Alan Mandel is a consultant to the asset management industry following a career in senior finance, administrative and portfolio operations positions for international financial service companies. With a life-long love of music, Alan has served as a director of music-related nonprofits.

In the financial services industry, Alan served as Chief Financial Officer, Head of Fund Administration and as the Treasurer of several investment advisors including Schroders Investment Management and Salomon Brothers Asset Management.  Alan supported operations in diverse markets including the United Kingdom, Canada, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Hong Kong and was a frequent speaker at industry seminars.

Alan organized Young Musicians of Westchester, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization, to provide musicians launching their professional careers with opportunities to perform before Westchester audiences in free concerts. While his children were active with music activities – with one becoming a professional cellist – Alan volunteered at local music schools. With a Yonkers-based organization, Alan works with high school students and families in need of assistance with college financial aid forms.

Alan has an MBA from New York University, a BA from George Washington University and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).  He lives in Scarsdale, NY with his wife Eloisa Santos Mandel, a retired nurse and educator who volunteers with special needs children.

Frank brings over 10 years of experience as a director and finance committee member at one of the NY metro’s largest not-for-profit family services organizations, and over 40 years of experience in the U.S. registered investment companies, asset management, and asset servicing industries. For the past two years, he has been serving as an independent director and audit committee chair of two NYSE-listed exchanged traded closed-end funds.

He has worked at Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc as a Vice President of Mutual Fund & Retirement Solutions Product Management, at AST Fund Solutions and served for nearly 17 years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Bear Stearns Funds Management Inc.

Frank is a graduate of Hofstra University with a B.B.A. degree in Public Accounting and is a CPA (inactive).  He previously served both as a member of the Closed-end Fund Committee and Accounting and Treasurer Committees of the Investment Company Institute.

Bob’s 45-year career included executive management of international education organizations and management development and strategy consulting for not-for-profits, including international NGOs.  As such, he has travelled and worked extensively abroad while living mainly in either Westchester, NY or Washington, DC.  Over the years he has served in leadership positions on the boards of the International YMCA, AFS International Programs, and the Association of Studies in International Education.  He has also had leadership positions on boards of local community organizations in Minneapolis, where he initially lived after retirement. 

He now resides in Greenburgh, NY and is a “grandparent-in-residence,” sharing a home with his son’s family. During high school and college, Bob was deeply involved in music, both as a performer and as a manager of a youth music camp.  That love of music has stayed with him throughout the many years, now as a member of the audience.  He believes early exposure to music and music education are an essential building block in a broad liberal education, still important as a contributing member of society in the 21st Century.

This season pianist Steven Beck appears with the orchestras of Princeton and Chattanooga, can be heard in chamber music in Chicago and Oklahoma City, and repeats his annual Christmas Eve performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations at Bargemusic, which has become a New York institution.

As a soloist Mr. Beck has performed with the New York Philharmonic and the National Symphony and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Library of Congress; summer concerts have been at the Aspen Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, and Lincoln Center Out of Doors. As an orchestral musician, he has played with the New York Philharmonic, the New York City Ballet Orchestra, and Orpheus.

An experienced performer of new music, Steven Beck has premiered works by Charles Wuorinen and Fred Lerdahl. He can be heard on over 40 CDs, including the first complete recording of George Walker’s piano sonatas, for Bridge Records. Mr. Beck is a member of the Knights, the Talea Ensemble, Quattro Mani, and the Da Capo Chamber Players. He is on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. A Steinway Artist, he is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he now teaches orchestral piano.

Susan Santos-Mandel serves as the Assistant Director of High School Life at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. UNCSA is North Carolina’s unique professional school for the performing arts and the first public arts conservatory in the US. Susan’s career as an educator and arts administrator has seen her affiliated with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Broadway Sinfonietta, Concert Artists Guild and Ambra Artists, a live music contracting service that prioritizes the employment of women-identifying musicians. In addition, Susan is an adjunct faculty member of Elon University’s Arts Administration program and has been a Teaching Artist at NYU, Berklee NYC, University of North Texas and the Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

Susan is also an in-demand cellist who has performed with Jon Batiste, SZA, Alicia Keys, Cynthia Erivo, Eminem, among others. She has credits for film scores including “Judas and the Black Messiah”, “Here Today”, “Nian” and “The Farewell”. An avid chamber musician, Susan has appeared in many venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, 92Y and regularly with Broadway Sinfonietta, Brooklyn Orchestra, LoftOpera and the Chelsea Symphony.  She has performed also for several Broadway shows, and has been seen on Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Seth Myers, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NBC’s Today and Tonight shows.

Susan holds an M.A, in Arts Administration and a B.A. in Classical Performing Arts, both from NYU.

Fengyun is an associate professor of accounting at Westfield State University. She previously worked at Manhattan College, where she served as Chair of the Department of Accounting, Business Analytics, CIS and Law, as well as Chair of the School of Business Curriculum Committee.

Fengyun enjoys volunteering with local non-profit organizations including the Scarsdale Chinese Association, Hoff Barthelson Music School, the Greater New York Huaxia Chinese School, and Music for Youth, where she contributes her time and skills to support their missions.

Fengyun Wu currently lives in Scarsdale, New York, with her husband Garrett Li and her two daughters. Growing up in a small town in China, Fengyun had the opportunity to play both the violin and cello in elementary school, where a forward-thinking principal had started a school orchestra—a rarity even in major cities in China at the time. Although limited resources prevented her from pursuing music further, the experience planted a lifelong love of classical music and a deep belief in its transformative power. Both of her daughters are serious music students, engaging in a wide range of music activities.

Fengyun earned her undergraduate degree in English Literature from Peking University in China. She holds a doctoral degree in business from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Walter J. LeStrange is a seasoned healthcare consultant with a distinguished career in enhancing the operational and financial performance of multi-site medical practices and hospital networks. His expertise in driving strategic growth and operational efficiencies makes him an invaluable asset in the consulting realm, especially in transitioning and scaling healthcare services.

With extensive executive experience at Health Plus Management, Nuvance Health, Zenyth Partners, and ProHEALTH LLC (part of Optum), Walter has led significant transformations across large healthcare systems. His strategic initiatives have catalyzed the expansion and integration of service lines, contributing notably to revenue growth and operational scalability. His role in integrating major orthopedic practices and an Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) resulted in substantial EBITDA increases.

Walter excels in deploying innovative solutions, particularly highlighted by his leadership in telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, which achieved 3,000+ daily visits, and his strategic management post-COVID, which realized a reduction of over $30 million in operational deficits.

Holding a Master of Science in Health Service Administration from New York University and a Master of Public Health from Hunter College, Walter combines robust academic credentials with practical experience. His early career foundation as a Registered Nurse provides him with a unique insight into the clinical aspects of healthcare management, enhancing his consulting acumen.

As a consultant, Walter is poised to guide healthcare and pharma organizations through complex transitions, leveraging his strategic planning, financial management, and operational efficiency skills to achieve sustainable growth and improved patient outcomes. His consulting services are tailored to help organizations navigate the intricacies of regulatory compliance, enhance service quality, and optimize patient satisfaction. Outside of professional commitments, Walter is passionate about community service and wellness, engaging in coaching and promoting balanced lifestyle practices.