About BoardStrong
Learn more about our organization and the values that drive us.
Our Vision
To have more knowledgeable and diverse leaders on more nonprofit boards serving their communities for the public good.
Our Mission
To transform the flow of knowledgeable and diverse leaders onto nonprofit boards by:
- Identifying and guiding new leaders into board service.
- Fostering a more efficient process for boards to fill their leadership needs.
Our Core Values
- Unyielding focus on strengthening nonprofit boards
- Strong spirit of collaboration
- Dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion
- Fundamental belief in the value of citizens serving as volunteer trustees
- Deep commitment to respectful communication
- Protection of privacy
Questions about using BoardStrong’s matching portal? Click here to view our FAQ page.
Our Board Officers

David S. Birdsell, PhD | Board Chair
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Kean University

Reg Foster | Vice Chair
Principal, RB Foster Consulting
Reg Foster is the former President and CEO of United Way of New York State, retiring in August 2017. His prior role was the Global Coordinator for Corporate Responsibility for the IBM Corporation, leading IBM’s internal working group on corporate responsibility and relations with outside organizations. Reg also worked at United Way of New York City and held human service policy roles in New York State and City government. His fields of work included low-income housing, mental health and adult education. Reg holds a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto and a degree in English Literature from the University of Toronto.

Joe Del Toro | Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer and Director of Portfolio Operations, Argand Partners
Joe has over 20 years of finance, general management, operations, private equity, and M&A experience. He current role is CFO & Director of Portfolio Operations for Argand Partners LP. Previously he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Novitex, where he oversaw accounting and finance operations. Earlier in his career, he worked in private equity at Lazard Freres and HIG Capital Management and in Morgan Stanley’s Mergers & Acquisitions department. Joe received his MBA from the Harvard Business School and received a BA in Mathematics from Columbia University.

Daniel Flax | Secretary
CIO and Advisor 360, MassMutual
Daniel is the CIO and Advisor 360 for MassMutal. Most recently, he was the Chief Technology Officer for OmegaOne and the Chief Information Officer at TheStreet. Prior to TheStreet, Daniel was the Chief Information Officer for Cowen Group, where he was responsible for the delivery of technology services to all areas of the bank, including research, investment banking, and trading. Mr. Flax holds a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University and was an Undergraduate Research Fellow in High Energy Astrophysics at CalTech in a joint program with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA.
Our Board of Directors
Marc Christmas
Partner
Christmas Jewell
Marina Cvetkovic
Chief Commercial Officer
The NextGen Project
Janet T. Farrell
Group Vice President, Education and Nonprofit Banking Group
M & T Bank
Yulitza Franklin
Deputy Director for Community Development
New York State Dept. of Financial Services
Joanne Florino, Ex Officio
Adam Meyerson Distinguished Fellow in Philanthropic Excellence
The Philosophy Roundtable
Irfan Hasan
Deputy Vice President for Grants
The New York Community Trust
Hsing Hsing Li
Global Digital Portfolio and Capabilities Leader, Chief of Staff
Mercer
Althea Luehrsen
CEO
Leadership Buffalo, Inc.
David M. Rottkamp, CPA
Partner & Not-for-Profit Practice Leader
Grassi Advisors & Accountants
Robert Thompson
Director of the Center for Community Engagement
St. John Fisher College
Our Staff

Kelly Mathews
Interim CEO
Since 1998, Kelly has led NYCON’s Financial Management Group, providing financial management technical assistance and training to nonprofit staff and boards of directors throughout New York State, both directly and via partnerships with New York State agencies and foundations. She now serves as Interim CEO for NYCON and its affiliates, including BoardStrong.

Barbara Paxton
Chief Program Officer
Barbara has years of experience working with nonprofit boards and helping them achieve success. She is an expert in personalized board matching services and has served on boards of The Pearl Theatre Company, Heiress Productions and the New York Junior League.

Megan Hassenger
Community Engagement Manager
Megan helped launch the BoardStrong matching platform in 2021, previously serving as the Program Manager for charitySTRONG. With a background in customer service and quality assurance, Megan’s goal is to make BoardStrong an intuitive and engaging online experience for users.