Supporters + board members

Nancy Poses

Chair of the board and secretary

Ms. Poses is currently vice chairman for the Whitney Museum. She has dedicated her life to shaping the world for difference. Ms. Poses is co-founder of Understood and has been instrumental in the development and launch of Understood. Prior to that, she played an active role with the National Center for Learning Disabilities for 15 years. Ms. Poses is also the driving force behind the Poses Family Foundation, which focuses on initiatives related to learning and thinking differences, education, literacy, and assistive technology. She serves on the board of trustees at the Riverview School, where her son Max graduated. She is a member of the board of directors at PASE (Partnership for Afterschool Education) and at the Drawing Center. She holds an EdM in counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Laurie Siegel

Ms. Siegel serves as the president of LAS Advisory Services to develop and execute high performance organizational structures, teams and reward systems. Ms. Siegel has served as a business and human resources consultant since 2012 after retiring from Tyco International Ltd., where she served as chief human resources officer. She has also held executive positions with Honeywell International Inc. and Avon Products and was a principal of Strategic Compensation Associates.

Mary Beth Gustafsson

Ms. Gustafsson is senior vice president and business advisor at ITT. She joined ITT in 2014 to serve as senior vice president, general counsel of ITT. Ms. Gustafsson previously served as general counsel and secretary and chief compliance officer for First Solar. Ms. Gustafsson formerly held senior legal leadership positions at Trane Inc. (formerly American Standard Companies Inc.), including general counsel and secretary, as well as at Honeywell International Inc. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in English literature from Boston University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan.

Kenneth deRegt

Mr. deRegt joined Neuberger Berman in 2018, where he serves as the COO for Fixed Income and Manager of Issuer. Prior to this work, Mr. deRegt was the managing director and the global head of Fixed Income Sales and Trading of Morgan Stanley, and served on its management committee. Mr. deRegt rejoined Morgan Stanley in February 2008 from Aetos Capital, where he was a managing director. He serves on the board of directors of Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), Inc. and KKR Financial. Mr. deRegt is also a member of the advisory board of the Freeman-Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University and the former board chair for the Eagle Hill School. He holds a BA in economics from Stanford University.

Mary Quick

Ms. Quick is a philanthropist dedicated to child education and welfare. Her efforts are focused towards organizations that support and cultivate the needs of underprivileged and disabled children by placing them in equal-opportunity environments. Through her participation on multiple boards, Ms. Quick has been influential in helping children with learning disabilities succeed at school, at home and in the community. As a board member, she helps to establish policies, oversee practices for internal operations, hire and evaluate officers, and ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards. Ms. Quick will, along with the rest of the board, serve as a steward of the financial and reputational assets of Understood, and with governing in a manner that is consistent its mission and charitable purpose.

Justin Gray

Mr. Gray is the president and CEO of Gray Global Advisors LLC (GGA), a full-service business advisory firm that specializes in the strategic implementation of government affairs and business consulting services for public and private corporations, foreign governments, educational institutions, trade associations, foundations, and nonprofits. He leads the operations of the firm’s numerous practice areas and is responsible for the management of the Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Gray also serves as chairman of the board of trustees for Riverview School in East Sandwich, MA, a co-educational residential school for children with complex learning and cognitive disabilities.

Michael Kosnitzky

Mike Kosnitzky, co-leader of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman’s Private Client & Family Office practice, advises some of the world’s most well-respected individuals, families and privately held businesses, using a holistic risk-assessment approach to the law. Pillsbury is a 153-year-old international law firm with nineteen offices around the world, including in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Austin, Houston, Miami, Palm Beach, London, Beijing, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.  Mike focuses his practice on structuring family offices, federal tax law, estate and trust planning, family foundations and charitable giving, structuring private aircraft ownership, art and collectibles matters, legacy real estate planning, and other legal matters of interest to the wealthy.

Jake Poses

Treasurer of the board

Jacob Poses has created, counseled, and led teams at some of the world’s most promising emerging digital products. He is currently the director of product at LinkedIn, where he drives the video, creator, and events experience. Previously, Mr. Poses was co-founder and CEO of Jumprope, a place where passionate and knowledgeable makers are able to create and share step-by-step videos on topics ranging from cooking to fitness, beauty and more. Additionally, Mr. Poses was on the executive team and acted as VP of product for Thumbtack where he was responsible for customer experience, growth and monetization, and helped take the company to a $1.25B valuation though five rounds of funding. He has received his education from Duke University and Stanford University.