Board of Directors

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Don Mykrantz

Board Chair
The Jeffrey Company

Don is SquashBusters Board Chair, responsible for overall governance, fiscal oversight and strategic direction. Don has been a board member for nearly a decade, and a supporter for a quarter century. He was first introduced to SQB by long-time Board member Sandy Tierney, and by Greg, with whom he played on the Williams College tennis team. Don recently retired as President/CEO of The Jeffrey Company and before that enjoyed a long and successful career at MFS.

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Henry Manice

Treasurer
Mighty Squirrel

Henry serves as Treasurer and Chair of SQB’s Finance Committee, where he helps with financial oversight, strategic planning and budget preparation. Henry and his wife, Anna, first got to know SQB as college mentors, helping SQB 12th graders with essay writing and applications. Henry is also on the board of Access Youth Academy, an SEA program in San Diego. He co-founded the Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co. in Boston and Enjuba in Kampala, which started Uganda’s first national spelling bee. Henry loves all things outdoors including sailing, fishing, skiing, and hiking.

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David Antonelli

MFS Investment Management

David serves on SquashBusters’ Strategy and Expansion Committee and played a lead role in helping SquashBusters build homes in Providence with Moses Brown and in Lawrence with Lawrence Community Works. David was first introduced to SquashBusters through his daughter’s close friendship with SQB alumna, Nelsmarie, during their time as students at Boston College. David recently retired as Vice Chairman at MFS where he continues to carry  the all-important torch of the MFS/SquashBusters partnership.

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Francisco Calderon

Compt

A few years after joining SquashBusters, Francisco moved to the Dominican Republic with his family where he completed high school. Despite the miles apart, Francisco’s connection to SQB was palpable. Upon returning to the Boston area for college, he quickly re-engaged and has continued to be a positive force in the SQB community! He attended Bunker Hill Community College, and then transferred to Northeastern to continue his studies and ultimately obtain a degree in Computer Science. Throughout his time as a post-secondary student and now alum, Francisco remained involved through volunteering at SQB and attending various events, including playing in the Mash Up! Francisco currently lends his talents as an engineering manager to the company Compt, an employee benefits reimbursement platform.

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Maria Diaz

Lawrence Community Leader

Maria is a mother of 5 from the City of Lawrence, who all have participated in the program. She was raised in Lawrence and is an alum of the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club. She loves to see another great opportunity like SquashBusters in her amazing city and has enjoyed experiencing it firsthand.  She joined the board to try to help not only Lawrence’s community but all the SquashBusters participants. SQB has been amazing to her family, and she is forever grateful.

 

 

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Mike Davis

Northeastern University

Mike Davis is Northeastern University’s Chief of Police. He also is an avid squash player and member of INFINITUM Squash Club where he competes at a high level in his age group. Mike is attracted to SQB because it unites his passion for squash and his passion for exercise with his professional commitment to building a safe, inclusive, and diverse community. Mike has spent his career in policing, first in Minneapolis/St. Paul, and then as Chief of Police in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Mike plans to contribute to SquashBusters by coaching and mentoring our students (he works directly across the street), building closer programmatic collaboration with NU and his police department, and saddling up every May to compete in the Derby.

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Scott DeSantis

Civic Financial

Scott’s involvement with SquashBusters goes all the way back to his high school days at Nobles and Greenough School, when he served as a volunteer in the Boston program and competed against SQB’s own Rodney Galvao in on the juniors’ circuit. He has captained his Derby Racqueteers to three championships in the last 5 five years and has been an unwavering supporter. Scott serves as CEO of the financial planning firm Civic Financial, which he founded.

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Jamie Fagan

JP Morgan

Jamie has been involved in SquashBusters since its founding. He and his wife, Katie, who is a college mentor, have contributed time and treasure since SQB’s earliest days. Jamie was a proud investor in the SQB/Northeastern partnership and, today, is a perennial Derby player and co-captain of True Blue. On numerous occasions, Jamie has mentored SQB graduates interested in finance and helped facilitate educational and employment opportunities for our students. Jamie serves on SQB’s Finance Committee and is a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan Securities.

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Rodney Galvao

Chief Executive Officer

 

A native of Dorchester, Rodney joined SquashBusters at the age of 12, initially at the urging of his mother, and he immediately saw the value of a community that provided not just sports instruction, but also academic support, community service opportunities, and mentoring.

Galvao’s professional tenure with SquashBusters began 10 years ago in 2014 when he joined the organization as a squash coach in Boston, quickly becoming a leader and mentor to both students and peers on staff. In 2017, he moved to Providence, RI as part of the founding leadership team at SQB’s expansion program and served as Program and Co-Executive Director for six years. In mid-2023, Galvao became Senior Development Officer, a position that included a seat on the organization’s Senior Leadership Team. His new role of CEO is the culmination of all he has learned and all he has accomplished in his two decades at SQB.

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Chessin Gertler

Gertler Clark Foundation

Chessin Gertler has been involved with SQB since its founding, beginning as an on-court competitor to our earliest team members.  As Chessin matured into a nationally-ranked player and member of Harvard’s team, he began giving back to SQB as a squash mentor. More recently, Chessin has played a Derby leadership role, supplementing his family’s significant generosity with fundraising from others. Chessin is co-founder of Sle, a climate tech startup focused on sustainable mobility. Previously, he founded and led Infinitum, a squash training and coaching program that partnered closely with SQB.

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Habib Gorgi

Nautic Partners

Habib chairs SquashBusters’ Providence Leadership Council. As former head of the Board at Moses Brown School, he was the driving force behind SQB’s facility partnership with the school. As a child, Habib immigrated to the United States from Egypt. His father used squash to help his brother, Michael, and him stay active, make friends and develop character. Since 1986, Habib has been a founder and Managing Director of Nautic Partners and its predecessor firm. Habib is also a minority owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox.

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Jeff Harper

Foxfield, LLC

Jeff has been involved in SquashBusters for the past decade; he was drawn to SQB because of sports’ positive impact on his life. Jeff is co-captain of the 2024 Derby Champions, Churchill Downey. A life-long lover of sports, especially racquet sports, he took up tennis at age seven and was bitten by the squash bug in his thirties. When he is not on the squash, padel, or tennis court, Jeff is the Chief Investment Officer of Foxfield, LLC, a real estate investment firm that he founded. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Sadie, who chairs the board of A+ Squash – Atlanta’s urban squash program – and their two boys and two dogs.

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Charlie Humber

Chair, Nominating and Governance Committee

The Baupost Group

Charlie is well-known and appreciated in Boston squash circles and beyond for his long-term love and dedication to SquashBusters. For nearly two decades, Charlie has been moving mountains for SQB. He has volunteered directly with our students and has been a driver of the Derby’s phenomenal success. Both through personal support and as captain of the indomitable Wallbanger Team, Charlie has put the Derby on his back for many years. He is a Managing Director at Baupost Group, a major corporate partner of SQB.  As Board Member, Charlie promises to keep a sharp eye on the Derby’s ongoing health and look for ways to advance the college and career plans of our growing number of post-secondary students.

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Kat Leiva

Cincinnati Squash Academy

A member of the SquashBusters Lawrence first graduating class, Kat also went on to be the first Lawrence student to play college-level squash at Saint Lawrence University. Kat is no stranger to navigating challenging or unique moments and leaning into opportunities to impact her community positively. For example, one of her summer internship placements at Lawrence City Hall led to a full-time role during her fall semester as she and other winter athletes had to spend that semester at home due to Covid-19. A strong squash competitor (two-time Liberty League team championship!), folks gravitate to Kat’s resilience, kindness, and passion. She is currently a squash coach at SEA member organization, Cincinnati Squash Academy, and remains connected to the SQB community.

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Bill Monaghan

Chair, Investment Committee

SevenOne Capital

Bill is Chair of SquashBusters Investment Committee where he stewards SQB’s financial resources to ensure long-term organizational stability.  Almost as importantly, ‘Mono’, as Bill is  affectionately known, is one of only three people in SQB’s wide orbit to participate in both the Derby and the MashUp, where he is prime architect of the paddle component’s success. Bill hails from Philadelphia and a long line of racquet maestros. His professional background is in money management, but his most committed and personal investments revolve around helping young people and contributing to community.

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William Paine

Wilmer Hale

Bill is a long-standing member of SquashBusters’ Lawrence Leadership Council.  With roots in the Mill City, he is dedicated to helping SQB Lawrence succeed. No sooner did Bill join the Board did he sign up to learn squash, only so that he had ample excuse to fundraise for the MashUp, where he is a perennial top breadwinner. Bill has been instrumental in building foundation relations and also helped SquashBusters secure pro-bono representation  on its  Providence facility from WilmerHale, where he is a partner.

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Chip Robie

Eagle Capital Management

Chip has been involved as a supporter of SQB since the early days. A long-time squash player,  Harvard stand-out and college competitor of Greg’s, Chip implicitly understands the value squash plays in advancing a young person’s life and building inclusive community.  Chip has been a squash volunteer with SQB’s earlier teams, led the race board as a major fundraiser and participant in the perennial Derby and been a generous investor in SQB Lawrence’s new facility. Additionally, Chip will lend his fiscal expertise to SQB’s Finance Committee. Chip currently serves as Chief Operating Officer at Eagle Capital Management in NYC.

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Zoe Russell

Chair, DEI Committee

Equal Justice Works 

Zoe joins the Board as an SQB alumna dedicated to helping Boston boys and girls follow in her footsteps. She plays a lead role in helping strengthen SQB with its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion work. She graduated from SQB as Boston Latin Student where she was selected for a prestigious Posse Scholarship. An English/Sociology/Italian triple major at Bucknell, Zoe’s academic versatility launched her legal career. In  2022, she graduated from Harvard Law School and received a prestigious fellowship from Equal Justice Works which brought her to work as a Family Law attorney for the Bronx Defenders.

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Michelle Thompson-Dolberry

MFS Investment Management

Michelle Thompson-Dolberry is the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at MFS Investment Management, and joins the Board to support SQB’s Career Success Program and contribute to its DEI initiatives. Michelle brings extensive HR and multicultural experience from her over 20 year career, where she has led teams at American Express and JP Morgan Chase. She holds a BA from University of Pennsylvania and received her MBA from Penn State University.

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Chandler Willett

Cinctive Capital

Chandler first became involved with SquashBusters when was recruited for the original Wallbangers Derby team by Charlie Humber and has been an active participant in the SQB Derby for over decade. He grew up in the Washington, DC area and currently lives with his family outside of Boston. Chandler splits his time professionally between Boston and New York City.  When he had the opportunity to get involved with SquashBusters, he jumped at the chance for multiple reasons, including the experience he and his family had helping under-served youth in the DC area.  A lifelong athlete, Chandler was a competitive wrestler and soccer player in his youth, and now enjoys anything with a racquet and a ball (and golf club). He is a graduate of Duke University and has spent more than 25 years in the investment industry and currently works at Cinctive Capital as a portfolio manager.  He is married with two boys – both budding squash players.

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Simone Winston

The Newbury Cup

Simone is a major driver in the success of the SQB Derby. She and her son, Jack, are the genius behind the event’s Junior Stakes race, uniting SQB students with junior players from the area in competition, camaraderie, and fundraising. Additionally, they captain Team Salubrious which, due to outstanding player recruitment, has become a top Derby contender. Simone raises her hand at every turn to get involved, hosting Belmont Hill School visits to SQB, and serving on the Finance and CEO Succession Committees.   Simone is Founder of the Newbury Cup which  celebrates Boston-area organizations dedicated to improving the lives of the  City’s most vulnerable residents.

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Greg Zaff

Founder/Advisor

Greg founded SquashBusters in 1995. After graduating from Williams College, Greg spent his twenties competing on the pro squash tour, reaching a career high #2 ranking. A calling to public service brought him to the Kennedy School, where his paper ‘Bringing Squash Down from its Ivory Tower’ was the blueprint for SquashBusters. Greg has been involved in everything SQB, from coaching and tutoring to board development, budgeting, and leading strategic growth. Today, Greg focuses on fundraising and recruiting and retaining the best and brightest staff.