• J.B. Schramm, Founder & Chief Executive Officer
• Dean Furbush, President
• Donna Fleming, Acting Vice President of Regional Operations
• Sean Murray, Vice President of Operations and Leadership Development
• Jo Smith, Chief Information Officer
• David Seabrook, Chief Financial Officer
• Michelle Tafel, Chief of Staff
• Robyn Scates, Vice President, General Counsel & Chief Diversity Officer
• Judy Madden, Vice President of Education
• Genaro Esposito-Montanez, Vice President, Human Resources & Office Management
• Mariana Nork, Chief Advancement Officer
• Keith Frome, Co-Founder

 

Biographies

J.B. Schramm
Founder & Chief Executive Officer

J.B. founded College Summit in 1993 while directing a teen center in the basement of a low-income housing project in Washington, D.C.  This year, the organization will work with 180 high schools and 35,000 students, in 12 states. In recognition of the organization's impact, in 2010, President Obama awarded College Summit a portion of his Nobel Prize Award, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce honored College Summit with their annual award for the nation’s finest corporate-nonprofit partnership. 

For its impact in helping communities raise college enrollment and success rates for low-income students, College Summit has been featured by the U.S. Department of Education's "Doing What Works" website for "Helping Students Navigate the Path to College," and their annual report on initiatives to diversify higher education. College Summit received the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s highest award for improving college access, and was profiled in David Bornstein's 2004 book "How to Change the World." The organization has also received awards from Ashoka, Fast Company Magazine, The Manhattan Institute, New Profit Inc. and The Skoll Foundation. College Summit was recognized as United States Social Entrepreneur of the Year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2008.

J.B. is the recipient of Honorary Doctorates of Public Service from Regis University and the Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium).  He serves as an Aspen Institute – New Schools Education Fellow, and as a member of the Kennedy School of Government's Executive Session on Transforming Cities Through Civic Entrepreneurship.  He is a graduate of Denver Public Schools, Yale University and Harvard Divinity School; and lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Lauren, and three children.

Dean Furbush
President

Dean joined College Summit as President in July 2007, after spending six months working with the organization to redesign business systems. Hardly a newcomer to College Summit, Dean was the organization’s Founding Board Chair, and has served on College Summit’s Board of Directors since 1995.

Previously, Dean served as Chief Executive Officer of FreshDirect, after being hired as Chief Operating Officer in 2003. He served at the NASDAQ Stock Market, as Chief Economist and then Executive Vice President of NASDAQ Transaction Services. Before this, Dean was Senior Economist at Economists Incorporated, a position he held from October 1990 to June 1995. Dean served as Economic Advisor to the Chairman, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, from October 1989 to August 1990, and Financial Economist at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Economic Analysis, from June 1987 to October 1989. Dean has held teaching positions at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and at the University of Maryland.

From June 1985 to September 1986, and again in January 1987, he was a consultant and junior staff economist in the Executive Office of the President of the United States, Council of Economic Advisers. Dean was a research associate at the Center for Naval Analyses, Marine Corps Operations & Analysis Group, from October 1982 to June 1985.

He received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Washington, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland.

Sean Murray
Vice President of Operations and Leadership Development

As a Director of Service Delivery for the European Division of MCI Telecommunications prior to joining College Summit, Sean managed technology, project management, training, and finance teams in support of global operations. Over a 10-year career at MCI, he also led numerous other teams in the specific areas of business development and sales. Eager to apply his developed expertise in business operations to a social change effort, Sean served as a strategic consultant to College Summit throughout 2004, and volunteered as a summer workshop Writing Coach. Deeply convinced that the organization could make a lasting impact, he joined full-time as Chief of Staff & VP of Service Operations in January 2005. Sean is a graduate of the College of William & Mary (B.S., 1989) and the Darden Business School at the University of Virginia (M.B.A., 1993).

Jo Smith
Chief Information Officer

Jo brings years of international experience to her role at College Summit, working in both the US and Europe supporting over 800 product delivery and customer service professionals at MCI.  She has a broad background in technology, including experience in support, development, business analysis and management roles. She has led major programs using technology as a tool to automate processes, increase efficiency and rapidly deliver scalable solutions that reduce cost and increase speed of delivery.  Before her role at MCI Jo gained valuable experience using technology to improve business results in several fast paced, high tech, start-up organizations including Ionica PLC and UUNET.  Jo also brings excellent credentials in information management and data warehousing from her experience at Arcadia, one of Britain’s largest retailers. Jo is an Honors Graduate of Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK. She has a Post Graduate Certificate in Technology Management from The Open University, UK.  Jo’s introduction to College Summit was as a volunteer consultant in spring 2005 to assess the ability of its existing technology to support the organization’s rapid growth. She joined College Summit that summer and now leads the organization’s efforts to implement a technology strategy that is helping to cost effectively serve more students each year.

David Seabrook
Chief Financial Officer

Dave joined the staff of College Summit in February 2008. He spent the last three years as the CFO of the Community Preservation and Development Corporation, which creates and preserves financially sound, affordable housing for low-income individuals and families in Washington, DC. Before that, he was a Finance Director in charge of accounting and compliance at Amtrak. He has worked as an Audit Manager for Ernst and Young in New York City for five years, and held executive financial positions at a bio-technology firm, Mutual of New York and a federal housing agency. In addition, Dave provided his financial expertise as a consultant to small minority firms for a number of years in Richmond, Virginia.

At College Summit, Dave is now responsible for financial accounting and controls, operations and analysis to guide financial resources to areas where they will have the biggest impact. He is also an active partner in strategic planning and annual budgeting.

Dave is a CPA and a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany with a degree in Business Administration. He is also a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and a Certified Cash Manager (CCM).

Michelle Tafel
Chief of Staff

Michelle joined College Summit’s executive team in March 2008 as Chief of Staff. In this role, she works with the president, CEO, executive team, and board of directors to drive the achievement of College Summit’s mission. She assists the president in meeting organizational goals through successful day-to-day activities, with a focus on planning, process improvement, and stakeholder relationships. Michelle coordinates the work of the executive team, and manages the administrative and facilities teams.

Since October 2004, Michelle has held various positions at College Summit related to board development, fundraising, and CEO Initiatives. Prior to her work at College Summit, she worked for Facilitating Leadership in Youth as a mentor, tutor, teacher and founder of their young women’s program. Michelle is a graduate of American University (B.A.).

Robyn Scates
Vice President, General Counsel & Chief Diversity Officer

Robyn C. Scates serves as General Counsel and the Chief Diversity Officer of College Summit.  She has an extensive background in law, education, human services and the non-profit community.   She has dedicated her life to uplifting and inspiring youth and adults to reach their full potential.  She is a recognized expert in child welfare, youth entrepreneurship, and motivational speaking, and has extensive experience in the legal field. 

In December 2001, Robyn established the firm of Scates & McGuire, LLC, a general practice law firm focused on elder law, family law, education law, estates & trust and person injury.  She also is the Founder/CEO of PROUD 1, a non-profit that teaches youth how to be successful in business and everyday life and co-founder of Scates Unlimited, LLC, an organization that assist  adults, youth and business’ with realizing their full potential.  Currently, Robyn operates as a sole practitioner for the SCATES LEGAL TEAM, a general practice law firm focusing on estates & trust, business law and personal injury.  She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Baltimore and Morgan State University. 

Previously, Robyn served as the Director of the Maryland Legal Services Program under the Maryland Department of Human Resources, a human service agency providing services to children in foster care and adults in need of assistance.  During her 10 years of service, Robyn was responsible for ensuring the care and legal protection of Maryland’s over 30,000 foster care children and vulnerable adults statewide. 
 
Prior to joining the Department of Human Resources, Robyn served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Roger Brown of the Baltimore City Circuit Court, Guidance Counselor for the Baltimore City Public School System, Public Information Officer for the District of Columbia Department on Aging and the Director of Constituent Services for the Honorable H.R. Crawford, District of Columbia Council. 
 
In 2005, the Daily Record named her one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women.  She holds a BA in Political Science from Morgan State University, J.D. from the University of Baltimore, School of Law and is currently working on her Ph.D. in Leadership & Management at Walden University.

Judy Madden
Vice President of Education

Judy comes to College Summit with more than 25 years of experience as an educator. She began her career as an English teacher at the Maret School in Washington, DC. Following her two years at Maret, Judy worked for two years as a special educator in a therapeutic preschool program in Arlington, Virginia before staying home for nine years to raise her three sons. During that period she served as president of her local Parent Teacher Association, played an active role in a number of local nonprofit organizations, enrolled in graduate school, and developed parent education programs in suburban Maryland. Judy returned to the paid workforce in 1985 as an elementary school counselor, joining the staff of the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). Her work in high poverty communities fueled her passion about the urgent need for equitable access to opportunities and services. Judy eventually served in a variety of leadership positions within MCPS, including elementary counselor specialist, pupil personnel worker, and supervisor of K-12 School Counseling Services. In 2005, Judy retired from MCPS to develop and direct an innovative multicultural mental health initiative at the Mental Health Association of Montgomery County. Eager to deepen her leadership skills and to better understand effective school reform strategies, Judy recently returned to graduate school to earn her doctorate in Educational and Organizational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education (Ed.D 2006). Judy also holds an undergraduate degree in English and Secondary Education from Penn (B.A. 1971). She focused on Adolescent Development while earning a graduate degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education (Ed.M. 1972) and studied Counseling at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development (Ed.S. 1979). Judy is also a licensed, clinical, professional counselor (LCPC).

Genaro Esposito-Montanez
Vice President, Human Resources & Office Management

Genaro joined College Summit in October 2008 as Director of Human Assets and quickly added value by developing policies and implementing strategies designed to strengthen College Summit’s HR infrastructure. As a Director of Human Assets, it was important for Genaro to establish a sense of trust and credibility with the staff. In March 2010, he was promoted to Vice President, Human Resources.  Genaro has over 12 years of HR management experience in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sector.

Prior to coming to College Summit, Genaro served in many different HR positions that allowed him to be a valuable contributor in employee relations, strategy, workforce planning, training and development, and collective bargaining negotiations. He spent the last three years as the Senior Human Resources Manager at the American Chemical Society, which promotes education awareness for Math and Science. Before that, he was the Human Resources Manager for six years at the Village Voice newspaper in NYC.

Genaro was born and raised in Puerto Rico and currently lives in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. A certified trainer in True Colors, Genaro is also a graduate of The University of Maryland where he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Management Studies and is currently pursuing a dual Master’s degree program toward an MBA and an MS in Organizational Development.

Mariana Nork
Chief Advancement Officer

Mariana Nork joined College Summit in 2011 as Chief Advancement Officer, with 25 years of senior-level expertise in developing and managing fundraising, strategic planning, and communications activities of national nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC.  Mariana came to College Summit  from the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design, where she was Senior Vice President, overseeing the institution’s development, membership, events, and lobbying efforts, as well as oversight of board and committee communications.  Prior to the Corcoran, Mariana was Senior Vice President of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the largest cross-disability membership organization in the country, and was a steward of AAPD’s mission to organize the disability community to be a powerful voice for change – politically, economically, and socially.  Mariana managed AAPD’s development and communications efforts, working with disability rights leaders and national corporate partners to focus on coalition building through external alliances.  In Washington, Mariana has also been Vice President and Chief Development Officer of the Club Managers Association of America, managing all activities of its charitable arm, The Club Foundation, and Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the National Museum of Women in the Arts; she was previously with the Landscape Architecture Foundation and the International Sculpture Center.  Mariana actually started her career in Texas at The Dallas Opera after being afforded the opportunity for a summer internship at the company prior to her senior year of college, an experience which solidified her desire to ultimately pursue a career in nonprofit work.

Keith Frome
Co-Founder

In 1993, Keith W. Frome designed and implemented the writing process for the first College Summit workshop with J.B. Schramm. He has been involved with College Summit ever since as an advisor, curriculum designer, trainer, and writing coach coordinator. In 2007, he became College Summit’s first Chief Academic Officer and created the College Summit Education Department which is now responsible for curriculum development, educator training, and program research and evaluation.

Dr. Frome has spent the bulk of his career in education finding ways to adapt the best that research and theory have to offer on what drives student achievement to tangible, results-oriented practices that schools and teachers and students can easily and effectively implement. He seeks to identify and help schools occupy the “sweet spot” where research, implementation and innovation meet so that all children can succeed.
 
The recipient of many teaching and youth service awards, Dr. Frome holds a doctorate in philosophy and education from Columbia University Teachers College and received his Masters in Theology and Education and permanent teaching certification in English from Harvard Divinity School. He has recently published two notable books on education: How’s My Kid Doing: Practical Answers to Questions Every Parent Asks About Their Kid’s Education (2008, Crossroad Publishing, Winner of a Book of the Year Award in Education from Foreword Magazine and a Vanity Fair Magazine recommended book for parents) and What Not to Expect: A Meditation on the Spirituality of Parenting (2006, Crossroad Publishing, Winner of the 2006 Best Book of the Year Award on Family Life). He is the co-editor of the classic, award-winning anthology Columbia Book of Civil War Poetry (Columbia University Press, 1994) which is used in many curricula throughout the country. Dr. Frome also is the editor of Hitch Your Wagon to a Star (Columbia University Press, 1995). He was a writing teacher at Harvard College (where he won the CUE Guide teaching Award and developed College Summit’s writing program), a Senior Advisor at Harvard University, Assistant Headmaster of the Browning School in New York City and Headmaster of the Elmwood Franklin School in Buffalo, NY.

He is currently designing and implementing a charter middle school at the King Center in Buffalo, NY and working on next generation product development for College Summit.

 

Founding Spokesman

Don Cheadle
Award-Winning Actor

Acclaimed actor Don Cheadle was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 29, 1964, to a psychologist father and bank manager mother. During his early childhood, his family moved to Denver. He first made an impression on audiences with his lead role in Hamburger Hill (1987), and, in 1994, he had his true screen breakthrough portraying Denzel Washington's best friend in Devil in a Blue Dress. 1997 proved to be a big year for him: he co-starred in three major films, Volcano, Boogie Nights, and John Singleton's Rosewood. He won particular praise for his work in the latter two films, earning nominations for SAG and Image awards. The following year, Cheadle made a triumphant return to television with his portrayal of Sammy Davis Jr. in The Rat Pack, winning an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe award. Also in 1998, he did stellar work in Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight and Warren Beatty's Bulworth, playing a down and dirty ex-con in the former and a drug lord in the latter. Another Emmy nomination followed in1999, for Cheadle's powerful portrayal of a school teacher sent in to counsel a young man on death row, in A Lesson Before Dying. Cheadle would become something of a fixture in Soderbergh's films, gaining positive note for his role in Traffic and later turning up in the director's remake of the Rat Pack classic Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s 12. In 2004, Cheadle earned a Golden Globe and Emmy Nomination for his powerful role in Hotel Rwanda. He also starred in, and was one of the producers of Crash, which won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Picture. Don Cheadle has been a College Summit Writing Coach at two workshops. He also served on the National Board of Directors for four years and is a longtime advocate for college access.