Board of trustees

James Ellsworth

Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, Unity Preparatory Charter School of Brooklyn

Jim is an entrepreneur and investor focused primarily on technology and life sciences.  Jim’s most recent venture, Braintrace, is a cybersecurity company, which was recently sold to Sophos.  Prior to Braintrace, Jim managed AIG Global Real Estate’s real estate funds business. Prior to AIG, Jim was a portfolio manager for Trust Company of the West where he managed emerging markets real estate and special situation funds. He also worked in the New York office of Merrill Lynch’s Mergers and Acquisitions Group and was a Senior Consultant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions and cross-border transactions.  Jim received a BA and an MA from Brigham Young University and a MBA from Harvard University.  He currently serves on the boards of Okera and Redely.

Marion Leydier

Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, Unity Preparatory Charter School of Brooklyn

Marion C. Leydier is a partner at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. Marion received an MBA from ESSEC in Paris in 1997, a Maitrise from the Sorbonne in 2000, a DEA from the Sorbonne in 2001 and a JD from Columbia University School of Law in 2001.

Sal Siddiqui

Member of the Board of Trustees, Unity Preparatory Charter School of Brooklyn

Sal is the co-founder and principal of Philly Capital Group, a real estate development and investment firm with holdings throughout the Northeast. Sal’s roots with Unity date back to the school’s founding.  Previously, he served as President of the Associate Board and helped establish Unity’s volunteer-based Saturday Academy tutoring program, along with several ongoing annual fundraising affairs. Sal graduated from the University of Delaware where he received a BS in Chemical Engineering. He subsequently received his MBA in Finance and Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business.

Jeannette Bander

Member of the Board of Trustees, Unity Preparatory Charter School of Brooklyn

Jeannette Bander is a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.  She received her BS from Lehigh University in 2008 and a JD from Case Western Reserve University in 2011.  Jeannette has served on Unity’s Board since 2018.

Trudy Sandy

Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Unity Preparatory Charter School of Brooklyn

Trudy is a founding parent and long-time supporter of Unity.  She joined Unity’s board in 2018 and is an active member of the board’s Enrichment & Community Partnership Committee.  Trudy is a Quality Control Analyst with 1199SEIU National Benefit FUND and a Customer Care Associate with the New York City Center.  She majored in Administration of Justice at Penn State University.

Lenny Singletary III

Member of the Board of Trustees, Unity Preparatory Charter School of Brooklyn

Lenny serves as the Senior Vice President of External Affairs, Strategy & Marketing of The Brooklyn Hospital Center.  He holds a BA from Drexel University.  In addition to Unity, Lenny serves on the boards of Bishop Loughlin School and Brooklyn Academy of Music.  He also serves as Chairperson of Brooklyn’s Community Board 2.