Board of Directors

Derrick H. Lewis
CHAIR
Senior Vice President, Liberty Mutual

“The Bronx is not only my home, having been born and raised in The Bronx, but The Bronx is a borough I consider a place of great strength and opportunity. I consider myself a product of Bronx philanthropy. Co-founding The Bronx Community Foundation allowed me to give back to a community that has given me so much.”

A proud New Yorker and Bronxite, Derrick H. Lewis is an energetic and passionate advisor and entrepreneur who has dedicated his career to empowering communities and driving inclusive growth. For more than fifteen years, he has advised early- and late-stage organizations on corporate and technology strategy, strategic planning, growth, risk management, and human capital.

Derrick is the co-founder of The Bronx Community Foundation—the first and only public community foundation solely dedicated to the Bronx, New York. The Foundation’s mission is to empower residents to reach their full potential, advance the borough’s well-being through community power, and make the Bronx a global destination. The Foundation’s approach is focused on scalability, multi-generational sustainability, resilience, and wealth, always putting community needs first. The Bronx Community Foundation’s work has been recognized by outlets such as New York Daily News, CBS New York, Gothamist, News12 Bronx, The City, Bronx Times, and BronxNet. Its work centers on five strategic pillars: Community, Equity & Justice, Economic Security, Health, and Digital Equity.

An alumni of Boston College and Harvard Business School, Derrick has been recognized for his commitment to social impact and innovation in publications such as The Heights. He has shared his insights on community leadership and economic empowerment in conversations featured on BronxNet TV, the Boston College Alumni Network, and the Boston College Magazine Podcast.

Derrick’s work has also been profiled by organizations and initiatives that align with his mission to strengthen communities and expand opportunity. He has advised world-changing organizations including Walkabout Education, Birthright Africa, and the New York Social Diary. He has been featured as one of PoliticsNY’s Rising Power Players, and his leadership in civic engagement and philanthropy has been documented in the Bronx COVID-19 Oral History Project, Concordia, and the Fordham University Library archive.

Through his professional journey and community advocacy, Derrick continues to champion equity, innovation, and opportunity in the Bronx and beyond.

Connect:
LinkedIn

Raquel Thompson
SECRETARY / DEVELOPMENT CHAIR
Chief Compliance Officer & Regulatory Counsel, Christofferson Robb & Company

Raquel Thompson is Chief Compliance Officer and Regulatory Counsel of Christofferson, Robb & Company LLC a hedge fund specializing in private credit investing through Significant Risk Transfer (SRT) transactions.

For 12.5 years, she was with Alphadyne Asset Management, a global hedge fund focused on global macro and fixed income relative value investing strategies, rising to the position of General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer overseeing the legal and compliance function. Prior to Alphadyne, she was a Legal and Compliance Associate at Larch Lane Advisors, a fund of funds. She has a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law (2010) and a B.A. from Barnard College of Columbia University (2007).

Desmon Lewis
TREASURER
Enterprise Sales Manager, Adyen

“The Bronx to me means strength, resilience, diversity and family. The Bronx is a community that is always evolving, but somehow we always stay the same and true to who we are.”

Desmon Lewis is a proud Bronxite, entrepreneur, finance and technology professional, and non-profit advocate dedicated to driving economic empowerment and equity through technology and innovation. For more than fifteen years, he has helped redefine the next generation of transformative impact by leveraging digital transformation and financial technology to uplift underserved and underrepresented communities. Desmon is the co-founder of The Bronx Community Foundation, the first and only public community foundation solely dedicated to the Bronx, New York. The Foundation’s mission is to empower residents to reach their full potential, advance the borough’s well-being through community power, and make the Bronx a global destination. Deeply shaped by the grit and resilience of his South Bronx upbringing, Desmon saw firsthand how the local non-profit community supported his family and inspired their lifelong commitment to service. The Bronx Community Foundation’s work has been recognized by New York Daily News, CBS New York, Gothamist, News12 Bronx, The City, Bronx Times and BronxNet, among other outlets. The Foundation’s approach is focused on scalability, multi-generational sustainability, resilience, and wealth, always putting community needs first. Its work centers on five strategic pillars: Community, Equity & Justice, Economic Security, Health and Digital Equity. Desmon’s work and the mission of The Bronx Community Foundation have been highlighted by organizations and initiatives such as the Robin Hood Foundation. His commitment to advancing opportunity for all has also been featured by The Bronx Times, highlighting his work at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and social impact. Desmon’s leadership and impact have been recognized across New York and beyond. He has been featured as one of PoliticsNY’s Rising Power Players and profiled in publications such as The Heights, New York Social Diary, and the Bronx Free Press. Desmon has appeared on podcasts and interviews on Boston College Magazine Podcast, PayPod and YouthServe NYC, among others, sharing stories of innovation and resilience in the borough. Desmon is a graduate of Boston College, The Carroll School of Management. Through his professional journey and philanthropic leadership, he continues to champion innovation, equity, and opportunity in the Bronx and beyond.

Connect: LinkedIn

German Soto Sanchez
MEMBER / FINANCE CHAIR
Senior VP, Corporate Strategy, Broadridge Financial Solution

Germán A. Soto Sanchez is the Chief Product and Strategy Officer and a member of the Executive Leadership Team for Broadridge Financial Solutions. Germán is a proven problem solver who leads all enterprise product functions including product operations, enterprise platforms, AI, Digital Assets and Innovation and is also responsible for enterprise-wide strategic planning along with the management and execution of key strategic initiatives. Prior to Broadridge, Germán was the President of Cloud9 Technologies, led Utilities strategic investments for JPMorgan Chase and worked at McKinsey & Co. Inc. Germán received an MBA from Stanford GSB and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT.

Robert McCarthy
MEMBER
Partner, Dentons

Bob McCarthy is a partner in the Capital Markets Practice Group of the global law firm Dentons where he advises large financial institutions in connection with the acquisition, sale and financing of assets. Together with his colleagues, he has also represented a number of entities on a pro bono basis. Bob is a member of the Policy & Planning Board at Dentons and previously served as Managing Partner of Dentons’ New York office. Prior to joining Dentons, Bob was a partner in the law firm Thacher Proffitt & Wood, where he served on the Firm’s Executive Committee.

Bob is the Vice Chair, and a member of the Board of Trustees, of The Africa-America Institute, a premiere US international organization dedicated to increasing educational opportunity for young Africans and improving global understanding of Africa. He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of America Media which publishes America Magazine, a Jesuit publication and which provides a multimedia forum for discussion of religion, society, politics and culture from a Catholic perspective. He is a deacon in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York and currently serves the people of the Church of Saint Anne in Garden City, N.Y.

Bob received a B.A. in Political and Social Thought from the University of Virginia, and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He earned an M.A. in Pastoral Studies from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception. He is married to Mary Jean McCarthy, a Clinical Associate Professor of Education at Adelphi University and they have four grown children.

Bryan Woo
MEMBER
Director of Acquisitions, Youngwoo & Associates

Bryan Woo is President of Youngwoo & Associates, a New York-based real estate development firm with a 40-plus year track record of identifying hidden value in niche markets and property types. In this role, he leads the company’s acquisition strategy and financing across a portfolio that spans more than 8 million square feet of developed property. Youngwoo & Associates has been recognized by The New York Times, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal for its bold, design-forward approach to real estate development, with landmark projects including the Sky Garage and Google at Pier 57 in Manhattan.

Prior to his current role, Bryan was based in Seoul, where he worked in the Principal Investment Division at Mirae Asset Securities, gaining deep experience in capital markets across Asian financial institutions. Earlier in his career, he served as an analyst on the securities team at NorthStar Realty Finance Corporation (NRFC). Bryan holds a B.A. in Economics and Psychology from Amherst College, and has since earned a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from New York University.