Board Members & Officers

Taunglea S. Ambroise is a creative business leader offering more than twenty years of successful people leadership, relationship development and project management experience. As a project management services consultant with TMS Consulting, Brooklyn, NY, she has worked since 2008 with a diversity of enterprises in the development and expansion of business in the U.S. and abroad. Since 2012, she has also served in a senior management capacity at Hewlett Packard in Brooklyn, where she is currently responsible for the development and management of strategic global sales solutions, among other duties.

Thomas G. Amon, Esq., is a senior partner of The Law Offices of Thomas G. Amon in New York City and has more than thirty years of experience in state and federal courts. Previously, he was a partner in the law firm of Sokolow, Dunaud, Mercadier & Carreras, LLP. He is co-founder and has been secretary and legal counsel of Alternative Construction Technologies, Inc., serves as a general counsel and as a director of Sonic Mountain Inc., and as an executive of Global Entertainment Holdings, Inc. His charitable and civic activities include serving as president and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Public Library and as a board member with Friends of African Heritage.

Marc James is a private investor who formerly served as a managing director at Wells Fargo Securities in New York and before that as co-head of Interest Rate Derivative and Foreign Exchange Sales with Wachovia. With more than 25 years in the financial services area, he headed similar efforts at several securities firms, including Frankfurt-based Commerzbank Securities, and founded the Corporate Fixed Income Derivatives Coverage Team at Bear Stearns. He is a member of the University of Chicago’s Council on the Booth Graduate School of Business, of the Circle of the National Urban League, and of the Chairman's Circle of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Mr. Lam is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lam Group. He is well known in New York’s fashion, hotel and real estate industry. Prior to real estate, John started out in the fashion and garment industry, where he founded the Lam Group Fashion Group in 1970. John is now the Honorary President of the Greater Blouse Skirt & Undergarment Association, in addition to serving on the Board of Directors of East Bank. As a well regarded real estate mogul, John is frequently quoted in many publications and has received numerous recognition as a business leader, including Crain’s New York Business Magazine All-Star; Ellis Island Medal of Honor Award, Man of the Year Award from Chinese-American Planning Counsel and Top 10 Most Influential outstanding Chinese Businessman by China Association for International Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce of People’s Republic of China. John is a well-respected member of the Chinese American community and is considered a prominent developer and owner of real estate in New York City.

Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, Ed.D. is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of management experience and a leader in the nonprofit sector in New York City. Dr. Rainey joined Brooklyn Community Foundation in December 2021, at an exciting moment of growth and opportunity for the Foundation. As President & CEO of Brooklyn Community Foundation, Dr. Rainey oversees and develops strategic initiatives, innovative programs, and community-centered philanthropic services that embody the Foundation's deep commitment to racial justice while furthering its mission to spark lasting social change for a fair and just Brooklyn.

Before joining the Foundation, Dr. Rainey served as CEO and President of Getting Out and Staying Out (GOSO), a leading citywide nonprofit serving justice-involved individuals. At GOSO she oversaw programming which has helped more than 10,000 young men access education, achieve emotional well-being, and secure meaningful employment since its advent 16 years ago. GOSO's innovative workforce development program, GOSOWorks, has placed hundreds of justice-involved young men in paid internships and permanent jobs in numerous growth industries in the New York metropolitan area.

Previously, Dr. Rainey was Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC), leading workforce development, administration, security, and human resource strategies for the organization. She established impactful partnerships in order to connect underserved communities in Brooklyn with career opportunities in the Yard's growing industries, eliminating barriers to employment for disadvantaged populations. During her eight years at BNYDC, Dr. Rainey increased workforce placements of formerly incarcerated individuals from 100 placements to over 500 placements, bringing the total number of placements up to 20 percent.

A graduate of Southern Connecticut State University, Dr. Rainey holds a master's in administration from Metropolitan College and a doctorate in Leadership from St. John Fisher College. She is a member of the New York City Workforce Development Board, and a trustee of both the New York College of Technology Foundation Board and the Mark Morris Dance Group Board. Dr. Rainey is the recipient of several prestigious honors, including being named one of The Network Journal's 25 Influential Black Women in Business in 2016 and one of Crain's Notable Black Leaders and Executives in 2021

A 1992 graduate of the College's hospitality management program, Ms. Riley-Tepie is former president of the City Tech Alumni Association. She is vice president for marketing with TD Bank, N.A. in Brooklyn and Queens. Before joining TD Bank, she was assistant director of marketing for Health Plus, a not-for-profit healthcare organization that provides free or low-cost health insurance to low-income families and individuals throughout New York City. Several years ago, she was named one of the 40 most influential business people of African descent under the age of 40 by The Network Journal.

Dr. Russell K. Hotzler has served as president of New York City College of Technology of The City University of New York since August 2004, bringing to his position a wealth of experience in higher education and a deep commitment to enhancing the academic opportunities afforded to the students served by The City University of New York. During his tenure at City Tech, the College has gained substantial public recognition for high-tech workforce development in areas essential to economic growth. Prior to this presidency, Dr. Hotzler served as Vice Chancellor for Academic Program Planning at The City University of New York, a position that held system-wide responsibility for planning and program initiatives.

Chima Joseph currently serves as a Senior Vice President in the Global Commercial Bank at Bank of America after spending his first eight years at the firm in investment banking. He is responsible for delivering the full global capabilities of the bank including treasury services, credit, risk management, capital raising and M&A.

A native New Yorker by way of Brownsville Brooklyn, he grew up surrounded by the ill effects of government and social policies that left his community impoverished and underdeveloped. He was compelled to found Dorata Street Development, a real estate development and consulting company focused on the creation of transitional housing to serve the most vulnerable populations — the homeless and the recently incarcerated — as well as supportive and affordable housing. He is an experienced real estate developer, with a skill set that includes design, construction and finance. His first major development is a 300—bed residential reentry center in Northeast DC.

Mr. Joseph has a BS in Financial Economics and a BA in Political Science from SUNY Binghamton and an MBA from Chicago Booth. He is a CFA charter holder and a 2020 Project REAP Fellow. He was also a part of the inaugural class of the Open Access Fellowship, during which he completed a three-month fellowship with Monge Capital and received a Community Development Certificate from Novogradac. In addition, he is an angel investor and provides business and financial consulting services to small minority-owned businesses.

Joann oversees procurement and special projects for the Lam Group portfolio. She is responsible for supervising and coordinating with various vendors, designers, architects, Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FF&E) and Operating Supplies & Equipment (OS&E). Joann plays an integral role in bringing together new hotels during opening. Prior to joining Lam Group in 2011, Joann owned a Fashion Manufacturing and Marketing business. Joann is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), with a degree in Production Management.

A retired New York City Civil Court judge, the Hon. Alice Fisher Rubin formerly served as an administrative law judge, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles; associate general counsel, Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York; court attorney to a New York State Supreme Court justice; and a policy advisor to both a New York State governor and New York City comptroller. She served as Assistant Commissioner of the Human Resource Administration’s Agency for Child Development and Commissioner of the New York City Commission on the Status of Women.

Founder and CEO of Inner Force Economic Leadership Development Corp., a registered charitable organization that offers pre-school, after-school, week-end and summer enrichment programs for children ages 3 to 15. Dr. Ellis also serves as co-founder and co-director of Yeled V’Yalda Multilingual Development and Education Research Institute, which serves more than 2,000 New York City youth. Dr. Ellis and his wife have established the Inner Force Scholarship Endowment Fund at City Tech.

Ms. Yuille Williams is director of public affairs (Brooklyn/Queens) with Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., where she develops strategic policies for one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies. Before joining Con Edison, she was the director of the Human Resources Administration’s Voucher Day Care Program. She serves on the boards of the Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, Brooklyn Alliance, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation and the Brooklyn Arts Council.

Mr. Schneps is president of the LIC Flea & Food Market, widely recognized as one of the most vibrant community and family friendly destinations for shopping and dining in Long Island City. Schneps is credited with creating highly effective marketing campaigns, including “Flea to LIC,” to promote the market and the larger LIC community. He has fostered community partnerships with the Queens Economic Development Corp., TF Cornerstone, Plaxall, East River Ferry, Food Cellar and other organizations, and is a board member of the LIC Partnership and sits on the boards of several non-profit organizations. In addition, he is co-publisher of Schneps Communications, which has successfully launched six newspapers, three magazines and several websites, including QueensCourier.com, HomeReporter.com, BrooklynSpectator.com and AspireDaily.com.

President of the Namm Foundation, Inc., Andrew I. Namm was founding chairman of the City Tech Foundation and has served on its board since its establishment in 1981. His father, Benjamin H. Namm, together with former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, played an instrumental role in the 1946 founding of New York City College of Technology, originally known as The New York State Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences. More than a quarter of a century ago, the younger Namm established a scholarship fund in tribute to his father. In 2007, he authored the introduction to City Tech’s 60th anniversary book, New York City College of Technology.

A 1965 graduate of City Tech’s accounting program and co-founder and retired chief operating officer of Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC, Mr. Jaffe was formerly COO of DLJ Asset Management Group and CFO of Credit Suisse Asset Management LLC. He has been identified by Worth magazine as one of America’s top 50 financial advisors. He and his wife have established the City Tech Foundation’s Martin and Sharon Jaffe Scholarship Endowment Fund.

Timothy Hunter is a Brooklynite through and through. As a graduate of City Polytechnic High School for Architecture and Engineering, Timothy earned his high school diploma while simultaneously completing course work at City Tech. In 2020, he graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Career and Technical Teacher Education (B.Ed., with honors). Timothy has always valued the role of student engagement in academic settings, and after becoming president of City Tech Student Government Association he served as USS Chairperson representing the students of CUNY on the CUNY board of trustees. Following his graduation, he spent a year as a Coro Public Affairs Fellow, and he now serves as the director of communications for State Senator Julia Salazar. He remains a vocal and articulate advocate for advancing the welfare of CUNY students, and is currently furthering his studies as he now pursues a Master's in Public Affairs at Baruch College.