Philanthropy on the Vineyard August 13 – 15, 2016 Winnetu

Philanthropy on the Vineyard
August 13 – 15, 2016
Winnetu Oceanside Resort
Edgartown, Massachusetts
Share using #HHP16
@HHphilanthropy
Welcome to the Vineyard
Philanthropy on the Vineyard connects philanthropists, thought leaders, social
entrepreneurs and non-profit practitioners who are each addressing issues
impacting communities of color within the United States and abroad. Now in its
fifth year, this intimate summit explores innovative models of giving and engages
attendees in two-and-a-half days of deep learning, meaningful collaboration and
authentic fellowship. Together we explore how we can maximize our dollars,
increase opportunity for communities of color, leverage impact investing as a
leading tool for social change and identify promising trends transforming diverse
communities.
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the
starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace
and brotherhood can never become a reality.”
~ Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ~
About Head and Heart Philanthropy
Head and Heart Philanthropy was founded to connect philanthropists, thought
leaders, social entrepreneurs and non-profit practitioners. The goal of the
organization is to address issues impacting communities of color within the United
States and abroad. The first cohort convened on the island of Martha’s Vineyard in
the summer of 2011. All participants in the cohort learn, share and develop
blueprint around four key issues - Health, Education, Access and Opportunity and
Media and Arts. Learn more at www.headandheartphilanthropy.com
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A Message From Our Host
Greetings Beloved,
I’m honored and humbled that you have joined us for the Fifth Anniversary of what was once an idea that I
wasn’t sure made much sense. Those who know me, know that it took at least six years for me to even
verbalize the idea of creating a gathering for people of color and those concerned about communities of
color. My life and work are centered in the reality that we are each our ancestor’s wildest dreams…they
never could have imagined the many opportunities set before us. The question we have to answer is, what
are we going to do to honor them?
This year we dedicate the Summit to a fighter in and outside of the ring, Muhammad Ali. His life in its entirety
reflects the reality of America - a deeply troubled place, yet the land of opportunity. He taught us that
courage of conviction shouldn’t be compromised, but rather fueled for the greater good. Thank you,
Muhammad for making all of us better.
This year, I’m deeply grateful for Mitchell Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein for pushing me on
rainy Monday morning somewhere on a freeway between Healdsburg and Oakland to gather investors and
philanthropists of color. I was hoping then we could find 12 individuals to join us on the Vineyard. Once the
call went forth, we exceeded that number in 24 hours. This week we are joined by more than 100 social
impact leaders on the island. We are honored to start this important conversation with Mitch and Freada two of the pioneers in impact investing in communities of color.
Every year as we gather, I think of my late grandmother, a former principal and my first pen pal. She would
write me letters always reminding me that privilege means you have an obligation to serve. She poured
constant affirmations into me that I was fine just that way I was created. On this day, I have that same hope
for you. When progress seems slow and challenges outweigh opportunities I hope you will always use your
time, talent and treasure to do your best and help someone else knowing that you are fine, just the way you
were created.
In the words of Kendrick Lamar, “We gon’ be alright”.
Shalom,
Christal Jackson
CEO of Head and Heart Philanthropy
Founder of Philanthropy on the Vineyard
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Schedule of Events
Saturday | August 13th
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Check-In & Welcome Reception
Host Home
36 Hamblen Way
Edgartown, MA
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
*Lola’s Restaurant
Opening Conversation & Dinner
15 Island Inn Rd, Oak Bluffs, MA
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Representative Stacey Abrams
State of Georgia
Judith Browne Dianis, Executive Director
Advancement Project
David Johns, Executive Director
African American Education Excellence
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Impact Investing Dinner
Exploring Impact Investing in Communities of Color
Home of Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Color of Conversation Panel
Discussion with Nate Parker and Spike Lee
Martha’s Vineyard High School Performing Arts Center
100 Edgartown Vineyard Haven Rd, Oak Bluffs, MA
9:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Private Reception
"Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the
human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for
greatness lives within each of us."
~ Wilma Rudolph ~
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Schedule of Events
Sunday | August 14th
INFLUENCER TRACK
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Breakfast and Check-In
Winnetu Oceanside Resort
31 Dunes Rd, Edgartown, MA
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Opening Remarks & Special Announcement

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9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
So You Have a Big Idea - Scaling For Greater Impact

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10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Mandy Taft-Pearman, Managing Partner
Bridgespan Group
Rael Nelson James,
Bridgespan Group
Understanding the Culture of Black Philanthropy
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11:00 AM -12:00 PM
Christal M. Jackson, Founder
Head and Heart Philanthropy
Tara Russell, CEO
Fathom
Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, President
Central State University
Gary Cunningham, Chair
ABFE-Association of Black Foundation Executives
Mark Getachew, Board Chair
Eagle Academy Foundation
Tech the Opportunity to Do Good and Do Well
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Chanelle Hardy,
Google
Carolina Huranca Mendoza, Principal
Kapor Capital
Jessica O. Matthews, Founder
Uncharted Play
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12:00 PM -1:30 PM
Black Enterprise Brunch (*guest ticket required)
Legends, Leaders and Luminaries


Derek Dingle, Sr. VP/Editor-in-Chief
Black Enterprise Magazine
Greg Shell, Managing Partner
Bain Capital
1:30 PM- 2:00 PM
Break and Group Photo
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Building Black and Brown Coalitions

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3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Carmen Rojas, Executive Director
The Worker’s Lab
Alejandra Castillo
Alexis Madrigal, Editor-in-Chief
Fusion
Robert Raben, Founder and President
The Raben Group
Roundtable Sessions

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Black Men and Boys-Improving Mental Health OutcomesFacilitated by Stephanie Bell-Rose
International Development-Building Sustainable
Communities Facilitated by Reggie Canal
Latino Voices-Building a Social Impact Community
Facilitated by Anhelo Reyes and Marcos Gonzalez
Millennial Roundtable My Brand, My Career and My
Impact
Facilitated by Craig Vaughan
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
An Evening with the Ms. Foundation for Women-Cocktail
Reception (*ticketed event)
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
A Night Under the Stars with India.Arie (*ticketed event)
9:30 PM - 11:30 PM
Private VIP Reception with India.Arie (*ticketed event)
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IMPACT INVESTING TRACK
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Breakfast and Check-In
Winnetu Oceanside Resort
31 Dunes Rd, Edgartown, MA
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Opening Remarks & Special Announcement


Christal M. Jackson, Founder
Head and Heart Philanthropy
Tara Russell, CEO
Fathom
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Mayors United to Serve Communities of Color
 Betsy Hodges, Mayor
City of Minneapolis
 Andrew Benjamin, Mayor
Columbia, South Carolina
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Tech -The Pathway to Building A Black And Brown Wall Street

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Brian Dixon, Partner
Kapor Capital
The New Social Economy - Opportunities for Communities of Color

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Melissa Bradley, American University
Earl Robinson, Consequent Capital
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Black Enterprise Brunch (*guest ticket required)
Legends, Leaders and Luminaries
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Break and Group Photo
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Conversation with a CEO

Arnold Donald, CEO Carnival Corporation
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Roundtable Sessions & Reciprocity Circle
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
An Evening with the Ms. Foundation for Women-Cocktail
Reception (*ticketed event)
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
A Night Under the Stars with India.Arie (*ticketed event)
9:30 PM - 11:30 PM
VIP Reception with India.Arie (*ticketed event)
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Schedule of Events
Monday | August 15th
INFLUENCER AND INVESTOR TRACK
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Breakfast and Check-In
Winnetu Oceanside Resort
31 Dunes Rd, Edgartown, MA
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Disrupting Traditional Philanthropy with a Diversity Strategy

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Social Justice and Social Impact-Turning Moments into
Movements
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11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Judith Browne Dianis, Executive Director
Advancement Project
Alan Jenkins, Executive Director
The Opportunity Agenda
Corporate Philanthropy-Finding the Secret
Sauce
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12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Vikki Spruill, President
Council on Foundations
Deboah Elam, President
GE Foundation
Stephanie Bell-Rose, Senior Managing Director
TIAA
Kelly Brinkley, Chief Operating Officer
United Way National Capital Area
Essence Magazine Luncheon – The State of Women of Color
(*ticketed event)
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Vanessa De Luca, Editor in Chief
Essence Magazine
MC Lyte, Founder
Hip Hop Sisters
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, United States
Representative
13th District-Oakland, California
Linda Dunn, President
Odyssey Media
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2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Leaving a Legacy - Celebrating our Story
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3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Lola West, Managing Partner
WestFuller Advisors
Paula Madison, CEO
Madison Media Management
State of Education in Communities of Color
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David Johns
HBCU’s Impacting Local Communities
Eli Kennedy, President
Level Playing Field Institute
Dr. John Wilson, President
Morehouse College
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Closing Poolside Cocktail Reception
Hosted by Level Playing Field Institute
Winnetu Oceanside Resort Pool
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Summit Kid’s Pool Party - Host Home
36 Hamblen Way
Edgartown, MA
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A Special Thanks to Our Social Impact Partners
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SPECIAL GUESTS
ALAN JENKINS
OPPORTUNITY AGENDA
@Opportunity1
Alan is Executive Director of The Opportunity Agenda, a communications, research, and
policy organization dedicated to building the national will to expand opportunity for all.
Before joining The Opportunity Agenda, Alan was Director of Human Rights at the Ford
Foundation, managing over $50 million in grant making annually in the United States
and eleven overseas regions. Previously, he served as Assistant to the Solicitor General
at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he represented the United States government
in constitutional and other litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to that, he
was Associate Counsel to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., where
he defended the rights of low-income communities suffering from exploitation and
discrimination. His other positions have included Assistant Adjunct Professor of Law at
Brooklyn Law School, Law Clerk to Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun, Law Clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Robert L.
Carter, and Coordinator of the Access to Justice Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. He holds a J.D. from Harvard Law
School, an M.A. in Media Studies from New School University, and a B.A. in Psychology and Social Relations from Harvard
College.
ALEXIS MADRIGAL
FUSION
@alexismadrigal
Alexis is the editor in chief of Fusion, a cable and digital network. He was a senior editor
at The Atlantic and a staff writer at Wired. Madrigal is the author of the book "Powering
the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology” and has been a visiting
scholar at UC Berkeley’s Center for Science, Technology, Medicine, and Society as well
as an affiliate at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.
DR. ALIX CANTAVE
KELLOGG FOUNDATION
@WK_KELLOGG_FDN
Alix Cantave is a program officer for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, working in partnership with
the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) team based in Mexico City. He is responsible for
identifying and nurturing positive, systemic change within communities, executing
programming efforts aligned with the strategic programming functions of the overall
foundation and implementing a micro regional strategy in Haiti in collaboration with other LAC
staff. He is a key resource for the compilation, organization, utilization and communication of
information and knowledge. He also establishes, monitors and manages relationships,
partnerships, collaborations and contacts with intermediaries, consultants, community and
legislative leaders Prior to joining the foundation in 2011, Cantave was the associate director
of the William Monroe Trotter Institute at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, where
he established and managed a consortium of 20 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, Spain and the
Caribbean to support the rebuilding and improvement of higher education in Haiti.
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ARNOLD DONALD
CARNIVAL CORPORATION
@CarnivalPLC
Arnold Donald is President and Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Corporation & plc, the largest
cruise company in the world, with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Europe,
Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises,
Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia), P&O Cruises (UK), and
fathom. Together, these brands operate over 100 ships, serving nearly 10 million guests
annually. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the
leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Prior to Carnival, Arnold was
President and Chief Executive Office of the Executive Leadership Council, a professional
network and leadership forum for African-American executives of Fortune 500 companies and
prior to that, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation International, the largest charitable funder of diabetes research in the world.
CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA LEE
UNITED STATES CONGRESS
@RepBarbaraLee
In 1998, Congresswoman Barbara Lee was elected to serve California’s 9th congressional
district (now the 13th) in a special election. Currently, Congresswoman Lee serves on the
Budget Committee and the powerful Appropriations Committee, which oversees all federal
government spending. She serves on three subcommittees (State and Foreign Operations;
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; and Military Construction and Veterans
Affairs) of the Appropriations Committee. She is the former chair of the Congressional Black
Caucus (111th Congress) and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (109th &
110th Congresses).
BRIAN DIXON
KAPOR CAPITAL
@MRSTARTUP
Brian focuses on identifying and evaluating early-stage investments along with helping
portfolio companies grow effectively. Brian joined Kapor Capital in 2011 after spending two
summers as an MBA intern, and was promoted to partner in November 2015. He is
committed to making sure entrepreneurs of all backgrounds have access to advice and
capital in order to make their business succeed. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in
Computer and Information Science from Northeastern University and an MBA from F.W.
Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College and has been selected as a
Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) Fellow, Babson Fellow, and Springworks
Scholar.
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CAROLINA HUARANCA
KAPOR CAPITAL
@carohuaranca
Carolina joined Kapor Capital in 2016 and focuses on identifying early stage investments,
evaluating those investments, and partnering with entrepreneurs to grow their companies.
She is particularly interested in Future Work, People Operations Technology, and
Education. Prior to becoming Principal, she was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Kapor
Center for Social Impact (KCSI) working on a tech platform for teacher professional
development. Carolina began her career as a Mergers & Acquisitions investment banker at
Citi but left to pursue opportunities in the technology and education sectors. She began
her technology career in 2003 as a Sales & Marketing Manager at SchoolNet, which sold to
Pearson for $230MM. In 2012, she founded Spriggle, a marketplace helping parents
identify science and math inspired products for children ages 3-9. Carolina is a graduate of Cornell University and was
awarded the Konologie Fellowship at The Wharton School. As a woman and first-generation Peruvian-American from Long
Island, Carolina is passionate about ensuring that people from all backgrounds know how to access capital.
CARMEN ROJAS
THE WORKERS LAB
@Crojasphd
Carmen is the CEO of The Workers Lab, an accelerator that invests in entrepreneurs,
community organizers, technologists, economic justice organizations,issue campaigns,
and businesses to create scalable and self-sustaining solutions that improve
conditions for low-wage workers. Prior to assuming this position, she was the Acting
Director of Collective Impact at Living Cities. In this capacity, she played a pivotal role
supporting the work of Living Cities’ member institutions, which represented 22 of the
largest foundations and financial institutions in the world. Her work focused on
improving economic opportunity for low income people by supporting projects in the
fields of economic and workforce development, energy efficiency, and asset building.
From 2008 to 2011, Carmen was the Director of Strategic Programs at the Mitchell
Kapor Foundation, where she oversaw the Foundation’s Green Access and Civic
Engagement programs. Her charge involved participating in efforts to build power in
low income communities and communities of color. Prior to joining the Kapor
Foundation, Carmen was the Coordinator of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency’s Taskforce on African American OutMigration. As Coordinator, she developed qualitative and quantitative reports for a taskforce established by San Francisco’s
Mayor Gavin Newsom to address African American displacement from the city. Carmen holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional
Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and was a Fulbright Scholar in 2007.
CHANELLE HARDY
GOOGLE
@Google
Chanelle is an attorney and public policy expert dedicated to advancing policies that
promote economic growth, opportunity and justice. She is a member of the Public
Policy team at Google, focusing on Strategic Outreach and External
Partnerships. Most recently, she had the honor to serve as Chief of Staff to Federal
Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, the first woman to serve as
Commission Chair and the only African American currently on the dais. Before that
she led the Washington Bureau of the National Urban League - the nation's oldest civil
rights and urban advocacy organization, was Counsel and Chief of Staff to former US
Congressman Artur Davis, and served as an FTC staff attorney, Fellow and Counsel at
Consumers Union, and fifth grade teacher. She is a member of the boards of the Joint
Center for Political and Economic Studies and the Black Women’s Health Imperative.
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CHARISSE R. LILLIE
COMCAST CORPORATION AND COMCAST FOUNDATION
@CharisseLillie
Charisse serves as Fellow and Vice President of Community Investment for Comcast
Corporation and as Executive Vice President of the Comcast Foundation. Charisse
joined Comcast in 2005 as Vice President, Human Resources, Comcast Corporation, and
Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Comcast Cable. Additionally, she served as
President of the Comcast Foundation from 2011 through 2016. Prior to joining Comcast
she was a partner in the law firm of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP in
Philadelphia from January 1992 to February 2005. She is a member of the Board of
Trustees of NBCUniversal Foundation, The Franklin Institute, Penn Mutual Life
Insurance Company and the Philadelphia Electric Company, an Exelon Company. She
served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Howard University from 2004-2016 and
is the former chair of the Board of The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The Houston, Texas native received her B.A. in
1973 from Wesleyan University (cum laude); her J.D. in 1976 from Temple Law School (Dean’s Honor List); and her LL.M. in
1982 from Yale Law School. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA,
in 2005. In 2011, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Peirce College in Philadelphia, PA. In
2013, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Cheyney University.
CHRISTAL M. JACKSON
HEAD AND HEART PHILANTHROPY
@christaljackson
For nearly two decades, Christal has adopted a philosophy of servant leadership
deeply rooted in her Haitian family traditions and values. She is the founder of Head
and Heart Philanthropy (HHP), a social impact agency that hosts convening’s centered
on the best practices in philanthropy, domestic and global initiatives of utmost
importance to communities of color. A growing network of over 250 professionals,
thought leaders, funders and social entrepreneurs, HHP gathers annually in Martha’s
Vineyard with its cohorts to collaborate and exchange ideas. Since its inception four
years ago, this network has facilitated half a million dollars in resources that address
critical issues around health, poverty and education. Christal is also the founder of
Jackson and Associates Group, LLC, a boutique fund development and branding firm,
focused on servingthe philanthropic and socially conscious needs of high net worth individuals, athletes, elected officials,
celebrities, faith-based institutions and community organizations.
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CYNTHIA JACKSON-HAMMOND
CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY
@CENTRALSTATE87
Dr. Cynthia Jackson- Hammond became the eighth president of Central State
University (CSU) on July 1, 2012, and the first female president in the 129-year
history of the University. Under her leadership, the University developed and is
guided by Six compelling priorities: provide a quality academic/collegiate experience
for all students; focus on targeted student enrollment; improve retention rates;
reduce time to degree completion; development of graduates with the knowledge,
skills and dispositions for advanced studies and professional careers; and increase
efficient and effective institutional operations. The University has also received a
registered trademark for the logo, Service…Protocol… Civility®. The logo represents
the tenets used to rebrand Central State University.
DAVID JOHNS
WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE ON EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS
@MrDavidJohns
David is the executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence
for African Americans. Prior to joining the Department, Johns was a senior education
policy advisor to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP)
under the leadership of Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. Before working for the Senate HELP
committee under Chairman Harkin, Johns served under the leadership of the late Sen.
Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. Johns also was a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Fellow in
the office of Congressman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. Johns has worked on issues affecting
low-income and minority students, neglected youth and early childhood education and
with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Johns obtained a master’s
degree in sociology and education policy at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he graduated summa cum laude
while simultaneously teaching elementary school in New York City. He graduated with honors from Columbia University in
2004 with a triple major in English, creative writing and African American studies. Johns was named to the Root100 in both
2014 and 2013, selected as a member of the Ebony Power 100 in 2015 and received an early career award from Columbia
University, Teachers College in 2016.
DANA FRANCOIS
KELLOGG FOUNDATION
@WK_KELLOGG_FDN
Dana François is the Haiti Program manager for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and is
based in Miami, FL. As a member of the Latin America and the Caribbean staff and the
Haiti place-based team, she is responsible for the management of a $28 million
portfolio supporting the implementation of regional strategies in family economic
security, health, education and social equity & civic engagement. She also
develops and executes key strategies for emerging bodies of work, provides strategic
and leadership support for grant making activities, the processing and management of
proposals and grants, analyzing reports, collecting data, conducting environmental
scans and collaborating with internal and external partners to further the foundation’s
mission while supporting and leading the integration and coordination of efforts. Prior
to joining the foundation, François served as a researcher at the Center for Social Policy
at the University of Massachusetts Boston. At the Center for Social Policy she conducted
research and worked closely with the team to develop and advance key socio-economic
development policy recommendations and efforts to expand access to critical services
in empowering minority and low-income families within the Boston Neighborhoods.
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DEBORAH ELAM
GE FOUNDATION AND GE
@GE_FOUNDATION
Deborah is President of the GE Foundation and Chief Diversity Officer for GE. She
works at the Corporate Headquarters in Fairfield, CT, and leads efforts globally to
bring GE employees closer to their communities while maintaining diversity and
inclusiveness as an essential part of GE’s productivity, creativity, innovation and
competitive advantage. Elam is a native of New Orleans, LA and an alumna of
Ursuline Academy. She received a B.A. degree in sociology at Louisiana State
University and a Masters of Public Administration at Southern University in Baton
Rouge, LA. In February of 2006, GE’s Board of Directors appointed Elam an officer of
the Company, making her one of the most senior women in the Company.
DEREK DINGLE
BLACK ENTERPRISE
@DTDINGLE
Derek is senior vice president/editor-in-chief of BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine. He is
responsible for the strategic planning and editorial direction of the magazine and has
executive oversight of both BLACK ENTERPRISE television shows: Black Enterprise Business
Report and Our World with Black Enterprise. He also oversees content development for the
Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo and other events related to the
company. Dingle has authored countless BLACK ENTERPRISE cover stories throughout his
tenure with the magazine and has appeared as a business expert on numerous television
networks and radio programs, including CNN, CNBC, NBC’s Weekend Today, and National
Public Radio. Prior to becoming editor-in-chief of BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine, Dingle
served as the publication’s executive editor from 2000 to July 2008, and managing editor
from 1987 to 1990. Prior to rejoining BLACK ENTERPRISE, he was a senior writer
at Moneymagazine, covering mutual funds and small business issues. Earlier in his career,
Dingle founded and served as president and CEO of Milestone Media Inc., the nation’s largest black-owned comic book
company.
EARL ROBINSON
CONSEQUENT CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
Earl Robinson is the CEO and co-founder of Consequent Capital Management. At the
close of a pending acquisition, Consequent will have $1.2 billion in assets under
management and $3.4 billion in assets under supervision. Earl is the leader of
Consequent’s private equity, real estate and impact investment practices. Earlier in
his career, Earl helped launch a $700 million distressed debt and special situations
investment firm, served as a Senior Vice President in the leveraged buyout and special
situations verticals at a $2 billion private equity firm and pension fund investment
advisory firm, served as the Operations Officer for JPMorgan Investment Management
– Americas (at the time, $440 billion in assets under management), was a Vice
President at JPMorgan Investment Management – Americas and was an investment
banker at Morgan Stanley & Co. Immediately prior to co-founding Consequent, Earl
was the CEO of the New Orleans Startup Fund and PowerMoves.NOLA. Under Earl’s leadership, PowerMoves alumni gathered
more than $30 million in start-up and growth capital in less than two years.
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ELI KENNEDY
LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD INSTITUTE
@eltkennedy
Eli joined LPFI in 2016. For over a decade, Eli has worked to develop the STEM talent
pipeline in underrepresented communities and improve educational systems. He has led a
region for Platform Learning, a tutoring company focused on low income students and
made investments in educational reform initiatives as a director at the Broad Foundation.
He has also served as the President and CEO of the Pacific Charter School Development,
where he developed over 50 public charter school facilities, raised more than $30M in
new philanthropic funding, and scaled the organization as it expanded into three new
states. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Redbird Advanced Learning, a
leading research-based EdTech company.
FREADA KAPOR KLEIN
KAPOR CAPITAL
@TheRealFreada
Freada’s work is at the intersection of racial/social justice and tech, with a
particular expertise in the fields of human capital and bias mitigation. Freada is the
founder of the Level Playing Field Institute, which promotes innovative approaches to
fairness in higher education and workplaces. Freada’s book Giving Notice: Why the
Best and the Brightest Leave the Workplace and How You Can Help Them Stay (JosseyBass 2007) combines quantitative research on who leaves corporate America and why,
with stories of day-to-day experiences detailing the human and financial cost. Freada
is also a Co-Chair of the Kapor Center for Social Impact, and a Trustee of the UC
Berkeley Foundation.
GREG SHELL
BAIN CAPITAL
@BainCapital
Greg joined Bain Capital Double Impact as a managing director in 2016. Prior to joining,
Mr. Shell served as a Lead Portfolio Manager of a concentrated Global Equity product
at GMO. Previously, Mr. Shell was a Senior Equity Analyst at Columbia Management
Group and a Consultant at Bain & Company in its Strategy and Private Equity practice
areas. Mr. Shell earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and received a Bachelor
of Science from MIT.
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GARY CUNNINGHAM
ASSOCIATION OF BLACK FOUNDATION EXECUTIVES
@Khaaliss2
Gary has served as the top leader of philanthropic, health care, public policy, and
educational organizations. Gary joined the Metropolitan Economic Development
Association (Meda) as President and CEO on August 18, 2014. Meda’s mission is to:
Help entrepreneurs of color succeed. And communities grow. Meda has provided
assistance to more than 20,000 businesses owned by entrepreneurs of color. Gary is
deeply committed to economic and community development, particularly within
communities of color. Prior to joining Meda, Gary served as vice president and chief
program officer for the Northwest Area Foundation, where he was responsible for
carrying out the foundation's mission to help communities reduce poverty in an
eight-state region of the United States. Gary also formerly served as the president
and chief executive officer for NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center in Minneapolis, where he designed and successfully led
a reinvention and renewal effort creating the largest and most successful community health and human service organization
in Minnesota.
DR. JANET TAYLOR
CENTER FOR ALTERNATIVE SENTENCING AND EMPLOYMENT
@DRJANET
Dr. Janet is a Community Psychiatrist in NYC. She is currently employed at CASES- The
Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment in Harlem. She holds a M.D. from the
University of Louisville, completed her psychiatric residency at New York Medical College
and obtained an MPH from Columbia University “s Mailman School of Public Health in
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. She has a column in Family Circle Magazine, “Ask
Dr. Janet”. Dr. Janet is also frequently featured on CBS “Early Show” and NBC “The Today
Show” and CNN’s “Nancy Grace.” She is a former host of the Discovery Health/OWN series,
“Facing Trauma” and was the Guest Care Director for “The Jeremy Kyle Show”, a syndicated
talk show.
JESSICA O. MATTHEWS
UNCHARTED PLAY
@Jess_O_Matt
At the age of 19, Jessica invented the SOCCKET ball, an energy generating soccer ball that
provides off-grid power for the developing world. At the age of 22, she founded Uncharted
Play, renewable energy company specializing in motion-based, miniaturized power
systems. Expanding her reach to global infrastructural projects, at the age of 26, Jessica
became a Co-Founder and Executive Director for KDDC, a 30 megawatt hydropower dam
in Nigeria—one of the first to be privatized in the country. Working with governments in
the U.S. and internationally, Jessica was invited by President Barack Obama to the White
House to represent small companies for the signing of the America Invents Act in 2012,
and currently serves as an Ambassador of Entrepreneurship for Nigeria. Jessica’s research
and career centers around the intersection of disruptive technology, human behavior, and the psychology of selfactualization. A dual citizen of Nigeria & the U.S., Jessica has a degree in Psychology and Economics from Harvard University,
and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Her list of accolades include Fortune’s Most Promising Women Entrepreneurs
(2015), Forbes 30 under 30 list (2014), Black Enterprise’s Innovator of the Year (2013), and Scientist of the Year by the Harvard
Foundation (2012).
18
DR. JOHN SILVANUS WILSON, JR.
MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
@MOREHOUSE
John has dedicated more than 25 years to the advancement of socially conscious and
purposeful education; student success; and the good that comes from a college education.
As a scholar, an educator, a consultant, a strategist and a fundraiser, he has moved
universities and organizations forward with his efforts and vision. In January 2013, Dr.
Wilson took office as the 11th president of Morehouse College, the nations’ only private,
liberal arts institution dedicated to the education of African American males. Prior to that
position, Dr. Wilson was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the executive
director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCUs), a position he held since 2009. Dr. Wilson’s career in education began in 1985 at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he served for 16 years in various
roles and ultimately as the director of Foundation Relations. In this role, he helped to
manage two record-breaking capital campaigns, with combined results approaching $3 billion.
JUDITH BROWNE DIANIS
ADVANCEMENT PROJECT
@JBROWNDIANIS
Judith has an extensive background in civil rights litigation and advocacy in the areas of
voting, education, housing, and employment. She has protected the rights of people of color
in the midst of some of the greatest civil rights crises of our modern times, including in
Florida after the 2000 election and in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Dianis is also a pioneer in the movement to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in school
districts. Dianis has authored groundbreaking reports on the issue including: Opportunities
Suspended (2000) and Derailed: The Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track, detailing the
unnecessary criminalization of students by their schools. Working closely with grassroots
organizations, Advancement Project’s work has significantly decreased student suspensions
and arrests in Denver, Baltimore and Florida. In recognition of Dianis’ work on these issues,
she was recently named a Black Male Achievement Social Innovator by the Leadership &
Sustainability Institute. Dianis joined Advancement Project at its inception in 1999, after
serving as the Managing Attorney in the Washington, D.C. office of the NAACP Legal Defense
& Educational Fund, Inc. She is a graduate of Columbia University School of Law, was
awarded a Skadden Fellowship, served as a Tobias Simon Eminent Scholar at Florida State University Law School, and as an
Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. She was named one of the “Thirty Women to Watch”
by Essence Magazine and has written and commented extensively in the media about race, voting rights, and education
issues, appearing often on MSNBC, CNN, BET, TVOne and various radio shows.
KAREN PROCTOR
HARBOUR WORKSHOP, LLC
Karen Proctor is founder and principal of Harbour Workshop LLC, a social innovation firm. Karen
established the firm with one simple desire in mind, to help social impact leaders and
organizations design solutions for lasting social change. Scholastic, the University of Notre Dame,
the Collaborative for Southern Appalachian Studies (Yale University and Sewanee: The University
of the South), Hongik University (Seoul, South Korea), the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The
Philanthropic Initiative, the Guggenheim Museum, and the National CARES Mentoring Movement
are current or recent clients. Karen is on faculty at the School of Visual Arts (NY). Her work in
service of more than 300 organizations has honed her expertise in strategic thinking and acting,
program design, evaluation, and cross-sector collaboration. She is currently a senior fellow with
Babson College’s Lewis Institute for Social Innovation. Just prior to launching Harbour Workshop,
Karen was Scholastic’s Vice President of Community Affairs and Government Relations where she
established and led the company’s public affairs practices. As Director of Community Relations for the National Basketball
Association, Karen led the leagues’ community relations initiatives and served as the chief community relations consultant to
NBA and WNBA clubs. Karen’s non-profit and philanthropic sector leadership includes roles as President and Trustee of the
Maurice R. Robinson Fund and Chair of the Board of Directors for New York’s Literacy Assistance Center.
19
KEISHA SMITH-JEREMIE
NEWS CORP
@NEWSCORP
Keisha Smith-Jeremie is Chief Human Resources Officer for News Corp, a position she has
held since January 2013. Prior to joining News Corp, Ms. Smith-Jeremie served in various
management roles at Morgan Stanley, most recently as a Managing Director and CoHead of Talent Management. In this capacity she had global responsibility for the Global
Recruitment and Diversity & Inclusion functions. While with the Firm, she was
responsible for a number of significant contributions to the Firm’s Talent Management
Strategy. Ms. Smith-Jeremie joined Morgan Stanley in 2000. Prior to Morgan Stanley,
Ms. Smith-Jeremie worked at The Financial Times where she was responsible for leading
the recruiting strategy for the launch of The Financial Times.com. Ms. Smith-Jeremie
earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of Virginia in 1997.
LINDA SPRADLEY DUNN
ODYSSEY MEDIA
@iamdunntalking
Linda is the CEO and Founder of Odyssey Media, a marketing and communications
company. A nationally recognized market strategist and innovator, Ms. Spradley Dunn
has been featured in Essence Magazine, Black Enterprise Magazine, The Financial Times,
Bloomberg Business Radio, The Tom Joyner Show and O Magazine, among others. She
has also appeared on CNN and PBS, as a participant in the Women’s Forum, and
currently serves on the Walmart Women’s Economic Empowerment Board. A few of
her other accomplishments include becoming the first female and African-American
chair of the board of directors of the Essex County and Hudson County United Way, and
serving as a member of the Essex County Community College and the New Jersey
Performing Arts Women’s Board. Currently, she's striving to serve her community
further, alongside The Coca-Cola Company, Life Reimagined (AARP), and Marriott International, by empowering women
entrepreneurs with the tools and support they need to help their businesses.
LOLA WEST
WESTFULLER ADVISORS
@Lolacee
For almost a decade of her successful career, Lola served as a wealth advisor with
Merrill Lynch and a senior partner of LWF Wealth Management Group. Today, she
continues to advise clients and institutions on how to build a vision for the future and
directs the achievement of results-oriented financial goals and aspirations. Lola is
active in the New York City community as a board member for Jazz at Lincoln Center
and a Charter Member for the Advisory Council for the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for
Feminist Art at Brooklyn Museum. She is also listed among Who's Who of American
Women and is the recipient of the Proclamation: "Lola C. West Day" in the City of New
York, for "exemplary prowess as a health care administrator." Lola received a B.A. in
Psychology from Brooklyn College and a M.U.P. in Urban Planning from Hunter College. She holds a Certified Financial
Management designation.
20
MELISSA BRADLEY
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR INNOVATION
@BRADLEYML
Melissa has more than 20 years of entrepreneurship, investment and leadership experience.
She has recently been appointed Director of the Sustainable Entrepreneurship and
Innovation Initiative and Executive in Residence at the Kogod School of Business at
American University. In this role she will manage the day-to-day operations of the
Entrepreneurship Initiative including the Kogod Incubator, Entrepreneurship Venture Fund
and Kogod Advisory Council. Since 2012 Melissa has been a Professor of Practice at the
McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University where she serves as an expert
lecturer on Impact Investing, Social Entrepreneurship, Peer to Peer Economies and
Innovation. She is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Sidecar Social Finance, a social impact agency that provides impact
investing advisory and capital services to individuals, institutions, and social enterprises.
MC LYTE
@MCLYTE
Legendary lyricist, DJ, voice over talent, actress, entertainer and icon, MC Lyte is still making
the crowds move across the globe. MC Lyte first appeared on the scene in 1988 with her
debut album Lyte As A Rock. At the tender age of 17 she began schooling other MCs in the
art of rhyme, and since that time she has proven that greatness always prevails with a total
of ten albums (9 plus a “GREATEST HITS”) to her credit. Lyte is the FIRST rap artist ever to
perform at New York’s historic Carnegie Hall and the FIRST female rapper to ever receive a
gold single. MC LYTE’s inspiring 1993 classic anthem, “Ruffneck,” was nominated for a
Grammy for Best Rap Single. In fact, she was the FIRST female solo rapper ever nominated
for a Grammy! Ten years later her 2003 album “Undaground Heat vol.1” hosted by Jamie
Foxx, garnered this rap legend her second career Grammy nomination. It was released on
her own label SGI/CMM. The single “Ride Wit Me” also received a BET Award nomination for
Best Female Rap Performance. In 2006, MC Lyte became the first solo female rapper to be
honored/inducted on VH-1’s HIPHOP HONORS. Hip Hop Sisters Foundation is a non-profit charity founded by MC Lyte that
promotes positive images of women of ethnic diversity by bringing together leaders from the world of Hip Hop, the
entertainment industry, and the corporate world. Advisory board members include Faith Evans, Ledisi, Jada Pinkett Smith,
Chilli, Russell Simmons, Cheryl “Salt” James, Malinda Williams, Kelly Price, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Kenny Lattimore, Melanie
Fiona and Dr. Benjamin Chavis.
MITCH KAPOR
KAPOR CAPITAL
@MKapor
Mitch is a pioneer of the personal computing industry, a serial entrepreneur and longtime seed investor. He founded Lotus Development Corporation and designed Lotus 12-3, the “killer application” which made the personal computer ubiquitous in the
business world in the 1980s. He is the co-founder of The Electronic Frontier Foundation,
which protects freedom and privacy on the Internet and was the founding chair of the
Mozilla Foundation, creator of the open source web browser Firefox. Mitch’s current
investments include Twilio, Uber, Clever and Class Dojo. Currently he also serves as coChair of the Kapor Center for Social Impact, and as Interim President of the Level
Playing Field Institute.
21
NATE PARKER
@NATEPARKER
Artist and humanitarian Nate Parker recently premiered his film THE BIRTH OF A NATION at
the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Parker wrote, directed, produced and stars in the film—a
period drama which tells the story of Nat Turner (played by Parker) who famously led the
1831 slave rebellion in Virginia. In his vision of the film, he expressed his deep desire to
challenge the country to “heal from racial trauma through an honest confrontation with
our past.” Parker first garnered attention for his starring role in The Weinstein
Company’s and Oprah Winfrey produced, THE GREAT DEBATERS
opposite director/actor Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker.
Washington handpicked him to play the troubled yet brilliant “Henry
Lowe,” who overcomes his selfish ways and becomes the team’s leader.
Parker would later receive an honorary Doctorate from Wiley College in
Marshall, Texas—the actual school upon which the film was based. Parker’s most recent
efforts have gone into the launch of the NATE PARKER FOUNDATION (NPF) a public
organization designed to provide monetary and technical support to a significant number of community based organizations
that are dedicated to transforming the lives of people of African descent both domestically and abroad. Nate Parker has
dedicated his career and life to using his platform as an artist and activist to inspire a protest in the face of community and
global injustices.
PAULA MADISON
ENTREPRENEUR AND CEO OF MADISON MEDIA MANAGEMEMENT LLC
Paula Williams Madison is Chairman and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC. In 2011,
Madison retired from NBCUniversal, where she had been Executive Vice President of Diversity
as well as a Vice President of the General Electric Company (GE), then the parent company of
NBCU. During her 22 years with NBCU, she held a number of successful leadership roles,
including President and General Manager of NBC4 Los Angeles, Los Angeles Regional General
Manager for NBCU’s Telemundo TV stations and Vice President and News Director of NBC4 New
York. Madison, named one of the “75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America”
by Black Enterprise Magazine in 2005 and included in the Hollywood Reporter’s “Power 100,"
she's been honored by Asian organizations as well, having been recognized in 2014 as one of the
Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business and in 2015, she was honored by the East West
Players and AARP with their Visionary Award and by the Chinese American Museum in Los
Angeles with the Historymaker Award. She's also the author and filmmaker of the book and
documentary FINDING SAMUEL LOWE, which tell of her successful search to locate her Chinese
grandfather's descendants in China. In 2013, Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Madison to the Los Angeles Police Commission
where she served as vice president until 2015.
ROBERT RABEN
THE RABEN GROUP
@RobertRaben
Robert is a man on a mission – one that he has shared with the fifty or so people
who have joined him in the unique public policy firm he created. Robert works to
drive public policy in a humane and progressive direction; to bring diversity and
equity to the boardrooms and think tanks and corporations of America; to create a
fair judiciary and influence legislation to broaden civil rights, reform our criminal
justice system, and improve education for all our children. And that’s just for
starters. Robert’s aggressively bipartisan approach was honed during an impressive
legislative career that began on Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) staff and
culminated in House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde’s (R-IL)
endorsement of his appointment as Assistant Attorney General for Legislative
Affairs. While at the Department of Justice, Robert drove Attorney General Janet Reno’s legislative initiatives and handled the
political challenges of Congressional oversight of the Department. Robert founded The Raben Group in 2002. He is a graduate
of the Wharton School and New York University Law School.
22
REPRESENTATIVE STACEY ABRAMS
STATE OF GEORGIA
@STACEYARAMS
Stacey is the House Minority Leader for the Georgia General Assembly and State
Representative for the 89th House District. She is the first woman to lead either party
in the Georgia General Assembly and is the first African-American to lead in the House
of Representatives. Stacey serves on the Appropriations, Ethics, Judiciary Non-Civil,
Rules, and Ways & Means committees. In 2012, Stacey received the prestigious John
F. Kennedy New Frontier Award, which honors an elected official under 40 whose
work demonstrates the impact of elective public services as a way to address public
challenges. Stacey has been recognized nationally as one of the 2014 Public Officials of
the Year by Governing magazine. She has received the Friend of Labor Award from the
Georgia AFL-CIO and A-ratings from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. In April 2014,
Stacey received the inaugural Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award from EMILY’s List
and was named to The Root 100. Stacey is also a 2014 Aspen Rodel Fellow and a 2014
Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellow. Stacey has published articles on issues of public policy, taxation, and nonprofit organizations,
including pieces with The Christian Science Monitor, Yale Law and Policy Review, U.S. News and World Reports, and The
Huffington Post.
STEPHANIE BELL-ROSE
TIAA INSTITUTE
@TIAA
Stephanie Bell-Rose was elected to Knight Foundation’s board of trustees in 2011.
She is the chair of the Audit Committee and serves on the Governance and
Investment committees. She serves as TIAA-CREF senior managing director and head
of the TIAA-CREF Institute, a division of Teachers Insurance Annuity Association. The
TIAA-CREF Institute produces original research and insights on issues pertaining to
financial security and organizational effectiveness for the educational, non-profit
and public sectors. Through studies, knowledge-sharing convenings, award
programs and strategic collaborations, the Institute promotes thought leadership,
and informs decision-making across sectors served by TIAA-CREF. Prior to her
appointment at TIAA-CREF, Bell-Rose served as president of the Goldman Sachs
Foundation, whose mission was to promote excellence and innovation in education
worldwide. She also served as counsel and program officer for public affairs at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, where she
directed legal affairs, acted as plan sponsor for retirement plans, and led philanthropic initiatives in education and public
policy. She received A.B., J.D. and M.P.A. degrees from Harvard University.
TARA RUSSELL
FATHOM AND CARNIVAL CORPORATION
@FATHOMTRAVEL
Tara is the president of Fathom, a social impact company that offers a new
category of travel, and global impact lead of Carnival Corporation, the world’s
largest travel and leisure company. Russell generated the idea for Fathom in
2013, and led research, design and development of the brand, business model
and experience from January 2014 to launch in June 2015. She now leads the
Fathom team as it offers a unique experience to purpose-driven travelers who
desire authentic, meaningful social impact opportunities. Fathom provides the
opportunity to immerse in another culture and community, and systematically
work alongside that community to make relevant contributions that endure.
Fathom is the newest addition to Carnival Corporation, which is also the
world’s largest cruise company with nine global cruise lines providing
extraordinary vacations at exceptional value for nearly 11 million people
around the world every year. Russell has responsibility for Fathom and the
corporation’s global impact programs and reports to Arnold Donald, president
and CEO of Carnival Corporation.
23
VANESSA DE LUCA
ESSENCE MAGAZINE
@Vanessa_KDeLuca
Vanessa K. De Luca is Editor-in-Chief of ESSENCE magazine, the preeminent
lifestyle magazine for African-American women. As the brand’s editorial leader,
she oversees the content and vision of the core magazine as well as ESSENCE.com.
Her influence extends across ESSENCE’s various brand extensions—including toptier events such as the ESSENCE Festival, Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon
and Black Women in Music. De Luca first joined ESSENCE as Beauty and Fashion
Features Editor, where she directed all style and beauty sections. In 2003, she was
named Lifestyle Director, covering food, home, parenting and technology. In 2005,
she was named Executive Editor, managing the editorial team to implement the
brand’s creative vision, as well as overseeing staffing, systems, and operations. Prior to joining ESSENCE, she served at
publications such as Life and Glamour. An award-winning journalist and coauthor of the bestselling beauty and empowerment
book, Tyra Banks Beauty Inside & Out, De Luca has been a featured guest on several national television networks, including
NBC’s TODAY Show; MSNBC’s Morning Joe, PoliticsNation and Melissa Harris Perry; CNN and more.
VICKI SPRUILL
COUNCIL ON FOUNDATIONS
@VikkiSpruill
Vikki Spruill is president and CEO of the Council on Foundations, a national
nonprofit association of philanthropic organizations and corporations. As a leading
voice for the American philanthropic sector, Vikki frequently speaks about the
impact and value of American philanthropy, as well as the importance of charitable
giving. She has a long record of advancing the philanthropic sector. In 2003, she
helped create FoundationWorks, an independent organization devoted to helping
foundations and others in the philanthropic sector use strategic communications to
enhance their philanthropic effectiveness. She also served as the first director of
the Philanthropic Awareness Initiative, a research project that worked with
foundations and philanthropy organizations to improve communications and
outreach strategies. Earlier in her career, Spruill founded and led SeaWeb, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing ocean issues
through strategic communications and social marketing. Her work at SeaWeb was built on a 15-year career in public relations,
including five years as a senior vice president of Ruder Finn, one of the largest independent public relations firms in the world.
VALERIE MOSLEY
VALMO VENTURES
Valerie Mosley is Chairwoman and CEO of Valmo Ventures, which creates, advises,
partners with or invests in companies expected to grow and generate value for
shareholders and society. She co-founded Heartbeings.com, a multimedia site to
encourage each of us to connect with our hearts and live a fulfilling life. Through
podcasts, articles and videos, Heart Beings offers life strategies, and showcases people
and organizations doing positive things, motivated by passion and driven by purpose.
Prior to Valmo Ventures, Valerie was Partner, Senior Vice President, Portfolio
Manager and Investment Strategist at Wellington Management Company, LLP, an
$800 billion global money management firm. During her 20-year investment tenure at
the firm, Valerie personally managed billions for institutional clients. She established
and chaired the firm’s Industry Strategy Group, the first equity and fixed income effort
that identified secular headwinds and tailwinds impacting various industries. She was also a member of several of
Wellington’s Core, Intermediate, Credit, and Insurance investment strategy groups.
24
MEET COHORT VI
Aaron Walker - CEO, Camelback Ventures
Abby Kotun - Board Member, NAMC-Nigerian American Multicultural Council
Adam Foss - Attorney/Speaker
Dr. Alix Cantave, Program Officer, Kellogg Foundation
Aisha Nyandoro - Executive Director, Springboard
Alan Jenkins - Executive Director, Opportunity Agenda
Aleesha Taylor- Deputy Director of Education, Open Society
Alejandra Castillio
Alexis Madrigal – Editor in Chief, Fusion
Amelia Williamson - CEO, AWA Consults
Anasa Troutman - CEO, Shelectricity
Anhelo Reyes - VP, Brand Marketing, Spike/Viacom
Annette Richardson - Managing Partner, Decade Citizen
Arnold Donald - CEO, Carnival Corporation
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, State of California
Bethany Lampland - Chief Operating Officer, The New York Foundling
Betsy Hodges - Mayor, City of Minneapolis
Brickson Diamond - Board Chair - The Blackhouse Foundation
Brandon Andrews - Senior Consultant, Values Partnership
Brian Dixon - Partner, Kapor Capital
Candice Stanciel - Director of Convenings, New Profit
Carmen Rojas - Executive Director, The Worker's Lab
Carmita Vaughn - CEO, Surge Institute
Carolina Huaranca Mendoza - Principal, Kapor Capital
Cathie Hartnett - Executive Director, Sophie's Voice
Celeste Smith – Head and Heart Philanthropy
Chanelle Hardy - Strategic Outreach & Public Policy Partnerships, Google
Charisse Lillie - Vice President, Community Investment, Comcast Corporation
Chonya Johnson - Outreach Programs, Office of the Dean, Texas Southern University
Christal M. Jackson - Founder, Head and Heart Philanthropy
Connie Evans - President & CEO, Association for Enterprise Opportunity
Craig Vaughan - Managing Director, Vaughan Capital Advisors/QueensBridge Venture Partners
Cynthia Jackson-Hammond - President, Central State University
Darren Isom - Executive Director, Memphis Music Initiative
Dana Francois, Program Manager - Kellogg Foundation
David Johns - Executive Director, Educational Excellence for African Americans at The White House
Deborah Elam - President, GE Foundation & Chief Diversity Officer, GE Company
Deidra Jackson - Managing Partner, Opus Capital Strategies
Delores Morton - President, Points of Light
Derek Dingle - Senior Vice President/Chief Content Officer, Black Enterprise Magazine
Earl Robinson - CEO, Consequent Capital Management
Eliana Murillo - Head of Multicultural Marketing, Google
Eric Woods – The Workers Lab
Eutiquio Chapa - Program Manager, Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative
25
Eli Kennedy, Level the Playing Field Institute
Freada Kapor Klein - Co-Founder , Kapor Center for Social Impact
Gary Cunningham - Chairman, Association of Black Foundation Executives
Greg Shell - Managing Partner, Bain Capital
Heather Mason - CEO, Caspian Agency
Ivette Fernandez, Stand Together
Ify Walker - Matchmaker, The Walker Group
India.Arie Simpson - Ambassador, Shelectricity
Jade Floyd - Senior Director of Communications, Case Foundation and Revolution Venture Capital
Jacky Lumarque, Quisqueya University
James White - Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Oppenheimer Funds
Dr. Janet Taylor - Psychologist
Jeffery T.D. Wallace - President & CEO, LeadersUp
Jessica Wells Hassan - Director of Development, Opportunity Agenda
Jessica O. Matthews - CEO , UnCharted Play
Jill Ultan – Producer, Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship
Jill Iscol - Hummingbird Foundation, Chairman
Joelle Gamble - National Director, Network, Roosevelt Institute
Jotaka Eaddy - Head of Government Affairs, LendupLoans & Board Member, Nate Parker Foundation
John Harper - Vice President, Development, Turnaround for Children
John Wilson -President, Morehouse College
Joiselle Cunningham - Harvard University
Jose Garcia - Program Officer, Surdna Foundation
Judith Batty, Arena Stage, Board Chair
Judith Browne Dianis - Executive Director, Advancement Project
Karen Alston - VP Marketing, Eagle Academy Public Charter School
Karen Williams - UCLA Alumni Association
Karen Proctor, Harbour Workshop
Karla Ballard Williams - CEO, Ying Bank
Keisha Smith-Jeremie - Chief Human Resource Officer, News Corp
Kelley Brinkley - Chief Operating Officer, United Way
Kim Keenan - Executive Director, Multicultural Media Telecom and Internet Council
Kirk-Anthony Hamilton - CEO, The Destination Experience
Larry Irvin - CEO, BE2T
Linda Spradley Dunn - CEO & Founder, Odyssey Media
Lisa Nutter - President, Philadelphia Academies, Inc.
Lola West - Managing Director, WestFuller Advisors LLC
Lora O'Connor - O'Connor and Associates
Lynn Richardson - Chaplain & President, Hip Hop Sisters
Mandy Taft Pearman - Partner & Chief Operating Officer, The Bridgespan Group
Marc Littlejohn - Senior Manager, Public Affairs Constituent Relations, Walmart
Marcos Gonzalez - Founder & Managing Director, Vamos Ventures
Marcus Littles - Senior Partner, Frontline Solutions
Marissa Franco - Attorney, Foley & Mansfield
Mark Getachew - Chairman of the Board/Partner, Eagle Academy Foundation/Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Maurita Coley - Chief Operating Officer, Multicultural Media Telecom and Internet Council
MC Lyte - Founder, Hip Hop Sisters
Melissa Bradley - Executive Director, American University Center for Innovation in the Capital
26
Michael Smith - Special Assistant to the President, The White House
Michelle Kannan - Development Officer, Advancement Project
Nick D’Antonio, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Stand Together
Mike Ross - CEO, MHR International
Mitch Kapor - Co-Founder, Kapor Center for Social Impact
Nancy Santiago Negron - Chief External Affairs Officer, Opportunity Finance Network
Nate Parker - Actor/Philanthropist
Nneka Norville, Director, Corporate Social Responsibility & Communications, BET/Viacom
Pamela Ellis - Founder/CEO, The Smahrt Girl Foundation
Paula Madison - CEO, Madison Media Management LLC
Peg Campbell - Head of CSR, Philips
Rael Nelson James - Associate Director, Diversity and Inclusion, The Bridgespan Group
Reggie Canal - Summit Team, Head and Heart Philanthropy
Rehanna Farrell - Executive Director, Youth Inc.
Robert Raben - Founder & President, The Raben Group
Shawn Dove – CEO, Campaign for Black Male Achievement
Shawn Wilson-Manager, Multicultural Community Engagement, Ford
Representative Stacy Adams – State of Georgia
Sid Smith - Senior Advisor, Charter Board Partners
Spring Lacy - Vice President, Corporate and Community Engagement, Prudential
Stacey Abrams - House Minority Leader, State of Georgia
Stanley Smith - Associate, Youth Inc.
Stephanie Bell-Rose – Senior Managing Director, TIAA
Tara Russell - CEO, Fathom
Timothy Johnson, Vice President of Community Impact – United Way of the Capital Region
Teresa Younger - President & CEO, Ms. Foundation for Women
Tara Russell, Fathom and Carnival Corporation
Val Mosley - Managing Director, Valmo Ventures
Vanessa de Luca - Editor in Chief, Essence Magazine
Vanessa Garrison - Co-Founder, Girl Trek
Vikki Spruill - President & CEO, Council on Foundations
William Jackson - Chief Dreamer, Village of Wisdom
Yemi Koyejo - Board Member, NAMC-Nigerian American Multicultural Council
27
COHORT BIOGRAPHIES
Karen Maria Alston
A leader in the marketing industry; Karen Maria Alston is a top innovative and visionary
thinker. She is the Founder and CEO of Alston Marketing Group based in Washington, DC.
Alston Marketing Group has a large roster of current and former clients and has made its
mark in the DC area with several notable advertising campaigns. In 2015, Karen founded the
innovative women’s empowerment and professional development organization, The
Spectrum Circle. In 2002, a turbulent time at AOL, (her former employer) her boss
suggested she leave the company and follow her passion, later that year Alston Marketing
Group now d/b/a, AM+G Marketing Communications was established. AM+G has grown
steadily over the past fourteen years and has carved a niche working with government and
non-profits developing stellar marketing campaigns in the mid Atlantic region of the US. She
has accumulated an extensive list of clients including: National Wildlife Federation, LISC,
National Trust for Historic Preservation, DC Government, Prince Georges County
Government, DC Public Charter School Board, Walter E. Washington Convention Center,
DCTV, DC Public Schools, Baltimore County, Capital Bikeshare, Capital Area Food Bank, The
DuPont Hotel, Eagle Academy Public Charter School and many others. Karen received a Bachelor of Business Administration
degree in Finance from Howard University, an Executive Education Certificate in Branding and Design from Harvard University,
and an Executive Education Certificate in Non Profit Management from Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University.
Brandon Andrews
A communicator, social innovator, and entrepreneur Brandon leads Values
Partnerships’ work on technology and entrepreneurship, including leading
a nationwide casting tour focused on bringing more diverse ideas and
voices to ABC’s hit show, Shark Tank. He is a consulting producer on Steve
Harvey's Funderdome. He is also leading an effort to support
entrepreneurs through developing a network of capital, skill-building, and
other resources.
In 2015, he worked with A+E Networks, iHeartMedia, and the United Way
to develop the Shining A Light Concert for Progress on Race in America,
Shining a Light Fund, and Conversations on Race in America documentary.
Previously, Brandon worked as a consultant assisting disruptive and social
impact organizations with digital strategy, online advocacy, and navigating the federal system. He spent 5 years in the U.S.
Senate where he handled technology, small business, and defense policy. During the 2012 campaign cycle, Brandon served as
Political Action Committee Chair for the NAACP’s Washington, DC Branch where he led GOTV efforts and established the
Branch’s digital presence. Following the campaign, he worked on the digital team of the 57th Presidential Inaugural
Committee and served as interim Executive Director of INSIGHT. In the community, Brandon currently serves as Director of
IMPACT where he manages web content and civic engagement. He is also communications director for the 20/20 Leaders of
America. He was appointed to the D.C. Commission on National and Community Service by the Mayor of Washington, D.C.,
where he currently serves at Vice-Chair. He was also appointed to the DC Commission on Fashion, Arts, and Events. Brandon
provides commentary on policy, politics, and entrepreneurship. A former Division-1 track athlete, Brandon is a graduate of
Oral Roberts University.
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Peg Campbell
Peg Campbell is the head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for Philips North America.
She manages the Philips Cares program whose goal is to directly contribute to Philips’
mission to touch three billion lives per year by 2025. Philips Cares supports the Philips
Foundation and their philanthropic partnerships with UNICEF, the International Red Cross
and other nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and around the world. Philips Cares North
America promotes a healthy society through its collaborative, charitable partnerships with
International Medical Equipment Collaborative (IMEC), March of Dimes (MOD) and
American Heart Association (AHA). In addition, Philips Cares supports the No Barriers
organization, the Canadian Breast Cancer Association and the Canadian Cancer Institute.
The Philips Cares program enables donations of Philips products, sponsors events and
promotes employee engagement opportunities for Philips employees. Peg holds a
bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication from the University of Massachusetts, a
master’s degree in Corporate Communications from Fairfield University in Fairfield,
Connecticut, and a certificate in Marketing Innovative Technology from Harvard Business
School, Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Joiselle Cunningham
Joiselle Cunningham is a federal policy advisor, award-winning educator and consultant who
has worked in the United States, Europe and Latin America. Joiselle currently serves as a
Senior Advisor and consultant at Teach For Sweden, Empieza por Educar as well as other
social impact and education organizations. Joiselle recently served in the Obama
Administration as a Special Advisor in the Office of the Secretary at the United States
Department of Education and managed educator engagement for the White House
Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. Joiselle led diversity and inclusion
policy and launched Our Students, Our Leaders an initiative dedicated towards closing the
demographic gap between education leaders and American public school students. This
initiative brought together Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools, Kaya
Henderson, former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary John King, and over 200
national leaders to develop and implement solutions. The initiative helped to create or
support initiatives to increase the number of senior leaders of color in organizations across
the country, including philanthropic organizations and large education nonprofit
organizations. Joiselle studied Public Policy and Economics at Duke University where she received the Reginaldo Howard
Memorial Scholarship for academic achievement. She holds an MST from Pace University and is currently a doctoral candidate
at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, where she continues her work with social impact organizations within the Harvard
community.
Jade Floyd
Jade Floyd serves as Senior Director of Communications for both Revolution—the
venture capital firm founded by Steve Case, Ted Leonsis and Donn Davis with more
than $1.5 billion in assets; and the Case Foundation—the family foundation of noted
philanthropists Steve and Jean Case. She has more than a decade of strategic
communications experience at several leading D.C.-based public affairs firms. Her
clients have included the American Dental Association, Center for Wine Origins,
Champagne Bureau, Fields Family Foundation, the National Black M.B.A. Association,
DuPont, U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and many more where she has supported
government relations and public affairs initiatives. Her early years included time as
managing director for Cities United for Science Progress (CUSP), a partnership between
DuPont and USCM where her responsibilities included administration and media efforts
surrounding the “Lead Safe…For Kids Sake” grant program where she traveled the
country coordinating the Science in the School Day initiative with mayors and member cities of the Conference. She is a
graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio and received her Masters in Applied Politics from the University of Akron.
She served for nine years on the board of directors for the D.C. Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative and is currently
on the board of directors of Communications Network and Project Create, as well as the Leadership Council of Sitar Arts
Center.
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Brickson Diamond
Brickson Diamond is founding chair of the board of directors of The Blackhouse
Foundation. The ten-year old organization works to provide a platform for Black
filmmakers, encouraging them to use their divergent voices to tell stories by and
about people of African descent through independent film. It hosts networked
educational programming and facilitates long-term career opportunities for
filmmakers at the Sundance, Tribeca, Los Angeles, Toronto International and AFI
Film Festivals. Mr. Diamond has more than 17 years of experience in investment
management. He spent 11 years at Capital Group Private Client Services where
he established and coordinated the group's $1.2 billion national marketing and
service efforts with high net worth-focused investment management
consultants, and advised high net worth individuals, families and non-profit organizations. He is currently Executive Vice
President, Chief Operating Officer and a member of The Executive Leadership Council (ELC), the preeminent member
organization for current and former black CEOs, board members and senior executives at Fortune 1,000 companies. Mr.
Diamond is a trustee of Brown University, the Middlesex School in Concord, MA and Tides. He previously served on the boards
of the Brown Alumni Association, Liberty Hill Foundation and chaired the board of the National Hospice Foundation. He is an
activist philanthropist and instructs on the subject of fundraising as a faculty member for the African American Board
Leadership Institute. This program works to strengthen nonprofit, public and private organizations through recruiting,
preparing and placing African Americans on a broad range of governing boards. He is a graduate of Brown University and
Harvard Business School.
T. Morgan Dixon
T. Morgan Dixon is the Co-Founder of GirlTrek is a groundbreaking three-year-old national
nonprofit based in Washington, D.C that inspires and supports African American women
and girls to live their healthiest, most fulfilled lives - simply by walking. Through grassroots
organizing and award-winning social media campaigns, GirlTrek supports over 50,000
walkers, 500 volunteers and inspires an ever-growing network of 200,000
supporters. GirlTrek is quickly becoming a “go-to” organization in the public health space.
They have built partnerships with such companies as Kaiser Permanente, National Park
Service and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign. Prior to co-founding
GirlTrek, Morgan was on the front lines of education reform. She served as director of
leadership development for Achievement First, the largest charter school networks in New
York City where she trained and supported 23 school principals. Before Achievement First,
Morgan directed the development and start-up of six public schools in NYC for St. Hope
and the Urban Assembly - two organizations funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Morgan began her career with
Teach For America as a high school history teacher in Atlanta, GA, and later served as a vice principal in Newark, NJ.
Shawn Dove
Shawn Dove serves as the CEO of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement
(CBMA), a national membership organization of more than 4,700 leaders
representing over 2,600 organizations nationwide that seeks to ensure the
growth, sustainability and impact of leaders and organizations committed to
improving the life outcomes of Black men and boys. He launched CBMA at the
Open Society Foundations in 2008 and spun it off into an independent entity in
2015.Dove has demonstrated catalytic leadership in helping to establish and
develop the emerging field of Black Male Achievement. He has served as a lead
organizer of the Executives’ Alliance to Expand Opportunities for Boys & Young
Men of Color; brokered a partnership between Open Society Foundations,
Bloomberg Philanthropies and the City of New York to launch the Young Men’s Initiative (YMI); helped seed the launch of the
White House’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, as well as a number of other national and local initiatives advancing Black male
achievement.
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Jotaka L. Eaddy
Recently named “40 under 40 Silicon Valley Tech Diversity,” Jotaka L. Eaddy is a dedicated and
seasoned policy advocate with more than 15 years experience. Jotaka currently serves as
Head of Government Affairs for LendUp, a Silicon Valley based, venture backed financial
technology company. Within her capacity, Ms. Eaddy represents LendUp's regulatory and
legislative initiatives at the federal and state level. Additionally, Ms. Eaddy’s portfolio includes
strategic partnerships with elected officials, consumer advocates and other key stakeholders.
Prior to her role at LendUp, Jotaka served as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for
PayNearMe, Inc. From 2009-2014, Eaddy served as Senior Advisor to the President and CEO
and Senior Director for Voting Rights for the NAACP. Within that capacity she directed external
affairs and strategic initiatives on behalf of the Office of the President and CEO and led the NAACP’s strategy to defend and
expand access to the ballot box. Committed to social impact and social justice; Jotaka serves as a board advisor to several tech
start-ups and civic organizations including: Board advisor- Maker’s Row, Inc ; Board advisor- The Big Picture, Inc.; Founding
Board Member- The Nate Parker Foundation; Board Member- My Carolina Alumni Association; Board Advisor- Southern
Election Fund. Her work has been highlighted in several publications including: Root.com, Politics365.com, MSNBC, CNN, Al
Jazeera America, Aspire Network, The Huffington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, BET, The Nation
Magazine, Democracy Now, the Art of Activism, Black America Web.com, Essence Magazine, the American Prospect, among
others.
Connie E. Evans
Connie E. Evans is the president and Chief Executive Officer of the Association for
Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), the national trade association for microbusiness
representing over 400 practitioners and advocates in the US. Evans is a visionary
leader, astute strategist, activist, and social entrepreneur who has founded three
organizations. In 1986 she was the founding president of the award-winning
Women’s Self-Employment Project, the first and largest urban microbusiness
development organization in the U.S and the first adaptation of the Grameen
Bank model to a U.S. urban setting. Evans also pioneered one of the first matchedsavings program -- Individual Development Accounts -- in the country. In 2000 she
founded WSEP Ventures, a social enterprise-hybrid organization developed to serve as a catalyst for social change, economic
development and community empowerment. In 2007, Evans founded CSolutions Consulting, an advisory boutique specializing
in solutions that address social change. An international development consultant, with over 25 years experience, she has been
recognized and utilized by such groups as the World Bank, the Clinton Administration, a host of local government, private and
independent sector organizations. With international experience spanning 43 countries, Evans draws on her expertise in
developing and implementing strategies to further economic development, health and social change in communities. She also
served as a member of the U. S. Delegation to Preparatory Meetings for the Summit of the Americas, the U. S. Delegation to
Preparatory Meetings for the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, and again for Beijing Plus Five
having been appointed to each by President Clinton.
Rehana Farrell
Rehana assumed the role of Executive Director of Youth INC in January 2015. Rehana joined
Youth INC from Cain Hoy Enterprises, a private equity firm in New York City, which she
helped form as Chief Operating Officer. Cain Hoy was comprised of investment
professionals from Guggenheim Partners where Rehana worked as Chief Administrative
Officer for Guggenheim Investments since 2012. Prior to that, Rehana spent 8 years at
Merrill Lynch where she held a variety of global financial and operating roles. Before joining
Merrill Lynch, Rehana worked at Smith Barney in Strategy and Finance, as a consultant at
Booz Allen Hamilton and at Prudential Financial where she began her career in a
management training program. Rehana holds an AB from Smith College and an MBA from
Columbia University where she was President of Columbia Women in Business. She remains
active with her alma maters and also works closely with numerous nonprofit organizations
nationwide. She lives in Princeton, NJ with her two children, Gordon and Mari.
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Maurita Coley Flippin
Maurita Coley Flippin is a lawyer, social impact leader, and former media industry executive
with extensive experience in media and entertainment, communications law and policy,
business operations, and strategic planning. She joined the Multicultural Media, Telecom and
Internet Council (“MMTC”) as its Chief Operating Officer in 2012, to assist MMTC in reshaping
its mission and vision to improve diversity and inclusion in a new digital economy. She is a
former partner with the Davis Wright Tremaine and the Cole, Raywid & Braverman law firms,
where her practice included representing cable programming networks, multichannel video
programming distributors (MVPDs), minority venture capital companies and minority-owned
enterprises seeking financing for their businesses. She has also served as an executive at BET
Holdings, Inc., initially as Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, and later as Senior Vice President,
Network Operations and Programming where she had second-in-command management
responsibility over the BET Cable Networks (BET, BETonJazz (now Centric), BET Gospel, and
Action-Pay-Per-View). Prior to joining MMTC, Coley served as Executive Director of Capital Area Asset Builders, a nonprofit
leader in asset building and financial literacy and economic empowerment programs in the Washington, DC metropolitan
area. Ms. Coley holds a B.A. in Communications from Michigan State University, and a law degree from the Georgetown
University Law Center. She is a recipient of Georgetown Law Center’s 2011 Paul R. Dean Award given to distinguished alumni,
and in 2005 she received the Distinguished Alumnae Award. Passionate about media, and social entrepreneurship, Ms. Coley
has been an investor in several independent films produced by filmmakers of color, one of which was an Official Selection at
the Sundance Film Festival, and another that won both the Best American Film Award and the Audience Award at the Santa
Barbara International Film Festival, as well as an NAACP Image Award.
Marcos C. Gonzalez
VamosVentures
Marcos has strategy, private equity, startup and venture experience in the US and Latin
America. Marcos joined the Boston Consulting Group after business school and worked out of
Mexico, Argentina and Dallas offices. Later, Marcos joined Bastion Capital (the first US
Hispanic-owned PE fund), and most recently Darby Private Equity, a DC-based $2 billion fund
where Marcos was responsible for their US Hispanic investment practice. Most of his PE work
has centered on consumer goods, telecom, media, financial services, and healthcare; whereas
his strategy work has been primarily in the market opportunity, analytics, governance and
innovation areas. Between PE firms, Marcos co-founded a tech company in Boston where
they raised $10mm from friends and family, a strategic investor and a Bay-area VC fund.
Marcos is now angel investing in diverse tech entrepreneurs and launching a fund,
VamosVentures, for what he sees as America’s most undervalued resource and key to the
future prosperity of diverse communities and country. Marcos was born in the City of Angels
to Mexican immigrant parents. Marcos graduated from Brown, earned an MBA from Harvard and now resides in Pasadena
California.
Darren Isom
Darren is the Executive Director of The Memphis Music Initiative, a community initiated
and developed philanthropic initiative that uses high-quality music engagement
programs and activities to drive student, youth, and community outcomes in Memphis
and the Mid-South. Prior to leading The Initiative, Darren was a manager at The
Bridgespan Group where he was a strategic advisor to nonprofit and foundation leaders
in youth and community development, foundation strategy and education policy. Before
Bridgespan he worked in arts management, youth development direct services, and
trade finance in New York and Europe. A seventh generation New Orleans native, Darren
is a graduate of Howard University, Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris, and Columbia
Business School.
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Kirk- Anthony Hamilton
Kirk-Anthony Hamilton is an architectural designer turned entrepreneur and
investor from Kingston, Jamaica. He is the CEO of the Infiniti Partnership, a
company connecting opportunities to a dynamic network of people, capital and
markets. The business focuses on interests in real estate, hospitality, retail,
lifestyle and entertainment. Kirk formed the Infiniti Partnership based on a love
for collaboration and transforming ideas into business solutions. The Infiniti
Partnership is a market maker providing global access. Kirk-Anthony has built a
strong reputation for his ability to craft deep partnerships and build
communities connecting wealth, influence and opportunity. “On May 11 2015
Kirk-Anthony was 1 of 75 Emerging Global Entrepreneurs from around the world
selected to be honored by President Barack Obama at an event hosted at the
White House as a part of the President’s Global Entrepreneurship Initiative.” In
January of 2016 Kirk-Anthony was selected as 1 of 50 members of the Global Shapers Community to participate in the World
Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. He is also the co-curator of the Destination Experience; a social
discovery experience, gathering a global network of business leaders and influencers to promote investment, prosperity and
philanthropy in the Caribbean. Launched at Chris Blackwell’s legendary GoldenEye Resort, the event has attracted partners
including Visa Signature, Virgin Atlantic, Jaguar and Range Rover. The 2014 Destination Experience helped facilitate the launch
of a US$90 million film investment in Jamaica from business titans Arthur Wylie and Michael Rollins who have become
partners in 2016’s event. ‘The Destination Experience was also specifically recognized by the White House and President
Obama as an innovative platform for the promotion of entrepreneurship and a unique business catalyst.’
Deidra Jackson
Deidra Jackson launched Opus Capitol Strategies (OCS) in 2013 after a substantial career in
the areas of public relations, internal and external communications, advocacy, corporate
philanthropy, and crisis management. Deidra has provided management consulting services
to various clients in federal and state government agencies, nonprofit, petrochemical and
technology industries. Current and past clients include BASF, Huntsman,
PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Shell, ExxonMobil, ICF Consulting, ACE Scholarships, Louisiana
Department of Education, Louisiana Workforce Commission and the United States
Department of Justice. Currently OCS is collaborating with Education Strategy Group (ESG) to
help refocus and retool states' career preparation efforts to ensure that they engage business
and industry as authentic partners, are responsive to the labor market, and effectively
prepare all students for the expectations of the 21st century work place. In addition to her work with ESG, Jackson also
consults with federal, state and local policy makers on the implementation of strategy, relationship development, public policy
engagement, and overall business advancement initiatives. In her role as the Chair of the Career Readiness K-12 Task Force,
Deidra has helped the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council see unprecedented transformation of career and technical
education statewide in the areas of industry engagement, state government and school district collaboration, and legislative
agendas. Deidra is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,
Incorporated and currently serves on the boards of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, City Year and the Baton Rouge
Chapter of the American Red Cross. In addition to her regional service to the Red Cross, she is also a National Council Member
of the Tiffany Circle Society of Women Leaders.
William Jackson
William Jackson is the founder of Village Of Wisdom, an organization that is
mobilizing a nationwide movement of families to discover, celebrate, and protect the
Black Genius of children. At the age of 24, William became the highest performing
science teacher in his district, but yearned to expand his impact on youth of color.
Consequently, he decided to pursue a PhD in Education from University of North
Carolina. While at UNC, William attracted the attention of social change consulting
firm Frontline Solutions to design learning environments for both school-age and
professional audiences. William has been awarded the Echoing Green, Camelback
Ventures, and Education Pioneer Fellowships.
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Chonya Johnson
Chonya is America’s 5 Minute Advocate & Government Affairs Consultant, she manages
Outreach Programs for the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Texas Southern
University. She trains individuals on how-to effectively influence Congress, State, and Local
governments. While working in Congress she gained valuable, first-hand insight of the intricacies
of government practices and the concerns of advocates, constituents and businesses. Chonya
develops interactive advocacy training seminars for organizations to prepare them to effectively
advocate for their issues. Her real life experiences and insight on what works, while being of
service, allowed her to survive the game of politics beyond political parties and
bureaucracy. She facilitate key-contact networks, lobby days, and design training programs for
national associations and organizations, including the NOBEL Women, AAUW, Jack and Jill of
America, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., The MAC Campaign and a host of women, community
groups and democratic clubs. Mrs. Davis Johnson is the author, holds a Masters Degree in
Political Science from University of Northern Iowa and is a recent recipient of the Education
Pioneer Graduate Fellowship, The League of Women Voters Rising Star award and nominee of United State of Women.
Timothy Johnson
Timothy is the Vice President of Community Impact and Engagement at the United Way of the
National Capital Area where he oversees the agency’s $12.3M in regional programmatic
investments as well as helps to inform its strategic vision during its transition from a federation
to Community Impact organization. Timothy is a philanthropist and nonprofit professional who
has dedicated most of his career to the pursuit of eradicating poverty in urban and suburban
settings. He has served as Director of Community Impact/Income at the United Way of Greater
Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and as a program officer at the Robin Hood Foundation, a
New York City based philanthropy, where his grant making responsibilities included a $6 million
portfolio of job training grants that served the city’s unemployed and underemployed
populations. Prior to Robin Hood, Timothy served as the Director of Workforce Development
Initiatives at the United Way of New York City where he managed the day-to-day workforce
development activities of the agency, chiefly responsible for managing $30 million in workforce
development initiatives across the five boroughs. Prior to entering the nonprofit sector, he was in public service in various
roles at the New York City Departments of Employment and Small Business Services and NYC Workforce Investment Board.
He has extensive workforce and youth development experience as well as a broad background in program management and
operations. Timothy is adept at managing relationships between internal and external stakeholders - including businesses,
community-based organizations, elected officials and other agents involved in issues of economic and workforce
development. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Biology from North Carolina Central University and a Master’s of Science in
Nonprofit Management from Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy. Mr. Johnson resides in Alexandria,
VA with his lovely wife Opa and enjoys practicing further community service and philanthropy through his memberships as a
proud Prince Hall Freemason, Shriner and life member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Kim Keenan
Kim is the President and CEO of the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council
(MMTC), a non-profit organization focused on diverse participation and social justice in
media, telecom, and tech. Keenan previously served as General Counsel and Secretary of
the NAACP and is a Past President of the 100,000-member District of Columbia Bar and the
60,000-member National Bar Association network. The Multicultural Media, Telecom and
Internet Council (MMTC) is a national not-for- profit organization dedicated to promoting
and preserving equal opportunity and social justice in the mass media,
telecommunications, and broadband industries.
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Abby Kotun
Abby Kim is an attorney practicing labor and employment and litigation for Haynes
and Boone, LLP in Houston, Texas. In a nutshell, Abby assists companies by
representing them in disputes involving their current or former employees,
whether in proceedings before agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (“EEOC”) or the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
(“OSHRC”) and its state equivalents; or in state or federal court actions and
arbitrations involving claims of breach of a non-competition agreement or
defending employers from discrimination or retaliation claims. Before starting her
legal career, Abby worked as a process engineer, pipeline project manager and
business analyst for Chevron Corporation. During law school, she interned for a
federal bankruptcy judge, served as the Internet Publishing Editor of the Houston Law Review and volunteered as a student
attorney in the University of Houston Law Center civil and immigration clinics where she handled cases involving divorce,
custody, probate, guardianship, withholding of removal, and family immigration, and special immigrant juvenile issues. She
also enjoys giving back through pro bono activities and provides free legal representation for individuals referred through Kids
In Need of Defense (KIND) and the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program (HVLP). Outside of her day-to-day practice, Abby is
involved in the community and serves as Vice-President of Fundraising and Sponsorships for the Nigerian-American
Multicultural Council. She is also President-Elect of the Houston Lawyers Association (an affiliate chapter of the National Bar
Association) and as a Young Leader for the United Way.
Yemi Koyejo
Yemi Yemi is a proven Financial Leader with a career of distinction earned through
demonstrated success in supporting multi-billion-dollar organizations with highly complex
financial structures. She has a holistic understanding of the Oil and Gas business, a
dedication to professionalism, and a passion for leadership. During her over 30 years of
service at Mobil Producing Nigeria and ExxonMobil (USA), Yemi’s roles and responsibilities
ranged from project management and controls, strategic planning, internal controls and
governance, accounting, financial reporting, tax, audit to process improvement initiatives.
In 2009, Yemi received her MBA at Rice University, Houston and graduated as a Jones
Scholar, an award given to the top 10% of the graduating class. Outside of ExxonMobil,
she has made an impact as the President and Co-founder of Nigerian-American
Multicultural Council; past President of Great Ife Alumni Association, USA; and a Director
at Spaulding for Children, a US non-profit organization promoting adoption of children in
foster care. Her passion is in developing people, building a stronger community, and
raising funds for the multiple organizations she supports. At Mobil Producing Nigeria
(MPN), Yemi was the Joint Interest Accounting Manager, where her strong interpersonal skills in relating with key government
officials enabled Mobil to achieve the best Cash Call and budget approval record in the industry. In 1990, she was awarded
the Mobil Corporation Upstream Controllers / Treasurers award for Excellence and Innovation. She supported the 3rd party
financing of the Oso Condensate Field Development, which raised $330M in loans from IBRD, EIB and Japan EXIM Bank for
NNPC and $170M from IFC, US EXIM Bank and commercial banks for MPN. She was team member that established the first
joint operating agreement for upstream oil operations with NNPC, required by lenders. Following the Exxon and Mobil
merger, she was transferred to Houston to serve in the Upstream Planning group, as the Controllers Advisor responsible for
the Upstream Division’s 5-year Operating Expense ($16B) and Capital Expenditure ($11B) Plans and Budgets. From 2002 to
2006, she was the Controller’s Lead for the Deepwater Nigeria (Erha, Bonga and Usan) development projects with primary
financial reporting and controls responsibility over the $10 billion portfolio. Yemi led the ExxonMobil operated projects
Finance Committee meetings with Shell and protected ExxonMobil’s interests on the non-operated projects in partnership
with Shell, Total, Chevron, Agip and Nexen.
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Marcus Littles
Marc Marcus is an experienced social entrepreneur with expertise in racial justice,
philanthropic engagement, social innovation and grassroots community change. He is
the Founder and Senior Partner at Frontline Solutions, a national consulting firm that
offers clients in the nonprofit and public sectors a full range of services to enhance
impact. Frontline’s expertise includes, strategy, project management and assessment,
and in each FS engagement, it seeks to apply a critical understanding of face, place,
class and gender. Under Marcus’ leadership, Frontline has provided support services to
numerous social change organizations, including philanthropic foundations, affinity
groups and support organizations, as well as nonprofits advocacy groups and social
enterprises. Previously, Littles worked as a consultant for TCC Group, served as a
Program Associate in the Ford Foundation’s Community and Resource Development
Unit and has held positions as a policy analyst at the US Department of Housing and
Urban Development, an educator at a middle school in South Africa and a program director at several youth development
organizations. Marcus has authored and contributed to numerous publications. Littles holds a Master’s Degree in Public
Administration from the University of Delaware’s School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy. He concentrated his studies in
nonprofit management, community-based and youth development. Littles received a BA in Public Relations and Marketing
from Auburn University. A native of Mobile, Alabama, Marcus resides in Washington DC with his wife and son.
Aisha Nyandoro
Aisha is the founding Executive Director of Springboard To Opportunities. Springboard provides
strategic, direct support to residents of affordable housing. The organization’s service delivery
model uses a “radically resident-driven” approach designed to improve quality of life and end the
generational poverty trajectory. Nyandoro has more than a decade of experience developing,
implementing, and evaluating programs aimed at improving the quality of life for individuals with
limited resources. She worked in various capacities-- as an academic, evaluator, philanthropist,
and nonprofit executive. These varied experiences have allowed her to better understand
systems and policies that impact vulnerable communities. Prior to serving with Springboard,
Aisha served as a Program Officer with the Foundation for the Mid South. During her tenure, she
strengthened the Foundation’s community development portfolio by executing a plan focused on
five specific strategies aimed at transforming communities. Additionally, she led the Foundation’s
place based initiative – Community of Opportunities. Under her leadership, community leaders
were able to leverage more than $20 million in federal and private funding. In addition, she established statewide, regional,
and national public-private partnerships to create resources and assist the Foundation in achieving its mission and goals. She
holds a B.A. in Psychology from Tennessee State University, a M.A. in Community Psychology and Urban Affairs and a Ph.D. in
Community Psychology from Michigan State University. Aisha shares her commitment to community with the various boards
of directors and advisory councils to which she lends her expertise and service. She has received multiple honors, including
recognition as a fellow of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network and Ascend at the Aspen
Institute. Aisha's life mission is to holistically and compassionately lift families out of cycles of poverty. When not working to
transform impoverished communities, she is a wife and Mommy to the best little boy in the world.
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Delores Morton
Delores the president of Points of Light’s Programs Division where she oversees the strategic
design and delivering of programs that mobilize volunteers to engage veterans and military
families and to meet education, economic opportunity, emergency response and
preparedness needs in communities. Included in this emergent portfolio of programs are five
AmeriCorps National Direct and AmeriCorps Programs that activate nearly 300 members in
50 communities. Additionally Delores is responsible for the strategic direction of Points of
Light’s Knowledge Center which provides strategic volunteer engagement capacity building to
national nonprofit organizations. She leads the organizations Recognition Programs including
the Daily Point of Light Award established twenty-five years ago by President George H.W.
Bush and the President’s Volunteer Service Award which is operated in partnership with the
White House. Delores joined the Points of Light team in 2003 since then, she has developed
training and consulting best practices to support nonprofits, government entities and
companies to build and improve volunteer engagement strategies, managed national service
programs, and provided strategic and innovative vision for the National Conference on
Volunteering and Service. Prior to joining to Points of Light, Delores served as the Director of the Center for Nonprofit
Resources at Volunteer Baton Rouge, Executive Director of the Louisiana Association for Community Economic Development,
and the Chair of the Mid-South Collaborative for Nonprofit development. Delores holds an undergraduate degree in English
Literature and a graduate degree in Human Resource Management. She began her career in the nonprofit sector in 1995 as
an AmeriCorps and is an accomplished nonprofit executive with twenty years of experience designing and leading creative
enterprises that make a lasting difference in communities. When baseball is not in season, Delores enjoys reading graphic
novels, or playing video games with her husband and 3 children.
Aleesha Taylor
Aleesha Taylor is the Deputy Director of the Open Society Foundations’ (OSF) Education
Support Program, which promotes and protects the right to education in partnership with
OSF’s extensive network of national foundations and partner organizations. In addition to
management and oversight of OSF’s global education program, with staff in five countries,
Aleesha also leads initiatives to strengthen programming, governance processes and
management capacity for governments, international civil society and policy networks, and
multilateral financing institutions in the education sector. Aleesha has coordinated and
represented the Private Sector/Private Foundations Constituency on the Board of Directors
and Financial Advisory Committee of the Global Partnership for Education, which reviewed
and approved $1.2 billion in grants to developing countries during her tenure. During her
time at OSF, Aleesha has also served as a Senior Program Manager, Director of Special
Projects and Senior Advisor to the Minister of Education (as a secondment to the
Government of Liberia). Prior to joining OSF in 2007, Aleesha was a Lecturer in the Department of International and
Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she also completed her doctoral studies. Aleesha also
holds degrees in psychology from Spelman College and the Graduate Faculty for Political and Social Sciences of the New
School for Social Research. She is the creator and convener of Central European University’s annual seminar on Innovative
Financing for Education: Arguments, Options and Opportunities. Aleesha is an Editor of and Contributor to Partnership
Paradox: The Post Conflict Reconstruction of Liberia’s Education System (with Foreword by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President,
Republic of Liberia). She is a former Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations (2010-2015) and Adjunct Associate
Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University (Spring 2015). Aleesha serves on the Trustee Board of the Convent Avenue
Baptist Church and the Board of Directors of the M.L. Wilson Boys & Girls Club of Harlem.
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Carmita (Vaughan) Semaan
Carmita is Founder and President of The Surge Institute. Surge, as it is affectionately called, was
established to broadly address issues of race and class in urban education through leadership
development, technical assistance and advocacy. The Surge Fellowship, the Institute’s signature
program, is transforming education by identifying and grooming emerging education leaders of
color. Carmita’s career started in corporate America; however corporate could not contain her
desire to lead high-impact initiatives that benefit urban youth and transform urban communities so she blazed a trail within the non-profit sector. Carmita’s commitment to empowering our
country’s most under-served young people by providing them with pathways to excellence
through education and holistic supports led her to a decade of executive service, driving results
for visionary leaders including Alma Powell, Gen. Colin Powell and Arne Duncan, the former US
Secretary of Education. Carmita holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of
Management, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan. She serves on
the Board of Directors for the Academy for Urban School Leadership, Marwen, and America’s Promise Alliance. She has
received numerous awards and recognition for her thought-leadership and professional service, including the Chicago
Business Journal’s 2016 Woman of Influence award.
Candace Stanciel
Candace Stanciel currently serves as the Director of Convenings for New Profit, a venture
philanthropy fund dedicated to scaling the best in social innovation. Candace leads the
organization’s effort to drive public dialogue and build communities of learning by engaging
philanthropists, social entrepreneurs, policy experts, academic researchers and practitioners to
push for more powerful tools and approaches to problem solving. Before joining New Profit, as
Director for Event Strategy and Implementation at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM),
Candace led the institution’s sixth presidential transition raising more than $3 million in student
scholarships thru 13 events across four days. Candace was also responsible for managing
nonprofit and corporate partnerships, supporting institutional advancement and leading brand
management efforts across MSM. Previously, Candace led the Experiential Marketing team for
United Way of Greater Atlanta (UWGA) where she annually produced more than 70 events
across 13 counties. Her efforts were focused on fundraising and brand awareness for the
international organization committed to advancing the common good. She was twice nominated
for a United Way Catalyst of Change award and served as the national liaison for the NBA, NFL and MLB partnerships of
UWGA. Prior to United Way, Candace served the President’s Office at the University of Georgia as an event director, where
her office annually coordinated more than 150 events to engage and inspire students, faculty and other stakeholders while
enhancing the reputation of the institution. Candace earned a B.A. in African-American studies from the University of Georgia
in 2002 and a master’s degree in higher education from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2006.
Jessica Wells-Hasan
Jessica has over 13 years of experience in fundraising, management, external relations, and
operations at leading New York City non-profits, with a focus on raising funds for underserved
youth and other disadvantaged groups. She has secured millions of dollars of new and
increased funding for effective organizations working in education, mentoring, youth
development, the arts, and the environment, including at Barnard College, The Juilliard
School, Theatre Development Fund, the National Audubon Society, and Girls Write Now.
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Thank you for joining us on the
Vineyard!
A special thanks to the Summit team:
Aunyes Hermantin
Bridgett Sonier
Celeste Smith
Danna Lennon-Thomas
Jade Floyd
Reggie Canal
Stanley Smith
Syndey Ferrell
Tyra Booker
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