Board of Advisors

Peter Abeles

Peter Abeles is President of Abeles Advisory LLC, a Charleston, SC based advisory firm with a strategic focus on the Financial Institutions industry. Peter has spent over 30 years specializing in the credit, banking and business development areas, most recently as head of U.S. Banks, Broker/Dealer and Specialty Finance entities, within the investment banking arm of Societe Generale (“SGCIB”) in New York.

Peter is also considered a leader and expert in the Asset-Backed Securities industry having helped start-up Standard & Poor’s ABS Group in the late 1980s. He then joined ContiFinancial Services Corp., (“CFS”) a NY-based Merchant Bank in 1989 to develop and manage their non-mortgage ABS effort.

For ten years at CFS, Peter managed (from both NYC and Santa Monica, CA) an experienced team of Bankers that specialized in assisting growth oriented financial service firms to raise debt/equity and build ABS financing capabilities. Peter also served on the Board of Directors for Triad Financial and ContiLeasing Corp., two portfolio companies that he had helped to acquire for CFS.

Abeles Advisory is currently assisting clients throughout the U.S. with capital raising initiatives and strategic development issues. Such efforts include the successful close of a $50 million equity offering for a start-up Specialty Finance entity in CA with funding from a large NY-based PE firm.

Other current assignments include equity financing for four growth companies (including two in the high- tech sector’s); bridge finance and receivables acquisition program for a start-up consumer lending entity; and identifying potential bank partners with interest in acquiring a majority stake in a successful financial services platform company to further their web-based, revenue expansion opportunities.

In April 2010 Peter resigned his position with SGCIB and with his wife, Tracy, and twin daughters moved to Charleston, SC. a warm and comfortable Southern city. He launched Abeles Advisory in July of that year to meet the needs of former clients (and new contacts) who requested assistance in developing their businesses.

Darlene Daggett

Darlene Daggett is a 30 year participant in the multi‐channel retail marketspace. She successfully launched an entrepreneurial career at 29 and subsequently during her 18 year tenure at QVC Inc, pioneered the exponential growth of one of the world’s largest e‐commerce retailers, growing the business 20 fold to sales of $5 billion. Most recently as President, QVC U.S. Commerce, she was responsible for its strategic development, new business initiatives and critical customer insight.

Throughout her career, Darlene has been recognized by her peers for integrated social initiatives including the launch and cultivation of QVC’s philanthropic program that involved both large fundraising efforts and on the ground field work. Darlene continues her strong voice in social business ventures as a delegate at both the Clinton Global Initiative and the Skoll World Forum for Social Entrepreneurs. In addition, she is an active member of the Advisory Board for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and the Board of Overseers at the Peabody‐Essex Museum, in Salem, Massachusetts.

In April 2007, Darlene transitioned into her official second career as a Social Entrepreneur. As the mother of 4 children, 3 of whom are adopted, she frequently thought about what the future would have looked like for her daughters if they segued out of social system without an integrated support system. Given her passion for entrepreneurship, and a belief that employment provides an opportunity for an independent, and dignified future, she founded Ikatu, an operating foundation, to focus on the opportunities surrounding youth employability.

Combining her diverse business acumen and social sensibilities, Darlene hopes to initiate and lead change on transparency, accountability, partnerships, and hybrid business models.

Darlene Daggett is a 30 year participant in the multi‐channel retail marketspace. She successfully launched an entrepreneurial career at 29 and subsequently during her 18 year tenure at QVC Inc, pioneered the exponential growth of one of the world’s largest e‐commerce retailers, growing the business 20 fold to sales of $5 billion. Most recently as President, QVC U.S. Commerce, she was responsible for its strategic development, new business initiatives and critical customer insight.
Throughout her career, Darlene has been recognized by her peers for integrated social initiatives including the launch and cultivation of QVC’s philathropic program that involved both large fundraising efforts and on the ground field work. Darlene continues her strong voice in social business ventures as a delegate at both the Clinton Global Initiative and the Skll World Forum for Social Entrepreneurs. In addition, she is an active member of the Advisory Board for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and the Board of Overseers at the Peabody‐Essex Museum, in Salem, Massachusetts.
In April 2007, Darlene transitioned into her official second career as a Social Entrepreneur. As the mother of 4 children, 3 of whom are adopted, she frequently thought about what the future would have looked like for her daughters if they segued out of social system withut an integrated support system. Given her passion for entrepreneurship, and a belief that employment provides an opportunity for an independent, and dignified future, she founded Ikatu, an operating foundation, to focus on the opportunities surrounding youth employability.
Combining her diverse business acumen and social sensibilities, Darlene hopes to initiate and lead change on transparency, accountability, partnerships, and hybrid business models.

Catherine Dumait-Harper

Catherine Dumait-Harper is a consultant in international humanitarian affairs. She has been involved in this field since she joined the independent emergency humanitarian medical organization, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders in September of 1993. Catherine is also a frequent guest speaker in academic circles, on issues related to international humanitarian laws (IHL), including the Responsibility to Protect Civilians in conflict situations.

As Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)’s Delegate to the United Nations in New York from 1993 to 2005, Catherine represented the international relief organization at the United Nations. As MSF’s main representative, Ms. Dumait-Harper’s role was to facilitate and coordinate all MSF advocacy efforts with UN officials, UN Member States and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). For this purpose, she defined the best strategy to advocate, and closely followed conflict situations in the North Caucasus, East and West Africa, East Timor, ex-Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In addition to representing MSF to the UN, Ms. Dumait-Harper also served as Vice-Chairperson of the NGO Working Group on the Security Council, which meets regularly with Ambassadors of Member States of the UN Security Council.

Ms. Dumait-Harper has been on several missions in Cambodia, Thailand, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Palestinian Territories.

During the Fall Semester of 2004, Ms. Dumait-Harper was an Expert Program Fellow at Tufts University with the Feinstein International Famine Center, where she researched the humanitarian assistance in U.N. peace-keeping missions and the relations between military and humanitarian action. During her stay at Tufts University, she gave seminars to Harvard/MIT/Fletcher School’s graduate students on international humanitarian assistance.

In June 1999, Ms. Dumait-Harper was a Fellow in the United Nations/International Peace Academy’s Program in Peacemaking and Preventive Diplomacy.

Prior to MSF, she worked with the Scientific Mission of the French Embassy in Washington, and later with the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations in New York.

Ms. Dumait-Harper is currently a Member of the Advisory Boards of Action Against Hunger, the Sanam Vaziri Quraishi Foundation and the French Heritage Language Program of New York. She previously served on the Boards of the U.N. “Lessons Learned Unit” of the Department of the Peace-Keeping Forces and the “Global Policy Forum”.

Ms. Dumait-Harper is married, has one son, and lives in New York City.

Al Hegyi

Al Hegyi is Chairman of 1st Financial Bank USA. The Bank serves its primary communities in the State of South Dakota as well as individuals throughout the United States. It has subsidiary offices in New York, California, Connecticut, the Netherlands, and India. 1st Financial Bank USA was established in 1910.

Henry Morriello

Henry G. Morriello is Co‐Chair of the Structured Finance Group and the Head of the Transportation Asset Finance Group at Kaye Scholer LLP. He has devoted the principal part of his career to representing clients in structured finance and asset/mortgage securitization transactions. Recently, Mr. Morriello has focused on representing clients in “whole company securitization” transactions in various industries on an international basis. He also represents clients in domestic and international structured finance and asset/mortgage securitization transactions involving CLOs and CBOs, equipment leases, intellectual property royalties, automobile loans and leases, healthcare receivables, entertainment receivables, trade receivables, government receivables, commercial mortgages, tax liens and tax‐exempt housing bonds. Mr. Morriello also has significant experience in all types of real estate securitized financings involving residential mortgages, commercial mortgages and home equity loans.

Mr. Morriello also has extensive experience in structuring fixed income derivatives of all types. Recently, a significant amount of his work has focused upon the use of credit derivatives and synthetic securities in capital markets transactions.

Mr. Morriello is a frequent lecturer at conferences across the country and abroad on topics which include asset/mortgage securitization, transportation finance, real estate finance and alternative investments.

Marie Samuels

Marie Samuels was graduated from SRU in 1990 with a BA in Philosophy and Art History, which led her to working in several Soho art galleries in NYC. In 1992 she became a public relations executive at Giorgio Armani Le Collezioni until the summer of 1995. Ms. Samuels married and became a mother in 1996, as well as attending and graduating with a design degree from NYSID. Since then Ms. Samuels has been working in the residential interior design business and recently started a small accessories business, Everyday Tiaras. Her charitable interests include creating a new board at Lincoln Center named “Opus” …young people for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Since 2004 she has been raising capital for the Armory Arts Center of Palm Beach with an event she created 6 years ago. Both Ms. Samuels and her husband have been board members and major fund raisers on behalf of The National Arts Club in NYC since 1999.

Jennifer Sinclair Schiff

Jennifer Sinclair is an Interior Designer and President of J Sinclair Interior Designs. Prior to that she worked at Deutsche Bank and ING Barings in Latin American Sales and Research in both London and Brazil. Ms. Sinclair received a Bachelor of Economics degree from the London School of Economics.