Our Board and Staff
Board of Directors
Gary O’Neil
U.S. Board Chairman, U.K. Board member, Senior Vice President of Employee, Community, and Partner Engagement Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Gary oversees our efforts to deepen our engagement with 3 key constituencies: our employees, by executing our annual Employee Experience Survey as well as managing our key internal cultural and professional development events; our clients, by overseeing our signature Solutions at Work LIVE events and work of our Horizons Workforce Consulting team; and our community partners by working with our Foundation Team and our employees to help ensure our mission of “making a difference in the lives of children and families in the communities where we live and work” comes to life.
Stephen Kramer
U.K. Board Chairman, U.S. Advisory Board, President, Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Stephen Kramer joined Bright Horizons in 2006 when the company acquired the organization he co-founded in 1998. Stephen leads the company’s global growth strategy and oversees operations in Europe and India, as well as the Back-Up Dependent Care and Educational Advisory Services segments. He is a graduate of Babson College and Harvard Business School and is the father of two young children.
Elizabeth Boland
U.S. and U.K. Board Secretary and Treasurer, CFO of Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Elizabeth is responsible for the financial management of Bright Horizons Family Solutions, including the implementation of financial policies and procedures and the development of a flexible infrastructure to support quality and growth.
Mandy Berman
U.S. Advisory Board, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Mandy joined Bright Horizons in 2005, and shortly thereafter she led the successful launch and subsequent growth of the company’s Back-Up Care Advantage program. She also oversees BUCA/Care Advantage and the company’s Broomfield Contact Center operations, operations in the Netherlands and IT.
Mary Lou Burke-Afonso
U.S. Advisory Board, Chief Operations Officer, Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Mary Lou Burke Afonso is a 20-year veteran of Bright Horizons, having served in a variety of leadership roles in nearly every aspect of the organization, including operation, finance and client relations. In her current role she is responsible for overseeing the operational leadership and management of all North America-based child care centers and schools. She also oversees all center relations with current clients. Mary Lou is a graduate of Boston College School of Management. Her two daughters are graduates of Bright Horizons early education and preschool.
Dave Lissy
U.S. Board, CEO, Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Dave is responsible for leading Bright Horizons Family Solutions’s growth strategy. Dave serves as an executive resource to many of the company’s client partners and has helped to develop new and innovative services that meet the evolving needs of working families.
Mark Mendel
U.S. Board, President, Bright Horizons Foundation for Children
Mark serves as the visionary leader for the Foundation and is responsible for the overall operations, fiscal integrity, and programmatic success of the organization. Ultimately, he seeks to ensure that the Foundation continues to help Bright Horizons employees fulfill the company’s mission of “making a difference in the lives of children and families in the communities where we live and work.”
Denise Priest
U.K. Board, Director of Marketing & Strategic Partnerships, Bright Horizons Europe
Denise provides leadership to our marketing teams, both business to business and consumer, and also to client relations and business development teams.
Dave Shaby
U.S. Advisory Board, Senior Vice President of Consumer Operations, Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Dave is responsible for all strategic elements and implementation of consumer marketing, enrollment and retention programs, and pre-enrollment customer care for Bright Horizons.
Leslie Spanier
U.S. Advisory Board, Senior Vice President of Operations, Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Leslie is responsible for the operational oversight of Bright Horizons child care center and schools located on the west coast, southwest, southeast, and mid-Atlantic area of the U.S.
Staff
Marnie Cormier
Administrative Assistant
What I love most about working for the Foundation is that everyone all across the Bright Horizons family comes together for one solid mission, to brighten the lives of children and their families in our own communities.
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617-658-6097
Jane Gibbons
Bright Space Project Manager
I love how the Foundation ties the whole Bright Horizons family of employees together for a common purpose. In one way or another, many of us come to Bright Horizons to impact the lives of young children, and the Foundation allows us to take that passion into agencies where children and families need the resources that we can offer.
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617-658-6096
Emily Harris
Foundation Development Manager U.K.
I love working for the Foundation because I believe passionately in our mission and want to make a difference to vulnerable children.
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01933 415957
Debi Hart
Director of Outreach and Engagement
Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple once said, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” For me, this truly describes how I feel about the work I get to do for the Foundation.
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512-638-6793
Ileen Henderson
National Director of Bright Spaces
I love the mission of the Foundation and am excited about working with wonderful people doing important work.
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267-257-0221
Julie Kelly
Bright Space Project Manager
I love working with Bright Space teams and the Foundation staff. Bright Horizons employees have amazing ideas and passion about ways to create and stay connected with their Bright Space partners. The staff at the Foundation are fun, supportive and caring. It is a joy working with them every day.
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615-319-9080
Jenny Malone
Senior Manager for Finance & Administration
I love the fact that the entire company of Bright Horizons Family Solutions is behind the Foundation’s work to support children and families. Bright Horizons employees don’t have to “switch gears” when they volunteer for the Foundation. They are merely extending their skills and goals into their surrounding communities. It gives our work incredible immediate impact and success.
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541-647-2958
Mark Mendel
President
I am committed to deepening the Foundation’s impact in the communities we serve. We don’t really have time to waste because each night, there are more and more children that need our help.
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617-658-2399
Missy Pankake
Communications Director
As a communicator, I see my job as telling stories. I love being able to share great, personal stories, and the Foundation has some really wonderful ones!
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615-569-5271
Abdoul Top
Development Coordinator
It is rewarding and meaningful knowing that I am part of an organization that is there for children to grow and live a happy adult life.
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617-658-6098
Sheryl Umayam
Fundraising Project Manager
Much of who we are stems from our experiences as children. I’ve seen the difference between children who have a stable, encouraging, and nourishing environment and less fortunate children who do not. I love and believe in the Foundation’s mission. Every child deserves a happy childhood and the opportunity to reach their full potential, and our work helps make that happen.
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323-391-3863
Tracy Wilkes Green
Bright Space Manager U.K.
Every day I am inspired by the great work that our volunteers do to support Children and Families that are in crisis, they motivate me to want to do more, I feel honoured to be able to see our Bright Spaces in action and privileged to work with an amazing global team.
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+07739911469