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Our dedicated board of industry-leaders guides Building Hope by bringing business expertise and the non-profit mission together to positively impact the lives of charter school students nationwide
Our Vision
Our vision is to create deep educational impacts in the communities we serve as the leader in charter school financing, real estate development, and operational services.
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower charter schools to create sustainable advancements in education by providing unparalleled facility financing, real estate development, and operational services, so that schools can devote more resources to educating students with an emphasis in underserved communities.
As a non-profit organization formed for public, charitable purposes and regulated by the Internal Revenue Service, Building Hope operates transparently and regularly discloses our activities and results achieved for the communities we serve.
We file a Form 990 federal tax document each year and produce reports that detail information about our mission, impact, finances, operations, and compliance with applicable tax law and regulation. For any questions, please contact Lance Helming.
Sheila Ryan-Macie (Chair), Jennie Niles, and Bill Quinby.
This committee monitors employee compensation and has engaged a third-party contractor to ensure that compensation is consistent with other non-profit organizations that operate in similar industries. This committee also provides guidance on employee policies, board structure and governance, and systems and processes for the company’s operations.
Steve Hauber (Chair), Joe Fisher, Marianne Keler, and Sheila Ryan-Macie – Ex officio.
This committee oversees and approves the annual audit process, as well as the quarterly financials of the company and all subsidiaries.
Fernando Barrueta (Chair), Bill Quinby (Vice Chair), Sandy Buchko, Joe Fisher, Hugh Jarrett, Bob Marshall, Jeff Siegal, and Sheila Ryan-Macie – Ex officio.
This committee reviews and recommends for approval, all real estate development investments and loan transactions based on board approved investment policies.
For more information about how Building Hope can help your charter school succeed, or to find out how to invest in the mission, please fill out the short form below.
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Sheila Ryan-Macie
Board Chair
Sheila Ryan-Macie is Chair of the Board of Directors at Building Hope, serves as Chair of its Governance and Compensation Committee and a guiding force in the organization. She brings years of experience as former SVP and Chief of Staff for Navient, leading the company’s public relations, government relations, and corporate marketing activities and working closely with the company’s president on strategic initiatives and growth priorities for the company. She held executive roles at Sallie Mae and Nellie Mae and was a leading spokesperson on education policy and servicing operations over the course of her career.
Fernando Barrueta
Vice Chair
Fern Barrueta is Vice-Chair of the Board and Chair of the Investment Committee at Building Hope. He is Executive Vice President of the D.C. office of Colliers International, the third largest global commercial real estate firm. Fern provides expertise in acquiring, building, financing, renovating, and leasing charter schools. He founded Barrueta and Associates, the largest Hispanic-owned commercial real estate firm in the U.S. He was CEO for the Hispanic College Fund, and a board member for the Latino Student Fund.
Sandra Buchko
Director
Sandra Buchko, serves on the Investment Committee, and is an attorney with Shapiro, Lifschitz & Schram, and has built her career on advising public and private corporate and non-profit clients on highly complex real estate transactions. She has represented landlord and tenants in legal matters in five different countries. Sandra was appointed to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as counsel to the contracting and risk management unit, during a US financial crisis, and received numerous awards for her negotiating skills.
Joe Fisher
Director
Joe Fisher delivers a history of proven success to Building Hope’s Audit and Finance and Investment Committees. He was promoted to Chief Financial Officer at Navient in 2020 after spending six years in the company’s investor relations department where he was responsible for leading the company’s engagement with its equity and debt investors as well as the identification, evaluation, and execution of strategic business opportunities through acquisitions, strategic partnerships, new business initiatives and divestitures. Prior to Navient, Joe was the Managing Director of Investor Relations at Sallie Mae.
Steve Hauber
Director
Steve Hauber is Chair of the Building Hope Audit and Finance Committee. He is Executive Vice President and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer at Navient where he leads the company’s enterprise risk management, regulatory compliance, credit risk management, real estate, and asset protection functions. Steve was previously Navient’s Senior Vice President and Chief Audit Officer in charge of internal audit programs. Prior to Navient, he held several audit and risk management roles at Sallie Mae, Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen.
Hugh Jarrett
Director
Hugh Jarrett serves on Building Hope’s Investment Committee. He brings a valuable perspective to Building Hope’s Board of Directors from his experience as CEO of Central Charter School. The school addressed the academic and social needs of at-risk students in Fort Lauderdale. He is the CEO/President of Assistance Unlimited where he has responsibility for all school operations. Hugh also owns Jarrett Consulting, which provides marketing services to clients from start-up businesses to large corporations.
Bob Marshall
Director
Bob Marshall serves on Building Hope’s Investment Committee. He has a wealth of success at all levels of banking, including his current position as National Business Development Executive with Wells Fargo. He is a member of the Board of Regents at Boston College and the Board of Trustees at Livingstone College. The Washington Business Journal chose him as one of its 2017 Minority Business Leaders and he was the featured speaker at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Executive Speakers Series.
Jennie Niles
Director
Jennie Niles serves on Governance and Compensation Committee of the Board and draws upon a wealth of hands-on experience to help Building Hope’s Board of Directors. She is the President and CEO of CityWorks DC, the outcome of her research and design project as a Senior Fellow at CityBridge Education, an entrepreneurial venture that aims to reshape education-to-employment pathways in Washington, DC to help young people pursue family-sustaining careers. She was the founder and leader of the prestigious E.L. Haynes Public Charter School and served as Washington D.C.’s Deputy Mayor for Education.
William Quinby
Director
Bill Quinby contributes his background in architecture, development, and project financing to the Building Hope Board of Directors serving on both the Investment and Governance and Compensation committees. He is Vice Chairman at Savills US , one of the major real estate players in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Bill has done strategic and site planning, workplace strategy, architecture, contract analysis and lease negotiation on more than 34 million square feet of development, including more than 20 build-to-suit projects.
Jeff Siegal
Director
Jeff Siegal offers a wide range of experiences to Building Hope’s Board of Directors and is a member of the Investment Committee. Jeff served as a Captain in the United States Air Force and earned an MBA from Harvard University. Jeff was a founder of Matalmark Capital, a company that managed funds with committed capital of $7 billion. He was also a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and a senior investment professional at Castle Harlan, managing funds in excess of $1 billion. Jeff is also a Director of The McChrystal Group.
Thank you for trusting Building Hope with your community’s unique needs. We are excited to learn more about your charter school project and how we can partner to create opportunities for children.