Leadership

Board of Directors, Marketing & Finance Committee
Betty Diaz –

Board of Directors – Treasurer, Dery Rodriguez – Dery Rodriguez is an innovative facilitator and staunch advocate for students of color and their families. She has an unwavering commitment to amplifying their voices for a better and equal future. A seasoned family and community empowerment professional currently working at the New York City Department of Education’s Family and Community Engagement office (FACE). Dery’s extensive experience within youth-serving organizations spans the philanthropic, Pre-K to 12, and nonprofit and government sectors. Dery is a committed proponent of social justice and equity for under-served communities, with a particular passion for expanding resources and opportunities for Title I school student bodies. Central to Dery’s work is the critical need to engage parents and school staff as partners in maximizing students’ academic achievement. Dery’s work extends from New York City to the shantytowns of the Dominican Republic. She is the co-founder of a women-led, organization, Building Young Leaders (BYL), a STEAM-focused, innovative model for sustainable family development. Dery has developed a collaboration with Dominican Republic grassroots organizations to distribute school supplies to students in impoverished neighborhoods. Dery leverages relationships with key  community stakeholders to bring invaluable resources to marginalized communities. Dery has a genuine affinity for the students, and parents that she serves, based upon her childhood experiences as an ESL student from a low-wealth, non-English speaking immigrant family. She attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice, studied public administration, and resides in Harlem, New York City.

Board of Directors – Secretary, Elizaveta Reyes – Elizaveta Reyes Tomé is a non-profit leader and activist passionate about the environment and equality and equity issues. She is the current President of NALFO, the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, the umbrella organization for Latino/a/x Fraternities and Sororities in the United States. She works as a Senior Director in the Technology Services segment of FTI Consulting, Inc., a global business advisory firm, and has been engaged in several international investigative matters over the course of her tenure with the company. She currently serves on the Executive Board of Coordinadora General de los Dominicanos Residentes en el Exterior (Cordigen Dorenex), and is a volunteer on several committees of Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Elizaveta has over 15 years’ experience in nonprofit management and leadership having served as past National President and Board of Trustees Chair of her Sorority. She is a servant leader who dedicates much of her free time to serving her community and philanthropic efforts. She has raised thousands of dollars towards, and volunteered many hours to, the American Diabetes Association through participation in their Tour de Cure event, the Ray of Hope Walk to Raise Awareness of Violence Against Women, Cycle for Survival (an event focused on fundraising towards rare-cancer research), Steptember (benefitting the Cerebral Palsy Alliance), Manos Unidas a La Obra, and Community Clean-Up and Park Beautification events through New York Cares and the Dallas Department of Park and Recreation. Born in Moscow to Russian and Dominican parents, Elizaveta grew up in New York City and currently resides in Dallas, TX with her family

Board of Directors, Julie Mejia, is an accomplished Sr. Executive Administrative Assistant and Mortgage Loan Processor for Canyon Mortgage Corporation. With over 25 years of experience in the B2B Market, Julie held several positions from Account Executive to Sales Operations Analyst, and Office Manager. As a Mortgage Loan Processer, Julie’s top priority is to provide customer satisfaction. Her motto is, “a happy home begins with a happy customer”. Prior to working at Canyon Mortgage Corporation, Julie worked at HSBC Bank USA where she maintained daily operations for the department. Her prior work experience included developing relationships, business strategies and operations. Julie is a Certified Professional Receptionist and Certified Peer Educator.

Julie received her Bachelor of Science degree from State University of New York College at Oswego graduating with a major in Business Administration and a concentration in Finance. She minored in Spanish and Italian. Julie served in several leadership capacities throughout her college career that included serving as the Director of ALANA (African Latino Asian Native American) Student Leadership Conference for five years and Vice President of El Ritmo Latino Dance Troupe at SUNY Oswego.

Julie was born in the Dominican Republic and arrived to New York just before she celebrated her first birthday. As a teen, Julie began volunteering her time with local organizations in her community and continues to volunteer with these same organizations today. The organizations Julie assists with in the Dominican Republic include Ramas Juvenile Veristas, Logia en Republica Dominicana, Episcopal Youth Ministries, and Catedral de la Epifanía Episcopal de Santo Domingo. In the U.S., Julie volunteers with St. Peters Episcopal Church, St. Matthew’s and Trinity Episcopal Church. Additionally, Julie also advocates for the inclusion of autistic children in education and often supports Autism Speaks.

Julie currently resides in New York with her two children, ages seven and eight. She has a passion for family, community, diversity, and education.

Board of Directors, Chuck Maldonado, is one of today’s most sought-after Choreographers/Creative Directors in the industry. He has made such an impact in TV and films such as; Black.ish, Stomp The Yard 1 and 2, Step Up Revolution, and Underdog. In addition, his talent and creative direction has also been used in shows such as; Dancing With The Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, X-Factor, and America’s Best Dance Crew. Chuck is a four time award-winning Choreographer for his work on ‘Stomp the Yard,’ ‘The NAACP Image Awards’, ‘Chris Brown’s Grammy performance’, and Brighthouse’s Network Commercial. Chuck has also devoted much of his time furthering his education. A Graduate of the historical North Carolina A&T State University, Chuck received his Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration. Upon graduating college, he received his first choreography job for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. His recent projects include Max and the Midkights animated film, Howard High, MTV Movie and TV Awards for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the Netflix original film ‘Word Party’, Toyota Commercials, Khalid ‘Roxy’ Tour, and “In The Time It Takes To Get There” Movie by Zach Braff. Whether Choreographing, Creative Directing or Producing Chuck is known worldwide as one of the best in the industry. Chuck is a philanthropist and enjoys giving back to the community including Kappa Alpha Psi® Fraternity, Inc. (ΚΑΨ) where he is a distinguished member. Chuck is passionate about the Arts and looks forward to contributing to OPBF’s STEAM efforts in the coming year.

Board of Directors, Ruth Nydia Venegas, (She, Her, Ella) is an Early Childhood Intervention Coordinator for the Office of Community Engagement and Neighborhood Health Partnership (OCEAN-HP) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Her work includes engaging and building partnerships with Chicago’s schools, parks, school-based health centers, and grassroots community stakeholders. Ruth has over ten years of experience providing evidence-based nutrition and uses an equity lens to impact policy, systems, and environmental change. Her efforts promote and encourage families and school-based staff to make healthier choices and increase physical activity to prevent obesity and other chronic diseases. Ruth holds a Master’s in Public Health from the UIC School of Public Health, with a concentration in Health Policy and Administration.

Board of Directors, Jennifer Sanchez, is an award-winning multicultural and brand marketing strategist with a proven track of success spearheading cross-channel & cross-cultural campaigns that drive awareness, acquisition and elevate brands for media conglomerates, educational & cultural institutions and small businesses. Jennifer’s professional background includes a 13 year tenure at NBCUniversal, where she managed a number of brands including Syfy, NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, The Olympics, Telemundo and NBCUNIVERSO.

Jennifer is a Product Marketing Manager at Stride, leading local marketing efforts for a portfolio of virtual schools K-12 and multicultural strategy that connects with the Hispanic segment in an authentic and culturally-relevant manner. Jennifer is the co-founder of ABADA-Capoeira Bronx, a non profit that works to use the art of Capoeira as a tool to develop youth and build community. As the Executive Director of ACBX, Jennifer opened the first Capoeira Arts Center in the Bronx, executed long-term program partnerships with NYC public schools and created free public programs such as the summer series Capoeira in the Park which ran for 10 consecutive years.

Jennifer was a founding family member of the Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School (WHEELS) and a founding board of directors for Friends of WHEELS. Jennifer is a first-generation college graduate from Washington Heights. She graduated from Hunter College with a B.A. in Media Studies and Latin American & Caribbean Studies and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. Jennifer is a passionate Capoeirista (Brazilian martial arts practitioner) and is the first female born and raised in NYC to attain the rank of Instrutora (purple cord) by the ABADA-Capoeira School. Jennifer is a wife, a caregiver for her elderly parents and a mother to two young children and three fury babies.

Board of Directors, Frances Cardina – Espinal, has been a member of the Scholarships Committee. She has been instrumental in expanding our scholarship marketing efforts to notable websites, such as Scholarships.com and MyScholly.com, and creating and organizing a streamlined process for the Scholarship Review Committee.

Frances is an accomplished Project Manager and currently works at a creative production agency. With over 10 years of experience in print production, Frances’ focus is to manage creative print projects, ensuring that they meet scheduling, financial, and quality requirements.

Frances received her Bachelor of Arts from SUNY Oswego. During her time there, she held various leadership positions as a member of the Zeta Chapter of Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. She is currently supporting local efforts at Zeta Chapter, as well as the Alpha Zeta Alumnae Chapter of northern New Jersey.

Frances was born and raised in NYC on the LES of Manhattan. As a teen, Frances began volunteering with a local organization, LOISAIDA, where she mentored at-risk youths in her community. In the past, Frances has been part of the Ray of Hope Walk for Domestic Violence and, recently, the Center for Hope and Safety “Walk Together Against Domestic Violence” in October 2023.

Frances also attended the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Walk/Run in NYC in May 2023. Mental wellness and domestic violence awareness are meaningful causes to Frances, and she dedicates much of her time to volunteering and contributing to these causes and other charities.  Frances currently resides in New Jersey with her husband and children. She has a passion for family, diversity, and the arts. Some of Frances’ hobbies include gardening and DIY home-projects. We are thrilled to continue working with Frances and look forward to her accomplishments in the coming year!

Board of Directors, Darrion Alford, has been a member of the Marketing committee. He has been instrumental in ensuring our branding, communication and marketing aligns with the marketing strategy set forth. In addition, Darrion has supported the Scholarships committee as part of the review team. He is passionate about current initiatives such as the OPBF Power of Community and The Planting Seeds Campaign. Darrion is a successful administrator with years of experience across multiple backgrounds of service. He has held many titles such as VP of Internal Operations, Director of Operations and Business Operations Manager. As an incoming Board of Director, he will bring a fresh perspective to OPBF, while continuing his lifelong work of service to our communities. We are thrilled to continue to work with Darrion and look forward to his accomplishments in the coming year.

Board of Directors, Jennifer Cumberbatch, served on the OPBF Scholarships Committee 2020-2022. She was instrumental in verifying OPBF scholarships vía Verified Scholarships to ensure its legitimacy. Jennifer  was also key in streamlining communications between the applicant and organization. Prior to this, Jennifer served on the committee that helped OPBF establish its 501(c)(3) status, and she played a role in ensuring that status was finalized. We are excited to continue to work with Jennifer as a member of the OPBF Board of Directors. Her guidance will contribute to our future success.

Jennifer is currently a Recruitment Professional at LevelUP talent advisory services company and transformational coach. Combining over 22 years of corporate business experience in Finance, HR, Strategy, together with an MBA in Organizational Management, MS in Banking, Professional Coaching and Energy Healing certifications, her personal mission is to develop and cultivate talent guiding people to the right connections and resources so they can align with their own personal and professional missions. With a robust skill set that includes overseeing strategic initiatives, organizational leadership, coordinating large scale events, public speaking, employee engagement, creating and building jr. talent programming and mentoring initiatives globally and more, Jennifer Cumberbatch contributes valuable insights to the industry she serves in.

Jennifer currently resides in Westchester, New York with her husband and two children.