Our Team
Marco Cardozo
Founder and Executive Director
Marco Cardozo is a finance major at Rutgers Business School and the founder of the Opportunity Finance Project, a nonprofit that delivers bilingual financial-literacy seminars to immigrant and underserved communities across New Jersey. His initiatives have drawn support from community leaders and regional financial institutions, earning recognition at Rutgers’ Experiential Learning Showcase. A first-generation college student on scholarship, Marco is committed to making higher education and personal finance more accessible. Away from the numbers, he performs violin with his local orchestra, composes chamber music, and pursues a lifelong passion for strength training—bench-pressing twice his body weight while planning the next seminar on financial empowerment.
Michael R. Ilcyn
Strategic Advisor
Mike Ilcyn is an Executive Director for a major global financial institution, where he has worked for over 40 years. He is a member of the Rutgers Alumni Board of Directors. Mike also volunteers his time to the Rutgers School of Industrial & Systems Engineering by serving on their Industry Advisory Board, and is also a Capstone Project Advisor and Honors Council Case Competition Judge. Mike also supports the Rutgers Business School and has mentored over 35 RBS students as part of their TeamUp program. He is co-chair of the Rutgers/JPMorganChase Alumni Group and is a past Competition Judge for the historic Rutgers Charity Bed Races. Mike is married with four adult children, and In his spare time, plays drums and percussion and is an avid swimmer and bicyclist.