Michael Gould, President, is a retired World Bank executive who formerly held many positions in the community including chairman of the District of Columbia Education Licensing Commission, president of the Kalorama Citizens Association, president of the Friends of Marie Reed School and Recreation Center, founder of the Adams Morgan Summer Camp and After-School Program, and president of Escapades LLC, a bike tour company that contributed its after-tax profits to New Futures.

Emily van Agtmael, Vice President, is an interior designer whose volunteer commitments involve educational institutions, museums, and arts organizations. She is also a board member of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research in Washington, D.C., a member of the President’s Advisory Council at Smith College, and a past member of the national board of Free the Children Trust.

Steve Ettinger, Treasurer, is a retired senior executive of the World Bank. He is a private consultant on economic development, and served as the first treasurer of New Futures.

Susan Brinkerhoff, Secretary, is an attorney for the U.S. Department of Labor who provides pro bono legal assistance to the organization. She is a past vice president and general counsel of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting children, and is on the board of the D.C.-based Council for Court Excellence, an exemplary citizen-based judicial reform group.

Romana Li, Development Chair, is president of the YWCA of York, PA and serves on the board of directors of United Way in York and WITF Public Radio & Television of Central PA. She volunteers on a number of other committees including  the Women Giving Circle of  York, the Tocqueville Society (United Way), Strand Arts, and Cultural Alliance.

Greg Banks, a former senior executive in the health care field has also served on the boards of a variety of business, community, and health care organizations and participated in various national health care associations.  Greg is serving as a deputy to the Development Director of New Futures.

Pamela Daley is a Program Officer at Liberty’s Promise, one of our partner organizations, where she works with high school youth and performs other organizational roles. She holds a master’s degree in International Development from the University of Pittsburgh.

Lara Hinz is the Program Manager at WISER, the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement.  In this capacity, she oversees WISER’s outreach and partnership activities, which focus on providing low to moderate-income women with the financial tools and information they need to develop long-term financial security.  Lara also serves as the Chair of New Futures’ Junior Board.  She holds a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University.

Barbara Kafka is a retired World Bank executive who served in a range of posts which involved her in the economic and social development of countries across Africa, the Middle East, East and South Asia and Latin America.  Barbara also was involved in  several World Bank-wide corporate committees. Barbara is a member of the Board of Directors of the East Meets West Foundation, a non-profit supporting development in Southeast Asia with particular focus on health, education and water for communities of disadvantaged people.

Irene Klores  is a former professional ballet dancer and dance instructor who founded and ran The Ballet Center of Washington and Ballet Center Productions. Irene has also been a classroom teacher in several schools and recently designed and supervised the restoration of a historic brownstone building in Dupont Circle.

Earl McJett, is an information management analyst in the federal government and was formerly chairman of the Selection Committee for Free the Children, Washington, D.C. branch.

Christina Dykstra Mead has had extensive experience in the nonprofit sector. She is an accomplished executive whose focus has been on financial planning and budgeting, operations and strategic planning. Christina’s leadership positions have included Chief Administrative Officer, The International Trachoma Initiative; Provost and Chief Operating Officer, The Washington National Cathedral; and VP and Chief Financial Officer of Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a MPA from New York University.

Mark Popofsky is a Partner and Chair of the Antitrust Practice of the Ropes & Gray law firm in Washington, D.C.  Mark serves as an adjunct professor of Advanced Antitrust at the Georgetown University Law Center, and is a Member of the District Committee of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Capital Council.

Ilene Rosenthal is the president of Strategic Initiatives for Achieve3000, which provides differentiated instruction solutions for K-12 students. Prior to this, she co-founded Lightspan, Inc., worked closely with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and as General Counsel to the Software Publishers Association and the Government Operations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. As a teacher, Ilene brings extensive experience in the fields of education, technology, strategic planning, and public policy.

Louise W. Wiener is the chairman of the board for Learning and Leadership in Families, a nonprofit organization that links adult and early childhood education to promote school readiness for young children. Louise has previously held senior management positions with the US Secretary of Commerce, the National Learning Center and a database publishing firm, and has served on several public committees and commissions serving children and families.

Our Staff

Courtney Haynes Kucenic, Director of Development and Operations, joins us as the former Development Manager for Hope Street Group, a non-profit policy organization dedicated to increasing economic opportunity. Through this work Courtney gained a clear understanding of the importance of education to make this a reality and thus has come to New Futures to help more students realize their academic and economic potential. She will be overseeing all of our development, board, operational, and communication activities.  Courtney completed her Masters from the George Washington University School of Public Policy and Administration and received her B.A. in Planning and Urban Affairs from Virginia Tech.

Julene Jarnot, Director of Student Programs,  was an educational adviser with the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Young Scholars Program based at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth.  Prior to this, she served as a Family and Community Partnerships manager at a Baltimore City Head Start program and as a manager at The Choice Program, an intensive, community-based program for at-risk youth.  Julene’s volunteer work includes service with the Baltimore Education Network (BEN), a group dedicated to improving the quality of education in Baltimore City Public Schools and empowering parents and community members to become effective advocates.  Julene holds a B.A. in English and political science from Marquette University.