Cigdem Altay Binal, Senior Associate, Activate Consulting
Cigdem Altay Binal is an Associate at Activate. She has previously worked in R&D, Supply Chain and Product Marketing organizations in her 10-year operating career. She holds a degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Sabanci University, an MBA from Bogazici University and a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing from NYU. She has also attended Harvard Business School’s Executive Education in Private Equity and Venture Capital program.
Komal Bajaj, Reproductive Geneticist & Chief Quality Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi and Clinical Director of the Simulation Center
Komal Bajaj is an OB/GYN-geneticist who serves as Chief Quality Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi and Clinical Director of the Simulation Center. Komal is an innovator in the fields of performance improvement and healthcare simulation. She is passionate about enhancing healthcare culture and delivery for both patients and staff across NYC.
Pamay Bassey, Chief Learning Officer, The Kraft Heinz Company
Pamay Bassey is the Chief Learning Officer at the Kraft Heinz Company Prior to joining Heinz, she was Global Head of Learning Platform and Professional Development at BlackRock. Prior to joining BlackRock, Pamay spent 13 years as the president of The Pamay Group, LLC, specializing in creating innovative educational environments. Pamay began her career at Accenture, where she designed and developed technology-enabled learning applications for Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies. Pamay also serves as Chief Experience Officer of the “My 52 Weeks of Worship Project,” through which she facilitates courageous conversations about religious, cultural, and interfaith diversity and understanding. She has written a book about her experiences: “My 52 Weeks of Worship: Lessons from a Global, Spiritual, Interfaith Journey.” Pamay holds a B.S. degree in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University and a M.S. degree in Computer Science from Northwestern University. She is also a graduate of the Second City Conservatory program in Chicago, which is an advanced study of improvisational comedy and theatre.
Monica Bloom, Director of Development, Housing Industry Foundation
Monica Bloom is the Director of Development at Housing Industry Foundation. Prior to that she ran her consultancy, MVB Strategy LLC. Prior to that she was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Tribeca Shortlist, a a joint venture between Lionsgate and Tribeca Enterprises. She previously worked at Getty Images as Global Vice President of Integrated Marketing, a leading creator and distributor of award-winning still imagery, video, music and multimedia products. She has built brands that impact culture, as demonstrated in her leadership roles at SundanceTV and (RED). Monica led rebranding efforts at SundanceTV, ushering the network into a new era of scripted programming while shifting to an ad-supported and Nielsen-rated model. At (RED), Monica’s efforts helped generate over $185 million to fight AIDS in Africa, while simultaneously changing the landscape of conscious consumerism. Monica prides herself in giving back and is the Vice President of the New York chapter of Women In Cable Telecommunications, on the development committee of The New York Foundling and mentors mid-level professional women in her spare time. Monica received a Bachelor of Arts degree in design from Clemson University and is also a graduate of the esteemed Betsy Magness Leadership Institute.
Samra Brouk, Democratic Candidate, New York State Senate District 55
Samra Brouk is currently running as Democratic Candidate for New York State Senate District 55. Additionally she is an Adjunct Professor at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Previously she led fundraising efforts for Chalkbeat, the fastest growing grassroots journalism organization, supporting their work reporting on inequities in the public school system. She was also Head of Strategic Partnerships at Umbrella, a start-up that used technology to keep seniors safe in their homes by connecting them with affordable and community-driven home care and Director of Business Development, where she lead corporate partnerships at DoSomething.org, the global not-for-profit that empowers Gen Z and Millennials to take action around social causes. Samra previously worked at the mission-based cleantech company, Recyclebank. While there, she managed strategic municipal accounts for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Before moving to the private sector, Samra joined the Peace Corps, where she led health education initiatives in rural Guatemala. Samra led district-wide trainings on classroom management and health education, and advised the Ministries of Health and Education on best practices of implementing health education curriculum. Samra holds a B.A. in Psychology from Williams College.
Marisa Buchanan, Managing Director, Head of Sustainability, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Marisa Buchanan is a Managing Director and Head of Sustainability in JPMorgan Chase’s Sustainable Finance group, which provides internal and client-facing subject-matter expertise on the intersection of finance with sustainability issues, such as climate change, biodiversity and human rights. She helps to lead the group’s efforts to establish guidelines on environmental and social due diligence for financial transactions, advise on financing strategies that create environmental and social impact, coordinate the Firm’s public reporting on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, and engage with investors, clients, policymakers and NGOs on these efforts. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase in 2012, Marisa spent 10 years working on environmental policy and energy development in various capacities in the private and nonprofit sectors. A California native, she a received a B.A. from Wellesley College and a M.P.A. from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt, Features/Lifestyle Editor, The Forward
Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt is the Features/Lifestyle Editor at the The Forward, and a widely-published journalist. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Salon, and Tablet, and she is a frequent contributor to Haaretz. She was previously the Director of Media Strategy at the Orthodox Union, the umbrella organization for the Orthodox Jewish community in North America. Avital is also an adjunct professor of journalism at Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women, and in her spare time, does pastoral work alongside her husband Rabbi Benjamin Goldschmidt.
La Neice Collins, Global Communications Manager & Gender Focal Point, United Nations
La Neice Collins is the Global Communications Manager & Gender Focal Point at the United Nations. Prior to joining the United Nations, she was News Program Partnership Manager at Facebook. She was previously a communications & advocacy adviser for the United Nations in New York where she worked on issues related to youth engagement and activism, sustainable development, the rule of law, protection of civilians, women’s rights and conflict and humanitarian crises. She has also worked for the United Nations in Geneva and Bangkok, focusing on multilingual and cross cultural communication on issues of international human rights law, climate change, economic development and social inclusion. Prior to joining the UN, she was an award winning television producer in New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Berlin, Turkey and Iraq. La Neice is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and received her Master of Science degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Ilaria Conti, Exhibitions and Programs Director, Center for Italian Modern Art
Ilaria Conti is Exhibitions and Programs Director at the Center for Italian Modern Art in New York. Following her training at the Guggenheim Museum Abu Dhabi Project, MoMA, and Creative Time, she served as 2013-14 Samuel H. Kress Interpretive Fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and as Graduate Advisor, MENA Contemporary Art History at the University of Rome La Sapienza. More recently, she was the Assistant Curator of the 2016 Marrakech Biennale. Her professional practice focuses on cultivating public engagement, cultural inclusivity, and decolonial awareness at the institutional level through the integration of curatorship, education, and strategic management. She holds an M.A. in Contemporary Art History and Curatorial Studies from the University of Rome La Sapienza, an M.A. in Visual Arts Administration from New York University, and sits on the Program Committee of ArtTable. *Ilaria is also a Catherine Hannah Behrend Fellow.
Maria Dautruche, Vice President for Foundation Partnerships, National Urban League
As the Vice President for Foundation Partnerships at the National Urban League (NUL), Maria Dautruche is responsible for foundation giving to NUL – the nation’s oldest civil rights organization dedicated to securing economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights for African-Americans. Prior to this, Maria was the Assistant Director for Foundation Relations at the Smithsonian Institution. Maria has raised more than $30 million for several causes including visual arts, youth development, and environmental and racial justice. Maria is a co-founder of New Voices for Reproductive Justice – a human rights organization building a social change movement dedicated to the health and well-being of Black women and girls through leadership development using a reproductive justice framework. She is also a past National Board member of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Pratt Institute, Maria lives in New Rochelle, NY with her husband and daughter.
Alison Go, Chief Strategy Officer, Narrativ
Alison Go is the Chief Strategy Officer at Narrativ and at Chalkbeat. Previously, she built bleeding-edge technology across multiple industries. At Facebook, Alison was a product manager on local search, connecting millions of Facebook users with local businesses around the world. At Rent the Runway, she ran product development for the Unlimited subscription business, a disruptive force in the $621B women’s fashion industry. At Amazon, she built a pioneering integration between Audible and Kindle that the Wall Street Journal heralded as the new killer app for books. Alison received her MBA from the Wharton School and went to the University of Michigan for undergrad. In a former life, she was a journalist at U.S. News & World Report, the Boston Globe, and the San Jose Mercury News.
Aida Gureghian, Assistant Dean for Professional Development, Graduate School of Arts and Science, NYU
Aida Gureghian is the Assistant Dean for Professtional Development at NYU’s Graduate School of Arts and Science where she works to create an inclusive, supportive, and engaging environment for graduate students. She is especially passionate about diversity, access, and inclusion in higher education. To that end, she develops and oversees a series of initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges faced by underrepresented groups at the Graduate School. Prior to coming to NYU, Aida taught History at Brooklyn College. She received her Bachelor’s degree from UCLA, her M.Phil from Oxford, and her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She is an adjunct Assistant Professor at Brooklyn College where she continues to teach History.
Aliya Haider, Outside General Counsel, Advisor
Aliya Haider is an outside general counsel and strategic advisor to a range of companies. Prior to that she was General Counsel, COO, and Chief Human Resources Officer at LMRKTS, Inc and Head of Fixed income Regulatory at Guggenheim Securities. She has worked at major investment banks, including 7 years at JPMorgan Chase, as Senior Counsel for the Global Corporate Bank. In that role, Aliya helped build the legal infrastructure for the bank’s expansion into emerging economies. Prior to JPMorgan, she defended women’s health at the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR). Prior to CRR, she was an associate at Heller Ehrman, LLP. Aliya has a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she was a Truman Scholar, an M.Sc., with distinction, from the London School of Economics, and a B.A., summa, Phi Beta Kappa, in International Relations & Fine Art from Columbia University. She lives in Manhattan with her son.
Laura Heck, Managing Director, Data & Analytics, Marketing & Communications, Accenture
Laura Heck is now the Managing Director, Data & Analytics, Marketing & Communications at Accenture. Previously she was the Director of Web Strategy there, where she’s focused on the strategy and roadmap for Accenture’s web presence. Prior to her time at Accenture, Laura was VP, Strategy & Business Development for NBCUniversal News Group Digital focusing on digital growth and distribution and prior to that, Laura led digital business strategy & operations for MSNBC Digital. And at Time Inc., Laura led Digital Audience Development & Analytics for the News & Sports Group and Business Development for TIME.com where she pursued new partnerships and played a key role TIME’s social media strategy and success. Laura received her B.S. in Finance & Marketing from the University of Delaware and her M.B.A. from the Fordham Gabelli School of Business.
Melanie Heller, Director, Coaching & Transition Services, Greiner Consulting Group
Melanie Heller is Director of Coaching & Transition Services at Greiner Consulting Group. Prior to that she was Vice President and Chief of Staff of Bloomberg Law, Bloomberg BNA’s flagship legal and business intelligence product. In this role, she was responsible for the commercial strategy, growth and development of Bloomberg Law. Previously, she was Head of Market Strategy, a team focused on sales enablement, product development and brand awareness. Prior to Bloomberg, Melanie was a Legal Director at Proskauer LLP, where she assisted the corporate department leadership in managing the business operations of the department and a corporate lawyer at the law firms Clifford Chance LLP and Weil, Gotshal and Manges LLP. Melanie holds a B.A. in English & Psychology from Washington University, an MPhil in Oriental Studies from Oxford University and a J.D. from Fordham Law School. She frequently speaks at conferences and events on topics ranging from the advancement of women in the legal profession to the changing role of legal technology. She lives in NYC with her husband and two children.
Ilana Jaffey, Director of Knowledge Management, Customer Care, The New York Times
Ilana Jaffey is the Director of Knowledge Management on the Customer Care team at The New York Times. Her team ensures that hundreds of agents have the information, resources, approach, and voice needed to effectively address customer needs. Previously, Ilana was the Director of Values & Impact Systems at Etsy, where she worked across the company to ensure that its mission and values were deeply ingrained into its culture, products, and business. She has also served as the Head of Global Education and Workforce Development at the Clinton Global Initiative and as a Manager in Accenture’s Talent and Organization practice. Ilana graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Marketing.
Adjoa Jones de Almeida, Director of Education, Brooklyn Museum
Adjoa Jones de Almeida is the Director of Education at the Brooklyn Museum. After graduating from Brown University in 1995, she received a Fulbright scholarship to research community schools and cultural identity in Bahia, Brazil. In 1996 she moved to Brooklyn, NY where she helped to create Sista II Sista (SIIS), a women’s collective dedicated to supporting young women of color in developing personal and collective power. In 2005, she earned her Master’s from Columbia University/Teacher’s College in International Education Development where she focused on popular education movements. From 2006-2013 she lived in Arembepe, Bahia where she co-founded a community based organization, Diáspora Solidária, committed to social & environmental justice, artistic expression and youth development. She began her work at the Brooklyn Museum in 2013 as Museum Educator. She was the School Partnerships Coordinator from 2014-2015, became the Museum Education Fellowship Coordinator from 2015-2016, and was promoted to Director of Education in November 2016. *Adjoa is also a Catherine Hannah Behrend Fellow.
Shijuade Kadree, Chief Advocacy Officer, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center
Shijuade Kadree is the Chief Advocacy Officer of The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York. In this role, Shijuade is responsible for creating, implementing and managing the annual lobbying strategy on city and state levels to support the powerful programs of The Center, as well as manages The Center’s statewide advocacy and capacity-building initiatives for the LGBTQ community. Prior to joining The Center, Shijuade represented indigent clients, zealously advocating on behalf of parents entrapped in New York City’s child welfare system. This work lead her to creative legislative and policy advocacy at the New York City Council as a legislative counsel. In that role, she served as a liaison between Council members and the Council’s central staff, drafting and negotiating legislation in a variety of subject areas with a particular focus on governmental operations, housing, buildings and construction. Shijuade has also served as a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow, working on access to financial education, products and services for low-income families, federal and state anti-hunger programs, as well as publishing a manual for state legislators, “Bringing Legislators to the Table: Addressing Hunger and Nutrition in America.” During graduate school, she received the ABA Fellowship for Minorities in Environmental Law and was named a Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys scholar. Shijuade is an alumna of Emory University, with a joint Law and Public Health degree.
Melissa Kivett, SVP, Chief Customer Experience & Marketing Officer, Individual Solutions Group, Prudential
Melissa Kivett is Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Experience & Marketing Officer of the Individual Solutions Group at Prudential. Leveraging over 20 years of experience in financial services, she has led teams in strategy, consumer research, communications, innovation, foresight and business development to help companies realize profitable growth opportunities. Previously, Melissa was the Senior Vice President of Business Development and Strategy at Assurant. She created a strategic investor relations role at Assurant, which was profiled by the Corporate Executive Board as a best practice. Melissa’s work was recognized by Institutional Investor magazine during the financial crisis in 2008 as the second most shareholder friendly company in the non-life insurance sector. Her approach to innovation and strategy has also been recognized by Innovation Leader magazine, as a powerful tool in enabling a new strategy and changing employee behaviors.
Edlynne Laryea, Head of Industry, Consumer Packaged Goods, Facebook
Edlynne Laryea is the Head of Industry, Consumer Packaged Goods at Facebook. Previously she was Director, Neutrogena Global Marketing where she focused on equity, advertising, digital transformation and sustainability. Previously she was the Global Director of Social Media for Johnson and Johnson where she was the resident new media expert, helping the Consumer Brands understand how to adopt and leverage new platforms to better connect with consumers. A former strategy consultant and a member of the marketing team responsible for the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, she draws on her classical marketing training to help marketers make sense of the changing technology landscape. At J&J she designed and launched their award-winning social listening capability and launched the biggest digital consumer campaign in the company’s history for the 2014 World Cup. She has helped several Fortune 50 brands build out digital ecosystems. Edlynne speaks regularly on topics such as how to build the case for change and how using data can drive better creativity. In her spare time, she likes to try out recipes from Modernist Cuisine at Home.
Melissa Lavin, Chief Financial Officer, The Rosen Group
Melissa Lavin is the Chief Financial Officer at The Rosen Group. Previously she was Chief Reporting Officer at Belfer Management, a family investment firm focused on energy, real estate, financial services and certain consumer-facing businesses. Melissa was largely responsible for financial reporting and treasury. Prior to joining Belfer Management, Melissa held an AVP/Controller role within the distressed debt group at Cerberus Capital Management and began her career within the Assurance team at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Following a climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro last year, Melissa has become passionate about improving African education and has recently become involved with Kilimanjaro Education Foundation, looking to expand her role over time. Melissa graduated with a degree in Accounting from Binghamton University, where she was also a member of the Division 1 softball team. She is a CPA in New York State and holds memberships with the NYS Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Melissa lives in Manhattan with her daughter, Jane.
Lindsay Moroney, COO at Artory
Lindsay Moroney is the COO at Artory. In her prior role, she was the Vice President of Strategy and Operations at The Muse, the only online career resource that offers a behind-the-scenes look at job opportunities with hundreds of companies, plus original career advice from experts and career coaches. Over her time at Muse, she scaled the operations from 20 to 150 and beyond. Lindsay has her masters in Art History and prior to The Muse built the operations at the leading art website, Artnet. Lindsay is obsessed with creating great working environments and with her new daughter.
Sehreen Noor Ali, Co-Founder, Sleuth
Sehreen is an award-winning growth strategist working at the intersection of technology, business, and inclusion. She is the Co-Founder of Sleuth a VC-backed health tech startup elevating the expertise of parents so children get better medical care and treatment. Sehreen is a graduate of Brown (B.A) and Harvard (Ed.M). She started her career as a public servant and diplomat, helping execute President Obama’s initiatives in entrepreneurship, education, and innovation in the Middle East and South Asia. Later, she led business development for Noodle.com and built out the sales functions for three start-up teams at Kaplan. She is a startup advisor, founder of EdTechWomen, on the Advisory Board for SXSWedu, and not least, a mom to two little girls.
Minh-Thu Pham, Co-founder of New American Voices & Senior Advisor at Connect Frontier
Minh-Thu Pham the Co-founder and CEO of New American Voices, a political organization that mobilizes and empowers new voices in American politics. She is also Senior Advisor at Connect Frontier LLC, a boutique strategy, policy, and political risk advisory group focusing on emerging markets and trends. During the U.S. presidential primary, she was on Pete Buttigieg’s foreign policy team. Previously, she was Executive Director of Global Policy at the UN Foundation, leading innovative initiatives to make the UN more effective.
Minh-Thu Pham is a proven leader, innovator, and advocate who has been at the forefront of global policymaking for over 15 years. She is currently focused on renewing democracy, citizen engagement, and trust in our institutions.
She has worked with philanthropists and global leaders on global development, advised the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina on implementing the Dayton Peace Agreement, and worked on refugee and humanitarian causes in Ethiopia, Vietnam, and Washington, DC for Save the Children and the Women’s Refugee Commission.
In May, Minh-Thu was selected as a 2020 Asian American Pacific Islander National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leader. Since 2016 she has served on the Advisory Council of Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs, is a fellow of the Truman National Security Project, and a member and advisor of the Leadership Now Project which works to fix our democracy. She was a 2017 Women inPower fellow of the 92Y and was Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations 2008-2013. She holds a MPA from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs and has a BA in History from Duke University where she was a B.N. Duke Scholar. Minh-Thu speaks fluent Vietnamese, came to the U.S. as a refugee from Vietnam, and currently lives in New York City.
Alexsandra Sanford, CEO at GZERO Media, A Eurasia Group Company
Alexsandra Sanford is the CEO at GZERO Media, A Eurasia Group Company. Previously she was the Director of Communications for Eurasia Group, the global political risk consulting firm. Since 2004, she has played a central role in building Eurasia Group’s external profile. In her role she oversaw the brand and communications strategy for the firm’s global offices, including media relations, digital communications and content marketing. Prior to Eurasia Group, she worked as a broadcast journalist for ABC News.
Amy Spitalnick, Executive Director, Integrity First for America
Amy Spitalnick is the Executive Director of Integrity First for America, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to holding those accountable who violate longstanding principles of our democracy. Most notably, IFA is supporting the landmark federal lawsuit against the two dozen neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and hate groups responsible for the Charlottesville violence.
Amy joins IFA with well over a decade of experience in government, politics, and advocacy. She most recently served as Communications Director and Senior Policy Advisor to the New York Attorney General. Amy previously served as an advisor and spokesperson for the New York City Mayor, and as Communications Director in the New York State Senate. She has also worked for a number of federal, state, and local campaigns and advocacy organizations, including as J Street’s first press secretary. Amy is a Truman National Security Project Partner, a New Leaders Council faculty member and former fellow, and the 2008 Dutko Fellow for Policy and Public Service; she was also named a City & State 40 Under 40 Rising Star in 2013. She graduated from Tufts University.
Elizabeth Gwinn, Communications Director, The Studio Museum in Harlem
Elizabeth Gwinn is the Communications Director at The Studio Museum in Harlem. In this role, she leads a broad range of strategies encompassing content production and distribution. Working with a communications team of four and a broad range of Museum departments, she oversees media relations, marketing, and branding; manages print and digital initiatives including the award-winning, biannual Studio magazine, studiomuseum.org and social media; and leads a cross-departmental editorial process to facilitate effective and engaging institutional messaging.
Liz received a MA in Museum Studies from NYU and a BA in Human Ecology from the College of the Atlantic. In addition to her ever-evolving work at the Studio Museum, where she started as Executive Assistant to Director and Chief Curator Thelma Golden in 2006, Liz has worked as a Development Associate at the ICA Boston, Biennial Intern at the Whitney Museum of American Art and held numerous part-time, volunteer, temporary, and intern positions for artists and organizations including Exit Art, Performance Space 122, the Boston Lyric Opera, the Brooklyn Museum, Mierle Laderman Ukeles (artist in residence at the New York City Department of Sanitation), NYU’s Program in Museum Studies, Creative Time, and the City Reliquary Museum and Civic Organization. She received the American Association of Museum’s Public Relations and Marketing Committee Fellowship in 2010. Liz enjoys knitting, yoga, travel, and imbibing cleverly-named cocktails at museum restaurants.