About TOUCH

Miguel A. Ortíz-Crane

President

Miguel joined the Board of TOUCH in summer 2019. He is a higher education administration professional at NYU School of Professional Studies, where he focuses on developing professional development and continuing education programs and public events in partnership with local industries.  He has extensive experience in project management; process and workflow improvement; and data management and analysis both in higher education and publishing. Miguel is an advocate for creating inclusive climates grounded in community service. He has volunteered extensively in service to the homeless and underserved youth, and currently serves on the Planning Board of the Village of Nyack, NY. Miguel has a B.A. in Social Sciences and an M.S. in Global Affairs from New York University. Miguel lives in Nyack with his husband, Benny, and their young daughters Candis and Valentina.

Angel Cuadrado

Board Secretary

Angel Cuadrado joined the TOUCH Board in Spring 2022. He has spent his career working as a paralegal specializing in disability advocacy. While serving in this role, he realized a passion for working in this area of law to help those in need secure the services and benefits to which they are entitled. Joining the Board of TOUCH was an opportunity to continue giving back to others in a new way. In January 2023, Angel earned his Juris Doctor degree from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, and he is committed to finding new ways to continue serving different communities upon earning admission to practice law in New York. Angel lives in Nyack, NY with his wife and two young sons.

Melanie Hopkins

Treasurer

Melanie Hopkins’s career began in the finance departments of nonprofits, but while employing her skills to help an entrepreneurial friend open her business, she discovered a passion for helping business owners become empowered in their financial management. She founded Finance Friend (www.financefriendi.ninja) in 2008 and since then has worked with over 200 companies, ranging from human rights nonprofits to artisanal cheese makers to tech startups. She has been featured in Forbes, CNBC, Katie Couric’s Wake-Up Call, the New York Post, and US News & World Report. Melanie has taught “Artistpreneur” workshops at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts to recent graduates, and has been featured as a guest speaker with Emerging Leaders in New York Arts. Melanie is a one-time but still proud triathlete, a voracious reader who is always looking for new book recommendations, and a self-proclaimed scholar of the Shondaverse.

Carin Clary

Prior to joining the GPL, Carin was the Assistant Deputy Commissioner for New York City’s Human Resources Administration’s (HRA) Office of Supportive and Affordable Housing. There, Carin directed NYC’s largest referral and placement system for homeless households into a continuum of publicly supported housing, coordinating over 20,000 referrals annually and sat on the NYC Continuum of Care Steering Committee for Coordinated Entry and Placement Services. She led the pilot and subsequent expansion of NYC’s master leased housing program, expanding the City’s stock of permanent affordable housing through new contracting mechanisms totaling over $20M annually. Carin served as a Senior Advisor for the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, serving as chief agency and policy liaison for the NYC Dept. of Homeless Services and Human Resources Administration, with a combined annual budget of over $15B, serving over 3M New Yorkers per year. Carin has also served in leadership capacities for criminal justice reform non-profits such as the Fortune Society and the Center for Court Innovation . She earned her BA from New York University and lives in Nyack with her husband, Edward, and two daughters, June-Inez and Sylvie. 

Jemar Ward

Jemar Ward is a dynamic and accomplished HR professional who currently serves as the Chief People Officer at Public Health Solutions (PHS). He is a certified life coach and holds the SHRM-SCP certification, demonstrating his commitment to professional excellence and growth. Prior to joining PHS, Jemar served as the Global Director of HR and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at buildOn, where he played a key role in promoting a culture of  diversity, equity, and inclusion and change management. Jemar’s areas of expertise include diversity and inclusion, recruitment, employee relations, benefits, leadership, strategy, and facilitation.

Jemar is an active member of the community and is involved with organizations such as the New York Urban League. He is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and is recognized for his contributions to the field, having been named to Network Journal’s 40 under 40 and featured in Black Enterprise. In addition to his work in HR, Jemar is a sought-after speaker and has made speaking engagements on topics such as career coaching and diversity. He lives in Valley Cottage, NY.

Eric Jimenez

Eric Jimenez joined the board of TOUCH in February 2023.  He is a private Spanish tutor for adolescents and adults.  He has taught at independent schools in Connecticut and Pennsylvania.  One of Eric’s passions is addressing the problem of food insecurity.  Since 2016, Eric has volunteered at Soup Angels, the soup kitchen based in Nyack, NY, and was invited to join its Steering Committee in 2020.  Eric also serves as the clerk of Rockland Friends Meeting, the Quaker congregation located in Blauvelt, NY, where he has secured over $10,000 in grants to support the Meeting’s capital projects and charitable giving.  He has a B.A. in Spanish from Haverford College and an M.A. in Spanish from Middlebury College.  Eric resides in Norwood, NJ.