Midori & Friends Announces Updates to the Board of Directors
April 11, 2023
Midori & Friends is pleased to announce the appointment of Howard Sendrovitz, Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo, as chair of the board of directors effective June 14, 2023. The announcement was made by Ron Claiborne, current board chair, and Larisa Gelman, Executive Director, at the Midori & Friends 30th Anniversary Gala on February 15, 2023. Midori & Friends also welcomes three new members to the board including Elana Slobodien, Mandy DeFilippo, Fernanda Ubatuba, and Christopher Riggs.
“This is a significant moment in the 30-year history of Midori & Friends. It reinforces Midori’s vision, dedication and passion which led to the creation and endurance of this great organization. I am excited about the M&F’s under Howard’s leadership and the continued commitment of our outstanding board. Howard brings a wealth of nonprofit and for-profit experience, a record of success and a strategic vision, all of which will be critical to our ability to scale and meet the ever-growing demand for high-quality music education and ensure that even more children will have access to the transformative power of music through Midori & Friends.” states Ron Claiborne, Board of Directors.
Sendrovitz has been a steadfast advocate for the arts and member of the Midori & Friends board since 2018. He currently serves as the Senior Vice President, Head of Regulatory Engagement: Wholesale at Wells Fargo. Sendrovitz has extensive expertise in providing strategic leadership in regulatory relationship management, compliance practices, and governance processes. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from SUNY Binghamton and received his law degree from the University of Michigan. Sendrovitz succeeds Ron Claiborne, former ABC News national correspondent, who served as chair of the board for 4 years.
“I am deeply honored to have been appointed as the Chair of the Midori & Friends Board of Directors,” said Sendrovitz. “This tremendous organization has developed a program which is uniquely qualified to provide the youth in our under-resourced communities the opportunity to make music and build their futures. We have had the privilege of doing so for tens of thousands over our 30-year history and I look forward to leveraging our strategic network of foundations, community partners, donors – along with our team – in a united effort to provide access to music education for all children in NYC. I also look forward to working closely with Midori, our inspirational Founder; Larisa Gelman, our dedicated and passionate Executive Director, as well as our experienced and committed Board of Directors.”
Recently Appointed Board Members
Elana Slobodien
Elana Slobodien is the Head of Latin America Multinational Corporates for J.P. Morgan based in New York City. She is responsible for managing the team of Corporate Bankers based across Latin America. Previously Slobodien covered large-cap multinational clients in Consumer, Retail, and Agribusiness sectors for the Global Corporate Bank in North America. Slobodien received her BA in Economics and Latin American Studies from Barnard College, Columbia University.
Mandy DeFilippo
Mandy DeFilippo currently serves as COO of Risk & Operations at Citadel Securities. She has extensive risk management (sales & trading) & investment banking experience managing large teams on both private and public side. Before moving into investment banking, DeFilippo worked as a practicing lawyer in London office of Magic Circle firm (US securities/M&A). She was born and educated in the United States, with 15+ years of experience living and working in Europe & Asia. DeFilippo also has a background in music and the arts, studied at Juilliard from age nine, experience in radio, on air and off (classical music DJ/programming/production).
Fernanda Ubatuba
Fernanda Ubatuba is an Account Executive for Nonprofits at Salesforce Inc. She is a determined and thoughtful globally-minded leader with a successful track record of designing, launching, managing, and scaling up social-entrepreneur driven initiatives. Ubatuba’s previous experience includes serving as President & COO of OCEARCH, Line Production for Fischer Productions, as well as numerous roles in journalism.
Christopher Riggs
Christopher Riggs is a Research Analyst of Equity Capital Markets at Flow State Investments, LP. He previously served as an Equity Capital Market Analyst at Citadel Securities. Riggs also has experience at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Deloitte. He earned his BA in Finance from the University of Maryland and MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.
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