Hosted by ACA's Not-for-Profit Council

Conversations about Boards of Directors

ACA's Not-for-Profit Council hosts regular conversations on topics signifcant to nonprofit camps. In 2021-2022, the topics all focus on boards of directors. On October 12, 2021, the conversation spotlighted the work of diversifying boards of directors. 

Panelists

  • Diana Noriega currently is the founding assistant executive director of Anti-Racism and Equity at Good Shepherd Services NYC. Previously, she served as the chief program officer for the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families (CHCF) where she oversaw all programs and educational equity policy efforts across the early learner and K-12 sector.  She advocates for the rights of students and early childcare providers in New York City and serves as the lead facilitator of a communities of color values platform. Diana participates in external justice-related coalition efforts including the New York City School Diversity Advisory Group, which recently made a series of integration recommendations for the New York City public school system. She is a Wheaton College Posse Foundation graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a concentration in Popular Culture.  She has an interdisciplinary master's degree in Multicultural Education from New York University.  Her thesis focused on adolescent girls of color in NYC and effective OST programming strategies to engage them.  Diana is also the owner of The LEAF Way, where she consults organizations on the development of their social justice and equity programming and leads empowerment workshops. She considers herself a lifelong learner and always seeks learning opportunities to enhance her abilities to meaningfully empower communities.  
  • Fatima Shama has most recently served as the executive director and CEO of The Fresh Air Fund, the over 140-year-old nonprofit organization that connects New York City children from low-income communities to the outdoors through free summer experiences.  She recently moved to serve as the head of Diversity & Inclusion for North and South America in Bloomberg LP. Fatima served in Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s administration as the commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and as the senior policy advisor on education. Fatima joined Mayor Bloomberg’s administration in 2006 as a policy advisor to work on the intersection between healthcare, language access, and literacy.  Fatima was born and raised in the Bronx to immigrant parents and has worked in the community-based and public and policy sector her entire career, focused on bettering the lives of children, families, and communities of color. Fatima serves on the boards of the New York Foundation, Coro Leadership New York, the New York Immigration Coalition, the National Summer Learning Association, and as a Trustee of the Pinkerton Foundation. 
  • Rafael Alvarado – Rafael is an educator with lots of experience in human resources and summer camp, and leading organizations in the US and Latin America. Currently, he works as the senior manager of Talent and Culture at Ygrene Energy Fund and as a camp director at KeyBees Camp in Florida. He is passionate about providing summer camp experiences to Hispanic and Spanish-speaking communities. Prior to moving to South Florida, Rafael was a board member of the Venezuelan Camping Association and the Chamber of Private Education. He was a professor teaching Legal Framework for Summer Camps at the Summer Camp Director Graduate Diploma at Metropolitan University. Rafael holds a specialist degree in Education Management, a BS in Business Administration and Management, and a Cum Laude BS in Education.
  • Roberto Gil, Jr., Esq. serves as co-chair of ACA’s Not-for-Profit Council and is in his second term on ACA’s board of directors. He is the deputy director of camping with the Fresh Air Fund, where he serves as the director of the Career Awareness Program and supports the work of the Camp Junior program. Prior to the Fresh Air Fund, Roberto served as the director of programs for Princeton-Blairstown Center, where he was responsible for all aspects of their adventure-based, experiential education program. He served as the director of field operations at Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL), as a program director with the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club in Brooklyn at their Navy Yard Clubhouse, and deputy director of court operations at The Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES). One of his major accomplishments was the successful launch of the Manhattan Family Court’s – Court Employment Project, an alternative-to-placement program for juvenile delinquents. Roberto holds a BA in Government from The University of Texas in Austin and a JD from New York Law School. He is also a wilderness first responder.