board of directors
Professionals Dedicated To Providing Education for Women
Lee H. Perlman founder & Treasurer
Lee H. Perlman is a lifelong New Yorker who has dedicated his career to serving others. From 1983 to 2020, Mr. Perlman was the driving force behind and longtime President of GNYHA Ventures, Inc., the for-profit business arm of the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA). As GNYHA Ventures President, Mr. Perlman oversaw a portfolio that included subsidiaries engaging in group purchasing, management outsourcing, and healthcare consulting. Mr. Perlman was responsible for the development of the companies created under GNYHA Ventures, many of which were ultimately purchased by a former business partner of GNYHA Ventures and now a large public organization. GNYHA Ventures sold its last two businesses in March 2020 when it concluded the sale of its last two companies to the national healthcare improvement company Premier, Inc. In total, GNYHA Ventures developed and sold four GNYHA Ventures companies under Mr. Perlman’s leadership.
Mr. Perlman continues his 40 years of service at GNYHA as President of GNYHA Management Corporation and GNYH Foundation, and Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative and Financial Officer of Greater New York Hospital Association. A leader in promoting diversity in health care leadership, Mr. Perlman founded the GNYHA Summer Enrichment Program, which has placed more than 350 diverse students in summer internships. In his targeted efforts to promote educational equity, leadership, and economic empowerment for low-income girls attending under-resourced public high schools, Mr. Perlman also founded Road to 120, a college access and leadership program in partnership with the YWCA.
Now in its sixth year, 100% of the participants attend competitive four-year colleges following high school graduation, and 100% of the alumni are on track to graduate from college on time. Mr. Perlman was also recently appointed Chairman of Friends of EverGreen Meadow Academy, Inc., a new state-of-the-art residential treatment center and school being built for middle-school girls recovering from trauma. A dedicated volunteer and philanthropist, Mr. Perlman devotes significant energy to non-profits related to health care, education, and the arts. In 2023, he received City and State’s Responsible 100 award, a selection of New Yorkers honored for their social responsibility and community involvement. He serves on the Boards of the Ronald McDonald House of New York, Musicians on Call, and New York City Tourism and Conventions (formerly NYC & Company), focusing on New York City Tourism. In 2022, he was appointed by Governor Hochul to be Chairman of the New York Convention Center Operating Corporation (Javits Center). He also serves as Chairman of the International Sports and Music Project, bringing sports and music opportunities to kids facing hardship across the globe, and previously served as Chairman of Live On NY, the New York metropolitan region’s organ procurement organization. Mr. Perlman is Board President of the Berkshire Theatre Group in Pittsfield (Massachusetts),Treasurer of The Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actor’s Fund), and Vice Chair and Compliance Officer of the American Theatre Wing. He has also served many Jewish philanthropic agencies, including, currently, as Treasurer of Common point and Chair of the Healthcare Executive Committee for the UJA Federation of New York. Mr. Perlman received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Binghamton University and his Master’s degree in Business Administration from Cornell University, where he is currently a distinguished lecturer in the Brooks School of Public Policy.
Dr. Linda Brady President
She is a psychiatrist with over thirty years of experience in healthcare leadership positions, having most recently served for nearly two decades as the President and CEO of Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, a large Brooklyn-based community teaching hospital and long-term care facility until her retirement from Kingsbrook.
She successfully guided the repositioning of the Medical Center to become a co-equal member of a newly formed safety-net healthcare system, One Brooklyn Health System, which, as a critical component of the New York State Governor’s $1.4 billion investment in the “Vital Brooklyn” initiative, was awarded $664 million in capital funding and ongoing operational support in recognition of its critical role to transform health care in the borough and as a bridge to future sustainability. Kingsbrook is slated to transform itself to become the innovative flagship “Medical Village” of the system.
In an environment of hospital closures across the State and nationally, Dr. Brady credits her achievements to her embrace and development of diverse multi-stakeholder collaborative partnerships and a team-based philosophy. This is coupled with her passionate mission-driven focus to continuously improve performance outcomes. Dr. Brady has a particular interest and experience in governance matters including board education.
Dr. Brady has served as a member and Chair of the non and for-profit Boards of the Healthcare Association of New York State and the Greater New York Hospital Association, as a member of various committees including executive, audit, and compensation. As a delegate of the American Hospital Association Regional Board, she testified before the Congressional Committee on Small Business. She has served on the Editorial Board of the Governance Institute. Dr. Brady is the co-founder, Board Chair and, President of TThe Road to 120-Education Equity for Young Women, Inc.
Following her retirement, Dr. Brady has served in various consulting capacities including strategic business consultant to the Healthcare Association of New York State. She is a member of the New York State Board of Professional Medical Conduct to protect public safety and is a Fellow of the National Federated State Medical Board.
Dr. Brady graduated from Barnard College, cum laude, received her medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine and psychiatric training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She is a board-certified psychiatrist.
Dr. Brady has received numerous awards and recognition from community-based organizations and elected officials and was included among Crain’s 50 Most Notable Women in Healthcare, 2018.
Chinyere Mba-Jonas Vice-President & Secretary
Chinyere Mba-Jonas, MPH is the Director of Endoscopy and the Center for Comprehensive Stroke Care at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York. She is responsible for overseeing operations of all Endoscopy Units for the three flagship hospitals within the Medical System in addition to Neuroscience services. Additionally, in this role, she is responsible for launching special initiatives for the office of the Senior Vice President, Operations. Special Projects include launching the System’s Lung Transplant Department and obtaining UNOS(United Network for Organ Sharing) and CMS certification. As a result, the Medical System has performed over 30 Lung Transplants within one year of operation. Additionally, Chinyere successfully launched and obtained Joint Commission Certification for the System’s Comprehensive Stroke Center. Chinyere received her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and holds a graduate degree from New York Medical College.
Melvin Galloway
Melvin J. Galloway is the Chief Operating Officer of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). His distinguished career has included executive-level positions in operations, administration, policy, and programs. His management philosophy promotes the ideal of connecting operations and shared services to an organization’s mission and strategic goals, and his leadership fosters an environment of experimentation and innovation that helps organizations continually learn and evolve. Moreover, he possesses a profoundly deep commitment to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into business processes.
Galloway was drawn to the Foundation by its focus on ensuring that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. He credits his mother’s lengthy career in social work at a food bank in Cincinnati—and the time he spent there in his younger years helping to provide nourishing food to people in need—with inspiring him to pursue a career in public service. He praises RWJF’s vision for a Culture of Health as a pathway to addressing the fundamental equity issues that he experienced and witnessed in his community.
As a strategic senior leader, he works to develop and implement a plan to assume oversight of Human Resources and Administration (including buildings/facilities and business/administrative services management), IT, and Finance. He is also responsible for operational crisis management and continuity of operations, including cybersecurity.
Galloway came to the Foundation with 15 years of operations, business management, and security experience. Previously, he served as the executive vice president and chief operating office for Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. In this role, he oversaw operations, business, and security functions and was responsible for ensuring that the national organization was set up to deliver on its important strategic goals.
Prior to joining Planned Parenthood, he served as the chief operations officer for the New York State Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, where he oversaw operations for a complex federally-funded U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) disaster recovery program. Galloway’s experience in disaster recovery also extends to his role as the assistant vice president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, where he managed affordable housing, business, and infrastructure HUD-funded recovery programs following the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Earlier in his career, Galloway held the position of associate director of operations at The Rockefeller Foundation, where he served as the deputy for the chief operating officer, overseeing shared services units across U.S. and international offices.
Galloway received his Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and International Studies from Miami University of Ohio and a Master’s in Public Administration and Finance from New York University. He is a former Fulbright Scholar who worked with a variety of civil society organizations in Venezuela.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Galloway now resides in Brooklyn, N.Y. He enjoys early morning fitness activities and what he calls “non aggressive hikes.”
Martha Kamber
Martha has over thirty-five years of nonprofit management experience and has worked extensively in the areas of women’s empowerment, gender-based violence prevention, health, education, and advocacy. She holds advanced certificates in executive nonprofit leadership from the Harvard Business School and Columbia University as well as a master’s degree in education from Brooklyn College. Martha is on the board of directors of the YWCA World Service Council, The Road to 120: Education Equity for Young Women, the National Association of YWCA Executives, and the Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District. She is also the former Vice President of UN Women, New York Metro Chapter, and a Community Board 7 member. Martha is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including the 2018 Public Service Award from the Brooklyn Borough President, the Shirley Chisholm Woman of Distinction Award from the NY City Council, and the 2019 Ambassador Award from the Atlantic Local Development Corporation. Martha lives in Sunset Park, Brooklyn where she is active in various neighborhood initiatives.
Sahar Zodeh
Sahar Zodeh is the Vice President of Market Operations for Lumeris, Inc. She is responsible for leading healthcare organizations in their transformation from fee-for-service to value-based care by aligning providers and payers across populations with technologies, processes, and data to achieve high-quality, cost-effective care. Prior to joining Lumeris, Sahar worked as the Senior Assistant Vice President of Operations for NYC Health+Hospitals, the city's public hospital system, and has deep experience leading private and public health enterprises to build and implement systems that prioritize growth through innovation and consensus-building. Sahar also serves as the President of the MBOC Cooperative Board.
Sahar received her Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).