Alumni Council

Seth works for Genesis Companies LLC, a minority-owned affordable housing developer that builds and owns affordable housing in New York City and New Jersey. At Genesis, Seth works in acquisitions and development where he coordinates with various municipalities, housing finance agencies, and financial institutions to underwrite and finance the construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing. Seth graduated from Vassar College in 2015.

After Geoff retired from a career in the financial services industry, he established a Philanthropic Consulting firm, IMPACT Philanthropy Partners, which assists non-profit organizations achieve long-term stability through establishing an endowment fund and funding it with planned gifts as he had developed expertise in gift planning as part of his wealth management practice. He joined Dean Witter in 1982 which eventually merged with both Morgan Stanley and Smith Barney.

Geoff was committed to professional growth and development throughout his career which is evident by the numerous designations that he has earned. These designations include CAP™, Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy, CIMA ®, Certified Investment Management Analyst, and CPWA ®, Certified Private Wealth Analysis.

Geoff grew up in Montclair, NJ. He attended Montclair Academy, now Montclair Kimberley Academy, and graduated from the University of Virginia where he earned a BA in Economics. He received his CIMA ® designation from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Geoff was a long-time resident of Tewksbury Township, NJ where he lived for over 39 years with his wonderful wife Deborah, before moving to Charlottesville, VA in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. When he is not working, Geoff is passionate about his commitment to community service, having served on and currently serving on numerous volunteer and charitable boards.

Geoff is a long-time member of Rotary, being a member of the Morristown Rotary Club and now the Albemarle County (VA) Rotary Club. He is a member of the Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, whose clubhouse was originally designed by Thomas Jefferson as well as retaining non-resident membership with the  Essex Hunt Club, and the Penn Club of New York. Outside of work and community involvement, Geoff enjoys playing Pickleball and working to lower his golf handicap.

 Gianna is the younger sibling of alumni Jonathan Bruno ’02 and Jacqueline (Bruno) Caroprese ’05. During her time at MKA, she played volleyball and softball. After graduating, she studied at Wagner College and graduated in 2015 with her B.A. in sociology with a concentration in family studies and a minor in psychology. After college, Gianna went on to pursue her master's degree in social work from Columbia University and graduated in 2017. Gianna is currently a licensed clinical social worker and is licensed in both New York and New Jersey. In New York, Gianna is a supervisor and clinician at The Therapy Zone, LCSW Services, PLLC. In New Jersey, Gianna owns a private practice, A Peace of Mind, LCSW Services. Gianna resides in Rutherford, NJ with her husband and children.

Aron Dyadyuk is a finance student at Stevens Institute of Technology. He is interning in investment banking this summer. Aron graduated from MKA in 2021 and played ice hockey, soccer, and tennis. MKA has completely transformed his work ethic, and outlook on life, and connected him with his closest friends. Aron is grateful for the close-knit community that MKA has and all the teachers, mentors, and advisors he has met and learned from. Aron hopes that through this position on the council, he can contribute to the amazing community at MKA and make it an even better and more connected place. Outside of school, his passions include chess, triathlons, and skiing.

Jeff Festa is senior vice president of development and programming at 32 Flavors, creating and producing a variety of projects from reality series to scripted features. In his role at 32 Flavors, Festa executive produces the “Vanderpump Rules” spinoff “The Valley,” the limited series “Erika Jayne: Bet It All On Blonde,” and upcoming “The OffSeason” and “Denise Richards And The Wild Things.” Jeff previously held the position of director of development at Evolution. In that role, he contributed to the launches of reality series including “Love in Fairhope,” “Welcome Home Nikki Glaser?”, “Siwas Dance Pop Revolution” and “Overserved with Lisa Vanderpump.”

Lisa currently works for Saks Fifth Avenue as a Manager of marketing measurement and acceleration. Lisa attended the University of Illinois for undergrad and earned her master's at Syracuse Newhouse in strategic advertising. Lisa started MKA in 6th grade. During her time at MKA, Lisa was heavily involved in athletics on the Soccer and Swim teams, as well as House Captain of Walden. She graduated in 2015.

Lisa previously started her advertising career agency side at Carat, and moved to the publisher side at Morning Brew where she helped build the company from startup to media company.

Lisa has lived in NYC for the past 5 years. She is a hardcore sports fan, mostly of the New York Rangers and college basketball. In her free time, she loves to try new restaurants in NYC and spend time at the Jersey Shore with her family.

Alex Holz ’99 is currently working in Music Operations at YouTube -- acting as the glue between meeting their obligations to music publishers and record labels worldwide, and the increasing expectations of every product and service launch.

Before YouTube, he helped co-found a music licensing firm called RightsFlow that created a first-of-its-kind licensing and royalty system for distributors and record labels to pay music publishers and songwriters. The company expanded to 24 people before (then client) Google acquired them under the YouTube umbrella.

Alex holds a Master’s in Music Business from New York University (2006) and is a 2003 graduate of Lehigh University with a B.A. in Journalism and Religion Studies. Outside making access to the world’s catalog of songs much easier, he can be found making music with his band Future Mondays, cheering on the Yankees, and offering mentorship to start-ups, with a commitment to fostering innovation within the music industry and beyond.

Dominic Leone is a corporate attorney at the law firm of Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC, where he advises clients on the broad spectrum of legal issues facing businesses today. He values the incredible opportunity MKA offers to develop as a young adult in and out of the classroom in a community that fosters integrity, knowledge, confidence, and acceptance. Dominic joined the Alumni Council to promote and advance the welfare of the MKA community by strengthening alumni relationships and influencing the engagement of young alumni.

Lhenee McKoy (Riddick) is a mother of 5; 4 boys and one girl. She works full time as a Regional Manager in Early Childhood Education, overseeing 6 different locations. Born and raised in Montclair, her passions include fitness and education.

Chadd is a proud MKA lifer who began his MKA journey as a Pre-K Blue student. After graduating, he went on to the University of Rhode Island, where he majored in Political Science. During his time at Rhode Island, he served as Head Student Manager for University Rhode Island, Men’s Basketball team. Chadd currently works at Credit Suisse, on the High Yield Credit Sector Strategy Desk. Chadd enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, and volunteering in the community. Chadd joined the Alumni Council in hopes of reconnecting younger alumni with MKA.

 My name is Samora and in another life, I was an adventurer. I am a lawyer by trade and in my spare time, I tutor kids on the SATs and LSATs. One of my life’s primary ambitions is finding the world’s most beautiful beach and after the world re-opens, I will continue my search. After MKA, I got my undergraduate degree in Writing, wandered around for a while, and then became a lawyer. Only after having traveled and observing other schools around the country could I realize the excellence of MKA. At MKA, I learned to fight with a sword, climb rocks, distinguish a Monet from a Manet, Chopin from Brahms, visited the largest food bank in New Jersey, and learned Spanish. As a teen, I did not appreciate some of the communal aspects of MKA, but as a man, I recognize the importance of teachers who do not simply clock out after work and MKA’s system of encouraging excellence through competition and collaboration. I joined the Council to give back to MKA and to reconnect with alums who might be doing interesting things. Maybe one of you readers can help me find my perfect beach.

Kelsey is a Consultant with the Boston Consulting Group in New York. She has worked with clients in a variety of industries including financial services, insurance, and media. Prior to earning her MBA from Kellogg, Kelsey was a category manager at Wayfair. She graduated from Harvard in 2018 with a BA in History and Literature.

Kelsey graduated from MKA in 2014. At the Upper School she was involved in the Honor Council, Mastersingers, student publications, and the library committee. She is so excited to be giving back to MKA and to connect with current students and alumni!

Ben is a student at the University of Texas at Austin and is joining Goldman Sachs in New York City as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst. His prior experience includes working at Evercore in Tel Aviv, where he specialized in technology and defense investment banking. Notably, Ben was the first non-founding employee at Texas Venture Partners, a venture capital firm in Austin focused on early-stage defense technologies. He is also a prestigious Birthright Israel Excel Fellow.

On campus, Ben holds significant leadership positions in Texas Venture Group, Longhorn Students for Israel, Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity, and TAMID Group. 

In addition to the alumni council, Ben serves on the 2024-2025 Young Alumni Council and is the alumni advisor for the Interactive Career Speaker series. During his time at MKA, Ben was recognized numerous times for his dynamic contributions to the community, including holding leadership positions in the Student Hiring Committee, Jewish Cultural Society, Admissions Office, Peer Leadership Program, Chinese Department, Global Leadership Committee, Student Life Design Team, and the Arts and Athletic departments.

In his free time, Ben enjoys spending time at the Jersey Shore in Margate with his friends and family.

John is a seasoned marketing professional with over a decade of experience. He has worked with high-profile leaders such as Hans Vestberg at Verizon and is currently at Apple with the leadership team, spearheading executive social media initiatives that have driven brand awareness and engagement.

John holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in public relations and marketing from Seton Hall University.