on childcare licensing issues and practices. She holds a BA from Lehman College and an MA in Public Administration from Baruch College.
Meredith Reitman, Director of Research and Evaluation, joined WHEDco in 2007 to research the impact of WHEDco’s programs on the population served while helping to establish and track the organization’s performance metrics. Meredith has over ten years of experience in qualitative and quantitative research. Prior to joining WHEDco, she worked as an evaluator for state and federal energy assistance programs and was an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, teaching and conducting research on the role of race in the workplace and labor market. Meredith holds a BA in Geography and Economics from Vassar College, an MA in Geography from UCLA, and a PhD in Geography from the University of Washington.
Rose Rivera, Director of Urban Horizons Early Childhood Discovery Center Head Start, joined WHEDco in 1997 to run WHEDco's Head Start program. She has over 30 years of experience in the field of childhood education and currently coordinates programming for 104 neighborhood pre-school children and their families each year. Rose previously worked as an Early Childhood Program Developer for the American Red Cross, a Director of an LPOS pre-school, and as a Head Start Education Director for The Children's Aid Society's Community Schools Program in Upper Manhattan.
Doxene Roberts, LCSW/ACSW, Director of Family Support and Housing Services, joined WHEDco in 1998. She has over two decades of clinical social work experience with individuals and families in the Bronx and Westchester. Doxene manages WHEDco’s center- and school-based family support programs. Doxene serves as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Prevent Child Abuse New York and organizes a neighborhood walk each April to raise awareness. She holds a BS in Social Work from Lehman College, and an MSW from Fordham University.
Lucia Strazzeri, Senior Director for Human Resources, joined WHEDco in 2011 with over 15 years of experience in her field. In response to WHEDco’s organizational growth, Lucia designs and executes an overall Human Resources and Organizational Development strategy. Before joining WHEDco, she served Girl Scouts of the USA Pace University Fordham University
Elizabeth Valone, Director of Home-based Childcare Training and Development, joined WHEDco in 2009 as the Program Quality Assurance Specialist, coordinating organizational development efforts. In her current role, she manages the training and licensing process for informal childcare providers such that they are better able to establish successful home-based childcare businesses. Prior to joining WHEDco, she led fundraising and communication efforts for several domestic and international based nonprofit organizations. Elizabeth holds a BA in International Relations from Lewis and Clark College in Portland , Oregon
