Mission
Values
Propagation
Bios
Contact Info

Mission

The kasina Youth Foundation exists to :

• Help improve the financial literacy of disadvantaged children
• Engage for profits to give more than money

Values

Education:

• We believe that making education fun is the most effective vehicle for successful learning
• We value the potential for individuals to improve themselves
• We value the themes of innovation, creativity, collaboration, and intellect

Impact:

• We value serving the neediest individuals
• We believe the most effective projects focus on understanding the unique needs of individuals and the distinct needs of their communities
• We believe learning is a long-term, double-edged instrument for change – we want to help educate children, but at the same time we recognize that there is much we can learn from them and their communities
• We believe that impact is measured both quantitatively and qualitatively

Propagation:

• We value breaking established cycles in two ways:
  • Breaking the cycle of dependency found in communities by helping members of the community to help themselves
  • Breaking the cycle of apathy found in for-profit organizations
• We value the integration of public and private enterprises

Bios:

Lee S. Kowarski
President

A co-founder of the kasina Youth Foundation, Lee currently serves as President of the Board, actively driving the Foundation's initiatives. Through the Foundation, Lee has become active with Cents-Ability. Lee also supports other non-profit organizations, including the James Beard Foundation (which celebrates America's culinary heritage and diversity), LINC (which provides opportunities for people with disabilities to explore adaptive technology and the Internet), the New York Philharmonic, and the Libertarian Party.

Lee is a co-founder and principal with kasina, a strategy consulting firm with a singular mission: "Innovate distribution in the financial services industry." Since kasina's inception in 1999, its commitment to this mission has made it one of the most influential strategy consulting firms in the financial services sector. kasina works with a wide variety of clients from five continents - over 100 firms that comprise over $8 trillion in assets under management.

Born in Baltimore, Lee came to New York City to attend the Stern School of Business at New York University and he never left. He and his wife, Melinda, live in the wasteland that is Manhattan's Upper East Side, but hope to return downtown after Melinda completes her PhD in Neuroscience at Rockefeller University. Lee frequently comments on kasina's blog and can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Eric R. Daugherty
Treasurer

Eric currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Freedom Valley YMCA. Prior to his stint at "the Y", he was the CFO at the Pennsylvania Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Eric is a former Research Director at kasina and spent ten years at the Vanguard Group in Finance, Strategy, and Retail Advice Services.

As a Certified Financial Planner, Eric is deeply concerned about the challenges faced by investors and the need for young people to get the financial education they need to build great financial habits. He has been interviewed by the Journal of Financial Planning and Los Angeles Times and given presentations and webcasts to diverse audiences on topics related to retirement, financial planning, and investing.

William R. Benz
Secretary

Bill has served on the kasina Youth Foundation Board since June of 2008. Bill brings a valued perspective to the Board since he has spent over 15 years in the investment management industry, most recently as Director, Digital Marketing, at RiverSource Investments. Bill is a graduate of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.

Andrew Provencher, CFA
Board Member

Andrew Provencher is Head of Business Development for Bouillon International. He previously served as Managing Director and Head of Intermediary Distribution at Neuberger Berman. Mr Provencher also served as a member of the firm's Operating Committee. During his tenure Andrew oversaw the growth of Neuberger's Separately Managed Account business to the 5th largest in the industry. Other accomplishments include the launch of the firm's first Closed End Mutual Fund, Private Equity Fund of Funds and advisor sold mutual fund share classes. In 2008 Mr. Provencher's team was awarded Money Management Institute's (MMI) "Marketing Campaign of the Year" for its work with clients during the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. In 2011 his team was again recognized by MMI as "Manager of the Year". Prior to joining Neuberger Berman in 1993, Andrew was an assistant portfolio manager for Diamant Asset Management. He earned a BA in Economics from Fairfield University and has been awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst designation

Brett D. Rogers
Board Member

Brett joined the Kasina Youth Foundation Board in May of 2010. Brett is Chief Compliance Officer of Brown Advisory, an independent asset management and strategic advisory firm in Baltimore. Previously he was Director and Global Head of Risk Management Governance for Deutsche Asset Management in New York and Chief Compliance Officer of the Germany Funds. While at Deutsche he also served as Deputy Chief Compliance Officer of the DWS/Scudder Funds and Chief Compliance Officer of Deutsche Asset Management Japan Ltd. in Tokyo.

Brett holds a JD from the University of Maryland School of Law, an MBA from the R.H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, and an AB in English with honors from Georgetown University.

Brett is a member of the University of Maryland School of Law Alumni Board and previously served as President of the Board of Directors of the Historical Society of Baltimore County.

Brett and his wife Vicky live with their two children and golden retriever in downtown Baltimore, where piles of unwatched press copy DVDs grow in direct proportion to Brett's neglect of his freelance writing hobby.

Contact Info:

If you're interested in participating in or contributing to the kasina Foundation's programs, please contact us at:

kasina Foundation
581 Avenue of the Americas, 5th Flr.
New York, NY 10011
Tel. (212) 349-7412
Email: foundation@kasina.com