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Forte Prep Board of Trustees

Forte Preparatory Academy Charter School (“Forte Prep”) is governed by a Board of Trustees. The Board assumes the ultimate authority and accountability for all matters of school governance and administration. The Board ensures that all provisions of the charter are fulfilled in a manner consistent with the spirit and letter of New York State Charter Law. The Board oversees financial management of the school, review of audit methods and findings and compliance with sound fiscal management. The Board has the responsibility for hiring and evaluating the performance of the Executive Director and delegate all day-to-day management functions and responsibilities to the Executive Director.

Lisa Friscia, Board Chair

Chief People Officer, Democracy Prep Public Schools

Lisa joined the Forte Prep Board in 2015, and became board chair in 2017. She was drawn to Forte’s commitment to educating the whole child with a focus on rigorous instruction and a strong, warm and scholar-centered culture.

She is currently the Chief People Officer at Democracy Prep Public Schools. She is responsible for ensuring that DPPS is able to attract, develop and retain high quality talent across the network. Through her career, she has been a teacher and a founding principal of Democracy Prep’s first high school, where Regents pass rates consistently outranked the districts and city and 100% of seniors were accepted into college.

She is a proud Amherst graduate, where she earned her B.A. in American Studies and Economics. She also holds an M. Ed in Social Studies Education from Queens University and an M. Ed. in Educational Leadership from Teachers College. She currently also volunteers her time with Gilda’s Club, the Women’s Prison Association and Felt NYC

Fiona Lin, Vice Chair

Vice President, Org Effectiveness, Achievement Network

Fiona joined Forte Prep’s Board in 2018 & currently serves as vice-chair. Fiona resides in & is raising her family in Jackson Heights, is proud to live in the community served by Forte Prep Academy & looks forward to FPA’s expansion in Queens.

After nearly 20 years working in the education nonprofit sector, Fiona has recently entered politics and works at ActBlue, the premier online fundraising platform for Democratic campaigns, progressive organizations & nonprofits working to create a better future.

Yale BA, UMichigan MA; Fiona also serves on the Advisory Board for NextGen Politics/YVote, a cross-partisan youth civic engagement & voting movement.

Daniel Moskowitz, Treasurer

Area Director of Finance, Hyatt Hotels

Daniel has been a member of Forte Prep’s board since 2015 and has served as Treasurer of the Board since the board’s inauguration. He was drawn to Forte Prep’s promise to provide a high-quality education to North-East Queens and was immensely proud to witness Forte’s inaugural graduation in June 2021.

Daniel currently works overseeing the finance and accounting operations of the Hard Rock Hotel New York. He has over ten years of finance and accounting management in various organizations and enjoys working with leaders to achieve their goals while maintaining a strong internal control environment.

Daniel holds a BSM and MACCT from Tulane University and previously taught at New York University. He spends most of his free time answering questions from his three-year-old.

Alexie Rothman, Secretary

Assistant United States Attorney, Southern District of New York

Alexie Rothman joined the Forte Prep Board in 2015 and currently serves as its Secretary. She was drawn to the school’s mission of providing a rigorous, well-rounded education to middle school students in Queens, and has enjoyed watching Forte grow and its students excel each year.

Alexie currently works as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Prior to this role, she worked in the litigation group at a large New York law firm where she maintained an active pro bono docket. Alexie is also a 2007 Teach For America corps member, where she taught 7th grade English at a middle school in the South Bronx.

Alexie holds a BA from Princeton University, a Masters of Science in Teaching from Pace University, and a JD from Fordham Law School.

Laura Rodriguez, Trustee

Associate Attorney, Pechman Law Group

Laura is one of the newer board members of the Board of Trustees at Forte Prep. She is an associate attorney at Pechman Law Group, where she represents employee and management clients in all areas of workplace law. She engages in all stages of litigation.

She lives in Jackson Heights with her family.

Ellen Winn, Trustee

independent education policy consultant

Ellen joined the Forte Prep Board in 2020. She could not be more excited to support this terrific school and the students and families it serves with rigor, excellence, and creativity. Ellen currently serves as an independent education policy consultant. The bulk of Ellen’s career has been spent working to improve public education via government, nonprofit, policy, advocacy, and philanthropic initiatives. Most recently, Ellen built and led the School Systems Leaders Fellowship, a national leadership development program for aspiring school systems leaders. Ellen holds a BA from Haverford College in urban studies and an MPP from the University of California, Berkeley. Ellen also serves on the Board of Camp Eagle Island, a summer camp in New York’s Adirondack region.

Wai Lin Yip, Trustee

Corporate Director of E-Commerce, Arlo Hotels

Wai Lin joined the Forte Prep Board in July 2018 and is currently on the Fundraising Committee. As an immigrant who moved from Hong Kong to the US at the age of eight, she joined the Forte Prep Board because she saw the opportunity to help children on their journey to become first-generation college-bound students.

Wai Lin currently works as the Director of Digital and Brand Marketing at The Peninsula New York. For the past 17 years, she has worked in digital marketing and e-commerce roles for startups, technology, and hospitality companies on both the East and West Coasts as well as international corporations. Having participated in ESL, gifted programs, and magnet schools at the LAUSD, Wai Lin is passionate about literacy and working with underserved communities. Prior to starting a family, she spent many years volunteering at Reading to Kids in LA, Wheelchairs for Humanity, and mentoring at the Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Wai Lin holds a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, and has a son starting kindergarten this fall.