Meet the Board

Christina Hu Board Chair Board Member Christina Hu is an Associate Director of Valuations at SS&C Technologies, a hedge fund administrator. Previous to that, she was a Securitized Product Research Associate and a Rating Analyst at Deutsche Bank and Moody's Investors Services, respectively. Outside of her professional career, Ms. Hu is passionate about community service and leadership work. She is a Community Producer at the Brooklyn Freespeech Television with BRIC and a Director of Civic Engagement with the Taiwanese American Citizens League (TACL), the national board for ten chapters of Taiwanese American Professionals (TAP). Also, she is a Returned U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV); she taught English and American Studies in Ukraine from 2003 to 2005. Ms. Hu holds a Bachelors of Arts degree from University of Virginia and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School. As an immigrant, Ms. Hu is honored to be part of Brooklyn RISE in serving the community in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

Katie Zaunbrecher Board Vice Chair Board Member Katie Zaunbrecher is an attorney and Vice President in the Legal Department of Warner Bros. Discovery, where she provides Ethics & Compliance legal support across the company's global film, television, and news production business. She holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center. As a mom of two young sons and a resident of Brooklyn, Ms. Zaunbrecher is proud to be a part of the Brooklyn RISE mission to increase access to high quality education and academic success in our community and beyond.

Ben Herbst Board Treasurer Founding Board Member Ben Herbst is a Vice President in the Public Sector and Infrastructure Banking group at Goldman Sachs. In this capacity he works with governmental and 501(c)(3) clients, including charter schools, on municipal bond offerings. Prior to entering public finance, Mr. Herbst taught 2nd and 4rd grade at Explore Charter School in Brooklyn, originally as a Teach for America Corps Member. Mr. Herbst holds a Bachelors of Arts degree from Colby College.

Bianca Cabrera Board Member Bianca Cabrera is a born and raised Brooklynite of Dominican descent with most of her upbringing spent with her family in Sunset Park. After graduating from Princeton, Bianca taught kindergarten through ninth grade primarily in a Special Education capacity. She is a proud Teach for America alum who taught in Lawrence, MA, the Southside of Chicago, Bronx, NY, and Brooklyn, NY working mostly in founding schools. In 2017, she won the TFA Social Innovation Award and piloted a special education technology software at several charter and district public schools focused on making IEPs more data-driven and easy to use for teachers and administrators alike. From there she completed the Building Excellent Schools Fellowship, and then worked at Teach for America – New York for 4 years where she supported TFA corps members, principals at partner schools, and community based organizations in pursuit of educational equity. She currently is the Director of Service Learning and Community Engagement at the Pingry School. She is excited to continue working to support strong education outcomes for families in the Sunset Park community that has been such an important part of her life as a board member of Brooklyn RISE Charter School.

Ethan Waite Board Member Board Member Ethan Waite serves as a Director within Walker & Dunlop’s multifamily finance group. Mr. Waite is focused on the affordable multifamily space and is responsible for providing debt and equity solutions nationwide. Since 2018, he has helped to originate, structure, underwrite, and close over half a billion dollars in affordable housing transactions through the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Prior to joining Walker & Dunlop, Mr. Waite served as a Vice President at CBRE, where he was responsible for the origination of affordable multifamily housing loans through the agencies. Prior to CBRE, Mr. Waite worked for Freddie Mac, where he held various production and underwriting roles. Mr. Waite attended the University of Connecticut where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics with a minor in business.

Grace Han Board Secretary Grace has a decade of experience working in social impact across the public and private sectors. Grace is currently Director of Social Impact at Faherty Brand where she leads the company's social import efforts related to Native and Indigenous communities, racial justice, and environmental conservation. Grace was an early employee of The Wing where she built and led the company’s social impact team, scholarship program, and civic engagement initiatives. As a Teach for America alumna, Grace founded two public charter elementary schools, UP Academy Dorchester in Boston and Brooklyn RISE in New York. She currently serves on the board of directors of Brooklyn RISE Charter School. Grace graduated cum laude from Bucknell University with a Bachelor's of International Relations and Chinese.

Jill Ni Board Member Board Member Jill Ni is a Principal at Rethink Impact, where she invests in women-led technology companies that improve people's lives across education, health, financial inclusion, and sustainability. She was previously a Vice President in Goldman Sachs' Urban Investment Group, investing in community and economic development projects, including new charter schools. Jill is a former Education Pioneers Fellow and Management Consultant at Accenture, working with nonprofit organizations, government, and private companies on growth and strategic planning. Jill received her BS from Georgetown University, MBA from The Wharton School, and MPA from Harvard Kennedy School. As a lifelong advocate of accessible, high quality education for all students and a proud Brooklyn resident, Jill is honored to serve as a member of the Brooklyn RISE Board.

Josh Houston Board Member