The Board of Trustees of LION Charter School is a dedicated and hard-working group which is committed to the delivery of a high-quality education for our students and their families.
Tony Stoupas, Board Chair
Tony Stoupas, as a LION parent, brings over 35 years of work experience working with large and small organizations. As a global technology executive, he has unique insight into the risks and opportunities together with the transformational nature of technology, including the impact of digitization on organizations and the associated risks/threats. Prior to his retirement in mid 2021, Tony was at Lionbridge Technologies, a leading translation and localization company that works with many of the world’s largest companies, where, as Chief Technology Officer, he was responsible for all aspects of the company’s global technology strategy and operations.
Prior to joining Lionbridge, Tony was Chief Information Officer at Moody’s Corporation for nearly 10 years, and he has held leadership roles with UBS, Mellon Financial Corporation, Computer Sciences Corporation, and IBM Australia. Tony is an international IT executive with many years of experience in service delivery, outsourcing, and operations, and he has a proven record of delivering large-scale business and organizational change. Tony holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering from Monash University in Australia.
Tony is excited to be a part of the LION Charter School community in the South Bronx, and he looks forward to supporting the mission of the school.
Deborah Dumont
Deborah Dumont is an educational consultant with a focus on progressive education, educational reform and advocacy, with a special interest in children at risk. Her 35-year career has led to leadership positions in a broad range of educational organizations, including Head of School, Co-founder of Hawkins Centers of Learning, an educational think-tank, and Videatives, a teacher education company. Deborah held executive positions at Educate and Aramark Work/Life Partnerships, both multinational education companies. She currently leads a research and consulting practice focused on early education, school reform, and systems thinking.
Deborah has published in education journals on topics ranging from professional development models and attachment theory in adolescent education to how school building design impacts learning. In October 2009, she was elected as a trustee of LION Charter School in the Bronx.
Herb Fixler
Herb Fixler is a founder of our school and served as board chair from 2006-2023. He is a retired trusts and estates attorney who, at retirement, was part of the Private Client Services Group of Cozen O’Connor, a national law firm. His practice concentrated in the fields of estate planning and administration and he provided legal services for almost 50 years to a wide range of clients including high net worth individuals, Fortune 500 CEOs, and family business owners.
Herb received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Villanova University and a Juris Doctor from the Washington College of Law of the American University. In law school, he served as Director of the Legal Aid Society. Upon graduation from law school, Herb served as a VISTA volunteer before entering private practice in New York. While in VISTA, he worked on the legal staff of the Scholarship, Education, and Defense Fund for Racial Equality and served as a community organizer in Harlem while attending New York University Graduate Law School. He entered private practice in New York in 1970.
Herb is a fine art photographer whose work is frequently exhibited and is included in numerous private and corporate collections. He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Susan Marber, and has two children and four grandchildren.
Ruth Jarmul
Ruth Jarmul is the former Vice President of Administration of the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), a non-profit organization that has provided nearly $200 million for stem cell research to cure the most significant diseases of our time. NYSCF scientists were instrumental in developing the Covid-19 vaccine. Her responsibilities at NYSCF included operations, development, marketing and communications, human resources, and strategic planning. She was responsible for oversight of foundation grants, accounting for more than half of NYSCF’s annual budget, as well as relationships with NYSCF’s high-impact donors and Board of Trustees. Earlier in her career, Ruth was a senior executive in the media business, including at Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal, as well as consulting for the Mitchell Madison Group and Quantum Media, one of Forbes’ top-ranked consulting firms.
Ruth believes that “education is the key to the future” and that LION’s distinct model of working with students holistically with a character and family-based approach is critical. Since her retirement, Ruth continues to use her wealth of experience to support the school’s development efforts and share its unique message. In addition to her work with LION, Ruth serves on the Board and Management Committee of the Alliance for Middle East Peace. Ruth received a BA from Yale College and MBA from Harvard Business School. Her husband Irvin Rosenthal and she have three daughters and sons-in-law and five grandchildren.
Catherine Jessup
Catherine comes to LION with over 35 years of experience in finance and financial management. She is currently a principal at The CFO Centre, which provides financial services to small and medium-sized businesses on a fractional basis. Previously, she served as the Chief Financial Officer for two NYC-based charter school networks. Catherine has also held Chief Financial Officer positions within PepsiCo, the Topps Company, Diageo, and Pitney Bowes. Catherine graduated from Duke University with an undergraduate degree in Russian Studies. She received a Master in Business Administration in Finance from Indiana University.
Catherine currently volunteers as co-chairman of SCORE Westchester, a mentoring organization for entrepreneurs. She is also the treasurer of her building co-op and a mentor for SHE-CAN, which helps develop female leaders in conflict-torn countries.
Julie Medler
Julie Medler has over 35 years of experience in global financial services. She is currently a Managing Director at Golden Seeds, a network of angel investors committed to investing in the early stages of companies founded and/or led by women. Previously, Julie was a Managing Director and Senior Investment Specialist at the JPMorgan Private Bank, where she worked with ultra-high net worth clients and foundations on a broad range of inter-related issues, including investments, multi-generational planning, tax, and philanthropy. Prior to joining the Private Bank, Julie held various positions in the JPMorgan Investment Bank, including Managing Director in Institutional Fixed Income Sales, and Fixed Income Research Analyst. Earlier at Chase Manhattan Bank, Julie managed a proprietary portfolio of equity securities.
Nicholas Ober
Nicholas Ober is Director of Product Management and Analytics for Zeel, a health and wellness startup, where he is responsible for the company’s consumer product strategy development and execution on Web, iOS, and Android platforms. He began his career in the growth marketing space and spent time working abroad in Hong Kong and Singapore. Nicholas is also a commercial real estate developer and investor. He was Co-Chair of LION’s Associate Board for five years before joining the Board of Trustees and brings with him technology and marketing expertise.
A native New Yorker, Nicholas is a graduate of Skidmore College where he serves as an advisor and project judge for business students. He also attended Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. Nicholas is an avid skier and cyclist.
Talal Rojas
Talal Rojas is a payments product manager at Warner Bros. Discovery, where he is responsible for improving a customer’s ability to purchase a Max subscription. He is a native New Yorker that began his career improving processes and managing international initiatives at Deloitte and American Express. After that, he spent a few years in Europe earning his Master of Business Administration at IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain and working in the Fintech industry in Hamburg, Germany.
Rosann Santos
Born and raised in the Bronx to Dominican parents, Rosann is a dynamic leader serving as the Director of Alumni Engagement at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Over the past 25 years, she has significantly impacted multiple areas of higher education including, student affairs, residence life, enrollment management, new student orientation, advancement, and alumni engagement. Additionally, Rosann is a certified professional coach and a Gallup StrengthsFinder Coach. She leverages her clients’ strengths to propel them forward on their personal and professional journeys.
Rosann is a founding Herman of the Syracuse chapter of Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc. founded on campus in 1992. She also serves on the National Board of 100 Hispanic Women, Inc. She is an independent consultant for the FranklinCovey Company and a member of La Voz Latina Bilingual Toastmasters Club.
Rosann earned an M.A. in history from the University of Albany and graduated with a B.A. in History and Mathematics from Syracuse University.
David Schatsky
David Schatsky is a managing director at Deloitte LLP, where he leads the firm’s central trend-sensing and tech-scouting programs in the U.S., focusing on technology domains such as artificial intelligence, digital assets, and climate & sustainability. The programs advise firm leaders about commercially relevant emerging trends, evaluate startup companies to expand the firm’s innovation ecosystem, and support firm-level communications about digital transformation.
David conceived the firm’s first Massive Online Open Courses, including one on AI, which have served tens of thousands of learners. Additionally, he is the author of Signals for Strategists: Sensing Emerging Trends in Business and Technology, published by RosettaBooks.
David has decades of experience in business & technology research, analysis, execution, and innovation. He has been an entrepreneur, led high-performing teams, guided a global organization through a corporate turnaround, and served clients in every industry.
David holds an M.A. in international affairs and international economics from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. in computer science from Tufts University.
Join Our Board
LION is seeking dedicated professionals to serve on our Board of Trustees. The LION Board of Trustees is comprised of diverse, committed individuals who give back to children and families in New York City through their gifts, talents, and resources. They oversee the operations of the school at its highest level and raise funds to support the students, families, and teachers at LION Charter School.
Please contact mseverns@lioncharterschool.org for more information.
