Board of Directors

Alan Menken: Alan Menken has composed some of the most beloved songs and musical scores of our time. His credits include the Disney movies “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” (both subsequently hit Broadway musicals), “Aladdin,” “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Pocahontas” (which he credits with stimulating his interest in the environment). Recent projects include the Disney movie “Tangled” and the hit Broadway musical, “Sister Act.” He is an 8-time Academy Award-winner and 10-time winner of the Grammy.

Denise Palmieri: For the past ten years, Denise Palmieri has been Director of Client Relations of the Pinnacle Group, an executive search firm that serves the private equity, investment banking, real estate and hedge fund markets. Previously, she created a dynamic, specialized boutique law firm, Palmieri and Palmieri, specializing in community association representation (condominium, homeowners association, cooperatives) in corporate, litigation and real estate related matters.

Harry “Rick” Moody is currently Director of Academic Affairs for AARP (American Association of Retired People). . From 1999 to 2001 he served as National Program Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Faith in Action and, from 1992 to 1999, was Executive Director of the Brookdale Center at Hunter College. Before coming to Hunter, he served as Administrator of Continuing Education Programs for the Citicorp Foundation and later as Co-Director of the National Aging Policy Center of the National Council on Aging in Washington, DC.Dr.

Scott Carlin has over 25 years experience in media businesses. For the prior seven years Scott was President, Domestic Television Distribution for HBO, a division he began in 2002. A recognized leader in television, he was responsible for original, record-breaking deals for The Sopranos, Sex & the City, Band of Brothers, The Wire and many other HBO programs. He has held senior positions at Warner Bros.

Doug Solomon is the Chief Technology Officer at IDEO an international design and innovation firm working with clients to leverage technologies that create both business and social value. With more than 25 years of leadership experience in the IT industry, Doug has a particular interest in and knack for collaborative technologies that enable greater community engagement and participation.

Jan McAlpine is Director of the United Nations Forum on Forests, a body comprising all 192 member nations. In 1989, after 10 years in the nonprofit arena, Jan went to work for the Environmental Protection Agency on international policy issues, including trade and environment. Subsequently, she worked as a senior advisor at the U.S. State Department’s Office of Ecology and Terrestrial Conservationt. She was a key player in the development and implementation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (2004) and the President’s Initiative Against Illegal Logging (2005).

Charles Halpern established the Center for Law and Social Policy in Washington D.C., and is credited with pioneering the field of public interest law in the U.S. He was the founding dean of the City University of New York School of Law.

Franc Roddam is a leading London media entrepreneur, filmmaker, and BBC-TV producer. He has directed major features for Columbia, Paramount, and 20th Century Fox, including the Who's Quadrophenia, K2 and Lords of Discipline. He is also the Chairman of Ziji Publishing, and has had a distinguished career in advertising, including some 150 commercials. He has created, written, and directed many award-winning TV series for the BBC, including Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Canterbury Tales, The Family, and the perennial Master Chef.