Brooklyn Community Foundation Announces Three New Board Members
The Brooklyn Community Foundation, the first and only public foundation solely dedicated to Brooklyn, has appointed three new members to its Board of Directors: Timothy Simons, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Forethrough Advisors, LLC., Shaheen Rushd, Former Litigation Attorney at Pomerantz Haudek Block Grossman, and Vishal Sheth, Partner and Co-Head of Global FIG at Apollo.
“We feel so fortunate to announce that these three remarkable leaders will be joining our Board of Directors and sharing their expertise with us,” said Board of Directors Co-Chairs at Brooklyn Community Foundation Nicole Gueron and Harsha Marti. “They have been visionaries in current and past positions, and we are confident that they will uphold the Foundation’s commitment to social justice in Brooklyn and beyond.”
“When I think about the future of the Brooklyn Community Foundation, it is evident to me just how much this future is dependent upon our Board of Directors,” said Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, President and CEO of the Brooklyn Community Foundation. “And with the addition of these three members, I know that our vision for this Foundation will be possible.”
About the new members:
Timothy “Tim” Simons, is a seasoned executive and co-founder of Forethought Advisors, LLC. With over 20 years of experience in corporate and government relations, he has become a trusted advisor in driving policy and regulatory change for his clients. Tim has built a national network of organizations willing to engage and make their voices heard on critical national policy issues.
Tim has a talent for crafting and implementing legislative and regulatory strategies that yield results. His leadership was evident during his tenure as Vice President and Senior Compliance Officer of the Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Unit at the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBSF). Collaborating with Congresswoman Maxine Waters and the Congressional Black Caucus, he was instrumental in the design and legislative creation of the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion in both HERA and Dodd-Frank legislations.
Tim’s commitment to expanding access to capital for historically disadvantaged communities has had a transformative impact. Through his visionary work, he spearheaded the creation of a groundbreaking $100 million Donor Advised Impact Investment Fund at FHLBSF, the Quality Jobs Fund. This initiative aimed to cultivate quality job growth, laying the foundation for a brighter future for the Bank’s customer base. His efforts garnered well-deserved recognition
from community groups and Congressional members.
Beyond his legislative and regulatory affairs expertise, Tim has a strong financial and operational compliance background cultivated at KPMG and Cable & Wireless, where he led financial and operational audits in the US, Caribbean, and Latin America.
Tim has an MBA from the University of Maryland and an undergraduate degree in Accounting from Hampton University. He is known for his commitment to the Brooklyn community and has held leadership positions at several organizations, including the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation and the Weeksville Heritage Center. While Tim and his wife, Nicholle, proudly reside in Washington, DC, they hold a deep connection to their hometown of Brooklyn, NY.
Shaheen Rushd was born in Chittagong, Pakistan (now Bangladesh), and came to the United States in 1970 when her father was stationed in Washington, D.C., as a diplomat. When her parents returned to the newly independent Bangladesh, Shaheen remained in the United States to complete high school and went on to attend Kalamazoo College in Michigan (magna cum laude) and New York Law School in Manhattan (summa cum laude). For almost thirty years – twenty years as a partner – Shaheen practiced at Pomerantz Haudek Block Grossman and Gross (now Pomerantz LLP), a Manhattan law firm that specializes in securities litigation. Upon retirement, she became involved in local social justice organizations and in the Democratic Party (served as an elected member of the Kings County Democratic County Committee). She is on the board of directors of Sakhi for South Asian Women, a nonprofit which works with survivors of domestic violence in the South Asian diaspora in NYC. Previously, she served on the board of trustees of Kalamazoo College; the board of directors of New York Appleseed; the Advisory Committee of Muslims in Brooklyn Project for the Brooklyn Historical Society (now Center for Brooklyn History); and the New York Advisory Committee for Human Rights Watch. She was a member of the inaugural Spark Prize Committee. Shaheen is bilingual (English and Bangla). Shaheen has lived in Brooklyn since 1981.
Vishal Sheth is Partner and Co-Head of Global FIG at Apollo, with focus on financial services and insurance-related opportunities. Vishal is also a member of the Firm’s Leadership Team. He currently serves on the board of directors of Venerable Holdings and ACRA. Prior to joining Apollo in 2018, Vishal was Managing Director in the Financial Institutions Group at Barclays, and a corporate lawyer in the Financial Institutions Group at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom before that. Vishal graduated magna cum laude from the Honors Program at the Stern School of Business at New York University with a BS degree in Finance and Economics. He received his JD from New York University School of Law where he served as a Staff Editor on the Review of Law and Social Change. Vishal resides in Cobble Hill with his wife and two sons.
About Brooklyn Community Foundation
Brooklyn Community Foundation is on a mission to spark lasting social change, mobilizing people, capital, and expertise for a fair and just Brooklyn. It is the first and only public foundation solely dedicated to Brooklyn’s charitable community, working in partnership with generous donors and community leaders to advance racial justice and bolster vital nonprofits. Since its founding in 2009, the Foundation and its donors have provided over $90 million in grants to nonprofits in Brooklyn and beyond. Learn more at www.BrooklynCommunityFoundation.org.