About the LaGuardia Community College Foundation
Since its inception in 2003, the LaGuardia Community College Foundation has been bridging the financial gaps facing our students. The Foundation has raised more than $25 million in funding for student scholarships, emergency aid, and new initiatives aimed at enhancing student success.
Dr. Paul Arcario, Interim President
Paul Arcario, Ed.D. has been an academic leader and faculty member at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY for more than 30 years and was appointed as Interim President by CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez in August 2019. Dr. Arcario most recently served as provost and senior vice president for seven years, where he managed the Academic Affairs Division’s $40 million annual budget; led faculty recruitment and development; and supervised the Student Affairs Division, which serves the College’s nearly 20,000 students pursuing associate degrees. Dr. Arcario is a Queens born leader who hails from Ozone Park.
Suzie Scanlon, Esq., Chair
Suzie Scanlon is co-founder and managing director of Bliss Lawyers, a virtual enterprise providing businesses with legal and recruitment services, as well as managing partner of SRD Legal Group PLLC, a women-owned virtual law firm. Prior to these roles, Ms. Scanlon worked as a traditional attorney and as a press aide for the National Association of Securities Dealers and the NYS Executive Chamber of Governor Mario M. Cuomo. Ms. Scanlon is an alumna of Fordham University School of Law and LaGuardia Community College’s entrepreneurship program, 10,000 Small Businesses. She currently serves as a Trustee of NJ LEEP and Brewster Academy, is a member of the Leadership Advisory Board of The Ridgefield Playhouse, and is the founding Board Chairperson of the Danbury Hospital Associate Board.
Joel Glasky is Senior Advisor at FINANCO, a boutique investment bank that serves the consumer sector. Prior to FIANCO, Mr. Glasky was a Managing Director at JPMorgan for 15 years where he held a number of leadership roles, including heading the Private Placement and High Grade Capital Markets Groups. He has over 40 years of investment banking experience that includes management roles at Lehman Brothers and CitiBank. Mr Glasky received his Bachelor of Science with distinction in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and his Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He also serves on the Board of the Harvard Business School Club of NYC where he co-heads the Nominating & Governance Committee.
Dr. Nireata D. Seals (VP of Academic Affairs)
Nireata D. Seals, Ed.D. serves as Vice President of Academic Affairs where she directs student services including registration, enrollment, financial aid, disability services, and career planning and placement. She also oversees services designed to help low-income students, such as an on-campus food pantry, health services, and subsidized daycare. For the past 25 years, Dr. Seals has led a distinguished career in student services, holding positions at the College of New Rochelle, New York University. Next, Queensborough Community College, and Hunter College. Dr. Seals earned her doctorate from Saint John Fisher College; her masters in student personnel administration from New York University; and her bachelors in behavioral science/social work from Concordia University.
Ernest M. von Simson, Treasurer
Ernest von Simson is a Trustee of The New York Landmark Conservancy, Landmark West, and a charitable foundation in Hawaii. He was previously a director of a dozen private and public technology companies and continues to advise early stage firms. Mr. von Simson is also co-founder of the Research Board where he directed the professional staff examining the evolution of business models, advanced technology, business applications and IT best practices. He is an alum of Brown University and earned his MBA from New York University. His articles have appeared in the Atlantic, Computerworld, Harvard Business Review, and many other publications. He is the author of “The Limits of Strategy” which recounts recurring turmoil in the IT sector.
Priscilla Alexander is a retired executive and accomplished entrepreneur who built her own successful travel business in New York called Protravel International. Ms. Alexander, a New Jersey native, fell in love with travel while studying at the Sorbonne in Paris. After returning to New York, earning a master’s degree at Columbia University and working in education, real estate and other fields, she switched gears and became a travel agent. Over the years, Ms. Alexander has served on just about every advisory board established for the retail travel industry and has been frequently recognized by Travel + Leisure magazine in its A-List issue. In 2009, she was the recipient of a Travel Weekly Lifetime Achievement Award.
Charles Boyce is founder and president of Boyce Technologies, which specializes in producing solutions for public safety and security communications systems such as MTA Help Points Kiosks. In 2016, Boyce Industries was ranked as #18 of NY’s fastest-growing companies.Mr. Boyce has over 25 years of experience in electronic design and communications construction, and prior to Boyce Technologies he served as COO of E.A. Technologies, Inc where he designed numerous integrated security and communications systems. Mr. Boyce is a graduate of New York University where he received both his bachelor’s in bioelectronics and television broadcasting, as well as his master’s in telecommunications engineering.
Marlene Debel is MetLife’s Chief Risk Officer and a member of the Executive Group. From March 2018 until assuming her current role in May 2019, she served as Executive Vice President and Head of Retirement & Income Solutions at MetLife; she was also previously Chief Financial Officer of MetLife’s businesses in the United States. Prior to joining MetLife in 2011, she was global head of liquidity risk management and rating agency relations at Bank of America. Ms. Debel joined Bank of America in 2009 with the acquisition of Merrill Lynch. She was at Merrill Lynch for 20 years, most recently as Assistant Treasurer. Ms. Debel received an MBA in finance from Fordham University and a BS in Finance from SUNY Albany. She serves on the board of the Women’s Forum of New York.
Russell Horwitz works in the Office of the Chairman of Goldman Sachs, where he helps manage the firm's global external and internal communications strategy, and is also secretary to the Management Committee. Mr. Horwitz joined Goldman Sachs in 2004 in the Executive Office and was named managing director in 2008 and partner in 2012. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Horwitz worked at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) where he served in various roles including senior adviser to the chairman for policy, and was a special assistant to the national economic adviser and deputy director of communications research at the White House from 1995 to 1998. Mr. Horwitz is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Children's Aid Society. He earned a BA from the University of Virginia in 1994.
Gail Landis has had a 30-year career on Wall Street as an investor, a business leader, and an entrepreneur. Most recently, she was a managing principal and co-founder of Evercore Asset Management, LLC and head of the firm's business development, marketing and client service efforts. Prior to Evercore, her career included senior leadership roles on both the investing and business side of the asset management business with AllianceBernstein and Credit Suisse Asset Management. Ms. Landis is a Director of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDQ: MORN), a member of the Investment Committee of the St. Mark’s School of Southborough, and a member of the Investment Committee of The David Rockefeller Fund. Additionally, she serves on the board of the Wood River Women’s Foundation, is Chair, Emerita of Pro Mujer International, a member of the Women’s Forum of NY, and a founding member of the Idaho IWF.
Nicolas Nicolaou is the CFO of Max Finkelstein Inc. Previously he has served as the CFO of Mana Products, one of the world’s leading contract and private label cosmetics manufacturer, based in Long Island City. He has also worked for Unilever for 17 years where he served as the CFO of the Pepsi/Lipton Partnership, a $500 million joint venture between Unilever and Pepsi. He started his career at Deloitte & Touche in New York after immigrating to the United States from Larnaca, Cyprus. He attended LaGuardia Community College before receiving a BBA in Accounting from Baruch College and an MBA in International Finance from Saint John’s University. He is currently the president of the Cyprus-US Chamber of Commerce, a non-profit organization with the mission of promoting trade between the US and Cyprus.
Dr. Henry Saltiel (VP of Information Technology)
Dr. Henry Saltiel is Vice President of Information Technology at LaGuardia, and is responsible for guiding strategic planning and policy implementation related to technology infrastructure and the uses of technology in support of the college’s overall mission. Dr. Saltiel oversees the departments of Network Administration, Student Information Systems, End-User Support, and Instructional Media services. He also manages The Office of Institutional Research, which is responsible for maintaining and forecasting vital statistical data related to the college’s performance and historical trends. Dr. Saltiel is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a Ph.D. in Education, NYU-Polytechnic with an MS in Information Systems Engineering, and Adelphi University with a BS in Computer Science and Mathematics. He brings to LaGuardia over 30 years of experience managing information technology in higher education.
Marty Schmelkin represents employers in all aspects of employment law, advising on litigation strategy, coordinating the implementation of global policies, and counseling on recruitment, hiring, and termination activity. Prior to joining Jones Day, Mr. Schmelkin worked in the legal department of Goldman Sachs for 15 years, where he was a managing director and associate general counsel in the employment law group. He spent time in the firm's Hong Kong office covering employment law matters throughout Asia and was responsible for employment law in non-U.S. offices in the Americas. Mr. Schmelkin is a member of the board of the Cornell University School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR) Alumni Association.
Marilyn Skony Stamm is President and CEO of Stamm International Corporation, a global manufacturer and distributor of heating, ventilation, air conditioning equipment, chimney and flues. Previous employers include Chase Manhattan Bank, Continental Grain Company, Marine Midland Bank, and The First National Bank of Chicago. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Stamm International and its operating subsidiaries, Powrmatic, Ltd, UK; SF Ltd, UK; Powrmatic Lte, Canada; and Powrmatic Inc, US. In 2010, she launched LaGuardia’s annual Spring Into Action Scholarship Campaign, raising over $700,000 in full-tuition student scholarships. She is the recipient of the 2013 LaGuardia Foundation Innovative Leadership Award and is a member of Northwestern University’s Council of 100 and Committee of 200. Ms. Stamm holds a BA in Political Science from Northwestern University and an MA in International Law and Finance from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy where she was a Celia M. Howard Fellow.
Larry Solomon is Senior Vice President of EPAM Systems, Inc, a leading provider of software product development services. Mr. Solomon previously served as a Senior Managing Director of Accenture and Chief Operating Officer in North America. He joined the company in 1986 after graduating from SUNY Albany, and helped create the Northeast Strategic Services practice where he served as Director of Administration. He then went on to hold a number of leadership positions with Accenture, including HR Director for the Americas Government and Health Services Market Unit, the Americas Business Integration HR Lead, and Global Geographic HR Director. In 2000 he was promoted to partner, and later became Global Managing Director for Geographic Services and Group Chief Operating Officer for Human Resources. He has also been Group Chief Operating Officer of Accenture’s Health and Public Service Operating Group.
Eric Slovin is a writer and producer, working as an executive producer of Comedy Central's critically acclaimed, Broad City. Other recent credits include High Maintenance (HBO) and Crashing (HBO). Since 2006, he has served as Head Writer and Co-Executive Producer of Comedy Central’s (more recently HBO’s) Night of Too Many Stars, hosted by Jon Stewart to raise funds for autism education and programs. Mr. Slovin's many credits include three years as a staff writer for Saturday Night Live, and he has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards. Mr. Slovin has a BA from Wesleyan University. Currently, he serves on the board of CASA-NYC, which advocates for children in New York City foster care.
Bill Toppeta served as vice chair of EMEA/Asia for MetLife, Inc until May 2012 and was President, International for the company until 2011. Under his leadership, MetLife expanded its operations in Latin America, Asia Pacific and Europe. Additionally, he was Senior Vice President to lead MetLife’s corporate reengineering department; Vice President and Deputy General Manager of MetLife’s Canadian operations; and President and Chief Executive Officer of Metropolitan Life’s Canadian operations. Mr. Toppeta has served as a director of Business Council of New York State Inc, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves as a director on Swiss Re Americas and Helen Keller International. Mr. Toppeta is a former trustee of Fordham University, where he earned his BA and JD, and an alum of New York University’s School of Law.