Board

Sharing A Passion

CSFB Board of Trustees consists of diverse group of individuals across Baltimore City, providing a wealth of experience and passion for our mission. Many of our trustees have supported CSFB for over ten years.

The Board meets quarterly, and works tirelessly to aid our strategic and fundraising objectives.


I support Children’s Scholarship Fund-Baltimore because it helps level the playing field for underprivileged schoolchildren. My children are fortunate to attend the school of their choice; all children in Baltimore should have that same opportunity. CSFB gets us there, one child at a time. ”
— Kate Rawson Powell, Board of Trustees


Elizabeth A. Green, Board

Elizabeth A. Green is a Partner at the Baltimore law firm of Pessin Katz.  Elizabeth’s practice focuses on wealth preservation and she advises individuals and business owners with estate planning and business succession planning.  Elizabeth also assists families and individual beneficiaries with estate administration.  Elizabeth also represents several local charities, serving as their general counsel.  Elizabeth is personally active with the Associated: Federation of Baltimore, Baltimore Jewish Council and the Bnos Yisroel School of Baltimore.

A lifelong Baltimore County resident, Elizabeth graduated from The Bryn Mawr School for Girls.  Elizabeth has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania, and she earned her Juris doctorate from George Washington School of Law. She and her husband live in Baltimore County with their four children.

My parents decided to send my brothers to private school and when I came along, that choice had already been made. I know that they looked at a few schools and somehow decided on Bryn Mawr. I am so glad. How did that choice impact me? While sitting in a sociology class in college, I began to keep track of how often girls spoke versus how often boys spoke. It was when I was sitting in that class that I realized that girls were “not-supposed” to speak in class. I never actually got that message going to an all-girls school. I believe I have  successfully taught my daughters to ignore that message no matter where it comes from and to speak up.”

Sophia Marquez-Wallace, Board

Sophia Marquez is the founder and President of S. Wallace Consulting. Prior to the launch of her firm, she spent twelve years as Director of Philanthropy & Community Engagement for the Venable Foundation. Through her consulting work she seeks to engage nonprofits and small corporations through board diversification, DEI implementation and various other ways organizations seek to clarify or expand the breadth of their mission to bring impactful change to the communities they serve.

Sophia holds a MA in Nonprofit Management from Notre Dame of Maryland University. She lives in Baltimore with her husband, two sons and three labradoodles. In addition to serving on the board of Children’s Scholarship Fund of Baltimore, she is also on the Maryland Regional Board of the One Love Foundation.

I never even thought about school choice until I had my own children. As a young single mother facing decisions about education much earlier than I ever anticipated, I knew I would sacrifice every material belonging I had to make this education a possibility for my son. I believe every family should have the same choice and that’s exactly what CSFB does.”

Daniel Verbic grew up in the Chicago area and moved to Baltimore in 1994 to work for Legg Mason in Institutional Equity Sales covering mutual funds and hedge funds accounts. In 2005, Stifel Nicolaus bought the Equity Capital Markets division of Legg and the majority of the personnel joined Stifel which made Baltimore their Institutional headquarters.

Dan is 1987 graduate of Purdue University with a BA in History. He worked in computer sales at the IBM Corporation in Chicago for three years working primarily with banks and financial institutions. He received his MBA from Northwestern University in 1992 and worked at Goldman Sachs in the Wealth Management division until joining Legg Mason in 1995.

Dan and his wife, Krissie, live in Ruxton with two teenage daughters after previously residing in Fells Point and Homeland neighborhoods. Dan enjoys playing golf, tennis, and especially paddle tennis during the winter months.

I attended a public grade school through 5th grade but my parents transferred me to a private Lutheran middle school with smaller class sizes. The school was more structured and experiential and complemented my family’s moral and religious perspective with chapel once a week. I made life-long friends there who I keep in touch with to this day.”

Mark Terranova is the founder of Terranova Advising, which helps non-profit, higher education, and for-profit organizations move their ideas to action through storytelling to help them maintain successful and sustained engagement, sales, and fundraising programs.

Before founding Terranova Advising, Mark led the client engagement team at August Jackson (formerly Feats), a brand engagement and event production agency, advising clients such as MIT, Princeton, UVA, Duke, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, and Smithsonian Institution on their fundraising, campaign, and engagement efforts.

Locally, Mark has also served as Chief Development Officer for KIPP Baltimore, overseeing successful growth and capital campaigns, and providing training and professional development for advancement professionals throughout the national KIPP network of charter schools. Prior to that, he served as Assistant to the President and part of the advancement team at UMBC.

Mark has served as an advisor to the National Academies of Science, the National Science Foundation, and the Corporation for National and Community Service on issues related to education access and closing the achievement gap. He lives in Baltimore with his wife and two daughters.

Rick Corcoran, Board Secretary

Rick Corcoran is a Founder and Partner of Slate Capital Group, a private equity firm based in Baltimore, MD. Rick currently serves as CEO of two Slate portfolio companies: CoastTec, the leader in refurbishment of Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) and Let’s Dish!, a retail chain of meal-assembly stores. Previously, Rick worked for Boston Consulting Group (BCG). There, his casework spanned retail, consumer goods, distribution, health care, media and financial services. He also did extensive pro-bono work on inner-city economic development. His entrepreneurial start was a landscaping/house painting business that he grew throughout high school and college.

Rick is also a Board Member of the Maryland Zoological Society and the Pratt Contemporaries. He was a founding member of the Baltimore City Chapter of Girls on the Run of Greater Chesapeake, bringing the program to Roland Park Country School. He has served as volunteer coach / mentor and judge for the Baltimore chapter of NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship).

Rick is a 1995 graduate of Princeton University (AB History & American Studies) where he played basketball. He received his MBA from Stanford University in 2000. He enjoys adventure racing, trail running and ultra-hiking expeditions. He still plays basketball as his knees allow.

Rick grew up in western Connecticut and is a graduate of New Milford High School. Rick and his wife, Alexa, moved to Baltimore in 2001 after stints in Boston, New York and San Francisco. They live in Roland Park with their two lovely daughters.

My friends and I were all the beneficiaries of the choices our parents made, because we grew up safe and happy and with great schools and great neighbors. Many of our fellow Baltimoreans don’t have that luxury – they cannot pick up and move. But they can pick a different school if they deem that the best option for their child. And that’s why I support CSFB so much. I was a public school kid and I strongly support public schools. But my parents got to CHOOSE the public school they wanted me and my brother to attend. I simply want all my fellow Baltimoreans to have the same type of choice.”

Angelo Otterbein was founder and President of Silverpoint, Inc. a Baltimore-based company that provides website software and services for over 300 schools across the country. In 2013 Silverpoint was acquired by Finalsite, where he now works as Chief Innovation Officer, taking a leadership role in growing the combined business to over 200 employees serving 1,500 schools worldwide in 80 countries, including nearly half of the schools in National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).

Angelo is the President of the Board of The GreenMount School, a K-8 independent school in Remington, which takes a progressive, theme-based approach to its curriculum and has a very unique CO-OP program for parent involvement. He is an active member of the Baltimore Angels, which funds early-stage Baltimore-based companies.

Angelo graduated valedictorian from St. Paul’s School in Baltimore, MD and from Princeton University with a degree in creative writing and English Literature. He lives with his wife and two children in Monkton, MD where he owns and operates the Monkton Hotel, a national historic landmark.

Our parents believed finding the best education for us was the #1 priority. Sometime in the second grade I started coming home in tears for skipping ahead. My parents and I took a tour of St. Paul’s School and I had stepped into a new world of opportunities – my parents had not seen me that happy in a long time. Through a generous scholarship from the School that allowed them to make this change. I view CSFB as a path for many children to share this kind of opportunity that can make such a difference.”

Tracy A. Bacigalupo is a partner in the Corporate Department of Morrison & Foerster focused on advising clients in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, real estate investment trust and investment company law, and venture capital transactions, as well as technology transactions and intellectual property development and protection. She works across industries which include real estate, education, life sciences, consumer brands, fashion, technology, fintech, and financial services. She has been recognized as a leading lawyer by Legal 500 United States, Lawdragon and The Baltimore Sun.

Ms. Bacigalupo focuses her practice on negotiating and advising both public and private companies in connection with acquisitions, mergers, divestitures and other strategic collaborations. She has represented buyers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions, including several valued at more than $1 billion.

One of the reasons why the mission of CSFB is so very important to me is because of the pivotal role my own education has played in my life. In the process of selling our childhood home and their home of 49 years, my parents unearthed one of my ‘school records’ from Middle School. I received three points, one for running in the hall and two for talking in prayers, which I learned important life lessons from. Discovering her note reminded me of just how critical these years are and how important it is that we give parents who demonstrate their own commitment and investment with the ability and opportunity to choose the independent school that best meets their child’s needs.”

Kara Borcz serves as Chief of Staff for the University of Maryland Medical System, a university-based regional healthcare system focused on serving the healthcare needs of Maryland. As Chief of Staff, Kara provides strategic management support and serves as a liaison to senior leaders to advance the strategic operational objectives of the organization. She partners with the senior executive team in all matters including program management, initiative implementation and assisting in the management of the day-to-day operations of the executive office.

Prior to joining UMMS, Kara served for over five years in Governor Hogan’s Administration as a key advisor to the Governor, most recently as Director of Public Affairs. During her time in the Administration, Kara was responsible for communicating with internal and external stakeholders in order to advance the Governor’s priorities as well as advising on day-to-day operations of the Executive Office.

Kara graduated with a BA from George Mason University, and following graduation, spent time in England, where she earned her MA from the University of Exeter, UK before returning home to Maryland. Kara also serves on the Board for Baltimore’s historic St. Frances Academy, the oldest continuously operating, predominantly African-American Catholic High School, established in 1828 by the first Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first congregation of women of African heritage.

Gabriela is a research manager at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She holds a Masters degree in Educational Sciences from Johns Hopkins School of Education. She completed a Bachelors degree in Psychology at the Autonomous University of Morelos State in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

After completing her Bachelors in Mexico, Gabriela had the outstanding opportunity to come to the US to pursue higher education thanks to a scholarship that paid for her degree.

Gabriela is committed to making sure children have access to education, healthcare and programs that can provide opportunities to reach their highest potential.

Gabriela lives with her husband in Baltimore City, MD. They are currently working on hiking in all national parks in the US (41/63).

Carville B. Collins, Board

Carville Collins is a partner in the Baltimore and Annapolis offices of the law firm of DLA Piper. His practice is devoted to representing energy and other regulated businesses before the Public Service Commission of Maryland, and to representing a variety of businesses before the legislative and executive branches of state government in Maryland. He previously practiced law in Philadelphia, and during the 1980s worked for Baltimore Gas and Electric Company.

Carville was a Board Chair and Trustee of the Calvert School in Baltimore during 2005-2015. He currently serves on boards of two charitable foundations devoted to historic preservation and health care initiatives, and a business association, Maryland Business for Responsive Government. In 2015 he was appointed by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to serve on the Maryland Appellate Judicial Nominating Commission, and served as Chief Legal Counsel to Governor Hogan’s Transition in 2014-15.

Carville is a product of private schools in Baltimore City. He is a graduate of Duke University, where he played lacrosse, and of the University of Maryland School of Law. A resident of Baltimore, he and his wife, Mary Lou, have three children who attended Baltimore private schools. Their daughter is a teacher in a charter middle school in East Baltimore, following two years with Teach for America in a West Baltimore public school during 2014-2016.

Valerie Grays, Board

Valerie, a native of Baltimore City, is a graduate of Paul Laurence Dunbar Community High School. She then went on to graduate from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte with a BA in Biology and a second major in African American and African Studies.  While at UNC Charlotte, Valerie was very active as a student leader.  She was a member of the Student Government Association, a Residential Life Staff and an officer in her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Valerie has over 20 years of experience in higher education, specifically in the area of Student Affairs. She has worked at Johnson C. Smith University, Bowie State University, The University of Maryland Baltimore County and presently works at Baltimore City Community College.  At Baltimore City Community College, she serves as the Student Life Advisor in the Office of Student Life. This position is especially rewarding to Valerie because of the daily interaction she is able to have with students on so many different levels.  She says “If I can make a difference in the life of at least one student, then I have done my job.”

Valerie is very active in her church and community.  She is a former Home School Association (HSA) President and former board member of Cardinal Shehan School.  She has also served as the Class Parent at both the Waldorf School of Baltimore and Cardinal Shehan School. Presently, she actively participates with the Poly Parent Faculty Association (PPFA) at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute where her youngest son is a graduating senior.

Valerie is a creative person who loves doing crafts and special projects for her family and friends. She is also a big sports fan and you can often find her cheering on her home teams (the Orioles and Ravens). She resides in Baltimore City and is the proud mom of Michael, Justin, Jaaron, Varia and stepson Ron Jr.

Renée Guckert, Board

Renée grew up in Baltimore County, graduating from Hereford High School in 1990.  From there, she graduated with Honors with a Bachelor’s in Sociology from Washington College (’94) where she was a leader on both the Field Hockey and Women’s Lacrosse Teams, earning the Senior Athletic Award and Eldridge Eliason Award (presented to the male and female student who, with scholastic standing in the upper half of the class, had accomplished the most in the field of athletics). Renée continued her education earning a law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law and has been licensed to practice law in Maryland since 1999. 

Renée is an attorney and entrepreneur, maintaining a solo law practice since 2000, concentrating primarily in the area of family law including separation, divorce, child custody disputes.  She is highly regarded by her clients and colleagues as a compassionate yet uncompromising advocate and was selected to the 2015 and 2016 Maryland Super Lawyers List.  Renée expanded her service to the community in 2012 when she started her second business with Arbonne, International, a global, network marketing company, specializing in Pure, Safe & Beneficial health and wellness products where she coaches other entrepreneur-minded individuals to create businesses of their own. 

Renée was the President & Chairperson of the Mad Hatter’s Charity Foundation, Inc. from 2005-2007 and has engaged in additional charitable and fundraising efforts for such organizations as My Sister’s Circle, The Women’s Law Center, & Believe in Tomorrow.

When I was in elementary and middle school, I attended the schools that were in the school district where we lived. By the time I reached high school and my parents COULD afford to send me to a private school, but I was mortified! And because I was a good student, my parents went along with my wishes to continue public education. I believe every family should have the same right to choose and that’s exactly what CSFB does. I am grateful to serve an organization whose mission can make a huge difference in the life of a child.”

Stacy E. Landsman is a Senior Compliance Officer at Brown Advisory working with the Compliance and Internal Audit team. She has over 20 years of experience in the Financials industry. Before joining Brown Advisory, Stacy worked for Legg Mason and JMI Equity. She began her career as an investment banking analyst at Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown. Stacy graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business and has a M.S. in Finance from Loyola University. Stacy is also active with the Jewish Volunteer Connection.

A native of Baltimore, she lives in Baltimore County with her son and daughter.

Meg grew up in Baltimore County, graduating from The Bryn Mawr School for Girls (1995). She holds a BA in Environmental Science from Northwestern University (1999) and a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and a Master of Environmental Management (MEM) from Duke University (2003).  She most recently worked in Stewardship and Major Gifts at Roland Park Country School.  She has previously served as Secretary of the Irvine Nature Center Board in Baltimore County and is an active member of Church of the Resurrection in Lutherville. She currently resides in Owings Mills with her family.

Elizabeth Della Massing, Board

Elizabeth grew up in Baltimore, graduating from Roland Park Country School in 1993.  She then graduated Washington College (‘97) with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Sociology.   She continued her education acquiring her MS in applied/Industrial Organizational Psychology from The University of Baltimore (‘99) where she presented her thesis titled, “The Media’s Effect on Eating Disorders,” to the National Women’s Conference.  She also was a member of alpha epsilon lambda, and psi chi honor societies during this time.

Elizabeth is currently the Director of Human Resources for Agora Publishing.  She has been at Agora for 14 years where she consults over 700 employees on successful interviewing, conflict management, avoiding litigation, performance reviews, employee relations, recruitment and policies.  Elizabeth is a current Roland Park Country School board member where she is actively involved in being an ambassador for the school.  She is also a Board of Governor with the Mt. Vernon Club and a member on the Entertainment Committee.  Elizabeth is certified in teaching etiquette to adults and business professionals by the International School of Protocol.  She recently started working closely with James Bond of Living Classrooms on volunteer opportunities, but in the past, she has chaired a fundraiser for the The Roberto Clemente Health Clinic, located in rural southwestern Nicaragua.  She continues to support nonprofits such as Roberto Clemente, Kennedy Krieger, School for the Arts, Daily Bread and Living Classrooms.

I grew up in Baltimore City at a time when I was one of the only children in the neighborhood, with very few schools to choose from in my area. My parents and I made the choice to go to Roland Park Country School (RPCS). This was one of the best decisions of my life. The education and teachers have shaped and created a strong foundation for me to feel comfortable voicing who I am, what I stand for, and my ability to question what is right or unjust. Children’s Scholarship Fund of Baltimore (CSFB) provides opportunities for all children to have school options like RPCS. I stand behind and feel so proud to be a part of CSFB.”

Anne Mickle grew up in New York City and moved to Baltimore in 2004 to work at St. Timothy’s School in Baltimore County. Anne worked there for 11 years wearing many hats, including Director of College Counseling, Director of Admissions and teacher. This is Anne’s sixth year teaching middle school students at St. Paul’s School for Girls.

Prior to moving to Baltimore, Anne spent fifteen years working in higher education. She was a Residential College Dean at the University of Pennsylvania after spending the earlier part of her career at the University of Bridgeport and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Anne attended The Nightingale-Bamford School and graduated from Connecticut College in 1989 with a BA in history and government. She then completed her Masters degree at Teachers College, Columbia University and her Doctorate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Higher Education Administration. Anne lives in Baltimore City with her husband John, a teacher at Friends School of Baltimore and their teenage daughter.

Carl (Chaim) Schwartz is a Rabbi – and a son of a Rabbi – who has a passion for helping others. He’s spent the last 20+ years as a Rabbi – all while in business as a consultant to public, private, and nonprofit entities. He’s directed sales and fundraising organizations and have built synagogues and businesses from the ground up. He works with global families, entrepreneurs, business owners, and nonprofits. The humbling wisdom, experience, and leadership skills tested in these roles gives him unique perspective and sensitivity for his clients and their life goals.

Schwartz is a financial advisor and vice president at Alliance Berstein Wealth Management where the firm’s leadership, the depth of the client engagement, the skill of the resources and vastness of the research, result in a commitment to excellence and the highest degree of honesty and integrity.

In his spare time, Carl enjoys light carpentry work. He also volunteers on a few boards of local nonprofits that support education and community needs. All of these intersect, making him passionate about his work, and every day exciting.

Growing up, Schwartz lived simply, always on a budget, and had an abundance of love to share with the community. The investment his family made in people was always a calling for him. He lives in Baltimore with his wife and Dvora and their six children, who keep them on their toes.

Matthew W. Wyskiel, Board Treasurer

Matt grew-up in Baltimore graduating from Calvert School (’81) and Gilman School (’87). He then graduated from Williams College (’91) with a BA in Mathematics & Economics. After Williams, he went directly to New York City where he worked in accounting and then on a Wall Street trading floor while getting his MBA in Finance & Accounting at New York University’s Stern School of Business. In 1996, Matt decided to move back to Baltimore, and he took a job as a member of the Institutional Fixed Income team in the Trust Department (later renamed the Investment & Wealth Management Division) of Mercantile Bank, which became PNC Bank about a decade later.

Matt worked for 11 years at Mercantile/PNC where he managed taxable fixed income portfolios for mostly-local institutional clients and specialized in mortgage-back-securities, asset-backed securities, and treasury inflation protected securities. Matt left PNC in 2007 in order to start-up his own investment management firm, Skill Capital Management, and also to have more time to dedicate to local non-profit organizations and other interests. Matt and Skill Capital Management have been doing well for clients since that time, and Matt is enjoying working on meaningful projects at work and outside of work. Matt is also happily married to his wife Christy, and they are the proud parents of a daughter and a son.