GallopNYC Announces the Appointment of New Board Chair, Two Board Members and Two Staff Members
New York – July 25, 2023 – GallopNYC announced the appointment of Constance Hunter as chair of the board of directors. She replaces Sol Reischer who served as board chair from 2019-2023 who will transition into an emeritus role. Lauren Reischer and Arjun Saraswat were named new board members. GallopNYC is a therapeutic horsemanship organization that serves hundreds of New Yorkers with disabilities each week with its life-changing programs.
Hunter has been a committed board member since 2016 and was named board chair on July 1.
Hunter has served as Head of Strategy of Corebridge Financial since May 2023. Before joining Corebridge, she was Executive Vice President, Global Head of Strategy & ESG for AIG. As a speaker, Hunter is known for her ability to make economic data understandable, user-friendly, and actionable. She has been recognized for her work forecasting pivotal economic events.
Hunter is a past president and former board member of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE), where she has been recognized as a fellow and serves on the NABE Statistics Committee. She also serves on the board of the National Bureau for Economic Research. Hunter holds a B.A. in economics and sociology from New York University and a master’s from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She also holds the Certified Business Economist designation from the National Association for Business Economics. Constance is a passionate equestrian and understands first-hand the healing power of horses. She is a vocal advocate for New Yorkers with disabilities.
New to the board, Arjun Saraswat is a Senior Manager at EY with more than 11 years of experience in the financial services industry. His career involves leading large-scale projects with business and technology leaders focusing on transformation, risk and regulatory activities. Arjun received his master’s of business administration from Columbia University, a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and multiple certifications focused on technology and audit domains.
“Constance is an experienced executive and accomplished economist, strategist, philanthropist, civic leader, and is passionate about horses and therapeutic horsemanship programs we provide. We are thrilled to have her chair the board. Arjun brings technology, corporate financial expertise and connections to the table. As a GallopNYC rider, Lauren brings a fresh and valuable perspective. We look forward to working with our new board members.”
Lauren Reischer is a GallopNYC alumna born with Cerebral Palsy. She started therapeutic riding at 3 years old and is now a hunter/jumper circuit professional. She works in public relations at the American Thoracic Society and is also the head coach of the Special Olympics New York Equestrian Team. Reischer is the first GallopNYC rider to join the board of directors.
L-R: Arjun Saraswat, Lauren Reischer, Phoenix Trent
GallopNYC hired Haidar Alrubaiee as Managing Director and Phoenix Trent as Development Director. As Managing Director, Alrubaiee manages our finances, operations and facilities and provides support to the Executive Director, development staff and program staff. Prior to joining GallopNYC Haidar worked for the Caribbean Culture Center African Diaspora Institute as Director of Operations and as the Managing Director for the ALR Group which helps to support operations for numerous businesses and organizations.
As Development Director, Phoenix Trent drives our fund development work, supporting long-term growth for our organization. Trent comes to us most recently from The Art Effect in Poughkeepsie, NY where he served as the Director of External Affairs. He has a strong leadership and consulting background and has worked with various nonprofits and government agencies to expand their development capacity.