Our Team

Glenn currently works as the Controller for Village Academies, a network of high performing charter schools in Harlem, New York, where he is responsible for all financial, budgeting and accounting functions at the schools. In 2008, 100% of the 7th and 8th graders passed the New York State Math Test at the Harlem Village Academy Charter School and 97.8% of the 7th graders (its highest grade) passed the test at the Leadership Village Academy Charter School.

Glenn is also the President and Founder of Charter School Finance, a consulting company providing financial and accounting support to schools across the country. In his role with Charter School Finance, Glenn has helped to design, implement and manage financial and accounting systems for three startup schools in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Previously, Glenn worked as the Charter School Division Controller for Edison Schools and before that in corporation finance and mergers & acquisitions.

Glenn was an active member of Junior Achievement for over three years, including teaching in a high school classroom, participating in the Groundhog Shadow Day Program, and advising in the JA Company Program, a program in which students organize and operate an actual business enterprise.

Glenn holds a BS in Economics with Concentrations in Finance and Accounting from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Consistent with his diverse technical experience, Evan currently serves multiple roles as a software developer / architect and technical project manager on educational software products at Triumph Learning. Previously, he was a senior technical consultant in the educational technology group at Scholastic Inc. Before joining Scholastic, Evan was Vice President of Systems Architecture at TheStreet.com, where he led a software development team that built custom publishing systems.

Evan has volunteered with New York Cares since 1995 and was a trained crisis hotline counselor at the HELP LINE crisis hotline from 1995-2000. A master chess player and winner of many prestigious chess awards, Evan taught chess to middle school students while attending Cornell and aspires to lead young chess minds someday.

Evan holds a BS in Computer Science from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Ben Block is a partner at Ardsley Partners, where he is involved with the firm’s renewable energy investment strategy. Prior to Ardsley, Ben spent several years with a joint venture of Sempra Energy, where he developed deregulated utility programs in the Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and California markets. He is a frequent speaker at clean technology events, and received the 2007 St. Gallen Wings of Excellence Award for promoting clean technology in emerging economies.

Ben served as a volunteer tutor at Top Honors during the 2010-11 school year and received the 2011 New Tutor Award. He joined the Top Honors Board in 2011.

Ben holds a BA in Physics from the University of California, San Diego and an MBA in Finance/Economics from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Trude Goodman is a humanities teacher and Class 5 Supervisor at The Chapin School in Manhattan. In addition to these roles she facilitates monthly diversity workshops, co-leads the middle school assessment study group and serves as an assistant coach of the middle school robotics team. Prior to joining the Chapin faculty, Trude completed the Private School Leadership program through the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College.

Previously, Trude has taught 6th grade English, 8th grade speech and debate and 12th grade psychology.  She completed her year of national service with City Year Boston. During the summer months Trude is the Head Instructor of a sailing school in Chatham, MA. She trains and supervises 30 instructors and coaches during the 10 week program. Trude’s other volunteer endeavors include serving as Chair of the City New York Alumni Board and as a member of the Advisory Board for City Year New York. She is also a member of the Trinity College National Alumni Executive Committee.

Trude holds a BA in Psychology from Trinity College and an MA in Education Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Sterling is currently a senior at the Brearley School. She is a tri-sport Varsity athlete and was elected captain of all three teams for the 2011-2012 seasons. She was Co-Editor of Brearley’s literary magazine and will serve as Literary Editor of the 2012 Yearbook. She has played the piano for ten years and the cello for nine, and is a member of Brearley’s Upper School Orchestra. She is also a participant in Columbia University’s Science Honors Program, a Tour Guide at Brearley, and a member of Brearley’s Model Congress delegation.

Sterling served as a volunteer math tutor during the 2010-2011 school year and received the 2011 Top High School Tutor award. She joined the Top Honors Board in 2011.

Charlie is a Program Officer in the Educational Facilities Financing Center at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) where he underwrites charter school transactions. Before joining LISC, Charlie worked as a Budget and Contract Specialist at Seedco Financial, a nonprofit community development financial institution that specializes in small business lending. Before working at Seedco Financial, Charlie attended Duke University, where he ran a math tutoring program that paired Duke students with underperforming public school students at Hillandale Elementary School in Durham, North Carolina.

Charlie served as a volunteer math tutor at Top Honors during the 2009-2010 school year and received the 2010 Tutor Effectiveness Award. He joined the Top Honors Board in 2010.

Charlie holds a BA in Economics and Political Science from Duke University.

Julia is a digital editor at an educational publishing division of Haights Cross Communications. Deeply affected by her personal experiences with community service, she appreciates the pivotal role every volunteer plays in an organization that serves a population in need. She is excited to be a part of a program that attracts generous service-oriented members of a city as unique and moving as New York. Prior to joining Top Honors, she was an algebra and biology tutor for the Fresh Air Fund and a New York Cares volunteer.

Julia holds a BA in Classical Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

Sammi is the lab manager for a pharmacology research laboratory at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. She has been working in cancer research since 2001 and hopes to teach science someday. Sammi has volunteered with A Place for Kids, East Harlem Tutorial Program and NYCares since moving to New York in 1998, and feels so lucky to work with such dedicated students and staff at Top Honors for a fifth year.

Sammi holds a BA in Biochemistry with a minor in Mathematics from New York University.

Shara was a Top Honors board member from 2008-2011 and serves as a fundraising and strategic consultant to the board. Shara recently joined Fordham Law School as the Director of Development and Stewardship. Prior to joining the Law School, she was a fundraiser for Cornell University’s Alumni Affairs & Development office in New York City and before that, led The Chapin School’s historic $75-million endowment campaign. Before moving to Manhattan in 2006, Shara was the Associate Director of Alumni Affairs and Development in Cornell University’s Northeast Regional Office in Boston, MA.

Shara is on the Board of Trustees for the Hyde Leadership Charter School in the South Bronx, the Board of Directors for The Deja Foundation, and an active volunteer on the IMPACt steering committee for Phoenix House.

Shara holds a BA in Psychology from Cornell University, and an MS in Sports Psychology from Ithaca College.

Asim works in the Foundation Relations Department of Carnegie Hall. Previously, Asim worked as a Development Associate at South Asian Youth Action (SAYA!), a Queens-based non-profit dedicated to creating social change and opportunities for South Asian youth. Prior to that, Asim practiced as an attorney for several years after graduating from Rutgers Law School-Newark.

Asim was on the original Board for Top Honors and currently assists with general and legal inquiries. Asim plays the guitar and is a former member of the Songwriters Guild of America and the Grammy Foundation.

Asim holds a BA in English with a minor in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD from Rutgers Law School.

Sam has a strong background in finance, strategy, operations, and project management working as a Senior Consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Prior to PwC, he was Sales Effectiveness Manager at American Express and was responsible for growing the company’s corporate client base and management of various projects.

Sam also has a retail industry background, leading the budget forecasting process for a cosmetics conglomerate and recommending the opening or closing of stores for Limited Brands Apparel. While at UPenn, Sam developed public school tutoring activities by offering the surrounding middle schools access to University campus learning resources and facilities as Team Leader for the West Philadelphia Tutoring Program.

Sam holds a BA in Economics and Communications from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in Finance and Strategy from New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business.