OUR BOARD
JAYNE BENTZEN
President and Board Chair of the Benedict Silverman Foundation
Jayne Bentzen believes all public schools should be equally excellent and that literacy is the foundation for a child's success in school and later life. She has long championed Reading Rescue, (now known as Reading Go!) a reading science based intervention program pioneered by Dr. Nora Hoover at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Jayne’s understanding of the need for effective reading instruction in all schools, both public and private, led her to establish the Benedict Silverman Foundation in 2012.
Initially, the Foundation concentrated on introducing Reading Rescue to individual New York City public elementary schools. Existing school staff learned to effectively tutor students struggling with reading acquisition. In recent years, the Benedict Silverman Foundation has been a significant supporter of CUNY Reading Corps, a program currently strengthening the curriculum for 800 aspiring teachers annually with science based tools to teach children to read. As of 2024, CUNY pre-service teachers have provided free intensive tutoring to over 2700 students in New York City. This initiative has led to the adoption of similar models in 19 (so far!) universities nationwide.
Currently the Benedict Silverman Foundation continues to support Reading Go! and Reading Ready through the work of the Reading Institute led by Dr. Katie Pace Miles.
DIANE ARCHER
Diane Archer is founder and president of Just Care USA, an independent digital media hub that covers health and financial issues facing boomers and their families. Ms. Archer serves on the Brown University School of Public Health Advisory Board. She is the past chair of the Board of Consumer Reports.
Ms. Archer began her career in health advocacy in 1989 as founder and president of the Medicare Rights Center, a national consumer service organization dedicated to ensuring that older and disabled Americans get the health care they need. Ms. Archer received her J.D. degree from Harvard Law School.
STEPHEN PRESSER
Stephen is a Founding Partner at Monomoy Capital Partners - a family of operationally focused and deep-value investment funds based in New York City. He has worked on the principal side of middle-market investing and business improvement for the past 25 years, buying sound businesses in the lower middle market that face a change in ownership, operational issues, or financial challenges.
He is far better known, however, as the husband of Diane Archer and the father of Lizzie Presser and Michael Presser.
ALLISON JAFFIN
Allison Jaffin manages the operations of Bloomberg Philanthropies, which encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s charitable activities, including his foundation, corporate and personal giving. Jaffin oversees and provides strategic direction for each of the foundation’s initiatives and is responsible for all grants as well as monitoring and evaluating the success of each program. In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $1.6 billion.
Jaffin left her job at City Hall as Special Assistant to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and First Deputy Mayor Patricia E. Harris in 2010 to develop Mayor Bloomberg’s foundation, including building out its operations and focuses.
Jaffin’s career began in the Corporate Communications department at Bloomberg L.P. She also served on Bloomberg’s first campaign for Mayor in 2001 and reelection efforts in 2005.
Jaffin is a graduate of Columbia College.
SCOTT HARRISON
Scott is the founder and CEO of charity: water, a global nonprofit bringing clean water to people in developing nations. Scott was recognized in Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40 list, the Forbes Magazine Impact 30 list and was recently #10 in Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business issue. He is currently a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. Scott and his wife Viktoria have two children, Jackson and Emma. Read Scott’s story in his new book Thirst.
RHAHIME BELL
Rhahime Bell is a 1991 graduate from Georgetown University with a dual degree in Finance and International Management. After graduation, Mr. Bell joined JP Morgan and worked as a Vice President in the Corporate Finance Services Division. He joined UBS in 1999 as Head of the Municipal Risk Management and Investment Division. Mr. Bell grew the Divisions annual revenues from $5 million in 1999 to over $100 million in 2004. From 2008-2011, Mr. Bell served as a lead angel investor in select early stage companies. In 2012, Mr. Bell became a Managing Director and Principal with GenTrust, an asset management firm which focuses on high net worth and institutional clients. In December 2015, Mr. Bell invested in Holistix Treatment Centers which focuses on substance use and mental health disorders and currently serves as a Managing Partner.