Oliver Scholars Program

Staff Directory

80 Maiden Lane, Suite 706

New York, NY 10038-4872
T: (212) 430-5980
F: 212-430-5981

R. David Addams | Executive Director | x 1114 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
David Addams - BA, Princeton University, magna cum laude; MSJ, Columbia University School of Journalism; JD, Columbia University School of Law. Mr. Addams spent his early career as an attorney and a specialist in negotiation, mediation and conflict resolution. He has an extensive and distinguished career in public service. He served as the Executive Director of the Associated Black Charities, the Vice President of the New York Urban League, and the Deputy Manhattan Borough President. While serving as the Chief of Staff at the Manhattan Borough President's Office, he directed a staff of more than 80 employees and was fiscally responsible for managing a budget of $10 million. Most recently, Mr. Addams was Deputy Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, and the Director of Affiliate Diversity and Strategic Initiatives, for the American Civil Liberties Union. Mr. Addams is an adjunct professor of public policy and law at Brooklyn College Graduate Center.

Jessica Acosta ’06 | Scholar Services Coordinator | x 1104 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Jessica is originally from Queens, NY and joined the Oliver community as a member of the Class of 2006. Jessica attended Phillips Academy Andover and graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 2010 with a major in Romance Languages/Latin American Studies. While at Andover, Jessica was active in several community service projects and spent her senior year studying in Spain as part of the School Year Abroad program. At Harvard, Jessica was heavily involved with the Harvard Latino community, serving as president of Fuerza Latina, the largest pan-Latino student group on campus, and volunteering as an ESL/Citizenship tutor for Spanish and Portuguese speakers. Jessica also spent summers studying and working in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Her experiences at Oliver, college, and abroad have motivated Jessica to pursue a future career in education and policy. As a new member of the Scholar Services team at Oliver, Jessica is excited to work with inspiring, talented students, and is eager to give back to the Oliver community that gave her so much.

Lorenley Baez

Lorenley Báez | Director, Pre-Scholar Services | 212.430.5985 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Lorenley joined the Oliver Scholars Program in September 2010. Ms. Báez’s proud history with Oliver began when she was nominated to become a Scholar while attending Mott Hall School in Harlem. In 1994, she attended the Westtown School in Pennsylvania, and later attended American University (AU) in Washington, D.C., where she obtained her undergraduate degree in Print Journalism with a minor in Spanish Language and Studies. Upon graduating from AU, she went into youth civic engagement working for a small non-profit organization – Youth Venture, Inc. – that encourages young people to become civically engaged in their communities. It was this opportunity that led her to return to AU, and obtain two additional degrees – Master in Public Administration and Master in Organization Development. While earning her two Master degrees, Ms. Báez worked as Assistant Director of Multicultural Affairs at AU, where she was dedicated to advocating for college students of color. It was at this time that she created her consulting company, which focused on providing support to organizations, both domestic and international, with respect to team development; civic engagement; retention and persistence of students of color; intercultural and cross-cultural dynamics; diversity awareness; and identity development.

Fausto E. Jiménez-Fabián | Program Coordinator, Pre-Scholar Services | x 1101 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . Fausto returns to Oliver after a brief tenure as the Admissions Associate at The School at Columbia University. He started as Pre-Scholar Programs Associate in 2005 and served as a Scholar Services Coordinator in his last capacity at Oliver. He attended PS 192, graduated from the Mott Hall School ‘98 and went on to the A. Philip Randolph Campus High School ‘02, where he concentrated in medical studies. After his high school graduation, he spent four weeks at the Biosphere 2 in Arizona, where he studied desert ecology and astronomy, an experience that several years later helped his senior-year studies on resort sustainability and vertebrate biodiversity in the Dominican Republic. He graduated from Columbia University having majored in Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology and attained the Gates Millennium Scholarship and Ronald E. McNair Fellowship. As a reflection of his various talents and his continued commitment to diversity, Fausto was invited to join the Columbia Raas team, a competitive Indian dance team on which he later became the male co-captain. During the summers of 2006 and 2007, he worked as an Ecology teaching assistant at the Barnard College at Columbia University. Although his training has concentrated on the sciences, he holds that it is important to help as many young people as possible to attain their dreams, much as people helped him while he was involved with the Harlem Education Activities Fund (HEAF). Fausto currently serves on the Community Advisory Board for the HIV Vaccine Trials Network.

Paul Mondesire | Manager of Foundation, Corporate & Public Relations | x 1116 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . Paul Mondesire joined Oliver Scholars as Manager of Foundation, Corporate & Public Relations in January 2012. He spent almost 20 years in the television business before returning to his roots in the not-for-profit world. He developed arts-in-education based programs and served as an internet marketing specialist for Bronx Council on the Arts. He focused on development, donor relations, and business communications during his time with Thirteen/WNET, the Twenty-First Century Foundation, New York Women’s Foundation, CityKids Foundation, and as a consultant. Mr. Mondesire was twice elected to the Community Education Council representing District #3 on the Upper Westside, and has a daughter attending high school in the NYC public school system.

Francisco Pena

Francisco Peña | Program Assistant, Pre-Scholar services | x 1115 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Francisco Peña was born and raised in the Inwood section of New York City. He transferred to Dumont High School when he and his family moved to New jersey. Francisco went on to receive his BA in 2010 from Rutgers University with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Labor Studies. During his time at Rutgers, Francisco dedicated countless amount of hours volunteering as a tutor for local elementary school students in the city of New Brunswick. After graduation, Francisco joined the Washington Heights-Inwood Coalition as a youth counselor primarily focusing on the development of problem-solving skills in children between the ages of 6 – 11. Francisco is very passionate about education and as a new member of the Oliver family, he hopes to continue to make a difference.

Sandra Reina | Fiscal & Executive Administrator | x 1109 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . Sandra is a native of Quito, Ecuador and immigrated to the US at the age of 18. She settled in NY and acquired her Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting, while also working full time at Odyssey House, Inc., an organization that provides support to teen and adults with problems of substance abuse. Subsequently, Sandra worked for the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), where she improved and upheld the accounting system and procedures for the organization and its seven national chapters, in conjunction with the Finance Director. After learning about Oliver Scholars in March 2007, Sandra was delighted to join the team, since she deeply supports its mission and considers Oliver “an exceptional opportunity for Latino and African-American students.” She enjoys working for the non-for-profit sector, and has since attained her CNAP (Certified Non-Profit Accounting Professional) certification. Similar to her accomplishments at NYCLU, and thanks to the guidance and instruction of her former superior, mentor and friend, Claudette Cosbert, Sandra has been able to transform and implement a new accounting system at OSP, which better fits the organization’s needs. In addition to managing the finances and human resources portion of Oliver, Sandra also provides support to the Executive Director, as the Executive Administrator. Moreover, Sandra has a hidden passion/talent for technology and happily applies her skills to assist the Operations and IT departments, as well as her individual colleagues.

Amy Reinharz | Director of Development | x 1107 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Amy was thrilled to join Team Oliver in February 2010 after having worked for over 15 years in development at various independent schools and universities in NYC, such as Horace Mann School, Windward School, Trevor Day School, Columbia University School of Law, and American Friends of Hebrew University. She holds a BA in Sociology, and is pursuing a Masters degree in Public Administration. Amy’s current volunteer roles include serving as a puppy-sitter for Puppies Behind Bars, which trains inmates to raise puppies to become service dogs for the disabled and for veterans returning home from Iraq & Afghanistan, as well as explosive detection canines for law enforcement. Additionally, Amy is serving her fourth consecutive year as an officer on her Upper West Side co-op board. Many years ago, after working for one year in the for-profit world, Amy made the decision to commit her career to the non-profit sector (primarily in education), where her professionalism, dedication and passion could make a tangible difference in the lives of others.

Juan Carlos Rodriguez | Director of Operations & Administration | x 1108 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . Juan Carlos is excited to join team Oliver! He comes to Oliver after spending 5 years as Information & Technology Manager at The Urban Assembly, a network of 22 New York City schools. At UA, he was responsible for the complete technology infrastructure of the central office, as well as deployments, securities, and staff development. Prior to UA, Juan Carlos traveled working with the federal government. During this time, he used state of the art technologies to work on criminal cases for prosecution on the state, federal, and international levels. Before this position, Juan Carlos was Business Manager at The CityKids Foundation. As Business Manager he created and executed event budgets, managed relations with contractors and vendors, created and coordinated all production and special projects related activities. Juan Carlos holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from John Jay College for Criminal Justice. He is a stage and film Director and recently launched his own production company.

Emanuel Vega

Emanuel “Manny” Vega ’04 | Program Coordinator, Scholar Services | x 1110 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . Mr. Vega is an alumnus of the Oliver Scholars Program. He attended the Salomé Ureña de Henriquez Campus School and through the help of the Oliver Program, attended Phillips Exeter Academy. Mr. Vega graduated from Wesleyan University in 2008 with a major in sociology. While in college, he pursued his passion for dance and was active in the local neighborhood through community service. Prior to joining the Oliver Scholars Program in March 2010, Mr. Vega worked for Major League Baseball and for the Florida Marlins baseball team. He is grateful to Oliver for instilling in him a passion for giving back and is excited to return to where much of his personal development is grounded.

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