Board of Trustees

JOSEPH SCIAME is one of the founders of the Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School and previously served for ten years as the founding Chair of its Board of Trustees.

Mr. Sciame is Vice-President for Community Relations at St. John’s University, with campuses in Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan and Rome, Italy. In his current position, since 1994, he interacts with all local civic and community groups in keeping the communication levels open in terms of University related activities. He is known for his keen awareness of establishing lines of strong communication with community leaders, and with all levels of municipal government as well.

An involved person in his own community of New Hyde Park, NY, where he resides, Mr. Sciame is involved with his church as a lector at the parish of Note Dame, and is Chair of the Board of Ethics for the Town of Hempstead, one of the three towns of Nassau County.

A graduate of St. John’s University from its School of Education, Mr. Sciame commenced his earlier years working from 1962-1994 in the areas of registration, admissions and financial aid, which ultimately led to his presidency of the NYS, Eastern Region and National Associations of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

In addition, he has been a local, state and national president of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, and a national past chairman of its Commission for Social Justice, which fights bias, bigotry and discrimination. He currently is the President of the Sons of Italy Foundation, a 501(c)3 entity that provides national scholarships, veterans benefits and donations to other charities.

VICTOR RIVERA JR. was born and raised in the Sumner Projects in the same Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn which serves as the home of Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School.

Mr. Rivera is a founding member of the Board of Trustees, former Treasurer and is currently the Board Chair. He is a graduate of New York City’s prestigious Regis High School (1980), Pitzer College (1984) and the Harvard Law School (1987).

Mr. Rivera is an attorney who has practiced in the area of commercial litigation for over 30 years in New York City. He is currently a Partner at R&R Legal Advisors LLC, a general business law firm with offices in NY and NJ specializing in working with dreamers, entrepreneurs, startups and small and mid-size businesses to create, grow, and protect their companies and ideas. Mr. Rivera lives in Westchester County, New York, with his wife and their two children.

DORIS GIVENS is our Board Trustee, Governance and Development Chair.  She grew up attending District 16 schools in Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn which serves as Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School’s home district.

Ms. Givens is a retired Banker. She served as Vice President, Operations Executive and Strategic Business Partner, respectively, for JPMorgan Chase and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York over the course of twenty years. She is a graduate of Pace University, holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and has professional certifications in risk management and compliance.

Ms. Givens served as Senior Director for Year Up, Inc., a national workforce development nonprofit. She is the immediate past President of Jack and Jill of America, Brooklyn Chapter and is passionate about developing and advancing our next generation of leaders. She lives with her family in Brooklyn.

KEVIN A. NESBITT has a career dedicated to working on the behalf of students and faculty in diverse settings ranging from the Department of Education (NYC), Charter School Management, to Columbia University, the New School, John Jay College and presently at Hunter College as Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. His emphasis is on cultivating a culture of cross-trained academic and student affairs professionals engaging in high impact practices. These efforts lead to student persistence, student retention and graduates prepared to engage in critical professions. Dean Nesbitt most recently served CUNY as John Jay College’s Director of Faculty Affairs where he managed the tenure and promotion process and faculty development opportunities until November 2015. With a focus on enrollment management, he currently oversees the Offices of Admissions, Recruitment, the Welcome Center and Financial Aid at Hunter College. He currently serves on CUNY Vice Chancellor’s Arts and Education Committee.

Nesbitt has an MS in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and an MA in Politics from the New School University. He is ABD at the New School for Social Research in the Department of Political Science. In addition to studying issues affecting Caribbean-American immigration policies and practices, he has spent the last several years trying to better understand the recognizable shift in how families are defining and organizing themselves in the modern era. In specific he is identifying and examining what he has coined as “Male Headed Single Parent Households,” MHSPHs and the movement for men to reclaim a role in families, even without the physical presence of a mother or partner. His recent interests include understanding single parent households by retrospectively exploring concepts of single motherhood in America up against modern-day single fatherhood. Nesbitt is a Brooklyn native of Jamaican descent whose addiction is traveling. He is the proud father to a 11 year old boy and 13 year old girl both born to him and his wife right in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

CECELIA MARY RUSSO, a native of Brooklyn, not far from Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School, is one of its founding members and is currently Chair of the Education Sub-Committee.

Ms. Russo is the Director of Pre-Admission Programs at St. John’s University and Associate Director of the Science & Technology Entry Program (STEP), which is a New York State Education Department co-sponsored program for 7-12 graders who are African-American, Hispanic, Alaskan and Native- American who have been historically underrepresented in the STEM-L fields. At the University she is responsible for five programs, which reach out to more than 4,000 junior high and high school students in the five New York City Boros, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and New Jersey.

Ms. Russo has a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education, permanent New York State Certification in teaching Kindergarten – Eighth grade, a Master of Science Degree as a Reading Specialist for elementary and secondary students, a Master’s degree in Counseling and a Professional Diploma in Counseling/High Education.

During her thirty years in the field of education, she has taught at the elementary, junior high and college levels, concentrating mostly on the Language Arts area. She has tutored children of all ages and levels in English, Social Studies and communication/ study skills. She has also taught adults in a General Equivalency Diploma Prep Program. She has conducted workshops for students, parents, teachers and administrators.

Ms. Russo has served in many leadership positions for elementary, secondary and college associations and has been and will continue to be an advocate for a quality education for all.

SHAWN  CARSON was born and raised on Lafayette Avenue in the heart of Bedford Stuyvesant, just a few blocks away from the Bedford-Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School and serves as Board Treasurer.

Mr. Carson is a very seasoned mortgage lending professional possessing more than twenty years of real estate financing and sales experience. He has originated, underwritten, and/or closed over 1,000 residential and commercial real estate transactions that total in excess of $700 million dollars during his career in the mortgage industry. He also has an extensive network of real estate professionals, community advisors, and political figures who have a deep commitment to not only the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood but specifically educating and cultivating the next generation of leaders from this community. With a focus on maintaining access to home ownership for current residents, Mr. Carson routinely conducts first time home ownership courses with local housing counseling agencies and organizes wealth building and preservation exercises throughout the Bedford-Stuyvesant and surrounding “Brownstone Brooklyn” communities.

Shawn received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Oswego, and his MBA from the Rochester Institute of Technology’s E. Phillip Saunders College of Business. An avid sports fan (Jets, Mets, and Nets!!!), self-described soccer and track dad, and a North Fork winery enthusiast Shawn currently resides in East Yaphank, NY with his wife and their combined “Brady Family” of 5.

CYNTHIA AKER is the First Lady of Cornerstone Baptist Church, in Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn, joined BSNBCS’s Trustee Board in 2022.  She is no stranger to the community, as she has led Cornerstone’s Woman’s ministry and numerous Bed-Stuy community service initiatives over the last two decades.

Cynthia is a dedicated and active alumna of Howard University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Administration of Justice. She earned a Masters in Human Resources Management from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut. Cynthia is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. as well as Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Brooklyn Chapter. Professionally, she serves as the EEO Officer for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.

Cynthia hails from Dallas, Texas but grew up in Berkeley, California. She is the wife of the Reverend Lawrence Aker III of Cornerstone Baptist Church and acknowledges that her greatest accomplishments are her three lovely children, Lawrence IV, Karina & Nyla.  The family resides in Brooklyn, New York with their beloved dog, Legend.

JOHN MATOS was born in Spanish Harlem, New York City and raised on Long Island. Because his roots remained in New York City, he spent a lot of his time traveling back and forth across the Triboro Bridge (now called RFK Bridge) and remembers when the toll was $.0.25. He lived in Brooklyn for 10 years after finishing college at Hofstra University. He is proud to serve on the Board of Trustees beginning in October, 2023.

Mr. Matos has been a career Senior Executive in the Financial Services Industry. He’s held multiple leadership positions including Head of Digital Platforms and Head of Sales & Service Enablement. He’s spent his career thriving on operational excellence, and mentoring John received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Hofstra University in Political Science, and his MBA from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business; achieving a dual major in Marketing & Finance. If asked about his greatest achievement, John would quickly respond: being the proud father of 3 sons. John lives in Bellmore, NY with his loving wife and family.

VISHAL GUPTA, FRM has over 15 years of experience in the financial technology and capital markets sectors. He is a results-driven leader specializing in driving organizational change, building high-performance teams, and fostering strategic relationships with key stakeholders. His leadership style is built around clear communication, strong decision-making, and the ability to influence and inspire teams to achieve shared goals. He is deeply committed to advancing equitable education and empowering underserved communities.

As the Executive Director, he leads the Front Office Technology teams for one of the top foreign investment banks, where he oversees the execution of business strategy, vendor relationships, and cross-functional initiatives. He takes pride in aligning technology initiatives with business objectives, ensuring that all projects are delivered with a focus on quality, efficiency, and lasting impact. His approach to leadership emphasizes cultivating trust with both senior management and teams, making me a trusted partner to C-level executives. By focusing on fostering collaboration, mentoring emerging leaders, and encouraging continuous improvement, he ensures that teams are empowered to perform at their highest potential.  A key strength of is his ability to translate complex challenges into actionable business strategies, creating an environment where innovative solutions can thrive. He is committed to driving business growth, optimizing operational processes, and creating lasting value through strong leadership and strategic vision.

Simone Pratt is a seasoned Advertising Industry Brand Strategist and servant leader with 25 years of experience in developing impactful strategies for a wide array of leading brands. Her expertise spans master brand development, product initiatives, and purpose-driven campaigns. Simone’s approach is characterized by innate curiosity and a deep empathy for people and diverse cultures.

Throughout her career, Simone has held positions at prominent general and multicultural agencies, including Saatchi & Saatchi, GreyNY, Campbell Ewald, Deutsch, McCann Worldgroup, Uniworld Group, SpikeDDB, and GlobalHue. She has contributed to the success of iconic American brands such as P&G, Walmart, Chevrolet, Verizon, Cadillac, American Airlines, Chrysler, Pepsi, Ford, Robitussin, I Love NY Tourism, Bayer, and HUMIRA.  Her professional work has been recognized with a Bronze Effie Award, and she has served twice as an Executive Jury member for the New York Festivals AME Awards.

Her life is driven by the principle, “to whom much is given, much is required,” which fuels her commitment to service and her community. Simone served as a member of Community Board 3 2017-2023, where she was elected 2nd Vice Chair in 2019 and appointed Vice Chair of Landmarking and Housing and Land Use committees. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., initiated into the Pi Alpha chapter in Spring 1993 and a Charter Member of the East Kings County Alumnae chapter in 2007. She has also been a member of Jack and Jill of America Inc. Brooklyn Chapter since 2012, where she has also served as Chapter Editor on the Executive Board. She holds a BS in Corporate Communications from Southern Connecticut State University.  Simone is a lacrosse and golf mom and resides in Bedford Stuyvesant with her husband and 2 teenage sons.