Board Committees

Kevin O’Connor, is the Principal at KMO Strategy. Kevin O’Connor is currently involved in strategic consulting, He previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Dime Community Bank the successor organization to BNB Bank after the merger between these two organizations in 2021. Dime Bank is one of the region's largest community banks with over 50 branches, 800 employees and $12 billion in assets. Mr. O’Connor served as the Chief Executive Officer of the bank for 16 years, where he led the Long Island community institution through a period of dramatic growth and financial stability. Other roles in financial services included senior positions at North Fork Bank and KPMG. Mr. O’Connor has degrees in Accounting from Adelphi University in 1984 and Suffolk Community College.

Spring Hollis is the CEO and founder of Star Strong Capital, an investment firm that provides flexible capital solutions to lower middle market businesses. Before founding Star Strong Capital, Spring was a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank focused on principal investments in structured credit and esoteric assets. Prior experience also includes Park Cities Asset Management as a specialty finance Portfolio Manager and Briargate Capital as a Founding Partner focused on distressed issuers of privately held debt.

Spring serves on the Board of Directors for the BOMA Project, an international non-profit focused on the economic empowerment of women in sub-Saharan Africa. Ms. Hollis has a J.D. from New York University and a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Henry B. Howard, with ten years of domestic and international solar energy industry experience, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Renewable Energy LLC, U.S. Renewable Energy II LLC, and U.S. Renewable Energy III LLC; owners of two New York community solar energy generation facilities and one foreign commercial solar energy generation facility. Mr. Howard is also the founder and sole owner of U.S. Education Loan Trusts I, II, III, and IV LLC’s; Federal Family Education Loan Program securitizations collectively amounting to $3.5 Billion in original outstandings. The President appointed him to represent the United States in Nicaragua in 1997 and to the board of the National Security Education Program at the U.S. Department of Defense in 2020. Mr. Howard is an Advisory Board Member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. 

Mr. Howard is a 1979 honors graduate from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science (Cum Laude) and is a Doctor of Humane Letters (h.c.) from the University of Mobile.

Henry B. Howard, with ten years of domestic and international solar energy industry experience, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Renewable Energy LLC, U.S. Renewable Energy II LLC, and U.S. Renewable Energy III LLC; owners of two New York community solar energy generation facilities and one foreign commercial solar energy generation facility. Mr. Howard is also the founder and sole owner of U.S. Education Loan Trusts I, II, III, and IV LLC’s; Federal Family Education Loan Program securitizations collectively amounting to $3.5 Billion in original outstandings. The President appointed him to represent the United States in Nicaragua in 1997 and to the board of the National Security Education Program at the U.S. Department of Defense in 2020. Mr. Howard is an Advisory Board Member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. 

Mr. Howard is a 1979 honors graduate from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science (Cum Laude) and is a Doctor of Humane Letters (h.c.) from the University of Mobile.

Spring Hollis is the CEO and founder of Star Strong Capital, an investment firm that provides flexible capital solutions to lower middle market businesses. Before founding Star Strong Capital, Spring was a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank focused on principal investments in structured credit and esoteric assets. Prior experience also includes Park Cities Asset Management as a specialty finance Portfolio Manager and Briargate Capital as a Founding Partner focused on distressed issuers of privately held debt.

Spring serves on the Board of Directors for the BOMA Project, an international non-profit focused on the economic empowerment of women in sub-Saharan Africa. Ms. Hollis has a J.D. from New York University and a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Kevin O’Connor, is the Principal at KMO Strategy. Kevin O’Connor is currently involved in strategic consulting, He previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Dime Community Bank the successor organization to BNB Bank after the merger between these two organizations in 2021. Dime Bank is one of the region's largest community banks with over 50 branches, 800 employees and $12 billion in assets. Mr. O’Connor served as the Chief Executive Officer of the bank for 16 years, where he led the Long Island community institution through a period of dramatic growth and financial stability. Other roles in financial services included senior positions at North Fork Bank and KPMG. Mr. O’Connor has degrees in Accounting from Adelphi University in 1984 and Suffolk Community College.

Spring Hollis is the CEO and founder of Star Strong Capital, an investment firm that provides flexible capital solutions to lower middle market businesses. Before founding Star Strong Capital, Spring was a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank focused on principal investments in structured credit and esoteric assets. Prior experience also includes Park Cities Asset Management as a specialty finance Portfolio Manager and Briargate Capital as a Founding Partner focused on distressed issuers of privately held debt.

Spring serves on the Board of Directors for the BOMA Project, an international non-profit focused on the economic empowerment of women in sub-Saharan Africa. Ms. Hollis has a J.D. from New York University and a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Henry B. Howard, with ten years of domestic and international solar energy industry experience, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Renewable Energy LLC, U.S. Renewable Energy II LLC, and U.S. Renewable Energy III LLC; owners of two New York community solar energy generation facilities and one foreign commercial solar energy generation facility. Mr. Howard is also the founder and sole owner of U.S. Education Loan Trusts I, II, III, and IV LLC’s; Federal Family Education Loan Program securitizations collectively amounting to $3.5 Billion in original outstandings. The President appointed him to represent the United States in Nicaragua in 1997 and to the board of the National Security Education Program at the U.S. Department of Defense in 2020. Mr. Howard is an Advisory Board Member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. 

Mr. Howard is a 1979 honors graduate from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science (Cum Laude) and is a Doctor of Humane Letters (h.c.) from the University of Mobile.

Kevin O’Connor, is the Principal at KMO Strategy. Kevin O’Connor is currently involved in strategic consulting, He previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Dime Community Bank the successor organization to BNB Bank after the merger between these two organizations in 2021. Dime Bank is one of the region's largest community banks with over 50 branches, 800 employees and $12 billion in assets. Mr. O’Connor served as the Chief Executive Officer of the bank for 16 years, where he led the Long Island community institution through a period of dramatic growth and financial stability. Other roles in financial services included senior positions at North Fork Bank and KPMG. Mr. O’Connor has degrees in Accounting from Adelphi University in 1984 and Suffolk Community College.