A Conversation with NAF President JD Hoye and NAF Advisory Board Members

NAF Advisory Board members play a critical role in supporting NAF Academies across the United States. Recently, NAF President JD Hoye spoke with two Advisory Board members, James Nicholson of Seattle, and Stephen Finocchio of Boston, both of whom serve on their local NAF Advisory Boards.

About James Nicholson(Bio and photo to come).

About Stephen Finocchio

Stephen Finocchio is a Managing Director in the Structured Finance division of State Street Global Markets, LLC, the broker/dealer subsidiary of State Street Corporation.  Mr. Finocchio leads a client relationship team responsible for developing, coordinating, and maintaining institutional investor relationships for the Structured Finance division.  He is also responsible for the liability management and hedging process on State Street sponsored asset-backed commercial paper programs with over $20 billion in liabilities.  From 2004 through early 2008, Mr. Finocchio led a global securitization team responsible for developing a fixed income investment product that invested in the trade debt of emerging and frontier economies.  Previously, Mr. Finocchio has led securitization teams responsible for executing transactions on behalf of clients in the retail banks and finance companies sectors, with a primary focus on the auto finance industry.  Mr. Finocchio also spent several years in Australia (1997-1999), assisting in the establishment of State Street’s Structured Products business in Asia-Pacific.  Mr. Finocchio has been with State Street Corporation since 1992. Mr. Finocchio received a BBA in Finance from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University. Stephen currently serves as Chair of the advisory board for the Brook Farm Business and Service Career Academy (Boston Public Schools).

1. How did NAF Advisory Board members become involved with NAF Academies?
2. Why are internships important, what works, and what challenges are
there involved with internships?
3. Taking a longer view in this economy is a challenge for some
companies to consider. How can NAF support and communicate this view,
as well as the work of Advisory Board members?
4. What would you suggest the government do to engage businesses to
provide resources to schools?
5. What role can employers play to provide some type of financial
support for students’ ability to go to college?
6. Regarding incentives for companies, are there incentives you can
think of that would instill a greater lift for the local Advisroy
Board, and help in regards to expansion?
7. What kind of convening could be valuable to help develop Advisory Boards?
8. If you had to give one statement about how being involved in an AB
has impacted you, what would you say?