Board Bios

President and Director
Todd A. Schmidt
US Army

U. S. Army Major Todd Schmidt is a native of Greenwood, Indiana. Upon graduating from Indiana University, he served in the Indiana Governor's Fellowship program. Todd is an active duty officer that has served in units across the United States and around the world, most recently Afghanistan. He currently works and lives in the Washington DC area, where he has completed a master's degree in policy management at Georgetown University. He is a Bronze Star recipient, a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, winner of the 2007 Microsoft / USO "Above and Beyond" award, and his award winning professional writings have been published in several military publications, most recently "US National Security Policy: Framing an Authentic Preemptive Strategy in the 21st Century" in the Military Review. Todd gives motivational speeches and lectures to undergraduate and graduate college classes on his military service and non-profit work, and he is currently co-authoring a book he hopes to have published on the power of small non-profit organizations and the changing nature of public service.

Director
Constance A. Fratianni
New York, New York

Connie Fratianni is a partner with the law firm Shearman & Sterling in New York City. As a partner in the Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group she regularly represents creditors in out-of-court loan workouts, Chapter 11 bankruptcy and lenders and borrowers in various financings. Her particular emphasis is on acquisition financings. She is also the firm's Personnel Partner, managing over 1,000 lawyers in 19 offices worldwide. Connie is a graduate of Hoftsra University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and American Literature as well as the University of Michigan School of Law.

She is the mother of Michael, Alexandra, Matthew and Amanda--her greatest accomplishment. She has served on the boards of local community organizations, and is very active as a Junior Girl Scout Leader, Brownie Girl Scout Leader and Cub Scout Leader.

Director
Gerlinde Gautrey
Topanga, California

Gerlinde Gautrey grew up in Germany. After graduating with a degree in Hotel Management from Hotelfachschule Villingen and Hotel Walderholungsheim Degerloch she moved to the United States to train with an American company. She lives with her husband David and a handful of animals in the Santa Monica Mountain community of Topanga Canyon. Gerlinde is an Associate Financial Advisor in Beverly Hills, CA.

Her most important 'job' has been raising her two boys, Brian and Kevin. As a Cub Scout den mother, Booster Club and PTA member and Town Council VP, she has been an active part of the community. In her free time she likes to read, hike, ski, needlepoint and cultivate her garden.

Director
Chérie Schaible
New York, New York

Chérie Schaible is a corporate lawyer specializing in finance and restructuring. She practiced at Shearman & Sterling LLP for five and a half years and recently accepted a position as a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at AIG Global Investment Group. She earned her L.L.B. with honors from Bond University in Australia, where she was a member of the water polo team, and her L.L.M. from NYU School of Law. Chérie is admitted to the New York bar. She has also volunteered in the Office of Prosecution for the United Nations International War Crimes Tribunal for Rwanda.

Chérie and her husband Damian live in New York City. For the past several years, she and her husband have been involved in leading the youth group at their church. She enjoys traveling, skiing, water skiing and scuba diving.

Treasurer
John Roub
Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin

U.S. Army Major John Roub hales from Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. John served in Operation Desert Storm as an enlisted soldier before returning home to receive a business degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a commission as a U.S. Army Officer. Some of John’s assignments include commander of the Army finance operation for the Stuttgart, Germany U.S. Military Community where he also served as treasurer for the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) - Stuttgart Chapter. John has also served in Iraq where he saw first hand how uplifting it can be to provide basic necessities for kids in war torn and underdeveloped countries.

John currently works in the Washington DC area where he received his MBA from Georgetown University. He spends most his free time enjoying his family: wife Lisa and daughters Abby, Madalyne, and Sophie.

Executive Director
Daya Christian Watkins
Houston, Texas

Daya Watkins is a teacher in the Klein Independent School District in Houston, Texas. She is a graduate of Sam Houston State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching degree in History, Composite Social Studies and Recreational Physical Education. Prior to teaching public school Daya was a gymnastics coach for both Karolyi's and Capital Gymnastics National Olympic Training Centers. As a member of the Texas Association of Student Councils, she teaches leadership workshops to students from all over the state.

Daya has served on the State Board of the Texas Association of Student Councils and Secondary School Principals, is a Girl Scout leader and most of all, a mom. She and her husband, Anthony, are the parents of a beautiful daughter, Olivia.

Vice President
Ryan Nielsen
Raleigh, North Carolina

Ryan Nielson is a native of Rhinebeck, New York. He attended the University of Pennsylvania where he received a Bachelor of Arts in political science. Upon graduation he was commissioned into the U.S. Army. Previous assignments include Ft. Bragg and the 82nd Airborne, Delaware National Guard, Pope Air Force Base, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is currently a captain in the U.S. Amy Reserves. He and his wife, Elizabeth, reside in Raleigh where he is an assistant portfolio manager for BB&T Asset Management.

Secretary
Cyndi Purvis Gonzalez
San Benito, Texas

Cyndi Purvis Gonzalez is currently a personal banker for Frost Bank of Texas and has worked in banking and lending for 16 years. Prior to her career in banking Cyndi was a professional ballerina with Compania National de Danza in Mexico City. She later worked for Capital Gymnastics National Olympic Training Center in Austin, TX for 10 years where she taught ballet and gymnastics, coached their "Show Team" and their " International Competitive Team". After her marriage to her longtime best friend, Cyndi returned to South Texas where she began her current career. She and her husband, Frank, have one wonderful son, Frank-Ryan.

Cyndi's experiences have led her to love working with children. She devotes countless hours to her church and serves as a financial advisor to the board.

Alex Shoor

As Operation Dreamseed's Communications Officer, Alex Shoor handles media and communications for the organization. Alex specializes in media relations, communications strategy, media training and interview preparation, grassroots media activism and message development.

Alex has done communications and media work for the City of New York, as an Account Executive at Fenton Communications, as the Southern Media Field Strategist for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and on Capitol Hill. He has also worked on numerous political campaigns, including a US Senate race in 2004 and the presidential campaign of 2000. Alex graduated from Vanderbilt University, where he majored in political science with minors in African American studies and philosophy. Alex lives in New York City near his awesome brother, Matt. His two wonderful parents and younger brother Fordy still live in the town near San Jose, California, where Alex was raised.