Michael Forman

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Mr. Forman is the Chairman, CEO and co-founding partner of Franklin Square Capital Partners. Franklin Square is a sponsor and distributor of publicly registered alternative investment products designed for mainstream investors. Franklin Square currently manages more than $5 billion in investor assets held in its three business development companies (BDCs).

Mr. Forman serves as Chairman, President and CEO for FS Investment Corporation (FSIC), FS Investment Corporation II (FSIC II) and FS Energy & Power Fund (FSEP). He also chairs each Fund’s Investment Committee.

Mr. Forman is the Managing General Partner and founder of FB Capital Partners, a private investment partnership, as well as FB Real Estate Fund, a real estate pooled equity fund whose lead investor is Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB). Mr. Forman has built a number of other successful businesses in the private equity and debt, financial services and investment management industries.

Mr. Forman was previously a senior partner in the Corporate and Securities Department at the Philadelphia-based law firm of Klehr, Harrison, Harvey, Branzburg & Ellers LLP where he practiced for over 15 years. He served in a number of leadership positions at Klehr Harrison, including membership on its Executive Committee and as Hiring Partner.

Mr. Forman currently serves as a member of the boards of directors of a number of FB Capital Partners’ portfolio companies. Mr. Forman is also a member of a number of civic and charitable boards including The Franklin Institute (Executive Committee member), the Vetri Foundation for Children (Chairman), The University of the Arts (Executive Committee member), and the Greater Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT) (Executive Committee member). Mr. Forman serves as the Co-Chair of the Capital Campaign for The Philadelphia School and is on the Board of Advisors of Temple University’s Fox School of Business.

Mr. Forman received his BA degree from the University of Rhode Island where he graduated summa cum laude and was elected Phi Beta Kappa. He received his JD degree from Rutgers University.

Mr. Forman is married and lives with his wife and three daughters in Center City, Philadelphia.

 

Risa Vetri Ferman

BOARD MEMBER

Risa Vetri Ferman is the elected District Attorney of Montgomery County, first earning her seat in November 2007 after working for 15 years in the trenches as a courtroom prosecutor. In 2007, Ferman was elected as the first female District Attorney in the history of Montgomery County. In 2011, she was re-elected for a second term. In both elections, DA Ferman received the highest vote count of any candidate on the ballot that year and has worked tirelessly to protect the citizens of Montgomery County.

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Abington Township, Risa is a lifelong resident of our community. After graduating from Abington High School, Risa attended the University of Pennsylvania. After working for several years, she opted to return to school and began her studies in the evening program at Widener University School of Law where she earned a law degree in less than three years.

DA Ferman has devoted her office to protecting our community's most vulnerable citizens. She established the Elder Abuse Unit to target criminals who prey upon senior citizens. She was the driving force behind the creation of Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center, Montgomery County's first child advocacy program aimed at easing the criminal justice process for victims of child abuse. She is also the co-founder of Montgomery County Child Advocacy Project (MCAP), which provides pro-bono legal services to abused children.

DA Ferman spearheaded numerous crime prevention and community education programs throughout Montgomery County. She created new initiatives targeting gangs, gun violence, and government corruption. She launched an unprecedented partnership with our schools to ensure the safety and security of our children. Internet safety, cyber-bullying, truancy abatement, violence prevention, teen driving safety, and prescription drug awareness programs are just a few of the initiatives DA Ferman introduced to our school communities. In 2011, she wrote a children's book called "The Mouse Who Went Surfing Alone" which is designed to introduce concepts of internet safety to young children.

Throughout the Commonwealth, DA Risa Vetri Ferman is a recognized law enforcement leader. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania selected her as Chair of the Criminal Procedural Rules Committee. She was selected by her peers to serve on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania District Attorney's Association. DA Ferman was named by The Legal Intelligencer as a "Woman of Distinction 2010" and has been honored by numerous organizations including the National Children's Advocacy Center, Citizen's Crime Commission of the Delaware Valley, Victim's Services Center of Montgomery County, Women's Center, and the Montgomery County Commission on Women and Families. Fraternal Order of Police Lodges and the Police Chiefs of Montgomery County have recognized DA Ferman as an honorary member of their associations.

 

Peri Higgins

BOARD MEMBER

Ms. Higgins has been engaged in the financial industry in various capacities including raising private equity and debt financing, managing private equity investments, and investing in real estate. Ms. Higgins is a partner with Austin Allen Advisors, a consulting firm providing strategic, marketing, and brand development services to businesses seeking to enhance the visibility of their products and services. For more than five years, Ms. Higgins has been helping businesses and organizations effectively communicate their core strengths to the media, clients, prospects, business partners and other audiences.

Ms. Higgins received a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and a Masters in Business Administration with a Major in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Higgins currently serves on the Board of Trustees of The Episcopal Academy.

Robert Keddie

BOARD MEMBER

Rob is a practicing attorney and member of the Taylor, Colicchio and Silverman law firm (Princeton, New Jersey and New York City). He is also a principal in Colicchio Consulting, LLC, a hospitality consulting venture. Since the early 90's, he has primarily represented renowned chefs, developers and hospitality professionals in their business dealings from both a legal and business perspective. His legal practice focuses on the structuring of specialty consulting, partnership and joint venture agreements between chefs and property owners, the negotiation of both short and long-term leases, and financing arrangements for numerous restaurant developments, build outs and re-launches, as well as commercial and corporate litigation, with an emphasis on partnership/shareholder disputes and related matters. His consulting work focuses on advising chefs and developers on restaurant placement, consulting with hotels and casinos on food and beverage strategies, curating the intelligent placement of food and beverage professionals, and functioning as a "turn around" consultant on hospitality projects.

During his career, Rob has also advised and served on the board of directors of various charitable organizations, including the Friends of the Japanese House and Garden in Philadelphia. He has been recognized by the New York State Bar Association for his work with the New York State Client Protection Fund and is a member of the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York bars. He lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with his wife and three children.

 

Jeff Michaud

BOARD MEMBER

The Executive Chef and co-owner of Osteria Restaurant, Amis Restaurant and Alla Spina, Jeffrey Michaud began his cooking career at the age of 13 in a pizza shop in New Hampshire where he was raised. Inspired by his grandmother's cooking and beautiful wedding cakes, Jeff attended the Culinary Institute of America and graduated in 1998. His culinary path led him from the Caribou Club in Aspen Colorado to Vetri Ristorante in Philadelphia to Bergamo, Italy where he worked his way through the top restaurants in the region. Jeff returned to Philadelphia in 2006 to rejoin the Vetri team with the opening of Osteria.

In 2008, The James Beard Foundation nominated Osteria for "Best New Restaurant" and in 2010, Jeff won the James Beard Award for "Best Mid-Atlantic Chef." In 2011, Food and Wine Magazine named Osteria one of the top 25 pizza spots in the US and Jeff was named "Best Chef" by Philadelphia Magazine. Jeff extends his culinary expertise to his involvement as a member of the Vetri Foundation for Children's Board of Directors. Together with Marc Vetri, Jeff developed Eatiquette, the Foundation's school lunch program. Eatiquette creates a family style dining experience in the lunch room that fosters social interaction, communication and nutritional education. Jeff continues to develop menus for the program and regularly invites school chefs to train with him in the kitchen at Osteria. Jeff lives in Philadelphia with his wife Claudia and their daughter.

 

Erin O'Hearn

BOARD MEMBER

Erin joined the Action News Team as a general assignment reporter in January of 2006. In 2009, her focus largely shifted to the special project division of the newsroom. Before arriving in Philadelphia, she worked for 6abc's sister station, WTVD, the ABC owned station in Durham, North Carolina. There, she covered everything from breaking news to UNC pep rallies to hurricanes ripping through the Tar Heel State. Erin also has a strong background covering politics, as she began her broadcasting career at Capital News 9 in her hometown of Albany, New York. One of her most memorable experiences while in New York was an exclusive live interview with Governor George Pataki on the scene of a terrible cargo-ship accident at the Port of Albany.

Before diving into news, Erin spent time producing episodes of an MTV documentary called "True Life." While working for MTV, Erin spent most of her time in New York City, but also traveled all over the country, following teens and young adults as they grappled with issues like bi-polar disorder and drug addiction.

Erin graduted from Cornell University and was a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority and the Ivory Tower Honor Society. Erin is currently taking some time off from her position at WPVI to focus on raising her two children and her work with various charities.

 

Michael Rouse

BOARD MEMBER

Michael is the President, CEO and co-founder of ESF, Inc. ESF (which stands for Education, Sports, and Fun) has been a pioneering force in summer day camps since its humble beginnings in 1982. Since then, ESF has had a profound impact on thousands of children by developing life skills through a dynamic staff, high-quality programs, premier locations, time-honored traditions, and a commitment to safety, learning and fun. ESF has received numerous awards for quality service, safety, and best places to work from several magazines and newspapers.

Michael and ESF are also deeply committed to helping underserved young people in local communities through its social action initiatives - the ESF Dream Camp Foundation and Acting Without Boundaries. The ESF Dream Camp Foundation serves over 550 at risk children with year round mentoring and summer camp scholarships in both Philadelphia and Hartford, Ct. Acting Without Boundaries is dedicated to providing young adults who have physical disabilities with a year round acting program.

Michael is a graduate of Villanova University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Arts and Communication and was also inducted into the Villanova's Athletic Hall of Fame. Michael is also a graduate of the Disney Institute's People Management, Customer Service, and Creative Leadership Programs. He is a member of the Young President's Organization (YPO), Board member of ESF Dream Camp Foundation, AWB, Girard College Board of City Managers, Solomon Fellows and the Vetri Foundation for Children.

 

Glen Senk

BOARD MEMBER

 

Glen was named CEO of David Yurman, Inc. in January, 2012.  Prior to David Yurman, Glen served as CEO of Philadelphia-based Urban Outfitters, Inc. Senk's career with the company began in April 1994 when he joined Anthropologie as president of what was then a single store prototype. Senk was named executive vice president of Urban Outfitters, Inc. in May 2002 and elected to the company's board of directors in June 2004.

Prior to Anthropologie, Senk served as senior vice president and general merchandise manager of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. where he oversaw the retail and mail order operations for Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Hold Everything, Chambers and Gardeners Eden. During his tenure at Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Senk developed the strategy and laid the groundwork for Pottery Barn's rapid expansion and sales growth.

His retail career commenced at Bloomingdale's in 1981 where he ultimately became senior vice president and managing director of Bloomingdale's By Mail, Ltd. In 1989 Senk assumed the role of chief executive of the International Merchandise and Marketing Group for the London-based Habitat Group, a $400 million home furnishings business.

Senk holds a BA degree, magna cum laude, in psychology, computer science and mathematics from New York University and a MBA degree in marketing and finance from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Senk currently serves on the board of directors of Urban Outfitters, Inc, Tory Burch, David Yurman, Inc, Melissa and Doug, Inc., and the Vetri Foundation for Children.

Sylvia DiBona

BOARD MEMBER

Sylvia is a certified public accountant. She started her career as a member of the tax department at Price Waterhouse in Philadelphia. She later joined the tax department of Smith Kline, specializing in international tax issues. She co-founded The William Penn Insurance Agency, a commercial insurance brokerage firm, in 1987. After making a career shift to counseling psychology in the 1990s, she worked for several years as a volunteer at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, counseling patients undergoing cancer treatment. Since 2005 Sylvia has been chairman of the board of Fred’s Footsteps, a public charity founded in the memory of her late husband. The mission of Fred’s Footsteps is to support working families who are in a financial crisis due to the costs associated with caring for a critically ill or injured child. Sylvia has previously served on the Boards of the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur and The Wellness Community, and is currently a member of the Leadership Council of the Abramson Cancer Center.

Sylvia received a Bachelor’s of Business Administration with a major in Accounting from Temple University, and a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Rosemont College.

Kelly Herrenkohl

DIRECTOR

Kelly Herrenkohl joined the Vetri Foundation for Children in 2011 after 4 years of volunteering with Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin as auction coordinator for the Great Chefs Event. Kelly brings 15 years of sales and marketing experience to her role, having worked for 10 years with her family's executive search firm, Herrenkohl Consulting, and in sales and sales management at Supplies Network, the country's largest privately-owned IT supply wholesaler. Kelly is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, holds a master's degree from the University of Missouri and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Kelly moved to Philadelphia in 2005 and found herself simultaneously in love with the resources this storied city has to offer and overwhelmed by the challenges it faces. Her community involvement has involved tutoring kids from city public schools and mentoring teen moms. As mother of and chief cook for four children, Kelly is passionate about the opportunities good food and healthy living can bring to kids, especially those with limited access to nutritious options.

 

Tia McDonald

DIRECTOR OF CULINARY OPERATIONS

Since beginning her ‘career’ at the age of 7, learning her Southern family roots and cooking methods, to the age of 14 apprenticing under a German chef, Tia has made every effort to hone her skills in various operations, learning global cuisines, and developing her palate for flavor. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in 1998, she saw the education as part of her growth as a great cook; alongside her education she worked at the Hyatt Grand Central in New York City, created her own catering company, and worked at Troutbeck Inn, a 5-Diamond inn in Amenia, New York.

Tia continued her growth after graduation by working at Oceana restaurant in NYC under the guise of Rick Moonen, gaining extensive knowledge of seafood cooking; then working for Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto fame, expanding her knowledge of rustic regional Italian cuisine. Tia also has invested time in learning Sicilian cuisines, studying from Sicilian chefs who shared their knowledge and palate with her.

Tia joined the Aramark team in 2000, serving in various roles including Executive Chef at the University of Pennsylvania, Senior Executive Chef at the 2008 Olympics in Bejing, China, and Development Chef for Aramark Education K-12. During that time, she developed recipes, performed nutritional analysis, and trained kitchen staff across the country. As part of her employment with Aramark, Tia served as Chef at ESF Foundation’s Dream Camp in 2011 with chefs Marc Vetri and Jeff Michaud. Their vision for scratch cooking and family style eating for kids exactly mirrored Tia’s ideas about what school lunch should be and was the impetus for her move to the Vetri Foundation for Children in January, 2012.

Being a member of a family full of arts, Tia has an appreciation of music, performing and visual arts and spends her free time collecting art and music. Tia also serves as an advisory board member to The Culinary Arts Institute of Montgomery County Community College and Universal Audenried Charter High School's culinary arts program in Philadelphia.

 

Mandy Zeilinger

DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

Mandy holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and graduated in the top 1% of her class. With over a decade of retail management and purchasing under her belt, she sought out a new challenge by transitioning into non-profits. She has worked for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Discovery World Museum, Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

Mandy has volunteered as a CASA, or court-appointed special advocate for children in the foster care system, and also at the New Hope Project, helping ex-offenders reintegrate into society by securing stable employment.

After living in Florida and New Orleans, Mandy moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Philadelphia in 2011 and was immediately enchanted by the rich abundance of arts, culture, and history. Mandy was thrilled to join the Vetri Foundation team in February of 2012.

In her free time, Mandy makes and sells her handcrafted, cruelty-free soap and other bath and body products. Mandy is married and is mom to a dog and cat.

 

Wadiya Gooden

PROGRAM COORDINATOR

 

Wadiya comes to the Foundation with 15 years of catering experience. She operated a small catering company called Delicious Dishes, which boasts clients such as members of the Philadelphia City Council and the NAACP Philadelphia Chapter. She was also an executive chef at Allies Jazz Bistro serving southern cuisine with a fresh approach. In addition, she was a chef at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, helped to initiate a local garden in her own neighborhood and taught a cooking class for children for two years. This is where her passion for providing children with healthy food choices began.

For the last seven years Wadiya has worked for the Lower Merion school district in their nutritional department. Starting out managing an elementary school cafeteria, she found her way to Harriton high school where she had the opportunity to run a from-scratch lunch station. After spending two years at the high school level she was ready to take her knowledge and skill and explore other opportunities, which led her to the Vetri Foundation for Children. Her philosophy on children’s nutrition involves feeding their curiosity, building their palates and instilling healthy eating habits early in life."