Cynthia Remec, Executive Director and founder of BoardAssist, has been identifying board members for the nonprofit community since early 2001. Ms. Remec is a seasoned executive search consultant, having founded Cynthia Remec Associates, one of the most profitable financial services search firms in the United States in the 1990’s. She began her career as a corporate attorney with Pillsbury, Winthrop then moved to Weil, Gotshal before finally working in house at JP Morgan Chase. Ms. Remec holds a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctor from George Washington University School of Law.

Board of Directors

Ellen Simon D.S.W. is the Executive Director of Union Settlement Association, a 110 year old human service agency serving the East Harlem Community with effective programs in child care, adult education, after school, meals on wheels, senior services, mental health counseling, and youth development. Union has three separately incorporated programs that provide home care, college prep, and a community credit union. Together the four corporations serve 13 thousand individuals and families annually and have a combined budget of just under 20 million dollars. Prior to joining Union in 2000, Dr. Simon was the Director of Patient and Family Services at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia Presbyterian Campus. Dr. Simon holds degrees from Simmons College, The University of Chicago and Hunter College School of Social Work.

Hugh Frater is the head of PNC Bank's 800 person real estate division. Mr. Frater is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a Degree in English and holds an MBA in Finance from the Columbia Graduate School of Business. Mr. Frater began his financial career with Lehman Brothers, before leaving to become a founding partner of BlackRock, Inc., a New York-based money management firm. Before pursuing his MBA at Columbia, Mr. Frater was Director of Programming for The Learning Channel, an educational cable television network. He is a director of Anthracite Capital, Inc., a publicly traded specialty finance company.

Aimee Garn is the founder and president of Pretty Please Press Inc., a children’s book company in New York. Ms. Garn received a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, an M.F.A. in graphic design from Yale University, and an M.F.A. in writing from Columbia University. She has worked as a dictionary illustrator, as an art director for Avon Cosmetics, as a creative consultant at Monet Jewelers, and as a freelance writer. Ms. Garn is a member of the board of NYC-Parents in Action, an organization that provides information and services to help parents prevent teenage substance use.

Richard Hall has been a partner with Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP, one of New York's largest law firms, since 1996. His legal practice focuses on corporate governance and mergers and acquisitions. Richard is also a frequent speaker and lecturer on these topics at American Bar Association, International Bar Association and Practicing Law Institute events, and has been a guest lecturer on M&A matters at Harvard Law School, New York Law School and Yale Law School. Richard serves on the IBA's Executive Committee for the Development of the Legal Profession as well as the Advisory Board of the Northeast Business Law Center. He has Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce degrees, each from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and a Masters of Law degree from Harvard Law School.

Terence Leighton is a founding partner of XE Capital, a New York based hedge fund managing a billion dollars of non-traditional assets. Mr. Leighton is a graduate of Harvard College with a Degree in Economics and holds a JD from Yale Law School. Mr. Leighton began his career as an attorney with Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Wachtell Lipton. He sits on the boards of STRIVE and Mt. Carmel Holy Rosary School.

Xavier Sztejnberg is a Managing Director at The Blackstone Group focusing on consumer, food & beverage products. Mr. Sztejnberg spent most of his investment banking career with Morgan Stanley. Prior to joining Blackstone, he was a senior banker at Deutsche Bank. Mr. Sztejnberg received an MBA with Distinction from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and also received dual undergraduate Bachelor degrees in Engineering and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr Sztejnberg is an active member of the boards of both Union Settlement in Harlem and the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation.