News

(New York, New York—August 20, 2024) – Rising Ground, a trusted and longstanding human services nonprofit at the forefront of meeting the critical needs of New Yorkers, is pleased to announce the appointment of Gary Moross and Graham Thomas to its Board of Directors. Gary Moross is a Partner at HG Vora Capital Management and a member of the firm’s investment committee. Graham Thomas is a private equity operating executive at KKR, where he focuses on driving employee engagement and implementing broad-based ownership programs across KKR’s portfolio companies.

“I am thrilled to welcome Gary Moross and Graham Thomas and their wealth of professional expertise and personal experience to Rising Ground,” said Matt Del Percio, President of the Board of Directors. “At a time of rapid organizational growth and increased impact, I look forward to the valuable insights they will bring to our work providing children, adults, and families with the resources and skills needed to rise above adversity and positively direct their lives.”

Gary Moross said: “I have been extremely impressed by the wide-ranging and deeply impactful work of Rising Ground. Its programs serve over 72,000 children, adults, and families across the New York City area, fostering hope, empowering lives, and driving positive change in our communities. I look forward to joining this impassioned, empathetic, and skilled group of individuals to further the mission of this incredible organization.” 

Graham Thomas said: “I feel privileged to be able to support the critical work that Rising Ground does to help families, youth, immigrants, and so many others find opportunities to thrive in life. In the past I have volunteered for extended periods of time with organizations supporting children in foster care and incarcerated youth and I am particularly appreciative of Rising Ground’s ability to address needs holistically with on-staff counselors, psychologists, social workers, educators, and advocates, and the ability to refer families and individuals across programs. I have also been deeply impressed with the professionalism, tenacity, and compassion of every single staff member I have interacted with across Rising Ground.”

Please find abbreviated bios of the new board members below:

Gary Moross is a Partner at HG Vora Capital Management and a member of the firm’s investment committee. Gary manages the firm’s investment process including idea generation and fundamental research with a focus on credit investments. Prior to joining HG Vora, Gary was a senior investment professional at Silver Point Capital where he focused on credit investing in private companies. Previously, Gary was a Vice President in the Leveraged Finance Group at Goldman Sachs. Gary holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from The George Washington University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. Gary and his wife have two children and live in New York City.

Graham Thomas is a private equity operating executive at KKR, where he focuses on driving employee engagement and effectively implementing broad based ownership programs across KKR’s portfolio companies. Mr. Thomas has prior professional experience in global health and development at The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and in management consulting at the Boston Consulting Group. He received joint MBA and MPP degrees from Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School and a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame. In his personal life, Graham has two young children, enjoys hiking in Bear Mountain and Harriman State Parks with his wife, and regularly competes in local triathlons.