The Jay Heritage Center is proud to welcome two new Board trustees and two new Advisory Board members.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Katherine Ernest brings her experience and understanding of corporate connectivity and volunteerism to her new role as a trustee at JHC. She has been to many JHC events over the years and is especially drawn to the programming and education aspects of our institution. As of May 2024, Katherine serves as Industry Manager/Director at Walmart Connect, the omni-channel marketing and media division of Walmart. In this role, she is responsible for driving customer-centric marketing solutions. Katherine leads a revenue-generating advertising sales team and collaborates with brands to create impactful, valuable shopping experiences that resonate with consumers.
Prior to her role at Walmart, Katherine was Vice President of U.S. Media and Digital Marketing at Mastercard, where she focused on enhancing the brand’s perception and leveraging passion-based marketing to drive consumer engagement. Her career spans over a decade in sales and marketing leadership, with notable positions at Yahoo and Amazon. She began her career in the global advertising department at American Express, bringing a deep understanding of the media landscape and the complexities of reaching consumers across multiple channels.
Katherine’s entry into media was serendipitous, stemming from her first job working part-time at a Dallas-based restaurant company. Her diverse experience in both media and brand strategy has equipped her with a unique perspective on marketing innovation.
Outside of her professional endeavors, Katherine enjoys playing tennis, cooking, and hosting friends. She values time spent with her two boys, who are her greatest source of joy.
Johanna Leech Schwab grew up in Westchester County and moved to Rye in 1987. She received a BA from Haverford College and while she eventually left Rye for work in NYC and London, and marriage, she regularly returns to her family’s home in Rye and enjoys activities like paddleboarding, hiking, golf, tennis and swimming offered by Rye’s many cultural and natural resources.
Johanna has over 30 years of experience in financial services, international regulatory engagement and policy work. She is currently a Program Director at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (the “NY Fed”) supporting the mission for a safe and sound U.S. financial system by supervising financial institutions. During her 15+ year tenure at the NY Fed, she has held a range of leadership roles promoting better risk management practices in the financial markets and supporting global regulatory coordination.
Johanna’s first-hand experience of building a culture and the capabilities needed to keep pace with change e.g. through collaborative problem-solving, innovation, and continuous reinvention will be an invaluable asset to JHC as our nonprofit grows. She was a pioneer in the innovation space spearheading various initiatives and establishing strategic partnerships relating to emerging technologies. She is known for being a trailblazer at the NY Fed in designing and implementing staff mentoring, career development and leadership programs leveraging innovative approaches. Her proudest achievements were launching programs for intentional networking through staff externships; career management using design thinking; and empowering virtual leaders during the pandemic.
She has a Certificate in Garden Design from the English Gardening School, is SCUBA certified and holds a CT state boating license. She has a personal interest in the Spanish language and Colombian culture and cuisine; modern architecture and interior design, and photography. She has been a volunteer in the Jay Estate Gardens since 2021.
ADVISORY BOARD
Liz Alessi has been in the fashion world as a supply chain executive for over 20 years, beginning at Limited Brands, then Coach, Mark Jacobs, and Tapestry, during the acquisition of Kate Spade and Stewart Weitzman.
During her time as VP of Sourcing at Tapestry, she was a member of the Operations Executive Leadership team and oversaw all materials from concept of production and an international team of developers. Under her management, the Coach Repairs Department launched the ReLoved program which has become a model for revenue driving incremental sales using obsolete merchandise. As a founding member of the Coachtopia team, she managed materials and circular solutions.
In 2021, she began her own consultancy, firm, fed by her passion for sustainability. Her firm now studies and applies innovative materials to product development through disruptive supply chain models with a focus on circularity and sustainability across all fashion product categories. Through a circularity lens, she advises brands and innovators on environmentally, preferred design choices, extending a product’s lifespan and end of life solutions. In the startup world, she works on R&D, business development and supply chain to bring innovations to market. Liz is a sought after public speaker and an advocate for regenerative land management practices.
Liz studied bassoon performance at The Eastman School of Music as well as the Manhattan School of Music with continued education at Cambridge University. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her daughter and performs with the Camerata Notturna Orchestra. She is a descendant of John Jay’s nephew, lawyer and anti-slavery advocate Peter Jay Munro and a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Fort Greene Chapter, Brooklyn, New York.
Carol Smith-Ubosi is a lifelong educator and member of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. For many years, she taught English as a Second Language in Maryland and is an advocate of teaching children about their heritage. She has co-authored and published several articles about researching her family history in American Ancestors Magazine. Her work was also published by the Norfolk Historical Society in Connecticut. Carol’s mother was a historian and active in Westchester’s Afro-American Cultural Foundation.
Born in Westchester, Carol currently resides in Maryland but has been an active supporter of the Jay Heritage Center since 2011 making frequent visits. Her donation of an original manumission document and 19th century ledgers to our collection have helped expand the community’s knowledge of Black history in the Sound Shore area. Together with fellow members of the Friends of the African American Cemetery in Rye and other nonprofit, she served on the Westchester County African American 400th Commemoration Committee and helped curate the 2019 “Preserving African American Heritage in Westchester” exhibit.
Most recently, Carol helped spearhead the creation of the Purdy-Bell Fellowship at JHC. This opportunity will allow a high school student to immerse themselves in archival research and study of primary documents related to local 19th century Black history so as to bring to life the real voices of the people whose resilience and contributions made our community what it is today. The fellowship is co-sponsored by the African American Men of Westchester.
In addition to her passion for genealogy, Carol also loves gardening and volunteering her time with a community chapter of Altrusa International, an organization that creates global connections and promotes cultural understanding.