Tuesday’s Children Adds Board Members

Tuesday’s Children announced the appointment of three new members to its board of directors. They are Ryan Bonifacino, former chief marketing officer and senior vice president at retailer Alex and Ani; Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Jason Dempsey, senior adviser for Veterans and Military Affairs at the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University; and John Fitzsimmons, vice president and director of Real Estate Operations at APF Properties.
Bonifacino is celebrated for his role in the phenomenal growth of Alex and Ani, LLC, the jewelry retailer with annual revenues of over $350 million. Named one of “40 Under 40” to watch by both Direct Marketing News and Brand Innovators, he is a sought-after speaker at media, retail and technology conferences in the United States and abroad. He also serves on numerous advisory boards including Adobe, eBay Enterprise, AdRoll, Salesforce, Global Retail Marketing Association, Total Retail Magazine, LIM College, the University of Rhode Island’s Harrington School of Communication and Media, EKN Research and Brand Innovators. Bonifacino, who received a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business
and Economics, is a mentor to students at the New York Fashion Tech Lab, of which Alex and Ani was a founding member.
Before joining Columbia University, from which he holds a PhD in political science, Lieutenant Colonel Dempsey was Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and served as a White House fellow working on an initiative for veterans and their families led by First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. During his tours of duty, LTC Dempsey, a graduate of the United States Military Academy, the Command and General Staff College, and the Amphibious Warfare School of the United States Marine Corps, advised the Afghan Border Police, oversaw a 3,200-person counterinsurgency force near Kabul, and helped reconcile conflict stemming from the displacement of Kurdish and Shiite populations in northern Iraq. His honors include a Dwight Eisenhower/Clifford Roberts Fellowship and terms on the Army’s Commission on Officer Diversity and Advancement and on the Council on Foreign Relations.
As vice president and director of Real Estate Operations at APF Properties, Fitzsimmons oversees the running of a $900-million commercial real estate portfolio spanning three states. Before joining APF, he spent almost a decade managing properties for leading real estate concerns Tishman Speyer and the CBRE Group, Inc. A lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, Fitzsimmons has completed tours in Iraq, Kuwait, Africa, Mongolia, Japan and Norway. He is a supporter of Tuesday’s Children and recently raised $80,000 for the organization at a golf event that attracted an unprecedented number of military personnel. He holds a bachelor’s in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Delaware.
Terry Sears, executive director of Tuesday’s Children, said, “We are fortunate that these extraordinarily accomplished and compassionate Americans have agreed to give their time and expertise to support Tuesday’s Children in our mission to help young people, families and communities impacted by a traumatic loss. Their leadership and the experience they bring, from both the boardroom and the battlefield, will prove invaluable in the years ahead.”
Tuesday’s Children, the leading nonprofit serving those impacted by the events of Tuesday, Sept. 11, as well as victims of domestic and international terrorism, was founded in 2001 to promote long-term healing in individuals directly impacted by the events of Sept. 11, including first responders. Tuesday’s Children has since expanded to support victims of domestic and international terrorism, as well as families of fallen military service men and women. For more info visit www.tuesdaychildren.org.