Shaun Lynda - chair & co-Founder
Shaun started out from humble beginnings, raised by a single mom and his sister in government housing. A very focused, determined young man, he exceled in sports and academics. He always had big dreams and with that discovered his entrepreneurial spirit very early in life. Promoting parties all through university at night and working as a bank teller by day, Shaun graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and Finance. He later went on to work on Wall Street for Chase Manhattan Bank, Paine Webber and American Express before branching out on his own in 2002 to launch his online business, NicNatDirect.com, and flip real estate property in Brooklyn.
The concept of CLEAN was born in 2006 out of Shaun's desire to pass on the knowledge that he had gained over his career to the next generation, especially those less fortunate.
The program was piloted in 2013 at Brownsville High School, located in a tough neighbourhood in Brooklyn, NY, with an overwhelmingly positive response from students, parents and teachers. That's when Shaun knew he was onto something good and it was time to spread the message to the masses.
Dionne Nicholls - Co-Founder & Program Director
From a very young age, Dionne knew that she wanted to be a business woman. As a young girl, she was inspired by high-powered, female New Yorkers from 80's sitcoms, like Claire Huxtable, a Lawyer on the infamous Cosby Show, and Angela Bower, an Advertising Executive onWho's the Boss. However, Dionne's passion was for fashion. Watching her single mother work two jobs to provide for her 4 children, Dionne was not afraid to roll up her sleeves to pursue her dream.
Dionne had reached a point in her life where she knew she wanted to get involved with a project helping children and spend more time with her son. When she was approached to spearhead the Financially CLEAN project in 2015, she had found her calling. The opportunity to empower youth through financial literacy and have a positive impact not only on their lives but those of their families and communities for generations resonated with her instantly.
Dionne is excited to embark on this next chapter with her sights on taking CLEAN global, one young mind at a time.
Board of Directors
Annmarie Rowe-Straker - Executive Board Member
Annmarie is a VP and Director at the Federal Reserve Bank of NY (FRBNY). In addition, Annmarie is the Leadership Advisor for the Black & Latina Women Network at the FRBNY. In her free time, Annmarie enjoys traveling, designing, handy work, and spending quality time with her family. Annmarie holds a Bachelor degree in Finance with a concentration in Math and a MBA from Pace University.
Jasmine Brown - Treasurer
Jasmine is a Senior Consultant in the Financial Services Risk Management practice of Ernst & Young LLP, and a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson at Nooklyn.com LLC. When she is not with her clients or volunteering, Jasmine is most likely on travel adventures with family and friends. Jasmine attended North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.
Larry Tang - Secretary
Larry is a Private Equity Analyst at StepStone Group, a global private markets firm. Larry was introduced to CLEAN via a pro-bono consulting project and eventually joined the team with Prath following the conclusion of the project. Outside of CLEAN, work, and other volunteering initiatives, Larry enjoys the culinary arts, hockey, and the bass guitar in his spare time. Larry graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Economics.
Prath Reddy - Vice Chair
Prath is an Associate Director in the Debt Capital Markets group at UBS Investment Bank. In addition to CLEAN, Prath is dedicated to serving his community through a number of initiatives. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, movies, real estate and playing with his dog, Diego. Prath attended Northeastern University, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and is a CFA candidate.
