Board of Directors
Members of our Board of Directors represent a diversity of experience and expertise. Their broad skills and resources help guide the Andrew Goodman Foundation into the 21st Century.
SONIA JARVIS, ESQ. (SHE/HER)
Co-Chair
Professor Sonia R. Jarvis is an accomplished attorney and scholar whose research and teaching have focused on race, politics, and the media. Her legal practice focuses on civil rights, civil liberties, minority businesses and counseling nonprofit organizations. She served as a law clerk for renowned Federal Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr. when he was the US District Court Judge for the Middle District of Alabama and also when he was elevated to become a US Circuit Court Judge for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Professor Jarvis has written several book chapters and papers and is currently focused on voter suppression in a book she is co-authoring entitled "States of Confusion: How New Voter ID Requirements Fail Democracy and What to Do About It" (under contract with NYU Press). An active member of several professional associations and academic organizations, she has served in a variety of administrative positions, including most notably as the Executive Director of the National Coalition on Black Voter Participation, Inc., and Managing Director of the Center for National Policy Review Clinic formerly based at Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law.
A frequent commentator on public and political issues, Professor Jarvis has testified before Congress and has been interviewed by almost every major media outlet in the country, such as National Public Radio, the Washington Post, PBS News Hour, and CNN. Prior to joining Baruch College, CUNY, she served as a Senior Consultant for the President’s Initiative on Race in the Clinton White House tasked with drafting its final report and has been invited to teach at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs, Georgetown University’s Law Center, and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey’s Eagleton Institute of Politics.
Professor Jarvis has taught undergraduate and graduate courses on race and politics, public policy, intergroup dialogue, communications and media analysis, law and public policy, and women's rights while bringing a wealth of practical and theoretical knowledge to the courses she teaches at Baruch. She first joined Baruch’s Marxe School of Public & International Affairs in 2004 as the Lillian & Nathan Ackerman Visiting Distinguished Associate Professor of Equality and Justice in America and was appointed a Distinguished Lecturer and Director of the Center for Equality, Pluralism and Policy in 2007. Professor Jarvis graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Political Science with Honors and Distinction, and a B.A. in Psychology, followed by a J.D. from Yale University Law School. She was recently acknowledged by Stanford University as its first African American Female Varsity Athlete in university history when she served as Captain of the Stanford Women’s Basketball Team.
MICHELE WRIGHT, ED.D. (SHE/HER)
Co-Chair
Michele Wright is an equity-focused leader in non-profit and educational institutions. Michele has developed and implemented strategic initiatives, programs, community partnerships, program evaluation, and organizational change strategies to advance mission and impact. Her work has also centered on equitable opportunities and access to arts education. Michele is a program officer and consultant at GMA Foundations, a philanthropic advisory firm in Boston, MA. She holds an executive doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania, in which her research focused on culture, change, and equity in higher education. She presented a chapter of her dissertation as a case study at the NADOHE International Conference at Coventry University in Coventry, UK: “An Anti-Racism Implementation Plan: A Case Study; How A Decentralized Liberal Arts College Implemented a New Framework for Change.” Michele received a Bachelor of Music from The Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, a Master of Music in Clarinet Performance from The Juilliard School, and an Ed. D in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (PENNGSE).
MICHAEL W. MALAFRONTE (HE/HIM)
Vice Chair
Michael W. Malafronte has been an investor for his entire 26-year career and has developed a deep understanding of strategic imperatives and executional capabilities that drive shareholder value.
In 2007, Michael led the entrepreneurial effort to start a money management firm, International Value Advisers, LLC (IVA). IVA opened to outside clients in February 2008 and, after growing to $15.2 billion AUM, closed its investment products to new investors only 3 years later. Michael oversaw the physical and technology infrastructure development and the staffing of all IVA departments (trading, investment analysts, sales, accounting, communication and compliance, etc.). During his 13 years as Managing Partner of IVA, Michael built a world-class team and developed lasting business relationships with several global legal and financial firms.
Prior to IVA, Michael was a securities analyst and portfolio manager. He was a generalist working for absolute value driven investment firms and has extensive experience valuing businesses and assessing management teams for long term successful value creation.
Michael served on the board of two small cap public companies early in his career and has been on the board of Adtalem Global Education Inc. (NYSE: ATGE) since 2016. While on the ATGE board, Michael has advised the company through a significant repositioning of the portfolio, including several acquisitions and divestitures, and the public market valuation and intrinsic value of the company has grown significantly. Michael has served on the compensation, nominating and governance, external relations and audit committees for ATGE. Since 2018, Michael has chaired the compensation committee and has assisted the company in restructuring its compensation structures to better align the performance of the company with executive compensation.
Michael graduated from Babson College in 1996 and is currently active in civic and philanthropic endeavors including Cycle for Survival and Share the Harvest Farm.
DAVID GOODMAN (HE/HIM)
Secretary
David Goodman is the brother of Andrew Goodman and the former Chairman of The Andrew Goodman Foundation's Board of Directors. Professionally, David is a civil engineer and holds an MBA from Stanford University. He was the founder and CEO of United American Energy Corp., an electric generation and power company operating in eight states throughout the U.S. David is a member of the Global Leadership Council of the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), member of U.S. Green Building Council, member of American Solar Energy Society, member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, on the Advisory Board of the Natural History Museum of The Adirondacks, on the Advisory Board of the Ruby Bridges Foundation, and a Trustee Emeritus of the Antioch College Board of Trustees. He brings extensive experience in developing, operating, and expanding organizations.
COREY WEISS (HE/HIM)
Treasurer
Corey Weiss has a background in engineering, physics, business management, and philanthropy. He spent the early part of his career in the semiconductor industry in both technical and management positions for a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. In 1998, Mr. Weiss founded Applied Technologies Consulting, a business consultancy that serves clients of technology driven enterprises. Mr. Weiss is also an active investor evaluating, making and monitoring investments across asset classes. He is currently a Board member, advisor and fiduciary to a variety of organizations including the Karan-Weiss Foundation (founded by Donna Karan and Stephan Weiss, founders of the NY based fashion house Donna Karan International) and the Green Meadow Waldorf School, of Chestnut Ridge, NY. Mr. Weiss holds a Masters degree in Applied & Engineering Physics from Cornell University, NY and a BA in Physics and a BS in Electrical Engineering both from Rutgers University, NJ.
ROBERT MASTERS, ESQ. (HE/HIM)
Chair Emeritus
Robert Masters is a life-long New Yorker who attended Queens College during the same period as Andrew Goodman. Robert and Andrew drove together from NYC to Oxford, Ohio in June 1964 to participate in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Freedom Summer training to prepare for their volunteer work in Mississippi registering African Americans to vote.
Currently retired, Robert was the Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Acadia Realty Trust, a fully-integrated equity real estate investment trust focused on the acquisition, ownership, management and redevelopment of high-quality retail properties located in key street and urban retail corridors as well as suburban locations within high-barrier-to-entry, densely-populated metropolitan areas along the East Coast and in Chicago.
Previously Mr. Masters worked in the banking sector, a private law firm, and the Department of Justice. He also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo and Ghana, West Africa. Robert received his Bachelor of Arts from the City University of New York and his Juris Doctorate from New York University Law School. He currently lives with his wife Carla in White Plains, NY. They have three children and five grandchildren.
DALE G. BERGER (SHE/HER)
Dale Berger is a member of Women for Women International’s Global Board of Directors. She currently serves as a member of the Global Revenue & Advancement Committee and the Global Program Committee.
Ms. Berger has a long career as a businesswoman specializing in retail, owning several successful stores in New York City. She most recently worked as a commercial real estate broker, specializing in the leasing of office space and sales of commercial buildings.
Ms. Berger has held numerous leadership roles with various not-for-profit organizations including Her Justice, of which she is a former Board Member, where she founded and organized their successful annual photography auction. She is also a former Board Member of New Alternatives for Children and a Founding Member of the Young Leadership of Israel Bonds. Ms. Berger has counseled City Year New York in their early development.
Ms. Berger holds degrees from Skidmore College and Tufts University. She and her husband, Max W. Berger, have four children and ten grandchildren.
AUSTIN BORAL (HE/HIM)
Austin Boral is joining AGF's Board of Directors after three years as co-chair of the Associate Board. He is passionate about civic engagement, economic inclusion, and democratic reform. Austin brings perspective from federal and state government as a policy analyst, from local government as an economic development strategist, and from the private sector as a management consultant.
Most recently, Austin worked on the Strategy team at New York City Economic Development Corporation - a quasi-governmental agency that serves as the city's primary vehicle for promoting economic growth. Prior to joining NYCEDC, Austin spent three years in the public and social sector practice at McKinsey & Company where he served federal government agencies in capability building and organizational transformation, while also leading pro bono projects with the office's Social Impact Group. Previously, he interned for the Office of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand on Capitol Hill, the Office of President William J. Clinton in Harlem, and the White House Office of Public Engagement & Intergovernmental Affairs.
Originally from Long Island, Austin graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Geography and Public Policy. He is currently pursuing an MBA at Harvard Business School and MPP at Harvard Kennedy School.
FRED FARKOUH, CPA (HE/HIM)
Fred Farkouh is a tax executive with over 40 years of experience in areas of business, financial, and tax consulting. Presently, Mr. Farkouh is a senior partner of Farkouh, Furman & Faccio LLP, a company founded in 1974 that provides tax advisory and compliance services to over 400 companies across multiple industry sectors both domestically and internationally ranging in size from start-up to multi-billion-dollar revenues and market cap.
Mr. Farkouh has also appeared as an expert witness in arbitration hearings as well as in Federal Courts, New York State Courts, Alaska State Court, and New Jersey Courts.
He holds a BBA degree in accounting from the City College of New York as well as a J.D. degree from Brooklyn Law School.
ELBERT GARCIA (HE/HIM)
Born and raised in Washington Heights, New York, Elbert Garcia has spent the last two decades working to lift up the voices and experiences of people of color and immigrants. He currently serves as the Director of Strategic Communications at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP), a 45-year old Washington DC-based advocacy group that works with leaders to ensure that grantmakers are transparent with, and accountable to, those with the least wealth, power, and opportunity in American society.
His past work has included everything from digital journalism at The New York Times to serving as senior press staffer for Democratic politicians at the national and state level to consulting on social media and communications strategy with movement groups such as New Florida Majority, the Miami Workers Center and Florida Immigrant Coalition.
The proud father and husband is a first generation Dominican-American alumnus of the Prep for Prep and National Urban Fellows programs and holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from Columbia University and a Master’s in Public Administration from CUNY’s Baruch College. When he is not doing the above, he is also helping with community media efforts like Law@theMargins and the Que Lo Que Podcast.
CHRISTINA SANDERS (SHE/HER)
Born and raised in Texas, Christina Sanders, Founder of PoliChic Engagement Fund, brings over two decades of experience in voter education, registration, and policy advocacy to her work. With a background that spans local, state, and national levels, Christina has been instrumental in leading and supporting numerous voter registration and policy advocacy initiatives.
Before starting PoliChic, she served as the Senior Program Manager of Expansion at The Andrew Goodman Foundation and as State Director with the League of Young Voters Education Fund. In these roles, she focused on engaging young voters in elections.
Christina's leadership was pivotal in the Texas League of Young Voters' involvement as defendant intervenors in the Texas v. Holder Federal Court case, opposing judicial preclearance of the Texas Voter ID Bill (S.B. 5) and securing voting rights for 700K eligible Texas voters. She has also collaborated with The White House on national outreach programs for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Why Courts Matter initiatives, earning recognition as the #2 “Most Valuable Organizer” in the nation and a feature in Marie Claire for her success in expanding voter rights.
In addition to her advocacy work, Christina has dedicated a decade to teaching as an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Texas Southern University, where she developed and launched an 8-hour civic experience. Her commitment to education has been honored with awards such as “Professor of the Year” and “Professor Mentor of the Year” by her students.
She has also served on the Texas advisory committee for the United States Commission for Civil Rights, contributing to reports on voting rights, the impact of Hurricane Harvey, and civil rights challenges related to climate disasters.
As one of America’s youngest civic engagement leaders, Christina specializes in engaging and training women and young people to participate in elections, voting, and public policy. Her scholarly contributions include co-authoring a manuscript entitled, “From ‘Block the Vote to Protect the Vote’: Historically Black Student Voting Suppression and Disenfranchisement in Texas,” published in Volume XIV of the Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy.
Christina's dedication has earned her numerous awards, including the Lawyers’ Committee of Civil Rights Under the Law “Young Champion of Justice Award” and the Spirit of Democracy Award for her outstanding work in protecting the voting rights of students at Prairie View A&M University. Her efforts have drawn comparisons to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as noted by the Houston Defender.
Ms. Sanders was a catalyst candidate for Houston City Council in 2013. Her impact on Texas politics was recognized by Marie Claire National Magazine in 2014, dubbing her one of the women "changing the face of Texas politics." She penned "Get Your Weight Up: Things We Can All Do To Make America Better," published in 2015. Christina is an esteemed member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, initiated in the Gamma Psi Chapter at Texas Southern University, a Historically Black University in Houston, Texas.
Christina graduated with honors, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Minor in Business Administration. She holds a Master's in Public Administration from the Barbara Jordan - Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University, a Master of Policy Leadership from the Frank McCourt School at Georgetown University, and a Master's in Climate and Society specializing in the Living and Built Environment from the Climate School and the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at Columbia University.
ANDREW TOMBACK, ESQ. (HE/HIM)
Andrew Tomback is a partner in the Global Commercial Litigation Group and is based in the New York office. He focuses his practice on litigations and investigations involving federal securities laws, complex litigation and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Andrew has over 25 years of experience drawn from business, private practice and government service. He handles a full range of civil and criminal litigation before the courts, US Securities and Exchange Commission and various other regulators.
Before entering private practice, Andrew was deputy general counsel of the Resolution Trust Corporation, where he managed several hundred attorneys handling federal savings and loan resolutions. He also served as senior advisor to the Under Secretary for Enforcement at the US Department of the Treasury. Earlier in his career, he served as an Assistant US Attorney in the criminal division of the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, where he conducted grand jury investigations and prosecuted criminal cases, concentrating on complex securities frauds, including stock manipulations, insider trading, international tax evasion enterprises and penny stock schemes. He tried 12 cases, all to conviction, and successfully argued over a dozen appeals. Andrew also clerked for the Honorable Stanley Sporkin of the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
Prior to joining McLaughlin & Stern, Andrew was senior vice president and general counsel at Scientific Games Corporation. Andrew also practiced litigation at another global law firm.