Kirsys Gómez is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Amber Charter Schools, one of the oldest charter schools in New York City, with three locations in East Harlem, Kingsbridge, and Inwood. Kirsys oversees the network finance, operations, data/IT, and admissions. In her nineteen years at Amber Charter Schools, she has served as the organization’s Chief Finance and Administration Officer, Controller, Business Manager, Human Resources/Finance Assistant, and Bookkeeper. She received a Bachelor of Arts in accounting, a concentration in Business Practice, a minor in computer applications from Lehman College, and an Advanced Graduate Certificate in the Government Financial Management program at Rutgers University. Kirsys completed the Columbia Business School Executive Education Developing & Senior Leaders program.

Mike is the Chief Operating Officer and a founding team member with the Equitable Facilities Fund (EFF), a national nonprofit social impact fund with a mission to transform capital access for high-impact charter schools and the communities they serve. Since launching in 2017, EFF has committed over $1.3B of the most affordable facility financing to charters across 21 states. Mike oversees EFF's capital raising efforts, team and financial operations, and strategic initiatives. He previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Great Oaks Foundation, where he managed the CMO's operations and school finances and led efforts to secure facilities, philanthropy, and governmental grants that supported the network's expansion to serve over 3,000 students in New York City, Newark, Connecticut, and Delaware. Prior to Great Oaks, Mike served as a humanities teacher and leadership team member at Match Public Charter School in Boston. Mike earned an MBA with a concentration in finance and real estate from Columbia University and a BA in American History from the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves as Board Treasurer for Kindle Education Public Charter School in Jersey City and co-founded the Education Finance Analyst (EFA) Program, a fellowship designed to inclusively recruit and train early-career professionals to succeed in roles with mission-oriented school investors and support organizations.

Raj Thakkar is Founder & CEO of CSBM and highly regarded as an expert on charter school finance. He was named Small Business Person of the Year for New York State by the U.S. Small Business Administration, a Top Entrepreneur by Crain's and an Outstanding Asian American in Business by the Asian American Business Development Center. Raj served as an Adjunct Professor at NYU's Wagner School of Public Service and is Board Treasurer of Camelback Ventures as well as Solar Responders. He attained his MBA in Finance from NYU's Stern School of Business and his BS in Engineering from Hofstra University.