Board of Directors
Board of Directors
From coast to coast, every member of the All Points North Foundation Board of Directors serves in an all-volunteer capacity for two years, driven by a shared dedication to advancing communities upward in the foundation’s two priority areas.
From coast to coast, every member of the All Points North Foundation Board of Directors serves in an all-volunteer capacity for two years, driven by a shared dedication to advancing communities upward in the foundation’s two priority areas.
Lawrence Atkinson
“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.”
– Anthony J. D’Angelo
Lawrence Atkinson has a deep belief that every day, and even though we may be mostly unaware of it, life teaches us new things. Developing a passion for learning, he insists, requires us to ask questions and, once we learn to question, he believes we have a responsibility to teach others. He credits the infinite satisfaction he has gained as an educator from his unquenchable passion for learning.
With this passion shaping his successful, multi-decade career in education, Mr. Atkinson has served as a teacher, instructional coach, department chair, summer school administrator, mentor, campus teacher of the year, team sport coach, and more, making a significant, positive impact on thousands of students and teachers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. With virtually all of his tenure at the middle school level in underserved communities, he brings that extraordinary breadth and depth of knowledge to All Points North Foundation. Serving as a mentor, he understands that including a teacher development requirement in all of our grants is a critically important part of obtaining a positive outcome.
Mr. Atkinson earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Prairie View A&M University and his Masters in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington. He resides in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area with his wife and two children.
Anthony Coker
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
– Albert Einstein
With over 30 years of experience in high tech products and markets, Anthony Coker has provided engineered solutions to international clients and brings that same kind of innovative perspective to All Points North Foundation. Currently as Senior Vice President at M&I Materials, he is responsible for the North and South American Operations of the Midel & Mivolt business units. Prior to this role, he held Senior Management positions in the solar industry for over a decade.
A thought leader in the solar PV, cleantech and smart energy markets, Mr. Coker is an author and frequent industry speaker/moderator at national and global industry conferences. He has served on executive committees and chaired boards for the Green Chamber of the South, the Georgia Solar Energy Association and the Green House Accelerator, a cleantech incubator that provides start-up mentoring. A founding member of the Technology Association of Georgia Smart Energy Society, he was a finalist for the Atlanta E3 Sustainability Leadership Award.
Mr. Coker earned a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at Georgia Tech where he frequently guest lectures. Honored as a College of Engineering distinguished alumnus, he serves on the Georgia Tech School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Advisory Board as well as the Scheller College’s Center for Sustainable Business Advisory Board. He recently completed a year of sustainability and environmental studies to complete his induction into the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership. He resides in Atlanta with his wife and two teenage sons, all avid college sports fans. He enjoys tennis, some golf, all water sports and snow skiing, and also actively volunteers in the local community.
Mark Dudzinski
“If you have an idea that would help people, and you have some ability to implement it, don’t you then have an obligation to try?”
– Katie Dudzinski
Those words created an “aha” moment for Mark Dudzinski after retiring from a 27-year career with General Electric (GE). His daughter challenged him to take his know-how of economics, technologies, regulations, companies and strategies in the global electric industry and transfer it to something he could be passionate about — and that would help others.
As the former Chief Marketing Officer for the $45 billion GE Energy business that included 125 operating businesses, Mr. Dudzinski logged in two million miles of domestic and global travel and got to see firsthand the world that lived without electricity. As founder of the nonprofit Light the World, he is intent on changing the electricity delivery model for the 1.2 billion who live by firelight when the sun sets. He is excited about All Points North Foundation’s goal to expand the use of photovoltaic solar here in the United States.
Mr. Dudzinski holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard University School of Business. He has served as Chairman of the International Electric Research Exchange in Japan and has been a frequent speaker on technology changes. Married to his high school sweetheart, Kathy, he is an outdoor and sports enthusiast and indulges in tennis, golf, skiing and hiking.
John Maynard
“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”
– B.B. King
The theme of learning runs deep in John Maynard’s life, as a teacher, principal and lifelong student. An early-career shift from banking into teaching put Mr. Maynard on the path towards success in the field of education.
His teaching tenure began in Massachusetts as a sixth grade math teacher and then included seven years spent in Brazil with his Brazilian-American family, deepening his desire to work in a bi-lingual environment after returning home to the U.S. Upon his return to this country, Mr. Maynard landed a position as an assistant middle school principal in Framingham, Massachusetts, a city with a large Portuguese population, before eventually becoming a principal at Melrose, Massachusetts and Framingham schools. After nearly 30 years as an educator and administrator, he is currently working to earn his post-masters Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Education Leadership and Policy Studies from Boston University with the goal of moving to the education nonprofit sector to reduce the achievement gap in English-language learners.
Mr. Maynard holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Boston University, a Master of Arts in History and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, both from Northeastern University and a Master of Education in Educational Administration from Harvard University. A father to a son in high school and daughter in college, Mr. Maynard enjoys travel and has played guitar in blues, rockabilly and surf bands in the Boston area for more than 30 years.
Ronald Nelson
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
– John Donne
The quote above used by John Wooden, the former University of California, Los Angeles coach with more NCAA basketball titles than any other college coach in history, is advice that Ronald Nelson has taken to heart.
As Director of Housing Services and Operations for the Inter-Cooperative Council Student Housing Cooperative at his alma mater, University of Michigan, being prepared is a rule – not an exception – when you are responsible for collectively managing relationships with more than 600 individuals and overseeing their housing at 18 properties surrounding the main Ann Arbor campus. He also serves as Board President of the Student Buyers Association, a purchasing cooperative for the University of Michigan’s estimated 67 fraternities and sororities and cooperatives. Mr. Nelson brings this acute sense of preparedness and anticipating the unexpected to serving on All Points North Foundation’s board.
Mr. Nelson earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the University of Michigan. Outside of work, Mr. Nelson embraces spontaneity in his interests, ranging from politics (both on the national and local advocacy levels), science literature and sports to Star Trek, meteorology, astronomy, Sci-Fi Channel disaster films, drawing and YouTubing. He divides his time between Ann Arbor and Romulus, Mich.
Elizabeth O’Hara
“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
– Walt Disney
Elizabeth O’Hara has spent nearly her entire career helping people make sound investments. As a Managing Director at FCLTGlobal, she works with its members including asset owners, asset managers, and companies to focus capital on the long term to support a sustainable and prosperous economy. Ms. O’Hara brings her decades of experience as a Chartered Financial Analyst to chair the Endowment Committee for All Points North Foundation, ensuring funds are strategically invested in the best channels for long-term sustainability and growth.
Inspired by All Points North Foundation’s commitment to invest in public middle school education, Ms. O’Hara believes middle school is a critical inflection point. It’s a time when some students develop a passion for learning, while others lose interest and may even lose sight of the importance of education. She believes that investing in additional support for teachers and students could set young people on a path to becoming the best version of themselves.
Ms. O’Hara earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Economics from SUNY Stony Brook and a Master of Business Administration from New York University. She lives in Sharon, Massachusetts and has two grown children. A mentor at her workplace, she also has volunteered with Invest in Girls, teaching teenagers about general finance concepts and the importance of saving money.
Larry Promisel
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
– Dr. Seuss
With 20 years of experience, Larry Promisel is a strategic, innovative Ecommerce, Retail and Omnichannel Marketing business leader who drives industry leading performance and builds high performing organizations and culture. He is currently a Digital/Ecommerce Consultant and Advisor, providing brands, retailers and startups with global e-commerce strategy, digital marketing, mobile and omni-channel advisory services.
Previously Mr. Promisel was Senior Vice President, Digital Commerce for Vince Camuto where he was responsible for all e-commerce and omni-channel strategies, operations and initiatives. Prior to Vince Camuto, he was Vice President, E-Commerce for Barneys New York, managing all aspects of Barney’s e-commerce division from its inception. He has developed and led multi-channel and database marketing strategies with positions at Bluefly.com, Coach and Bloomingdale’s.
A resident of the greater New York area, Mr. Promisel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the State University of New York at Albany and a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from Pace University. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and serves as a mentor and/or advisor for several start-up businesses.
Keka Sircar
“A lot of people are waiting for Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi to come back — but they are gone. We are it. It is up to us. It is up to you.”
– Marian Wright Edelman
As a member of All Points North Foundation’s board, Keka Sircar shares the conviction that education helps pave the path to ultimate success, independence and community of both the ordinary and extraordinary person. Education, she believes, not only enlightens, but also empowers and fuels the future of the next generation to learn from the great leaders of our past.
Ms. Sircar is a business strategist and lawyer with over 20 years of experience in micro to small nonprofit organizations, publicly traded companies and private law firms. She partners with C-suite business leaders, customers and cross-functional staff, to develop unique ideas and streamline processes with an eye toward simplicity for mission-driven work in a variety of industries. Previously, Ms. Sircar evaluated new programs and existing operations as Senior Director, Program Strategy at Fractured Atlas, a nonprofit arts services organization serving U.S. artists and arts organizations. Prior to Fractured Atlas, she piloted a new eCommerce business and ran an M.B.A. internship program as Director of eCommerce Strategy and Operations for Premier, Inc., serving U.S. hospitals and other providers to help drive transformative healthcare quality and cost reduction.
Ms. Sircar earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Michigan, her Juris Doctor from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, and her Master of Business Administration from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. She lives with her husband and daughter in the Chicagoland area, where they love everything about food (from farm to table), the connection between the healthcare and food industries, health and fitness, teaching yoga and music.
Neil Snowdon
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
– Nelson Mandela
A firm believer in creating strong leaders for the future through innovative education programs, Neil Snowdon joined All Points North Foundation to help explore where online technology will help leapfrog current teaching methods. This is now even more important than ever in our constantly changing COVID-19 world. Leveraging his family’s background in education and his passion for technology, Mr. Snowdon is helping All Points North Foundation and its grant partners connect, operate and implement programs that maximize outreach efforts.
Mr. Snowdon has over 40 years of experience in enterprise software, architecture and technology strategy and innovation, spanning multiple industries and continents. He serves as a Senior Development Leader for Brown & Brown Insurance Inc., the fifth largest independent insurance brokerage in the U.S. Prior to Brown & Brown, he served as Vice President and Site Leader at Vertafore, Inc., a technology company providing innovative solutions to the insurance industry.
Mr. Snowdon earned his joint Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics & Physics from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom. He resides in Orlando, Florida with his wife, a former teacher. Two of their daughters are also educators, working in both the United Kingdom and the U.S. Dedicated marathon runners, Mr. Snowdon and his wife do their most creative thinking literally “on the run”, using this time to help develop new techniques and approaches that will benefit many others in the future.
Past Board Members
We are grateful to our past board members who gave unselfishly of their time to help guide All Points North Foundation during its formative years. They have hailed from the nonprofit and for-profit spaces, with expertise in environmental management, financial services and education. They have provided us with a strong foundation for our passions of middle school education, teacher training and solar energy.
Theo Beack (2012-2017)
Chief Technology Officer, Vertafore
Stefan Buck (2012-2014)
Project Manager, Advanced Energy
Andrea Gullo (2011-2015)
Executive Director, Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority
Julie Keck (2012-2016)
Art Teacher, Traverse City West High School
Jessica Mooraj (2011-2014)
Board Member, Mothers and More
Octavia Nixon (2021-2022)
Education Consultant
Rebecca Philbrick (2016-2020)
Director of the St. Mary’s Resource Center, The Academy of the Holy Cross
Jassmine Posada (2023)
Program Manager, The Miles Foundation
Grace Llenado Rubino (2015-2017)
Senior Compliance Officer, Guggenheim Partners
Kathryn Stewart (2016-2017)
Managing Director, Cranbrook Capital
Rena Whitney (2015-2016)
Director, Global Treasury Operations
Gül Yanmaz-Karsligil (2019-2023)
CFA Director, Prime Buccholz
Click Here for All Points North Foundation’s Response to COVID-19
All Points North Foundation provides grants for U.S.-based projects and initiatives that support our priorities: improving public middle school education and teacher training, and implementing effective solar programs and/or projects.
Have a U.S.-based project you’d like to discuss?