Staff

Alfa Demmellash - Chief Executive Officer

Alfa Demmellash co-founded Rising Tide Capital in May 2004. Since that time, she has overseen strategic growth and program development and implementation as Chief Executive Officer. She graduated cum laude from Harvard University with a degree in Government and is now pursuing a master's degree in Management and Urban Policy from the New School University in New York City. Alfa is the recipient of Honorary Doctorates from St. Peter's College and New Jersey City University.

Read Alfa's Extended Bio 

Alex Forrester - Chief Operations Officer

Alex Forrester co-founded Rising Tide Capital in May 2004. As Chief Operations Officer, he has been principally responsible for program evaluation and outcome measurement, financial management, and fundraising. Currently, he is pursuing a master's degree in Management and Urban Policy from the New School University in New York City. Forrester graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 2004 with an accelerated Bachelor of Arts in Postmodern Theology and Philosophy. Alex is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from New Jersey City University.

Read Alex's Extended Bio

Michael Caslin - Managing Director, Strategy and Development

Michael Caslin brings to RTC a passion for entrepreneurship and 3 decades of proven success in social enterprise and business venture development.  Over a 20-year career as the CEO of Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Michael helped lead the nonprofit from start-up turn-around stage in 1988 to what it is today - a social enterprise with $20 million in annual revenue and 4,000 NFTE teachers and 1.4 million graduates across 31 states and 14 countries.

He is the founder of several triple bottom line ventures including URGENT VC- CleanTech Venture Development for renewed urban centers and sustainable tribal reservations; and the Urban Ecology Institute founded with Boston College. A recognized expert on entrepreneurship, he has been called to testify before various institutions including the United Nations, U.S. Congress and the White House. He has been a featured lecturer at numerous universities including Harvard, Babson, Stanford, Duke, NYU, Columbia and University of Hong Kong and Prague Business Schools.

Currently, Michael serves as an Adjunct Faculty member of Babson College’s Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship and Professor of Entrepreneurship and Sustainability at CUNY- Baruch Zicklin Business School in New York (ranked #1 and #8 respectively in the USA).

Mike was featured in Babson's 2012 Alumni Magazine 

Jay Savulich - Managing Director, Programs

Jay Savulich oversees both the Community Business Academy and Business Acceleration Services, and works directly with clients as an instructor and business coach. Before starting at Rising Tide Capital, he had a twenty-year career owning and operating successful restaurants in New York City. He also has worked as a technology trainer in the developing world, and continues to work as a photographer. His passion is using his varied experience to help others learn the steps to achieving success in small business and in their lives. Previously, he spent three years as an instructor, business counselor, and microloan officer at a similar organization in Brooklyn. He has been teaching the Community Business Academy classes at Rising Tide Capital since they began in September 2006.

Read more about Jay

Keith Dent - Assistant Director

As Assistant Director, Keith is facilitating the pilot replication of our programs in Essex County as Rising Tide Capital expands into Northern New Jersey. He is responsible for community outreach—establishing and maintaining stakeholder relationships to ensure that our programs reach potential entrepreneurs living in distressed urban centers in Essex County. A resident of West Orange for the past 13 years, Keith has over 5 years experience as a Program Manager for IMPACT Community Development Corporation in Montclair, NJ. He holds a Master’s Degree in Non-Profit Management from Milano the New School for Management and Urban Policy and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Georgetown University. He is also a certified empowerment coach from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (IPEC).

Read more about Keith

Bryan Franklin- Fundraising & Development Associate- AmeriCorps VISTA

Bryan Franklin joined Rising Tide Capital in August 2011 through the AmeriCorps VISTA program.  As the Fundraising & Development Associate, Bryan works on a variety of projects to ensure that Rising Tide Capital’s mission is supported by ample funding.  Bryan graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in May 2011, and holds a BS in Business and Technology Management.  While in school Bryan served as Fundraising Manager for the National Society of Black Engineers and spent time serving the community through various projects and mission trips. His interest in Rising Tide Capital stems from his passion for community building as well as a strong interest in entrepreneurship.  In the future Bryan hopes to cultivate his passion for helping others by pursuing a Masters Degree in Hospitality Management or Race Relations.

Louisa Cousins - Program Evaluation Manager

Louisa Cousins joined Rising Tide Capital in January 2011. She oversees the critical area of program evaluation. This includes reporting our activities to our funders and developing a performance framework to measure our programs’ success. With over nine years of experience in non-profit program evaluation and administration, Louisa has brought a wealth of experience to our team. Prior to RTC, Louisa worked for the UK Film Council where she was responsible for evaluation and reporting on nationwide funding programs. She holds an honors degree in Social Sciences from City University in London.

Read more about Louisa.

Mary J. Sansait - Program Coordinator, The Community Business Academy

Mary Sansait is the Program Coordinator of the Community Business Academy (CBA), working with Jay Savulich, Managing Director of Programs. In addition to administrative support for our signature 11-week program, she is responsible for developing and managing community partner relationships in Hudson County. Mary oversees the implementation of recruitment goals and outreach strategies, enabling our CBA to reach high potential Hudson County participants. Upon completion of her Planning and Public Policy degree at Rutgers University, Mary's passion for community development grew stronger while serving an AmeriCorps term as Volunteer Coordinator and Violence Against Women Act Specialist for the International Institute of New Jersey.

Mary is also an accomplished singer, recording artist and entrepreneur who uses her skills to engage creative entrepreneurs in the community with markets in the North Jersey area. Her passion in fusing community development with the arts is a direct result of Rising Tide Capital’s art, music and vendor festival called ARTfest! which showcases Rising Tide’s artist entrepreneurs.

Read more about Mary

Shantia M. Smith - Programs & Community Outreach Associate- AmeriCorps VISTA

Shantia Smith was hired in August 2011 through the AmeriCorps VISTA program. As the Programs & Community Outreach Associate, Tia’s  responsibilities include supporting the Programs Department to attract quality applicants for Community Business Academy sessions in both Essex and Hudson counties. She graduated from Quinnipiac University in May of 2011 and holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Marketing. While a student at Quinnipiac, Tia was a member of the Black Student Union. She was heavily involved in campus programming and managed the Union’s finances as treasurer. Rising Tide Capital’s mission and devotion to community building is what attracted Tia to apply for a VISTA position at the organization. In the future, Tia would like to start her own nonprofit organization to provide extracurricular activities and support to children in low-income communities.

Roger Cervantes -Program Coordinator, Business Acceleration Services

Roger Cervantes provides support to Rising Tide Capital’s programs.  Upon receiving his degree in Religion at Montclair State University, he went on to work for Bank of America, providing low-income workers access to financial services as a CRA (Community Reinvestment Act) Representative & Assistant Branch Manager.  In addition to his passion for economic development, he also brings more than 7 years of combined experience in Retail Management and as an Executive Assistant in the fields of Labor and Community Development.  As a long-time Jersey City resident, Roger admires the important role that Rising Tide Capital plays in his community and looks forward to helping the organization further its mission.

Read more about Roger

Joel Philistin – Business Acceleration Services Program Assistant – AmeriCorps VISTA

Eager to give back to his community, Joel joined Rising Tide Capital’s as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) on December 1, 2012. Over the next year, he will work with the Business Acceleration Services team to help make critical services like the Help Desk and Access-to-Capital program, available to Community Business Academy graduates. Philistin previously worked at Llewellyn Edison Savings Bank and Sharonview Credit Union, while completing his undergraduate studies in Business Administration and Management at Montclair State University in New Jersey. After graduating, he volunteered with the Paterson Alliance, an organization which coordinates 70 nonprofits in the area. Philistin expects to graduate from Kean University in May 2013 with a Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management. A proud Haitian American, Philistine speaks Creole fluently and recently traveled to Haiti. Philistin loves to play basketball, sing and travel. 

Ian Tyson joined the Rising Tide Capital team in November 2011. As the Volunteer Coordinator/BAS Program Associate-AmeriCorps VISTA, Ian maintains the existing volunteer system and is working towards expanding it to accommodate new programs.  During his time at RTC, Ian plans to use his organizational and management skills to efficiently match volunteers with the needs of the organization. Ian completed his undergraduate education at Rowan University, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in History. He completed his senior research on a grassroots organization in Philadelphia’s Chinatown during the construction of the Vine Street Expressway.  He hopes his experience at Rising Tide Capital will provide a good foundation for a Master’s Degree in Public Administration as he pursues his career in economic and community development.

Learn how to volunteer with Rising Tide Capital

Russell Borenstein-Burd - Programs and Community Outreach Assistant - AmeriCorps VISTA

Russell joined Rising Tide Capital in May 2013 as an AmeriCorps VISTA. He supports Rising Tide Capital’s outreach efforts and will help with the launch of the first Spanish-language Community Business Academy. He graduated in May 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Cornell College in Iowa. As a student, he enjoyed playing ultimate frisbee and serving on the executive board of a feminist student organization which inspired him to fight for social justice. Originally from Elizabeth, New Jersey, Russell has strong local ties and is eager to join the struggle to end the cycle of poverty effecting New Jersey’s urban centers.

Tawanda Taylor - Finance & Administration Manager

Tawanda Taylor joined the Rising Tide Capital staff in July of 2010. A Jersey City native, she is a recent graduate of New Jersey City University, with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. Taylor has worked in the non-profit sector for over five years, with her most recent position being with the American Red Cross of Greater New York where she was a finance bookkeeper for three years. While employed at the American Red Cross, she assisted thousands of people who were victims of Hurricane Katrina. Prior to her work at the Red Cross, she worked for the New York Foundling Hospital for two and a half years as a junior accountant in the finance department. In the future, she looks to pursue her master’s degree in Accounting, as well as take the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam.

Read more about Tawanda

Esther Fraser - Director of Communications

As the Director of Communications, Esther Fraser supports Rising Tide Capital's programs, services and activities with a mixture of public relations and marketing tactics and strategies, desktop publishing, graphic design, and a passion for non-profit communications. Esther oversees the production  of all the communication and marketing materials produced by the organization, and generates content for all of Rising Tide Capital's communications platforms. Prior to joining Rising Tide Capital as Communications Associate in 2009, Esther worked at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, as well as at the Guardian ad Litem Program in Miami-Dade, Florida. She holds a master's degree in Media Management from the S I Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University, as well as a Bachelor in Communications from Florida Memorial University.

 

Read more about Esther

Justyna Krygowska - Communications Coordinator

As Communications Coordinator, Justyna Krygowska works on a variety of projects to ensure that the mission behind Rising Tide Capital is reinforced by quality communication materials. A talented designer with a unique point of view, Justyna creates written and graphic content for Rising Tide Capital’s media and communications platforms. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Integrated Design with a concentration in Communication Design and Design and Management, from Parsons the New School for Design in New York City. In the future Justyna hopes to expand her passion for helping others by pursuing a Masters Degree in Communications or Small Business and Nonprofit Management.

Read more about Justyna.

Grace Chung - Public Relations Associate- AmeriCorps VISTA

Since she joined the Communications Team at Rising Tide Capital in September 2011, Grace Chung has been managing the monthly newsletter, developing content for a new social-networking website, and organizing programming for New Jersey’s weeklong celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week. As a New Jersey native with a passion for economic development, she’s excited to be involved in a grassroots organization that benefits underserved communities in her home-state. While working at RTC, she hopes to use her journalism experience to share the compelling stories of NJ entrepreneurs through articles and programs that highlight their impact in Northern New Jersey. Prior to coming to RTC, she taught English in rural Indonesia on a 9-month Fulbright Fellowship and interned with The Star Ledger. Grace received her bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University where she double majored in French and International Relations and minored in Economics.

Mitch Greene - Community Business Academy Instructor & Business Coach

Mitch Greene is a part-time Community Business Academy instructor, as well as a Business Acceleration Services business coach. Greene comes to Rising Tide Capital (RTC) with over 25 years of business experience. He is the founder and managing member of The Growth Group, LLC, which is a community and economic development consulting company that provides organizational and business development consultation services to entrepreneurs, small businesses and organizations that serve them. He is also the former programs director for the Greater Newark Business Development Consortium (GNBDC) where he was responsible for loan underwriting, and also provided procurement and technical assistance services to GNBDC clients. Throughout his career he has developed and conducted entrepreneurial training programs and workshops. He is a graduate of Morehouse College and North Carolina Central University School of Law.

Fred Dominguez - Community Business Academy Instructor & Business Coach

Fred Dominguez joined the staff in Fall 2010 as a part-time Community Business Academy Instructor and Business Coach. Dominguez comes to RTC with 37 years of experience in the banking industry, and a love for small businesses. An NYC native, Dominguez attended Lehman College where he received his BA in Economics and Business Administration, and furthered his education by attaining his graduate degree in Finance from Long Island University.  Throughout the years, he has held various positions in the banking industry from branch manager, to assistant department manager, to working with installment loans, and small business community lending. He has worked for Banco Popular, Banco de Ponce, and City National Bank of New Jersey to name a few. Dominguez has been consulting and dealing with small business lending most of his life. He has taught the small business plan course for the New Jersey Economic Authority, as well as lectured on small business development at Rutgers University and Kean University.

Winston Trumpet - Community Business Academy Instructor & Business Coach

Community Business Academy alumnus and entrepreneurial-success, Winston C. Trumpet, is excited to return to the CBA as the newest instructor. Trumpet is the CEO and founder of Strategic Business Associates, LLC and has been coaching managers and business executives for more than a decade. Since he graduated from the fall 2009 CBA, he has played an active role in Rising Tide Capital, leading multiple workshops and speaking at events including the 2010 celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week. He is certified in the Strategic Mindset Coaching Process, a program of the Growth Coach Franchise and holds a BSBA from San Francisco State University. He is also the Senior Pastor of Trumpet Family Ministries “The Church with No walls” of Jersey City. In his free time, he enjoys watching crime films, jogging, and spending time with his family. As a CBA instructor he will draw on his personal experience as an entrepreneur and passion for helping others achieve excellence in their businesses.

Read about how Winston became a CBA instructor

Luis De La Hoz - Community Business Academy Instructor & Business Coach

Luis De La Hoz’s journey as an entrepreneur began in Columbia where he helped out with his family business and dreamed of starting his own. In 2004, he moved to the U.S. where he opened up MarMar, LLC, a tax preparation and financial service company in New Brunswick that caters to Hispanics. In addition to running his own business, De La Hoz works as a micro loan officer for the New Brunswick-based microlender,The Intersect Fund, and helps the local Small Business Development Center reach out to the Hispanic population. De La Hoz joined Rising Tide Capital as an instructor in 2013 and is now teaching the Saturday class of the Community Business Academy. When he’s not working, De La Hoz loves to play soccer and sample ethnic foods; he claims he will “try anything”.