Rocco
Basile
Rocco Basile is a second-generation real estate developer in New York City, having constructed over 150 buildings. He is the owner of Avo Construction, a construction development firm which focuses on high-end interior renovation and ground-up building construction for real estate developers in NYC. Rocco is a proud husband and father of two.
Rocco has served on the Board of Directors of Children of the City, a non-profit organization, for seven years, serving as chair for the last four years of his tenure. Based in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Children of the City has been responding to the critical needs of families coping with trauma, academic frustration, drug abuse, delinquency and despair since 1981.
Bobbi
Brown
Bobbi Brown is the Founder and former Chief Creative Officer of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, which was acquired by The Estée Lauder Companies in 1995. Today, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics is a global color cosmetics, fragrance, and skincare brand with a presence in more than 73 countries and 68 freestanding stores. In 2017, Bobbi stepped down from Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and launched justBOBBI, a modern lifestyle platform for wellness, beauty, travel and everything in between. Driven by Bobbi Brown’s insatiable curiosity, justBOBBI aims to educate and inspire how you live your life through never-ending exploration and creative storytelling.
In addition to running her new founded company, Bobbi regularly shares her expertise on television, in magazines and newspapers, and online. A sought after lifestyle expert, Bobbi resonates with diverse audiences and has appeared on high profile shows including Good Morning America, The Today Show, Oprah, and The View. In 2008, Bobbi received an honorary doctorate from Montclair State University. In 2010, Bobbi was appointed by President Barack Obama to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiation.
Brian
Hogan
Brian D. Hogan is Managing Director of Investor Relations at Maplewood, LLC. Prior to Maplewood, Brian spent five years as a Founder and Managing Partner at Paradigm Group Capital. Preceding Paradigm, Brian spent 17 years owning and managing various European-based companies in the luxury fashion and consumer goods sector.
Brian has been a regular participant to the Milken Institute Global Conferences in Los Angeles and London. He is a board member of Mission K9 Rescue, a Houston-based charity that focuses on rescuing military and working dogs. He has also played an instrumental role in the launch of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s African Center based in New York.
Lauren
Marrus
Lauren is currently the CEO of Dempsey & Carroll. Her prior experience includes work in marketing, investment banking and management consulting with ABC, The Bankers Trust Company and Booz, Allen & Hamilton, respectively. She has served as Vice Chair of Storefront Academy Harlem, a tuition-free school for pre-K to 8th grade students.
She holds an MBA from The Graduate School of Business at Harvard University as well as a Bachelor’s Degree with honors, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Wellesley College. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and rescue pup.
Liz
Murray
There’s a whole lot to learn about Liz Murray but let’s simply start with this: she knows why stable relationships matter to at-risk kids because she was one herself. Her life was transformed for the better by mentors who refused to look the other way. Her conviction that these kind of relationships can change other kids’ lives, as they did her own, underpins everything we do at The Arthur Project.
Liz is an inspirational speaker who is notable for having been accepted by Harvard University despite being homeless in her high school years. She was born in the Bronx, New York to poor and drug-addicted parents, both of whom would later contract HIV. She became homeless just after turning 15, when her mother died of AIDS in 1996 and her father moved to a homeless shelter.
Despite her late high school start and lack of a stable home, Murray began attending an alternative high school, graduating in two years. She was awarded a New York Times scholarship for needy students and was accepted into Harvard University. A made-for-TV film about Murray’s life, Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story, was released in 2003. Liz’s bestselling memoir Breaking Night was published in 2010. Liz credits two key mentors in her youth as the needed support and foundation in transforming her life.
Jeff
Muti
Jeff describes himself as the “boring business guy” and Liz, “the soul” of The Arthur Project. Jeff has a keen understanding that for a not-for-profit organization to be successful, it needs to be run like a business and he has a wealth of expertise to help make that happen.
Jeff is Founder, CEO and CFO of Sigma Worldwide, an engineering-services company and manufacturer of accessory products for various industries. He brings significant business expertise to The Arthur Project, having served in senior management and financial leadership roles. Jeff has been actively involved in charitable activities and served on the Board of Storefront Academy, a tuition-free, private school in Harlem and the South Bronx educating underserved children.
His primary role with the Storefront Academy was to assist in fundraising efforts. Jeff attended Duke University for undergraduate studies, received his MBA from Harvard Business School. He and his wife, Antoinette, have two wonderful children: Isabella and Connor.
Chris
Nahr
Chris is head of the law firm Fried Frank’s global Leveraged Finance Practice, based in New York City. He joined the Firm in 1997 and became a partner in 2005. Chris has also worked in the Firm’s London and Paris offices.
Chris is recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in Banking & Finance. He is also recognized by Legal 500 in Finance: Bank Lending. He is a graduate of NYU School of Law and Free University of Berlin with Honors.
Steve
Schnall
Steve is founder, chief executive officer and chairman of Quontic Bank. A serial entrepreneur, Steve has a passion for business startups and focuses on serving the communities where his businesses reside. He has a proven track record of founding several successful private and public companies across a variety of industries, including community banking, mortgage finance, health and fitness, and early stage dot-com era ventures.
Steve is also an active real estate investor/developer and co-chairman of Fit Athletic Holdings. He is a founding director of, and primary contributor to, Urban Angels, a nonprofit that provides food to the homeless, serving more than 100,000 meals per year. He also serves on the advisory board of the New York League of Independent Bankers. He received a bachelor’s degree in accounting, cum laude, from the University of Florida.
