Our Board
Gregory Gardner - President, is an educator and cultural advocate with over 30 years in academia and as an executive in nonprofits and the arts. As a celebrated baritone, Gregory has created memorable roles in productions ranging from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess with Virginia Opera to the national tour of If This Hat Could Talk, directed by Tony Award winner George Faison, while serving as guest artist with symphony orchestras throughout Virginia, seamlessly weaving together his passions for performance, education, and cultural advocacy throughout his distinguished career.He teaches at Norfolk State University and holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Howard University and a certificate in nonprofit management from Columbia University.
Sandra Long - Vice President, is a retired financial professional with a distinguished career at the American Stock Exchange (now part of the Intercontinental Exchange/NYSE), where she served as Director and Assistant Corporate Secretary focusing on legal, regulatory, and SEC compliance, recognized as a strategic thought leader and subject matter expert contributing to both public and private sectors. Beyond her financial expertise, Sandra has a strong passion for education, having worked as Executive Assistant and Adjunct Instructor at Long Island University-Brooklyn managing departmental operations and learning management systems for the Computer Science Department, while also teaching English and Reading for not-for-profit organizations including Reading Partners NYC. Her visionary commitment to lifelong learning is reflected through community civic engagement, leadership roles at Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church and the Buckhorn Association of Brooklyn, and active participation in sports initiatives that promote teamwork, wellness, and lifelong learning, holding an M.S.Ed. from Fordham University, a B.S. from Long Island University-Brooklyn, and certification as a Paralegal.
Susan Pitre Fonville - Secretary, brings a distinguished 25-year legacy in financial services, building an exceptional career across retail, commercial, and private banking from Irving Trust Bank through its merger with Bank of New York, where she cultivated relationships with prestigious clients and earned recognition for driving growth and inspiring high-performing teams. Now settled in her beloved hometown of Burlington, North Carolina, she channels her expertise into meaningful community engagement through volunteer work, board service, and civic leadership, while maintaining her connection to Brooklyn as her cherished second home and treasuring her roles as devoted wife, mother, and grandmother who understands that nurturing her family's rich heritage remains her greatest accomplishment.
David Sumner - Treasurer, brings four decades of distinguished leadership to financial services, where his strategic vision and expertise have shaped organizations and careers while serving as a trusted advisor to executives and passionate mentor to emerging professionals. In 1992, he co-founded Buckhorn with community leaders to enhance quality of life in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill neighborhoods, serving as founding Board Member and current Treasurer, providing essential financial stewardship and nurturing partnerships with entities including Morgan Stanley. As a proud native Brooklynite, David brings authentic local perspective to his work, seamlessly weaving financial excellence with social purpose through his board service with Cultural Crossroads Inc. and other organizations supporting youth, elderly residents, and individuals experiencing homelessness, reflecting his belief in holistic leadership that creates lasting positive change while maintaining strong connections to Pace University, his alma mater, where he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration.
Ramona Candy is an artist, curator, “accidental” historian, occasional blogger and dancer. Drawing inspiration from her Caribbean heritage; being born, raised and still residing in Brooklyn; a dance career, and Sankofa (“to go back and retrieve”), she has been tagged a culture bearer. Currently Director of the Council for the Arts at St. Joseph’s University - Brooklyn campus, she curates arts programming, connecting the University community with professional visual and performing artists. Her own work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the tri-state area and at the US Embassy, Timor-Leste as part of the US Dept of State’s Art in Embassies. She has presented art-making workshops for Safe Horizons, Brooklyn Arts Council and several other organizations. She is a founding member of Clark Center NYC, a dance legacy project. www.linktr.ee/ramonacandy
Selma Jackson has dedicated her life to empowering communities through professional excellence and heartfelt service, building multiple successful careers as author, banker, teacher, and boutique owner with a bachelor's in chemistry and master's in environmental health sciences from Hunter College. Since joining Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in 2000, she found a spiritual home aligning with her passion for social justice, becoming a Community Grant Officer with Buckhorn Association in 2008 to direct resources strengthening Fort Greene and Clinton Hill neighborhoods, and serving with distinction on the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People from 2008 to 2016, helping provide grants to grassroots organizations empowering marginalized communities. Currently serving as President of Age Friendly Central Brooklyn, she's become one of Brooklyn's high-profile senior citizen advocates through innovative work including organizing intergenerational opportunities for seniors to interact with Gen Z teens, collaborating with Granny & me to bridge generational divides, while her fellowship from Columbia University to study oral history demonstrates her lifelong commitment to learning and unwavering dedication to uplifting others through building stronger, more equitable communities where everyone can thrive.
Edward Moran ghas devoted more than three decades to transformative community leadership. A member of the Buckhorn Association of Brooklyn’s board since 1992 and president from 1996 to 2024, he helped guide its mission to improve life in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. An active member of Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church since 1976, Edward has championed social justice through service on the Presbytery of New York City’s Social Justice Committee and as chair of its Lesbian and Gay Concerns Unit, advancing inclusion and equality across his work. As a writer and editor, he contributed to major literary projects, including the Random House Dictionary of the English Language and H.W. Wilson’s World Authors series, while advising the documentary Hyam Plutzik: American Poet and literary programs at The Betsy Hotel. His hymn texts, published in Songs for the Holy Other (2019), beautifully merge literary craft with a lifelong dedication to affirming LGBTQIA2S+ communities.