Trustees

Mark Bieler
Chairman
Mark Bieler is President of Mark Bieler Associates, Inc., a consulting firm advising on strategic human-resources and organizational-development issues. Clients have included The Westfield Group, Morgan Stanley Retail, Ogilvy & Mather, Mercantile Trust, and the top management of the Central Intelligence Agency. From 1985 to 1999, Mr. Bieler was Director of Human Resources for Bankers Trust Company as well as Executive Vice President of the parent organization, Bankers Trust Corporation. He speaks frequently in public forums about industry issues. In addition to serving as chairman of the Human Resources Committee and Strategy Committee Mr. Bieler sits on the Foundation’s Grants, Investment and Audit Committees. He is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College.

Michael W. Osheowitz
Chairman Emeritus
At age 26, and at the same time he was starting out in the investment banking industry, Michael Osheowitz founded Gould’s longtime strategic partner, Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO). Mr. Osheowitz served as EGF’s board chairman from 1989 to 2007. He was recently appointed to advise the U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee as part of the Horizon Group, a coalition of forward-thinking business and policy leaders. Prior to becoming chairman of Gould, Mr. Osheowitz was President of Arthur Schmidt and Associates, an investor relations and financial consulting firm. Clients have included ADP, Airbus Industries, Colgate-Palmolive, Time Warner, Union Pacific Railroad and the government of Israel. In addition to serving as chairman of the Grants Committee, he sits on the Investment, Development and Strategy Committees. He is a graduate of Middlebury College.

Steven Brown
President & CEO of Greyston Foundation
Steven Brown is the President & CEO of the Greyston Foundation (Greyston). Prior to joining Greyston, he served as Acting Chief Executive Officer of the New York City Housing Partnership, an organization where he previously served as Vice President for Housing and for Commercial Development from 1982 to 1998. From 1998 until early 2004, he was President of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, a national foundation providing scholarships, mentoring, and career and academic support to promising minority college students. A graduate of Harvard University, Mr.Brown brings extensive leadership skills and experience to the Gould Foundation Board. He served on the board of the Edwin Gould Academy for decades, working diligently on behalf of youth in foster care. Mr. Brown serves on the Foundation’s Grants and Audit Committees.

Nicole M. Chestang
Nicole Chestang & Associates, Inc.
Nicole Chestang is President of Chestang & Associates, Inc., a strategic consulting practice serving the educational, non-profit and private sectors, with a specialty in college access, persistence and pipeline issues related to the under-representation of low-income and minority youth. Prior to launching Chestang & Associates, Ms. Chestang served as Chief Operating Officer of the Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®), the leading not-for-profit international association of graduate business schools and sponsor of the Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®). Prior to joining GMAC®, Ms. Chestang was with the Unisys Corporation and Fisher Controls in human resources management. Ms. Chestang also serves as a Trustee of Next Generation Education Foundation and the National Black MBA Foundation. Her professional and personal commitment to underserved youth is of enormous service to the Foundation and its mission. Ms. Chestang serves on the Foundation’s Grants and Human Resources Committees. She is a graduate of Wayne State University and holds a Masters in Business Administration from Washington University.

Lofton Holder
Managing Director, Investcorp
Lofton Holder is Managing Director at Investcorp, where he serves the investment needs of large U.S. institutional investors including corporations, insurance companies, endowments and foundations. Prior to joining Investcorp, Mr. Holder spent 13 years with J.P. Morgan Asset Management and five years with CS First Boston. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Yale School of Management. In addition to serving as chairman of the Investment Committee Mr. Holder serves on the Grants Committees of the Foundation and has been a long time advocate of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, working to advance the college and career development of under-represented youth.

Truda C. Jewett
Associate Executive Director, External Affairs,
Children’s Aid Society
Truda Jewett has served the Children’s Aid Society (CAS), one of the largest children’s organizations in the country, for more than 20 years. Ms. Jewett spearheaded the development efforts at CAS, attracting donors from government, foundations and individuals to enable the agency to provide its needed services. She has served as the Director of the Harvard Alumni Association and the Visiting Committee of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and is a founding member of the Leadership Committee at the Harvard School of Public Health. She is also a Trustee for a number of other organizations, including Morgan Stanley, Smith Barney, Global Impact Funding Trust, Inc., New York City Outward Bound and the American Farm School in Greece. Ms. Jewett served as a Trustee of the Foundation for over a decade and is now an Advisory Trustee with a focus on the Foundation’s strategic direction and leveraging greater opportunities for effective grantmaking, currently serving on the Foundation's Development Committee.  Ms. Jewett is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Edward A. Lesser 
Vice Chairman, Bankers Trust (retired)
Edward Lesser is the former Vice Chairman of Bankers Trust Co., and served as a Trustee of the Foundation for sixteen years.  He is now an Advisory Trustee. In the past, he served as chairman of the Board’s Governance Committee and Strategy Committee and had been a member of the Investment Committee.  Mr. Lesser currently serves on the Foundation's Development Committee.  He is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Roszell Mack, III
Founding Partner, Ascend Venture Group, LLC
Roszell Mack is a co-founder and Partner of Ascend Venture Group, LLC (Ascend), a New York City–based private equity firm. Prior to the formation of Ascend, Mr. Mack was an Associate Director at Peter J. Solomon Company, where he was a mergers and acquisitions banker and responsible for implementing new business development initiatives for the retailing and consumer products sectors. Mr. Mack has held investment banking positions with Salomon Smith Barney, Prudential Securities and Goldman, Sachs & Co. He serves on the Board of Directors of ClassLink, Inc. and Tabula Digita and is also a board member of the National Association of Investment Companies. Mr. Mack earned a Bachelor of Arts (Engineering Sciences, Chemical) degree from Yale University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School. Mr. Mack serves as chairman of the Gould Foundation’s Development Committee and is also a member of the Foundation’s Grants, and Strategy Committee.

Joshua B. Parker
Principal, the Gargoyle Group of Companies
Joshua Parker has been a principal of the Gargoyle Group of Companies and the CEO of its Investment Advisory Business since 1998. Mr. Parker was General Counsel, then Executive Vice President, of Kenmar Advisory Corp. and its affiliates—one of the leading managers in the managed futures industry. From 1986 to 1988, Mr. Parker was a member of, and options market-maker on, the American Stock Exchange. During this time, he also trained and sponsored a number of individuals to become successful on-floor options market-makers. From 1996 to 1999, Mr. Parker was also a member of the Government Relations Committee of the Managed Funds Association. Mr. Parker is a Bridge Gold Life Master, a former North American Bridge champion and has represented the United States in international bridge competitions. He is a graduate of Yale University and the New York University School of Law. Mr. Parker serves on the Foundation’s Investment and Grants Committees.

Alan S. Weinstein
President, Arthur Schmidt & Associates (retired)
Alan Weinstein is the retired president of Arthur Schmidt & Associates, an investor relations and financial consulting firm. He held that position from 1989 to 2004. Prior to that, he served as Vice Chairman of the firm. Mr. Weinstein received his undergraduate degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University. Mr. Weinstein serves as chairman of the Foundation’s Audit Committee and is a member of the Investment and Human Resources Committees. He is also a member of Gray Matters, a group of seasoned professionals who offer pro-bono advisory services to non-profit, community-based organizations in the New York Metropolitan Area.

President & CEO, Edwin Gould Foundation
Cynthia Rivera Weissblum was appointed CEO of the Edwin Gould Foundation in 2007. She joined the Foundation after a 20-year career investing in and supporting strategies that address the achievement gap, which prevents large numbers of young people from graduating high school, succeeding in college and achieving long-term economic self-sufficiency. She previously served as CEO of Results Collaborative Group, Ltd., a consulting firm dedicated to effective philanthropy and program development, and as President and CEO of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO). She also served as Director of the New York State Mentoring Program under Governor Cuomo’s Decade of the Child Initiative. She holds two advanced degrees from the State University of New York at Albany, Educational Specialist in Counseling Psychology and Master of Science in Counseling Psychology and Student Development.