Pictured: Board Chair Julienne Silverman (left) and Vice Chair Mary Ann Betsch (right)
On July 16, 2026, The HOPE Program appointed Julienne H. Silverman as Chair of its Board of Directors. Julie has served on the Board since 2014, including eleven years as Vice Chair. She will succeed Alix Oliver, who is stepping down after a year of dedicated leadership to relocate to Virginia. Alix will remain an active board member.
During her tenure, Julie co-founded the Associate Board and has co-chaired the annual comedy fundraiser Humor for HOPE. Her creativity and dedication have helped grow the event into one of HOPE’s signature fundraisers, more than doubling its impact. Beyond the event, her commitment to disrupting cycles of inequity and injustice has made her a true champion of HOPE and the New Yorkers it serves.
Julie is a Partner in the Strategic Advisory Group at PJT Partners, based in New York. Before joining PJT Partners in 2021, she spent 15 years at Goldman Sachs, where she advised many of the firm’s most important private equity and family office relationships. She holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, a BA from Brown University and serves as a Trustee of the Nightingale-Bamford School.
Julie shared, “HOPE has been an integral part of my life for more than a decade, and what keeps me committed to this work is simple: everyone deserves a second chance, and HOPE delivers that chance to New Yorkers every single day. That chance rarely changes just one life — it lifts a family, strengthens a community, and instills a pride that carries forward to the next generation. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to lead this organization, and I look forward to advancing our five-year strategic plan, Home of Prosperity and Empowerment, alongside Mary Ann, Tracey, and this extraordinary board and staff.”
Julie’s role as Vice Chair will now be filled by Mary Ann Betsch, who has served as Finance Chair of the Board for the past two years and brings extraordinary financial leadership experience to the role. Mary Ann served as Chief Financial Officer at Lazard from 2022 through early 2026. Before Lazard, she helped lead the finance and accounting function at Citadel, and prior to that spent 17 years at PwC, where she was a partner serving global investment banks and financial institutions and completed a two-year fellowship supported by the Federal Reserve Board’s Chief Accountant. She is a Certified Public Accountant and CFA charterholder, and earned her degree in Public Accounting from Fordham University.
“Having spent the past two years with HOPE’s finances, I’ve seen up close both the strength of this organization and the ambition of where it’s headed,” said Mary Ann Betsch, Vice Chair. “It’s a privilege to partner with Julie in supporting Tracey and her team as HOPE expands its reach and impact.”
We are deeply grateful to Alix for her leadership this past year and are thrilled that she will continue to serve on the Board. “Leading the HOPE board has been a tremendous privilege,” said Alix Oliver. “I am confident in and so excited for the board leadership that Julie and Mary Ann will bring in the years ahead. Alongside Tracey and her team, there is no better combination to guide HOPE as we continue to scale our efforts to provide long-term financial stability to an increasing number of New Yorkers.”
“Board transitions like this one are a sign of organizational strength — a deep bench of committed, capable leaders ready to step forward,” said Tracey Capers, Executive Director. “Julie’s decade of devotion to our mission and Mary Ann’s exceptional financial stewardship give HOPE exactly the board leadership we need as we pursue our vision of prosperity and empowerment for New Yorkers facing barriers to employment. I’m deeply grateful to Alix for her leadership this past year and thrilled she remains on our board.”
Julie and Mary Ann step into their new roles as HOPE advances its five-year strategic plan, Home of Prosperity and Empowerment — Executive Director Tracey Capers’ vision for deepening program impact, expanding access to green economy careers for New Yorkers facing barriers to employment, and building lasting organizational and financial strength. We could not be more ecstatic to have two remarkable women leading our Board, and we look forward to seeing Julie’s continued impact on the Board and the broader HOPE community.
