Write on Sports
Leadership
Board of Directors
Write on is governed by a board of directors drawing from the ranks of education, philanthropy, business, healthcare, law and sports media.
Janet Alicea
Janet is a B2B marketing strategist with 15+ years of expertise developing and leading high-performing marketing programs for financial services leaders, fintech firms, private-equity, and venture-backed technology companies. With an unwavering passion for driving innovation and helping businesses launch new verticals and expand into new markets, she brings a wealth of knowledge and strategic insights to our board. Throughout her life, writing has played a pivotal role in her career. It is with great excitement that she joins our organization, as she recognizes the transformative power of writing among middle school students.
Janet holds a Master of Arts in Journalism, and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and French, both from New York University.
Frank Astorino
Frank, founder, and CEO of The Astorino Financial Group, Inc., is a registered investment advisor in the state of New Jersey, proficient in the disciplines of Risk Management, Investment Counseling, Tax Planning, Employee Benefits, Retirement Planning, College Solutions, Estate and Philanthropic Strategies, and Financial Life Coaching. He is the recipient of the NJ Monthly Five Star Wealth Manager award in 2011-2021 and was among Forbes magazine’s 2018 Best in State Wealth Managers. Frank is extremely active in the North Caldwell, NJ community; serving as Council President and Finance Chair. Frank has been married to his wife Deborah for 35 years. They are proud of their four adult children: Remy, Sheri, Kerri, and Kevin.
Steven Beck
Steve, with 30 years of financial industry experience, is a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley. Previously Steve held senior positions at Deutsche Bank, Nomura Securities and Salomon Brothers. Steve’s passion for child advocacy is illustrated in his founding, with his wife Lauren, of People against Childhood Epilepsy in 1996. Steve and his wife live in New York City and have two sons, Justin & Jake.
Rose Cali
A proud and active resident of New Jersey since 1973, Rose graduated from Montclair State University magna cum laude in 1980 and has been a member of the University’s Board of Trustees since 1991. In 1994 she became co-chair of the school’s first capital campaign and serves on the committee of a Second Century capital campaign, which raised $60 million. In 1997, Rose founded and became the first CEO of the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center. Today, she devotes her time as a volunteer in leadership and philanthropic roles primarily in education, arts, and human services.
Beatriz Costa
Beatriz Costa is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in audit, finance, and compliance. She has a strong passion for risk management, driving organizational change, and fostering team excellence. Currently, Beatriz serves as the Head of Internal Audit at Wiley, a globally renowned leader in research and education publishing, where she oversees the company’s audit, SOX compliance, and enterprise risk management functions.
Prior to joining Wiley, Beatriz held leadership roles at Univision Communications Inc., the leading Hispanic Media Company in the US, and Avaya Inc., a global provider of business communications and collaboration solutions. She is deeply committed to the professional development and advancement of women in the workplace, currently chairing the Women of Wiley Employee Resource Group and previously holding a similar role at Univision. Beatriz earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance with a Minor in Spanish from Rutgers University.
Peter Fastovsky
President
Peter serves as Write on Sports’ technology expert with 20-plus years of experience in the industry. Currently, Peter is advising multiple clients on enhancing their technology and operational processes. He was most previously the Chief Operating and Compliance Officer at Marinus Capital Advisors LLC and is responsible for all business platforms. Prior to Marinus, Peter was the COO of the Structured Finance Group at Blackstone/GSO Capital, where he was responsible for the integration of the group’s systems and operational processes. He has also served as the COO of the Structured Finance Group at Brevan Howard and as Chief Technology Officer for Fixed Income at Nomura Securities International. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Dev Gandhi
Dev, who has 15 years of legal and financial experience, is the International Business Manager and Chief Operating Officer of MUFG Securities’ Capital Markets group. Dev is the former president of the Yale Club of New York, the largest university-affiliated club in the world.
John D. Goldsmith
John, who serves as Write on Sports Board Chairman, is Of Counsel with the law firm Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney PC. He advises large public and private organizations, and individuals and family-held businesses, on business structural, corporate, contractual, merger and acquisition, real estate, tax and environmental matters. He serves on the board of directors of several New Jersey non-profit organizations including the Partnership for Maternal & Child Health of Northern New Jersey.
Michael Jaggers-Radolf
Michael Jaggers-Radolf has worked in finance since 2011 in a variety of roles and for institutions as diverse as the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the quantitative investment manager AQR, among others. He is also passionate about writing, sports and education, with past professional experience as both a journalist and an educator. He holds degrees from Brown and Columbia.
Peter King
Peter is the author of a widely read Monday column at NBC Sports, Football Morning in America. He went to NBC full-time in 2018 after a 29-year tenure as senior writer covering the NFL at Sports Illustrated, where he won National Sportswriter of the Year three times. At SI, he wrote the Monday Morning Quarterback column. A regular contributor to NBC’s Sunday Night Football on NBC, he has had previous roles with ABC’s Monday Night Football, CNN’s NFL Preview and HBO’s Inside the NFL. Peter’s sports journalism career started in 1980 as a sports reporter for the Cincinnati Enquirer and subsequently covered the NFL for Newsday. In addition to being awarded three Emmy Awards, Peter has authored six books, including the acclaimed Football: A History of the Professional Game.
Laxmi Kambhampati
Laxmi is a seasoned senior risk management professional with over 15+ years of experience in managing counterparty credit risk. She is currently the Head of Credit Risk Management at MUFG Securities Americas Inc. Prior to MUFG, Laxmi worked as a financial analyst in the Pharmaceutical sector. Laxmi holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Steven Magee
Treasurer
Steven Magee has more than 35 years of experience in financial services, technology, operations, project management, and consulting. Prior to retiring in 2019, Steven served as a managing director at MSCI, a leading financial information and analytics company. At MSCI, Steven ran the firm’s Data Operations function and later headed the company’s Project Management Office. Before MSCI, Steven worked at Morgan Stanley, where over the course of 20 years, he held positions in operations, information technology, and business process re-engineering. Steven graduated cum laude from Princeton University with Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree. Steven and his wife live in Short Hills NJ.
Alicia Mullin
Alicia is an experienced leader in the sports and media space who currently runs marketing and operations at DISTINCT, a next-gen content and commerce delivery network. In her past role as VP of New Media and Content Marketing for Major League Baseball, she oversaw Brand, Experiential, Multicultural, Player, and Influencer Marketing, in addition to managing MLB’s social media and live content presence.
Alicia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Literature from Brown University, where she was Sports Editor of the Brown Daily Herald. She has been a member of Chief, a private women’s executive networking group, since 2020.
S. John Ryan
John Ryan is a partner in Seward & Kissel’s Employee Benefits Group. He joined the Firm in 1998. John advises a variety of clients — publicly and closely held corporations, partnerships, governmental entities, tax-exempt foundations and sole proprietorships — concerning all aspects of employee benefits matters. John has been recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law in the years 2006 – 2021, inclusive. John has been a strong supporter of Write on Sports.
MaryEllen Salamone
Secretary
MaryEllen Salamone is a non-profit consultant with a background in education and non-profit law. She
served as President of the Families of September 11th and the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement. She is a certified college access counselor and assists students from underserved communities maximize opportunities for college admissions, financial aid, and scholarships. MaryEllen served as an advocate for children affected by trauma and loss in Washington for many years, served on the White House Committee for Children and Disasters and the NJ Governors Council for Emergency Preparedness. She calls the Jersey Shore home and has three children and two rescue dogs.
Gautham Srinivas
Gautham is a Managing Director and lawyer in the Macquarie Capital Principal Finance team. Gautham has worked in law and finance for 20 years in New York, London and Sydney. For the past decade, Gautham has been part of a team that invests in businesses and assets across a variety of sectors and, through this role, he has served on numerous Boards. Gautham is passionate about an eclectic mix of sports from around the globe and is honored to be part of an organization that uses sport and art as an inspiration to uplift children. Gautham holds a Masters in Corporate Law from the University of Cambridge.
Byron Yake
Write on Sports’ Executive Director, Byron founded the program in 2005 after more than 30 years of journalism and business management experience. His career began as a weekly newspaper editor and officer in Western Pennsylvania. He later joined the Associated Press in Pittsburgh where he covered sports and news for several years before being appointed as head of its Pittsburgh bureau. He later became the New Jersey Chief of Bureau and then served for 20 years in managers and executive roles in the AP’s New York Headquarters, including Sports Editor, head of Human Resources and Assistant to the President.
Advisory Council
The Write on Sports Advisory Council constitutes a cross-section of the community, with special emphasis on technology, nonprofit fundraising and finance, and organizational strategy. The Advisory Council serves the Write on Sports Board of Directors and its President to expand its organizational capacity, reach, and impact.
Susan Ebersole
Susan has been the Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Lehman College Foundation at Lehman College sine 2018. Prior to this, she served as director of Leadership Gifts for the New York Philharmonic and Manhattan School of Music’s first vice president of External Affairs. She graduated from Goshen College and received her master’s degree in Fine Arts from Hunter College.
F. John Fatigati
Senior Vice President of Morford-Dodds Realty, F. John joined the firm in 2017 specializing in the sale/leasing of commercial office real estate, with a particular concentration in urban areas and corporate client consultancy. Prior to his association with Morford-Dodds, from 1988-2016, F. John served as Senior Vice President/Director at The Garibaldi Group; from 1978-1988, he served in a number of sales/management capacities with Coldwell Banker Commercial Real Estate Services in New Jersey and Chicago, Illinois. Jack holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree from Bowling Green State University, an M.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Masters of Science Degree in Real Estate Development & Investment from New York University.
Deborah Kaye
Deborah brings over 20 years of not for profit experience in a variety of roles including: legal counsel, nominating committee member, founding member of various committees, advisory board, board member, Chairman, with various business and financial industry not for profits. In addition, Deborah brings over 35 years of experience as business counsel to broker-dealers, banks, hedge funds and financial divisions of major global financial institutions. She is currently active in the NYSBA.
Stephen Prendergast
Stephen, who grew up in Mahwah, NJ and attended Don Bosco Prep, recently worked at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in the Sports Endorsements & Talent Sales department and at Nike. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University (2016), where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business & Enterprise Management with a marketing concentration. During his time at WFU, Stephen was a member of the Division I Men’s Basketball team for all four years, first as a student manager, then as a walk-on player. He was introduced to the sports and entertainment industry while interning at ASM Sports, now YouFirst Sports, in the summer of 2015.
Dr. Jennifer Robinson
As the Executive Director for the Center for Pedagogy at Montclair State University, Jennifer is an expert in urban development and education. She has been the Director for 15 years, and prior to her position at MSU, she was the Assistant Director at the Teachers College of Columbia University. Jennifer is a graduate of Northwestern University and Columbia University Teachers College.
Jenny Vrentas
Jenny is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and The MMQB, SI’s pro football website. She previously spent six years at The (Newark) Star-Ledger, where she was the beat reporter for the New York Giants (2012) and the New York Jets (2010-11). A native of State College, Pa., Vrentas received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Penn State University in 2006 and then moved to New York City.
Write on Sports Staff
Andy Beutel
Director of Education
Andy Beutel has been working with Write on Sports since 2007. As Director of Education he oversees all things academic for Write on Sports including updating and adapting the curriculum for different programs, and providing training and support for teachers. Andy also serves as the lead teacher for new summer programs as well as workshops during the school year. He is a veteran middle school social studies teacher who has published articles and led professional development about curriculum and pedagogy.
Heather Bock
Project Manager / Assistant Secretary
Heather Bock is an experienced educator with an MS in elementary education and literacy from Bank Street College and a BS in communication from NYU. As a certified reading specialist with 15 years of experience, Heather has worked with students of all ages to increase their decoding and reading comprehension skills. She is trained in Orton Gillingham programs targeted to teaching students with dyslexia and promoting the science of reading. Heather is passionate about education and staying current in best practices. Heather comes to Write on Sports with a profound understanding that equity in literacy is essential to giving all children the tools for success.
Shannon Schmitt
Director of Program Operations
Shannon comes to Write on Sports by way of the arts. She started her career with the New Jersey Shakespeare Theatre and then spent nearly a decade working for Whoop, Inc. developing and producing content for television, film, theatre, and radio. She joined Write on Sports in 2013 as the Director of Marketing. Previously, she served as co-president of Moms of Multiples in Essex County (MoMIE) and as a board member with the New Jersey Choral Society. Shannon is a graduate of Montclair State University with a degree in theatre and lives in Camden County, New Jersey with her husband and three sons.
