Board of Trustees

Chairman of the Board

Daniel Gans is the co-founder and Chief Executive Office of the Hudson Development Company.  For over 38 years, he has been developing real estate along New Jersey’s Hudson River “Gold Coast.” His firm focuses on the redevelopment of large-scale mixed-use urban industrial sites,

Aside from his professional endeavors, Gans is actively involved in numerous trade groups, community, and educational development activities. As well as his position at the Hudson School, some of his current activities include being President of the Board of the Hudson County Schools of Technology Foundation, and President emeritus of the Mile Square Theatre.

His involvement in community activities has helped to build new schools, cultural buildings, parks and recreational facilities. His company sponsors internships for students from high school to graduate school.  Gans has experience presenting to various national audiences and has spoken on various topics related to entrepreneurship, real estate development, finance, and sustainability.  He has presented his family history in many venues including historical societies, libraries, and educational institutions.

Daniel has been on the Hudson School Board since its inception in the mid 80’s.  He is the parent of a Hudson Middle School alumnus and lives in Hoboken.

Clifford Sonkin (Cliff) is Corporate Counsel for the Americas division of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), a Fortune 100 company and the fourth largest telecommunications company in the world. Cliff regularly advises on matters related to data privacy, technology transactions, real estate, managed network services, and public sector contracts. Cliff previously worked at Weil, Gotshal and Manges LLP as an associate in the Business Finance and Restructuring practice. Cliff consulted on bankruptcy matters in industries such as retail, mortgage, energy, and insurance, including the restructurings of J. Crew, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Ditech Holding Corporation, The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P), and the various instrumentalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. After graduating from The Hudson School, Cliff attended Clark University, where he earned an MS in professional communications and a BA in both psychology and sociology. He earned his JD from Boston University School of Law, where he also advised researchers, entrepreneurs, and students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on various technology matters relating to data privacy and blockchain technologies through the Technology and Cyberlaw Clinic.

Arnold joined the Hudson School board in January of 2015.  Arnold’s daughter Kai attended the Hudson School for High School, graduating in 2013.  Currently, Arnold is Head of Co-Brand Relationships at Wells Fargo.  Prior to Wells Fargo, Arnold was a Vice President of Macy’s, responsible for Credit Marketing and Customer Loyalty, Senior Vice President of CitiCards, Rewards Product Management where he was responsible for New Product Development and Strategy Reward Card Products. Prior to Citi, Arnold was President of United Loyalty Services where he led United Airlines’ Mileage Plus frequent flier program and partnerships.  Arnold started his business career at American Express in 1988 and spent 15 years in a variety of roles including  Director of the Membership Rewards program, Vice President of Strategic Alliances Card Acquisition and Vice President of Business Alliances, where he was responsible for managing all Membership Rewards partners and developing new partnerships and co-brand cards with companies like Costco, Lexus, Hilton and Starwood.

Arnold received his degree from Brown in History as a member of the Class of 1983 and a MBA from Harvard Business School in 1988.

Paul is a partner at CPP Associates. CPP is a technology consulting and services firm located in Clinton NJ and supporting organizations through the tri state area. At CPP, Paul is responsible for sales, marketing, and technology/business strategy. Prior to joining CPP as a partner in 2017 he was responsible for the mid-market equities group at Hewlett Packard Enterprise.   As Partner, he has helped steer CPP into new markets such as Automation, Security, Cloud and Managed Services.  

He is a graduate of NYU Stern School of Business with BS in Marketing and Management. 

Paul is a proud member of the Hoboken Community, husband to wife Maria, and the father of 2 current Hudson School Children.

Flora is a marketing leader responsible for purpose-driven platforms and cultural engagement for diverse consumers leading Target's Black audience marketing strategy. She spearheaded the launch of Target’s first-ever always on Black millennial engagement platform – Black Beyond Measure. She's also the founder of Corage Dolls (co-raj), children's book author of "Don't Give Up, Aaliyah!, 2019-2020 Humphrey Public Policy Fellow, multicultural marketing expert, and #BlackGirlMagic advocate. She has over 10+ years of experience executing innovative consumer-centric campaigns, strategies, community engagement initiatives, and brand partnerships including AFROPUNK, R29 Unbothered, Curlfest, Verzuz, and CultureCon – driving strong brand equity, deepening consumer relevance and engagement, acquiring new audiences, and exceeding sales results.

She's a winner of the 2021 Brand Innovators "40 under 40" awards Midwest and recipient of two Adweek 2021 Experiential Awards: R29 Unbothered x Target "The Black Woman Is Essential" for Best Virtual Event for Professional Development and Best Virtual Event in Support of Diversity and Inclusion.

Tom's association with The Hudson School goes back to 1994, when his daughter, Martha, entered the middle school in the back of the Hoboken library. Round 2 came when his two sons, Edward and Thomas, attended the middle school from 2012-2017. During those years, Tom joined the financial committee for Hudson and served on various parent committees. A few years ago, Tom and his wife, Kate, were honored at the annual auction for service to Hudson.

Tom's professional career was largely spent as a professor at Fordham University in the business school and MBA programs. He taught communications, and later ran Fordham’s joint MBA with the IMI in Dublin Ireland. He left Fordham to become a partner in Columbus Partners, a small private equity group with Arthur Taylor, a former president of CBS. Tom holds a BA from Georgetown, an MFA from San Francisco State University, an MA in the Humanities from Johns Hopkins, an MA and PhD in English from SUNY Buffalo, and a more recent MA in Educational Psychology from Columbia.

Tom resides in Hoboken, has served on the local theater board, and is a principal in a vineyard in Pennsylvania.

Luisa Palacios is the Managing Director of Energy Transition Finance and Deputy Research Director at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. 

She came to Columbia University in 2021, following a two-year period as the Chairwoman of Houston-based Citgo Petroleum Corporation. During that time, she also chaired the Simon Bolivar Foundation, Citgo's 501 (c)(3). Before Citgo, Luisa was a Senior Managing Director and member of the management committee of Medley Global Advisors, a NY-based financial and policy research firm. She also worked in various financial organizations such as Barclays Capital and Société Générale as an economist in their research and risk departments.

She graduated from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas, Venezuela; holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs; and received a Ph.D. in international affairs from The John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. Luisa is a member of the Editorial Board of Americas Quarterly and a member of the Women in Energy Advisory Board of the Center on Global Energy Policy. Luisa and her husband live in Hoboken and are proud parents of a current THS Middle School student and a THS alumnus.

Minalkumar (Minal) Patel is the Founder and CEO of Abacus Insights, a data management company that harnesses the power of healthcare data to enhance people’s lives. Minal is a physician and entrepreneur with a passion for creating value in our healthcare system and has previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Horizon BCBSNJ, CEO and founder of Care Management International, President and COO of Horizon Healthcare of NY, strategy consultant with McKinsey and Company, and a member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School.  He has been a member of the Board of Trustees at The Hudson School since 2004, and served as Treasurer from 2007 to 2016.

Zemin services as the Executive Director of Newark Preservation and Landmarks Committee, and as a trustee or an activist in various non-profit organizations, such as Essex County Arts and History Council, Newark Water Group, and PLANewark. He has been planting flowers around his neighborhood for 25 years. He holds a Ph.D. in developmental psychology. His two children, Myles (HS’15) and Maia (HS’17), have taken the Hudson School in their hearts to college.