Leadership & Board

Christian French helps to guide the vision and strategic direction of the organization and ensure that the board of directors and its members fulfill their governance responsibilities.

Mr. French joined the Hudson Link family in 2004 after attending their annual Spring Benefit Dinner at the Supper Club and meeting several Hudson Link alumni who, through the help of Hudson Link, transformed their lives.

Mr. French has stated that his hope is that “the incredible success we have developed in Sing Sing, Fishkill and Sullivan Correctional Facilities can be spread to all qualified candidates in the prisons throughout the state and country. It takes hard work, self-examination and dedication to graduate with a degree from our program and if there are people who are willing to rehabilitate themselves through education, our society needs to find a way to support it.

Some would say that Hudson Link’s greatest accomplishment is its 0% recidivism rate, but I think that really undervalues the impact Hudson Link has on individuals and their surrounding community. As a result of our program, our graduates self esteem changes – they develop a belief in their ability to lead by example and they develop a greater understanding of their role in society, the impact of their actions and their responsibility to leave this world a better place.”

Mr. French earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and is Chief Operating Officer of WRNN-TV Associates, owner of the Regional News Network (RNN), a local, independent television station in New York. He has spent the last ten years establishing RNN as a media competitor in the New York market, growing its distribution from 300,000 cable homes to now over 5 million homes including all five boroughs of New York City. In September of 2005, he completed construction of RNN’s 5th facility, a brand new all-digital production center and studios in Rye Brook, NY.

Mr. French is a board member of the Spectrum Clearing alliance and the Broadcasters Digital Cooperative; is a Rockefeller Fellow for the Partnership of New York City and volunteers with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He and his lovely wife Sharon live in Westchester with their three children: Connor, Madison and Maximus.

Being raised in an impoverished neighborhood in the Bronx, my mother worked day and night to provide me with a quality education and the means for me to achieve more out of life. Seeing friends and others in the community committing crimes, going to jail and/or dying, I quickly disavowed myself of the notion that I was better or somehow different than them, other than the fact that I was given such an opportunity to learn, to dream, to hope and to actually believe that I could achieve a better life for myself. That is the transformative power of education. Hudson Link provides the opportunity for graduates to embrace the world of opportunities that can only be realized through education.

Mr. Dobson serves as Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary at The Interpublic Group of Companies, a global advertising and marketing services company. His responsibilities include providing legal counsel to the corporation on matters of corporate governance, securities regulation, public company disclosure, corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Dobson resides in Manhattan and his interests include golf, tennis, bicycling, hiking and photography. He is a contributor to various causes as well as a participant in a number of annual fundraising endeavors, including the Covenant House Sleep Out, Avon 39 Walk to End Breast Cancer and Cycle for Survival.

Ellen R. Dulberger was introduced to HL through Catch-a-fire, an organization that matches not-for-profits with professionals whose expertise is needed for a specific project. She helped Hudson Link develop and refine our vision and mission statement. Ellen also assisted Hudson Link with getting support from strategy consultants, and a grant from IBM. She shares the vision and believes that Hudson Link provides a very valuable service to individuals and society. She joined the Board in early 2014.

Ms. Dulberger is Managing Partner of Ellen Dulberger Enterprises, LLC, a consulting practice focused on economics, strategy and risk management, particularly applied to challenges in which information technology is a factor.

Prior to starting her consulting company, Ellen had responsibility for designing and implementing IBM’s Enterprise Risk Management program.

Ms. Dulberger’s earlier experience includes strategy development roles which identified non-traditional opportunities and approaches to pursuing them. One example evolved into Cloud Computing.

The first half of Ms. Dulberger’s career was dedicated to economic analysis including innovative work on price measurement that improved demand forecasts for the company’s products, and was adopted by the U.S. Department of Commerce to improve measures of investment in the U.S.

Ms. Dulberger earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Queens College, CUNY (1974) and then a Ph.D in Economics (1986) from The Graduate Center, CUNY with fields of specialty in human resource economics and international trade.

Brian Fischer is a recently retired Commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision after 44 years of dedicated service. Commissioner Fischer leads the nation’s fourth-largest state correctional system with 57,069 offenders incarcerated in 67 facilities and is responsible for the community supervision of 37,917 parolees.

He has served on the Board of Directors at Hudson Link since 2007. His knowledge, experience and dedication to enhancing efficacy and improving offender programs within New York’s prison system have been integral to Hudson Link’s success, and consequently, to the success of our graduates.

In addition to college programs, Mr. Fischer has championed services for inmates with serious mental health needs, and implemented several non-traditional programs, including some of which have become models for other prisons: transitional re-entry programs, theater, in addition to domestic violence and parenting skills for men. He knows the value of these programs in fostering the very best individual human potential while benefitting, ultimately, the whole of society.

“It is a win-win situation,” he says. “And Hudson Link enables that potential, the key being its willingness to look at what can be, rather than what was, for those who seek our help.”

Mr. Fischer also sits on the board of Puppies Behind Bars, a program that allows inmates to raise puppies that are then trained to be Seeing Eye dogs and, most recently, as special service dogs for disabled veterans.

He has been an adjunct professor at both Pace University and John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Commissioner Fischer has received recognition by a number of organizations, most recently:
The New York State Bar Association Award for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Corrections, 2011
The Public Service Award from the Community College Fellowship, City University of New York, 2009.
Warden of the Year Award from the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents for his work at Sing Sing in 2006.

Mr. Fischer was born in Brooklyn and has lived most of his life in Rockland County. He is married and has two grown sons. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, a Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling, and a Master’s Degree in Professional Studies.

Gary Gordon’s career was on Wall Street, where he was primarily a stock analyst covering the housing, mortgage and consumer finance industries. He also served as a U.S. investment strategist and as a portfolio manager. The bulk of his work career was at PaineWebber and UBS (1988 to 2005). He is now retired.

Mr. Gordon does volunteer teaching at a junior high school and at Taconic Women’s Correctional Facility. He also presents financial literacy seminars to college and high school students. He is on the Board of Hudson Link (college education for incarcerated men and women) and on operating committees at UJA and the Neuberger Museum.

Mr. Gordon is married with two young adult children. He has degrees from Colgate University (BA ’74, philosophy) and The Wharton School (MBA ’77, finance).

Joe Jean isn’t only an insurance litigator and advisor who represents policyholders in claims against their insurance companies. He is a creative business adviser who builds long-term relationships that help him develop ideas to not only help clients win arguments, but avoid them in the first place.

Mr. Jean provides real-world advice, including the pros and cons of actions he recommends. He focuses on property and business interruption insurance for commercial property owners in the education, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, mining, retail and multifamily housing industries and has represented clients on some of the nation’s largest and most important catastrophic property losses, including the attacks on the World Trade Center and natural disasters such as Superstorm Sandy, hurricanes, tornados, floods and earthquakes. Over the past 15 years, Mr. Jean has helped policyholders recover more than $5 billion in damages.

Mr. Jean also advises clients on insurance coverage for matters involving general and product liability, directors’ and officers’ liability, employment liability, toxic tort liability and governmental investigations. He has practiced in federal and state courts and has represented clients in domestic and international insurance and reinsurance arbitrations and mediations.

An avid cyclist outside the office, Mr. Jean’s pro bono work includes acting as national counsel for a nonprofit professional association and representing indigent clients before state and federal courts, including the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Jean is also actively involved in representing Superstorm Sandy victims against their insurance companies.

Annette Johnson has been a supporter of Hudson Link for many years and joined the Board of Directors in 2010. She is a strong voice for a prison system that is truly rehabilitative, and sees Hudson Link and prison education work as a vehicle to that end. Her motivation comes from the evidence of transformation seen at every Hudson Link graduation ceremony, and with each individual released: “seeing the families of the men who graduate, and the pride of their children inspires me.”

Ms. Johnson has been active in prison education programs since 1999, primarily as the founder and director of Prisoners Reading Encouragement Project, which, in cooperation with New York State Department of Correctional Services, provides books and educational materials at no cost to New York State correctional facilities. She also serves many other organizations implementing innovative and needed educational programs in New York State prisons. She is an active sponsor and supporter of Literacy for Incarcerated Teens, and the Learning Center for Women in Prison at Bayview Correctional Facility.

Her dedication and commitment also extends as a member of the board of Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE-NY) for many years; a grassroots advocacy organization focusing on criminal justice reform and rehabilitative measures for criminal offenders such as education, training and treatment. As if her resume could not grow any stronger, she also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Prison Policy Initiative; which documents the impact of mass incarceration on individuals, communities, and the national welfare in order to empower the public to improve criminal justice policy.

Ms. Johnson currently serves as Senior Vice President, Vice Dean and General Counsel at NYU Langone Medical Center and oversees all legal matters concerning the medical center including providing leadership to the Office of Audit and Compliance, the Institutional Review Board and the Office of Government Affairs, all of which report to her.

Ms. Johnson received her B.A.from Incarnate Word College, her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, and her J.D. from the University of Toledo, College of Law. Following law school and prior to joining the New York University Office of General Counsel, Ms. Johnson was Assistant Dean and Associate Professor of Law at the University of Toledo, College of Law, and briefly served as an Assistant Attorney General in the New York State Attorney General’s office.

Bruce Macleod became involved with Hudson Link in 1999 and served two terms as Board President.

“I think that Hudson Link’s greatest strength is its long-term, continued relationship with our students and graduates to ensure their success both inside and outside the prison walls.”

Bruce Macleod earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College and his Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Mr. Macleod has spent the majority of his career developing large-scale commercial real estate projects and is the Retail Principal of Arcturus Real Estate which provides strategic and advisory assessments for institutional investors on troubled retail loans and investments, centered mainly on regional malls.

Mr. Macleod serves as President of the Board for Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, as a trustee for the Posse Foundation, one of the most comprehensive and renowned college access and youth leadership development programs in the United States and past President of the Board of Directors of Hudson Link.

“Hudson Link has proven that access to higher education in prison transforms lives, strengthens families and improves communities. I hope that Hudson Link will continue to expand its educational footprint throughout the national correctional system.”

Danny Matos tries to embody Mr. Robinson’s words in his daily actions. After 22 years of incarceration (released on November 25, 2011) he was subsequently elected onto the board of directors of Hudson Link in October of 2012. He received his Bachelors of Science in 2004 with Hudson Link/Mercy College and his Masters in Professional Studies from New York Theological Seminary in 2006. During his student years he also served as the Academic Coordinator’s Assistant from 2002-2007. It was in this capacity that “I found true integrity and freedom – to be able to assist the men enroll into college and see their loved ones at graduation filled with pride, as my loved ones feel for me is priceless.”

It is his mission as a member of the Post Release Committee to continue to work closely with the faculty, board of directors, and alumni. He hopes to lead with integrity and will strive to provide meaningful and impactful relationships as more of our alumni, both men and women, are released. As our alumni services becomes more cultivated, he envisions networking forums with topics that will include finance, health, family, and transitional counseling.

Currently Mr. Matos works as a Personal Coach – Household Manager and has been a guest speaker on prison education and the Hudson Link program at Mercy College, Columbia University, the IRP program at the New School, NYU school of Social Work, Henry Street Settlement, United Postal Service’s Community Involvement Program and many more. He is also an advocate for Exodus Transitional Community, Inc., a non-profit that provides re-entry services for recently released men and women, and Broadway Housing Communities, a non-profit that provides services for the homeless.

Mr. Matos finds peace while on the baseball diamond. He plays in two different leagues and can be found at Yankee stadium whenever the opportunity presents itself – sharing his love of sports and life lessons with his nieces, nephews, and the youth he comes in contact with.

John Minks has been a board member of Hudson Link since 2010, and has served on the Development, Communications, and Governance Committees. He is also active on his church board, where he has been a Warden and Vestry member the last six years. He has led the Outreach Committee for a number of years at his church and is passionate about mentoring and helping people achieve their potential.

Professionally, Mr. Minks is an International Director with Jones Lang LaSalle, an international real estate services and investment company, where he has held a variety of management and leadership roles during his 24 years with the Firm. Mr. Minks and his family moved to New York in 2004 following four years in London, where created and led a regional corporate business across 18 countries. Prior to London John lived in Southern California with his family and enjoyed the Southern California lifestyle. Mr. Minks’ previous work experience includes five years with Smith Barney Corporate Finance and five years with Deloitte as a management consultant. John received an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, and his BA from Stanford University

Mr. Minks and his wife Michelle live in Rye Brook New York, and have three grown children. In his free time he enjoys golf and travel and spending time with his family.

Rosemarie Murray is one of the original Board Members of Hudson Link, which was founded during her tenure as Dean of Students at Mercy College.

“Hudson Link’s greatest strength is the commitment of all of our stakeholders: the students, professors, staff, board, DOC’s and our supporters. They have all contributed to the effort to change lives and thereby change our world. We are united in our belief that individuals can be transformed through education. These people make the necessary sacrifices and have the resiliency to return to the mission no matter how difficult the challenges we face.”

Ms. Murray is an Assistant Professor of Literature, Language, and Communication at Mercy College. She served as Vice President of the Hudson Link Board of Directors for two terms and has had the pleasure of teaching literature courses at Sing Sing on several occasions. For several years she was also a member of the Board of Providence House, an organization that provides transitional and supportive housing for women released from prison so they can begin their new lives with their children.

In 2009, after meeting young people with spinal cord injuries who are institutionalized in nursing home for the elderly, Ms. Murray resolved to help make appropriate housing available for this large group of forgotten—even “invisible”— individuals; hence, she helped found Wheels of Progress, a nonprofit organization.

“My sincere hope is that Hudson Link will continue to expand to other correctional facilities and will lead the effort to change minds and hearts regarding incarcerated men and women who desire to become educated so that they can make a difference while incarcerated and after they are released.”

David Rubin is an experienced real estate attorney with a depth and breadth of experience in real estate law co-extensive with the types of transactions that one confronts in a major real estate practice.

His practice includes internal contract negotiations, representation of purchasers and sellers of commercial buildings, warehouse and office structures, shopping centers, and ground leases. He has negotiated the purchase of properties out of bankruptcy and negotiated extensive office, manufacturing, retail and restaurant leases, along with extensive ground leases.

Mr. Rubin has, in the course of his practice, represented parties in a substantial real estate litigation involving lease and audit disputes, trespass and brokerage fees.

Mr. Rubin has been recognized by City Bar Justice Center’s 2010 Jeremy G. Epstein Award for Pro Bono Service, for work on City Bar’s Foreclosure Project.

Jason Slivka has more than six years of experience providing attest and advisory services, specifically to manufacturing and distribution companies. He primarily works with large, multinational clients that participate in the transportation industry at various stages of the supply chain and is the segment leader of the Mazars Aerospace Group in the USA. Mr. Slivka has significant experience working with companies that have global operations and manages engagements with teams of individuals from multiple countries. He also works with the non-profit and employee benefits audit groups at WeiserMazars.

Mr. Slivka was a member of the inaugural Chairman’s Circle and is currently a member of the Manufacturing and Distribution Thought Leadership Committee, for which he contributes to the quarterly newsletter. He has presented at internal manufacturing and distribution conferences on various topics including business development, customer relationship management, and business strategy for the aerospace segment.

Mr. Slivka is passionate about the career development of others and devotes a significant amount of time to recruitment, training and continuing education of employees at the firm. He worked with the human resources group to create a recruitment strategy for the firm to establish recruiting bases at universities located outside the tri-state area. He also works with those in the educational development group to design and implement new training programs to provide a more enriched experience for the trainees.

Mr. Slivka received his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with a double major in Accounting and Finance from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2009 and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University in 2014. As part of his MBA program, he studied in China, the United Arab Emirates, India and Russia. Mr. Slivka is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York. He serves as the Treasurer of Hudson Link, providing management and oversight of the organization’s financial health.

Dr. Anne Reissner is a founding member and past president of the Board of Directors for Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison. She has been a part of Hudson Link from its early beginnings in 1998, when state and federal funding for college education in prisons stopped and inmates at Sing Sing Correctional Facility reached out to religious and academic volunteers for help. Dr. Reissner believes in the power of education and was instrumental in shaping the vision and mission of Hudson Link.

“Hudson Link has shown that education for persons incarcerated is transformative,” she says. “Hudson Link has helped to transform the lives of individuals, families, and even the criminal justice system in New York.”

As Director Emeritus, Dr. Reissner hopes that Hudson Link will continue to flourish as a not-for-profit working with a dedicated staff, a committed Board, and many supporters. “These are all necessary to accomplish the important mission of transformative higher education for those incarcerated, as well as providing continuous life-sustaining support for them upon their release back to society.”

Dr. Reissner began her professional career as an elementary school teacher. After completing a Master Degree in the Administration of Religious Education, she served as a Director of Religious Education in various Roman Catholic parish settings in New Jersey. In the early 1980’s, she enrolled in graduate studies at Andover Newton Theological School and earned the Master of Divinity degree and the Doctor of Ministry degree. She then joined the faculty of St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, WI where she served as Director of Supervised Ministry for seven years. She then assumed the position of Academic Dean at the Maryknoll School of Theology in Ossining, NY. Although this graduate theology program closed in 1995, she remained at Maryknoll serving as the Director of Study at the Center for Mission Research and Study at Maryknoll until retiring in 2004.

Throughout her career, Dr. Reissner has served on local and national boards including a term as president of the Association of Theological Field Education, membership on the Association of Theological Schools Committee on Globalization, a term as president of the American Society of Missiology.

Since moving to Tucson in June 2007, Dr. Reissner has become involved in outreach to the homeless and in education concerning the plight of immigrants crossing the Sonoran desert in search of a better life. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for BorderLinks, and Poverello House, a day shelter for the homeless.

After Elisabeth Wells and her husband Peter attended the 2013 graduation ceremony at Sing Sing, they were hooked on the organization and its mission. She joined the Board a few months later.

“Hudson Link offers an opportunity, but it’s the students themselves who grasp that opportunity and use it to change their own lives and the lives of others” she says. “That’s what is so inspiring about this organization – those who benefit from the programs we offer are the ones who work the hardest to achieve our shared goals.”

Ms. Wells is a native of Virginia but has spent most of her adult life in and around New York City. She has recently retired from a 34-year career as a corporate and international lawyer, most of it in the Legal Department of JPMorgan Chase & Co. She holds a law degree from the University of Virginia, an MA in French Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a BA from Sweet Briar College. Before attending law school, Ms. Wells taught at the middle school, high school, and college levels. She is co-chairing the Academic Committee with Hudson Link Board Member Neal Keller.

Ms. Wells is an active member of St. Luke’s Parish in Darien, Connecticut, where she currently serves on the Vestry. Before moving to Connecticut she belonged to St. James Church in New York City, serving in a variety of roles there over the years.

Michael Zweig joined Hudson Link in 2007 after meeting a Hudson Link alumnus and hearing his story of transformation and redemption.

“My hope is that as the number of Hudson Link graduates re-entering society as productive citizens increases, we will begin to look at our prisons differently – as a place for transformation, not only for punishment, and as a place where vital human resources are developed and redeemed.”

Mr. Zweig is a partner at Loeb & Loeb, LLP, a national law firm with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. He has a diverse national litigation practice with an emphasis on complex litigation, business torts, entertainment, employment and advertising/media matters.

Mr. Zweig has litigated and arbitrated cases throughout the United States, frequently through trial, and has represented numerous clients in high profile, high-stakes litigation involving false advertising and deceptive trade practices (including Attorney General investigations), shareholder, partnership and accounting disputes, contract, right of publicity, defamation and a wide variety of employment-related litigation.

He is the recipient of Loeb &Loeb’s Third Annual Award for Community Service and Professional Achievement and is active in a variety of not-for profit and professional organizations.

Mr. Zweig’s interests include playing tennis, basketball, kayaking and hiking. He resides in Westchester with his wife, Michelle Gersen, also an attorney.