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Seth Pinsky, CEO, 92nd Street Y
Seth Pinsky is CEO of the 92nd St. Y. At 92Y, Pinsky is developing an action plan for 92Y heading into its 150th anniversary, which will include a comprehensive upgrade of its Manhattan home. Previously, Pinsky was an EVP at RXR Realty, where he led RXR’s efforts to invest in “emerging opportunities” in the New York region. Earlier, Pinsky oversaw the development of Mayor Bloomberg’s $20 billion plan to protect New York from climate change impacts and, from 2008 to 2013, was President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Pinsky started his career as an associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton and analyst at James D. Wolfensohn Inc. He graduated from Columbia College and Harvard Law.
Lori Conkling, Global Head of Partnerships, YouTube TV and Google Fiber
Lori Conkling is Global Head of Partnerships for YouTube TV and Google Fiber. As such, she leads programming, packaging and business development for Google’s linear TV businesses. In addition to negotiating multi-platform deals with broadcasters, cable networks, regional sports networks and local station groups, Conkling also serves as the primary representative for YouTube TV to industry organizations, advertisers, distribution partners and YouTube creators. Prior to joining Google, Conkling was Executive Vice President, Strategy and Business Development for NBCUniversal’s Digital Enterprises team, where she oversaw investments in digital businesses, including Vox, Zola and Quibi. Conkling also served on the launch team for Seeso and Hayu, NBCU’s direct to consumer SVOD services. Earlier in her career, Conkling was EVP, Distribution, at A+E Networks (AEN), having joined from Lifetime Networks when it was acquired by AEN in 2009. In that role, she was responsible for AEN’s distribution strategy across multiple platforms for the company’s networks, including A&E, History, Lifetime Television and LMN. Conkling also spent seven years in Distribution at The Walt Disney Company, where she was instrumental in launching ESPNU. Every year since 2010, Conkling has been named one of CableFAX’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Cable. Outside of work, Conkling serves on the Fuqua School of Business Alumni Council and is a member of the Teach for America Board of Directors. Conkling received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Nicolaine M. Lazarre, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, National Urban League
Nicolaine M. Lazarre provides legal counsel and strategic guidance on risk management, compliance, governance, transactions, litigation and intellectual property for the National Urban League. As Senior Vice President, Special Projects, she plans and executes the implementation of special initiatives for the President’s office. Ms. Lazarre has advised and represented companies on transactions, corporate structure and corporate governance since 1999. Prior to joining the National Urban League, she worked for top tier international law firms Sidley Austin LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP. Ms. Lazarre received her Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Houston and her JD from Georgetown University Law Center.
Zain Habboo, Chief Digital and Creative Officer, Fenton
Zain Habboo is the Chief Digital and Creative Officer at Fenton. She oversees digital, creative and marketing strategy for the company and its clients. Before joining Fenton in 2017, Zain was Senior Director of Digital & Multimedia Strategy at the United Nations Foundation (UNF), where she was responsible for the digital, video, photo and mobile strategies for UNF and its 17-plus campaigns and initiatives worldwide. Prior to joining UNF, Zain spent 14 years at the National Geographic Society in digital strategy and production.
Zain is a member of Disney’s “Team of Heroes” 5-year $100 million dollar initiative to improve the hospital experience for families with children with serious illness. She also sits on the board of the Starlight Foundation, is a member of Washington DC’s Children’s National Medical Center’s “Scientific Advisory Board”, and runs a fundraising campaign for a research fund for Pediatric Cancer housed at Washington DC’s Children’s National Medical Center. Zain is also a proud board member of the UN Foundation’s Girl Up initiative as well as PBS’s “AmDoc” media arts organization.
Born in Iraq, raised in Jordan, and educated in the U.K., Zain brings a global approach and strong cultural understanding to her work. She is fluent in Arabic (conversational in French) and has worked with organizations around the world on issues ranging from girls and women’s empowerment to climate change. Zain lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband, son and two dogs.
Stephanie Cohen, Chief Strategy Officer, Goldman Sachs
Stephanie Cohen is Goldman Sachs’ Chief Strategy Officer and an Ex Officio member of the Management Committee. She is also a member of the Partnership Committee, Firmwide Asset Liability Committee and Global Diversity Committee. In addition to driving strategy and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for the firm, Ms. Cohen leads Launch With GS, the firm’s first for-profit investing initiative with a gender lens, as well as GS Accelerate, the firm’s in-house innovation engine.
Prior to assuming her current role, Ms. Cohen was Global Head of Financial Sponsor M&A in the Investment Banking Division (IBD). Before that, Stephanie was sector captain for General Industrials in the Global Industrials Group and a member of the M&A Group in IBD. In 2008, Ms. Cohen managed Conflicts and Business Selection for IBD in the Americas. Prior to that, Ms. Cohen was a Vice President in the Industrials and Merger Leadership Groups in San Francisco. Earlier in her career, Ms. Cohen worked in New York in the M&A department. Ms. Cohen joined Goldman Sachs as an analyst in 1999, was named Managing Director in 2008 and Partner in 2014.
Ms. Cohen serves on the National Board of Directors of CollegeSpring and as a member of the Board of Quill.org.
Polly Klane, Senior Vice President and Chief Counsel, Capital One
Polly Klane is an experienced corporate lawyer, who has spent a vast majority of her career serving financial institutions, both as outside and in-house counsel. Ms. Klane is currently the Senior Vice President and Chief Counsel, Commercial, Corporate & Governance at Capital One Financial Corporation, where she is responsible for leading the Corporate Governance office that provides legal and operational support to the Company’s Board of Directors and Senior Management Committees, and for leading the teams that provide legal advice to the Commercial Bank division, and the company’s Digital, Technology and Brand divisions. In these capacities she oversees a team of over fifty legal and governance professionals that provide the corporation with legal advice on a wide range of matters including corporate governance, public company securities law compliance, patents and trademarks, cyber security, data privacy, cloud technology, open source and a variety of commercial banking loan agreements, capital markets transactions and treasury management matters. Prior to Capital One, Ms. Klane has worked in a variety of capacities, including as the Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Corporate & Securities for the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and as a corporate associate at the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP. Ms. Klane also completed a clerkship with the Honorable Rudi M. Brewster of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Ms. Klane received her undergraduate degree from Duke University and her law degree from Harvard Law School. Ms. Klane currently lives in New York, New York with her husband and two children.
Mai-Anh Tran, Chief Financial Officer, The Ford Foundation
Mai-Anh is the Foundation’s chief financial officer. She was previously the director of financial planning and budgeting. Prior to joining Ford, she worked in mergers and acquisition and private equity, specializing in media and technology. She was also the director at the Alliance for Downtown New York, where she managed a loan and grant portfolio program to help small businesses in Lower Manhattan recover following 9/11. She holds a bachelor’s degree i
n economics from New York University and an MBA from Yale. Mai-Anh serves on the board of Proteus Fund, a social justice not-for-profit, and is a Certified Financial Analyst.
n economics from New York University and an MBA from Yale. Mai-Anh serves on the board of Proteus Fund, a social justice not-for-profit, and is a Certified Financial Analyst.
Cindy Leggett-Flynn, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, AIG
Cindy is Chief Communications Officer for AIG, Inc., with responsibility for protecting and enhancing AIG’s reputation and valuation. This includes oversight of media and digital engagement, employee communications, brand positioning, financial and leadership communications, issues management and strategic partnerships. Prior to joining AIG, she was a partner with Brunswick Group, an international communications advisory firm. During her 16-plus years with the firm, she advised global companies on a wide range of issues, including corporate positioning and storytelling, M&A, activism, crisis, restructurings, employee engagement and change management. She also focused on talent acquisition, helping to expand offices across the U.S., and developing high performing teams, and served as a mentor for rising professionals – a role that she continues to play at AIG. She joined Brunswick in New York and later served as Managing Partner, Greater China, with oversight of offices in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. She is a graduate of Cambridge University.
Laurence D. Belfer, Chief Executive Officer, Belfer Management
Laurence D. Belfer is Chief Executive Officer of Belfer Management LLC in New York, NY, a family investment firm that emphasizes the energy, real estate, financial services, restaurant and healthcare industries.
In the not-for-profit sector, Laurence serves as Chairman of the Board of the 92nd Street Y, where he founded the Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact (“BCISI”). He is also on the Board of #GivingTuesday – the global giving movement created at BCISI. At the Harvard Kennedy School, he Chairs the Dean’s Council, serves on the Executive Board and is a Member of the International Council of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing, is a Member of the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Council and is a Member of the James Madison Council of the Library of Congress.
Laurence belongs to the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO Big Apple Gold) and is a Henry Crown Fellow at The Aspen Institute. He is a 1988 graduate with honors from Harvard University who earned his Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School in 1992. He and his wife, Carolyn, their two sons and daughter live in New York, NY.
Sharon Greenberger, President & CEO, YMCA of Greater New York
Sharon Greenberger is the 10th President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater New York, a leading New York City nonprofit serving a diverse population of more than half a million children, adults, and seniors annually through programs and services that empower youth, improve health, and strengthen community. With 24 branches throughout the five boroughs, the Y connects active, engaged New Yorkers to build stronger communities.
Sharon launched the YMCA’s new strategic plan, Thriving New Yorkers, Stronger Communities, which outlines the organization’s vision for serving New York City from 2018-2025. She is leading development of two new YMCA branches in the Bronx, to be completed in 2020. The new Bronx facilities will serve tens of thousands of residents, create new jobs, add new recreational and learning spaces, and foster community engagement.
Prior to joining the YMCA in 2015, Sharon spent more than 20 years in both the private and public sector working to improve New Yorkers’ health and livelihood and promote the development of New York City.
As Senior Vice President, Facilities and Real Estate at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, she oversaw $2 billion of active projects to expand and improve facilities to better serve the needs of patients and their families. Sharon managed operations for 1,700 public schools serving 1.1 million children as COO of the New York City Department of Education, and led completion of 100 new schools while leading the City’s School Construction Authority. She also served as Chief of Staff to the City’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding, and Vice President for Economic Development at the Alliance for Downtown New York.
Sharon received her bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and holds a master’s degree in City Planning, with a focus in Housing and Community Development and Environmental Design, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
She is a member of the Prospect Park YMCA and lives in Brooklyn with her husband Jonathan, with whom she has two daughters, Madelyn and Josie.
Sara Link, Director of Societal Impact, Verizon
Sara Link is the Director of Societal Impact at Verizon.
Prior to her current role, she was the Vice President of Oath and President of the Oath Foundation. Oath For Good’s call to action is to build a better world by investing in women and future leaders, strengthening communities around the world and empowering our brands, employees, partners, clients and audiences to make an outstanding impact on the world’s biggest challenges. The Oath Foundation is focused on improving the lives of women, girls and underserved youth around the globe
Before Oath, Sara led the Citizen AOL team and built the AOL Charitable Foundation. She’s led partnerships with game-changing global organizations like Girls Who Code, The Peace Corps, The UN Foundation, and the NYC Foundation for Computer Science (CSNYC).
Prior to AOL, Sara co-founded Little West Group, a philanthropic consulting firm and was head of the Social Impact and Philanthropy practice at Korn Consulting Group.
Before that, she spent more than nine years at Goldman Sachs. Sara holds an M.A. from Columbia University in Organizational Psychology and a B.A. from the University of Maryland in Psychology.
Sara sits on the National Board of Trustees of Step Up. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband Eric, their son Dylan, and daughter Sage.
Melissa Kivett, SVP and Chief Marketing & Customer Experience Officer, Individual Solutions Group, Prudential
Melissa Kivett is Senior Vice President and Strategy Officer at Prudential Annuities. As a member of Annuities’ Senior Leadership Team, Melissa leads strategy, business intelligence, communications, program management and space management teams. 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.
Lucia Ferreira, Managing Director, Russell Reynolds Associates
Lucia Ferreira is a Managing Director and head of the non-profit team in New York for Russell Reynolds Associates. She co-heads the firm’s Global Development and Impact Investing Practices and conducts Board and senior executive assignments for domestic and international non-profit organizations with a focus on economic development, social justice, education, and the environment. Lucia is also member of the firm’s Digital Transformation and Leadership and Assessment Practices and has led senior level projects involving succession planning, Board development, and broad organizational assessments.
Lucia has over 20 years of executive recruiting experience and joined Russell Reynolds Associates in 1996. She was previously responsible for assignments in the areas of global banking & markets and private equity and is active in searches that involve innovative funding models that cut across the private and nonprofit sectors.
Lucia was previously based in Russell Reynolds Associates London and Paris offices where she led the firm’s European banking, markets and private equity practice. She also chaired the firm’s Learning and Development Committee, and was a Member of Russell Reynolds Associates’ Executive Committee. Prior to executive search, she was in the Corporate Finance Department of Smith, Barney, Harris Upham & Co., Inc., in New York and London.
Lucia received her A.B. in economics and political science from Yale University and her MBA from Columbia Business School. A dual national of Brazil and the United Kingdom, she is fluent in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.
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.
Ursula Wynhoven, ITU Representative to the United Nations, New York
Ursula Wynhoven is an international lawyer with 22 years’ experience. She joined the ITU in September 2017 as its Representative to the UN in NY. Previously, Ursula spent 14 years working for the UN Global Compact, where her last position was Chief, Social Sustainability, Governance & Legal and she was a member of the office’s Executive Committee. Ursula led the UN Global Compact’s social sustainability and governance platforms and workstreams, including on human rights and decent work, gender equality, poverty and inequality, peace, anti-corruption and the rule of law. Ursula also led legal affairs and oversaw policy development and implementation of the UN Global Compact’s integrity measures. Ursula began working with the Global Compact in 2002 and as one of the earliest staff members played an active role in helping to grow the initiative to more than 13,000 signatories in more than 160 countries with a full roster of workstreams advancing virtually all aspects of corporate sustainability. Ursula’s tenure with the UN Global Compact also included a six month loan as Senior Advisor, Business and Human Rights to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Prior to joining the UN, Ursula worked in law firms and government human rights agencies in Australia and the US and for the OECD in Paris on the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Ursula has Masters of Law degrees from Columbia Law School, where she was a Human Rights Fellow, and Monash Law School. She has Bachelor’s degrees in Law, Economics, and Letters. She is admitted to practice in jurisdictions in Australia, the US (California) and the UK and has passed the New York bar exam. Since 2007, Ursula has been an Adjunct Professor in Corporate Sustainability, Business and Human Rights at Fordham Law School and previously taught Business and Human Rights at the Reykjavik University School of Law. Ursula is a Trustee of the Parker School of Foreign and Comparative Law at Columbia Law School.
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.
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.
Mary Kate McGrath, Chief Content Officer, Gallery Media Group
Mary Kate McGrath is the Chief Content Officer at Gallery Media Group where she oversees content and creative for PureWow and ONE37pm. Previously she was the Editor in Chief of PureWow where she was responsible for the brand’s overall content and creative strategy in an omni-channel climate, including the launch of new editions, production of custom content for advertisers, expansion of video series, creation of a separate podcast company adjacent to the brand, and all social platforms. Mary Kate joined PureWow after more than a decade in women’s magazines, spanning from Real Simple, InStyle, Travel & Leisure Golf and the Food Network Magazine. On the pulse of all things fashion, wellness and travel, Mary Kate has appeared as a lifestyle expert on NBC’s TODAY, CBS Good Morning America, Early Show and New York Live, among others.
She recently traded the busy streets of Manhattan’s Upper West Side for the quiet sidewalks of Pelham, NY where she lives with her husband and two sons, Jackson and Charlie.
Katy Gaul-Stigge, President and CEO, Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, Inc.
Katy Gaul-Stigge is the President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, Inc, one of a network of 162 national organizations serving individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment. She joined the $110 million social enterprise in March 2016. Gaul-Stigge oversees the operations of 57 Goodwill NYNJ programs and more than 40 retail locations in the New York City metropolitan area, Northern New Jersey, Long Island, the Hudson Valley and the capital region of NY. In her tenure she has created a new strategic plan for the organization, Vision 2020, focusing on improving operations with a strategic focus to expand mission impact. Goodwill has opened new integrated wellness center for people working with mental illness and launched career pathways program to upskill retail employees.
A major force in workforce development strategy and policy, Gaul-Stigge gained national and international attention for her development of Mayor de Blasio’s Career Pathways strategy as the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. She led key City-wide agencies in the fourteen years of city service prior to joining Goodwill NYNJ. Including as Deputy Commissioner at Human Resources Administration (HRA) for Employment & Contracts workforce program including the Back 2 Work, Jobs-Plus, and subsidized job programs. Gaul-Stigge was also Assistant Commissioner at New York City’s Small Business Services (SBS.) where she led the Training and Advancement team which launched NYC Training Guide and expanded anti-poverty programs for working New Yorkers. Gaul-Stigge is well-known as a workforce development leader and policy voice. She has presented at numerous conferences and think-tank symposiums.
Katy Gaul-Stigge lives in Brooklyn and is a graduate of Columbia School of Social Work and Mt. Holyoke College. She has participated in the Workforce Leaders Academy and is a member of Coro Leadership NY.
Cindy F. Golden, Chief Financial Officer, Belfer Management, LLC
Cindy F. Golden is the Chief Financial Officer for Belfer Management, LLC, a family office and investment firm. She started the Belfer’s family office 17 years ago by creating the infrastructure that emphasizes investment, tax, accounting and family management. Prior to joining Belfer Management, LLC, Ms. Golden was the Controller of the Lefrak Organization, Inc., a family Real Estate ownership and management enterprise. Ms. Golden started her career in Public Accounting working with both Kenneth Leventhal & Co. (Ernst & Young, LLP) and David Verdon, LLP. Her time in Public Accounting emphasized Audit, Tax and Advisory services. Ms. Golden received her BA/BS from Queens College in Accounting and Information Systems. She also completed a minor in Business Psychology. Ms. Golden is a Certified Public Accountant and an active member of the NYS Society of CPA’s and the American Institute of CPA’s.
Henry Timms, President and CEO, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Henry Timms is the co-author of the international bestselling book New Power, described by David Brooks in the New York Times as “the best window I’ve seen into this new world” and shortlisted for the FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year. Henry is the President and CEO of Lincoln Center, which serves three primary roles: world’s leading presenter of superb artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and community relations, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. Previously he was the President and CEO of 92nd Street Y, a cultural and community center that creates programs and movements that foster learning and civic engagement. Under his leadership, the 144-year-old institution was named to Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies” list. He is the co-founder of #GivingTuesday, a global philanthropic movement that engages people in close to 100 countries that has generated over a billion dollars for good causes. Henry is a Hauser Visiting Leader at Harvard Kennedy School and Visiting Fellow at Stanford University.
Whitney W. Donhauser, President, Museum of the City of New York
Whitney W. Donhauser joined the Museum of the City of New York as President and Ronay Menschel Director in January 2016. Her appointment follows a 23-year career in museum management at the Metropolitan Museum of Art including policy and Masterplan development, capital projects such as the Fifth Avenue Plaza and MET Breuer, and fundraising.
At MCNY Donhauser has overseen the final phases of New York at Its Core, a permanent exhibition, that opened on November 18, on the four-century history of New York City with a Future City Lab that explores the city’s ongoing challenges of housing, population growth, embracing diversity, transportation, and climate change. Historic highs in museum and education program attendance and numbers of online followers were recorded in 2016. The first ever multi-lingual advertising campaign aims to draw even more and more diverse visitors.
Ms. Donhauser has a B.A. from Vassar College and a Certificate from the Royal Society of Art in London.
Raoul Bhavnani, Senior Managing Director, Strategic Communications, FTI Consulting
Raoul Bhavnani is a Senior Managing Director in the Strategic Communications segment at FTI Consulting, and is based in New York. He also serves as global head of the segment’s Strategy Consulting & Research practice. For more than 20 years, he has worked at the intersection of communications, finance and government affairs while living in Asia Pacific, EMEA and the United States. Mr. Bhavnani began his career on Wall Street, with several years at Morgan Stanley in India and the United States as an investment banker and fixed-income specialist.
At Morgan Stanley, he advised senior corporate and government leaders on capital markets matters; mergers and acquisitions (M&A); privatization activity; and risk management. He was one of the first employees of Morgan Stanley’s investment banking division in India, where the firm was involved in groundbreaking, capital-raising activities — as well as the development and modernization of India’s financial markets.
Upon returning to the United States, Mr. Bhavnani also spent time in the political and public sectors, helping to manage the campaigns of high-profile candidates, and engaging in public-policy issues facing New York City. For the last decade, he has advised large organizations on communications strategy, first as a partner at Westhill Partners, and then as a senior managing director at FTI Consulting.
His expertise involves the development and application of analytical methods in communications and business strategy, as well as the management of large, global client engagements. Mr. Bhavnani also spent nearly two years of his career with FTI Consulting, in the firm’s London office as part of the group’s EMEA management team. Besides client work, Mr. Bhavnani serves in a leadership capacity for the firm’s diversity & inclusion efforts.
Mr. Bhavnani is a cum laude graduate of Princeton University, and is active in a leadership capacity with a variety of civic and cultural organizations around the world. He is the co-founder and Board President of The India Center Foundation, a non-profit cultural institution and think tank based in New York focused on India and its relationship with the United States. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.
Arielle Tepper, Theater and Film Producer & Board Chair, The Public Theater
Arielle Tepper is The Board Chair at The Public Theater in New York City as well as a Tony Award winning Theater & Film Producer. Arielle has had a long-standing relationship with The Donmar Warehouse since 2005. She worked with Artistic Director Michael Grandage from 2005 to 2012 and Josie Rourke starting in 2012.
Arielle is Executive Producer of the film Genius by John Logan directed by Michael Grandage starring Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, and Laura Linney.
Arielle’s theatrical credits include:
Broadway: Les Liaisons Dangereuses starring Liev Schreiber and Janet McTeer and directed by Josie Rourke, The Elephant Man starring Bradley Cooper, The Cripple of Inishmaan starring Daniel Radcliffe, directed by Michael Grandage, Lucky Guy, by Nora Ephron, starring Tom Hanks, directed by George C. Wolfe, I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers written by John Logan, starring Bette Midler, Annie directed by James Lapine, Red, the 6 time Tony Award winning Best Play of 2010 starring Alfred Molina, directed by Michael Grandage, the Tony Award winning revival of Hair, Hamlet starring Jude Law, directed by Michael Grandage, Mary Stuart directed by Phyllida Lloyd, starring Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter, Equus, Frost/Nixon, Monty Python’s Spamalot, The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh, Democracy, A Raisin in the Sun as well as The Royal National Theater’s production of Tom Stoppard’s Jumpers, the Tony Award winning Hollywood Arms written by Carol Burnett and her daughter, Carrie Hamilton, directed by Harold Prince, A Class Act, Tony Award winning James Joyce’s The Dead, Sandra Bernhard’s I’m Still Here..Damn It and John Leguizamo’s FREAK.
West End: My Night with Reg, Piaf, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Frost/Nixon and Guys & Dolls both directed by Michael Grandage, Mary Stuart, A Voyage Round My Father and Sunday in the Park with George.
Off- Broadway: De La Guarda “ Villa Villa”, The Last Five Years, written by Jason Robert Brown, directed by Daisy Prince and Olivier Award winning Goodnight Children Everywhere by Richard Nelson, originally produced at The Royal Shakespeare Company.
The Public Theater: in 2016 won 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, Best Direction, Best Book of A Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Best Performance by and Actor and Actress in a Featured Role, Best Lighting Design, Best Costume Design of a Musical for Hamilton and Best Costume Design of a Play for Eclipsed.
Hamilton 7 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical written and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Fun Home, the 5 time Tony Award winning Best Musical of 2015 starring Michael Cerveris and directed by Sam Gold, Grounded starring Anne Hathaway and directed by Julie Taymor, Josephine & I, the Lortel Award winner for Outstanding Solo Show, starring Cush Jumbo and directed by Phyllida Lloyd, Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) written by Obie Award winner Suzan-Lori Parks and Fortress of Solitude.
She has also produced Bounce by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman directed by Harold Prince at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as well as the US National Tour of Frost/Nixon and the US National tour and Vegas productions of Monty Python’s Spamalot.
In 2005 Arielle formed The Living Room for Artists a not for profit 501(c)(3) organization to sustain and support the Summer Play Festival (SPF) which was first presented in 2004. SPF formed an alliance with The Public Theater and had a relationship with the Donmar Warehouse through its creation of the Playwright Residency Program.
In her effort to promote Theater Education, in 2001, she created The Tepper Center for Careers in Theatre, which through The Tepper Semester in New York provides opportunities for college seniors to develop specific strategies for pursuing their career goals in the entertainment industry. In 2005 she initiated a theatre program for kindergarten through third graders at The Dalton School.
Arielle is on the Board of Governors for The Broadway League and The Board of the Janice and Philip Levin Foundation, an Emeritus member of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees and a past Board member of The Dalton School. She is also a member of the Juilliard Drama Council and has been listed in Crain’s 40 under 40 and was one of Cosmopolitan’s Fun Fearless Females.
In 2016 Arielle received the George Arents Award from Syracuse University. It is the highest alumni honor, presented annually to four alumni who have made outstanding contributions to their chosen fields.
Penny Abeywardena, Commissioner, New York City Mayor's Office for International Affairs
Penny Abeywardena is New York City’s Commissioner for International Affairs. As head of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, she is leading the City’s effort to build a global platform from which the City is promoting its goals for a more just and accessible society, showcasing the diversity of New Yorkers, and sharing policies and best practice with the world. Since her appointment in September 2014, the International Affairs team has launched a series of initiatives focused on connecting New Yorkers and City agencies to the diplomatic community as well as more effectively serving NYC’s diplomatic corps, which is the largest in the world. Prior to joining Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, Penny was the Director of Girls and Women Integration at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), a non-partisan organization that convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.
Penny joined CGI in 2009 to develop strategy highlighting and integrating the gender lens throughout the organization’s various platforms. She led the program’s evolution into one of CGI’s most successful efforts. While at CGI, Penny was responsible for the portfolio of CGI commitments focused on empowering girls & women worldwide, developing year-round programming, and integrating the gender lens throughout the CGI platform. During her tenure, she advised multinational corporations, philanthropists, NGOs, and multilateral institutions to increase investments in gender-focused development initiatives; and expanded the community of CGI members who incorporate the gender lens in their work. Before joining the Clinton Global Initiative, Penny worked in both development and programmatic areas for Human Rights Watch, the Funding Exchange and the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy.
In 2016 Penny was named by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. She is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the Board of Directors of the United Nations Development Corporation, New Course, Global Partners, Inc and the Eastside Greenway and Park. On her personal time, Penny serves on the Hillary for America Policy Working Group on Global Women’s Issues, the Innovation Advisory Committee for 92Y and the Founding Member Committee of Lincoln Center’s Global Exchange. She has previously served on the World Bank’s Advisory Council on Gender and Development, the Board of Directors of Sakhi for South Asian Women and Resource Generation. Penny’s a contributing author to “Women in the Global Economy: Leading Social Change,” and in 2012 was recognized by the United Nation’s Decide Now Act (DNA) Summit, as one of 101 Global Innovators for her work to put women’s rights on the global political agenda. She’s a graduate of the University of Southern California and completed her Master of International Affairs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Penny lives on the Upper West Side with her husband. She loves to explore the five boroughs for regional cuisines and jog in Central Park.
Eileen A. Aptman, Chief Investment Officer, Belfer Management LLC
Eileen A. Aptman is the Chief Investment Officer for Belfer Management LLC, a family investment firm that emphasizes energy, real estate, financial services and certain consumer-facing businesses. Prior to joining Belfer Management LLC, Ms. Aptman managed the small and midcap value investment strategy in the Asset Management Division of Goldman Sachs. Ms. Aptman started her investment career as an Equity Analyst for Scott Black at Delphi Management. Ms. Aptman has served on the Boards of Directors of public and private companies including Presidential Financial, American Midstream Partners and Rose Tarlow Melrose House. Ms. Aptman is currently a Director of Del Taco Restaurants and is Chair of the Compensation Committee. As a Trustee for The Town School, a K–8 school in New York City, Ms. Aptman chairs the Finance and Endowment Committees. She is also a Member of The Brookings Council. Ms. Aptman received a BA from Tufts University in Political Science and Asian Studies and is a CFA® charterholder.
Deepali Bagati, Director, The Medici Group
Dr. Deepali Bagati is a Director at The Medici Group. With 20+ years of experience in culture change and leadership development, Dr. Bagati has instituted sustainable organizational change solutions across a range of industries—professional and financial services, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, consumer goods, and technology.
With a 14-year tenure at Catalyst, a leading global research and advisory firm, in her most recent role as a member of Catalyst’s executive team, Dr. Bagati shared collective responsibility for strategic planning and operations management. As Executive Director, USA, she led Catalyst’s largest market, $7m in revenue across 350+ supporter companies from S&P500 and F1000 companies. She was also the executive lead for Catalyst’s Asia-Pacific region, driving corporate engagement across Australia, India, and Japan. She previously led the global expansion of Catalyst into India and managed a CEO-level advisory board, and led Catalyst’s Inclusive Leadership Initiative. Leveraging her extensive research and consulting expertise, Deepali empowers CXOs and talent professionals, and inspires solutions and innovative strategies to create inclusive cultures, leaders, and teams. She is a sought-after speaker and facilitator, nationally and globally, and has published research, courseware, and guides on inclusive leadership, gender/race/ethnicity, and diversity and inclusion strategy.
Cathie Black, Consultant
Cathie Black is a well-known media and publishing executive having spent the majority of her career as president, then chairman of Hearst Magazines in New York. (Cosmopolitan, O, The Oprah Magazine, Food Network Magazine, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, and Veranda among others). Prior to Hearst, Cathie was president and publisher of USA Today for seven years. She was also the first woman publisher of a consumer weekly, New York Magazine.
For much of her career, Ms. Black has been a “first”, breaking barriers along the way and helping pave the way to create opportunities for the younger generation of female media executives.
She is also an author, having written Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life), a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller and published in 12 countries.
A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Ms. Black was also a longtime board member of IBM and The Coca-Cola Company, along with being a trustee of The University of Notre Dame. A graduate of Trinity College, Washington, D.C., Ms. Black holds ten honorary degrees.
Now, Cathie lives in the startup world as an advisor, board member or investor in a variety of young companies to include PubMatic, Yieldbot, Bark & Co (Bark Box), and Pinks and Greens, among others.
Katherine Wu Brady, Chief People Office & Chief of Staff, Catchafire
Katherine Brady Kathy is a member of the Catchafire executive team, supporting change makers across the world. Catchafire is an online platform that helps philanthropic organizations provide high-impact capacity building support to large numbers of nonprofits. Most recently she was the EVP of Commerce, Registry & Guest Services at XO Group, best known for the brands The Knot and The Bump. She oversaw national transactional partnerships for couples and their guests during key moments in their lives. Ms. Brady previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Vente-privee USA, the e-commerce venture backed by American Express, where sales doubled in 2013 under her management. She helped launch Vente-privee USA in 2011 as Chief Operating Officer and oversaw sales operations, human resources, as well as product development. Previously, Ms. Brady held senior-level positions at AOL, in strategy and operations, and at NBC Universal, where she was a member of the Hulu launch team and helped transform NBC’s Local Media digital unit into a high growth and profitable business. Ms. Brady started her career in Technology and Health Care investment banking at Morgan Stanley.
Ms. Brady is a graduate of the Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology at the University of Pennsylvania, earning bachelor’s degrees in Finance from The Wharton School and in Systems Engineering from The School of Engineering and Applied Science. She lives in New York City with her husband, son and daughter.
Jimmie Briggs, Co-founder and Executive Director Emeritus, Man Up Campaign
Jimmie Briggs is a freelance journalist and teacher. A National Magazine Award finalist and recipient of honors from the Open Society Institute, National Association of Black Journalists and the Carter Center for Mental Health Journalism, Jimmie Briggs’ book on child soldiers and war-affected children Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go To War won him accolades in 2005, and took readers into the lives of war-affected children around the world. Further, Briggs has served as an adjunct professor of investigative journalism at the New School for Social Research, and was a George A. Miller Visiting Professor in the Department of African and African-American Studies at the University of Illinois: Champaign-Urbana. He was also the founding director of Man Up Campaign, a global initiative to activate youth to stop violence against women and girls. Briggs’ next book Blood Work, is a meditation on manhood and transformation through the lens of illness. For his work with Man Up Campaign and the issue of violence against women, Briggs was selected as the winner of the 2010 GQ Magazine “Better Men Better World” Search, as well as one of Women’s eNews’ 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, and is the recipient of numerous journalistic awards and fellowships. He is a member of the Project for the Advancement of Our Common Humanity, (PACH) at New York University. Currently, Jimmie Briggs is executive director of LOVE U.S. (Leave Out Violence). LOVE’s mission is to enable youth who have been affected by violence to create positive change in their lives and become leaders among their peers and in their communities by providing safe settings, media arts training, social and emotional learning, and leadership development opportunities. Youth emerge from LOVE committed to carrying forward messages of non-violence, and ready to engage more fully in the world around them.
Christine Cea, Founder & Principal, Posit Communications
An industry-recognized leader and innovator in the field of marketing communications, Christine Cea has led world-class initiatives and campaigns for some of the world’s most iconic brands. A highly strategic, insightful and creative thinker, she is an accomplished leader of high-performance teams and transformational change.
As Senior Director of Marketing Communications at Unilever for eight years, Christine led Brand Public Relations, Earned Social Media and Health & Wellness marketing for the U.S. portfolio of foods and personal care brands – Dove, Suave, Lipton, Hellmann’s, and Magnum ice cream among dozens of others. She led the launch of Unilever Project Sunlight, the company’s first consumer marketing initiative to foster its sustainable living mission, which received a Cannes PR Lion.
She has held senior management positions at global PR agencies in both New York and London, including tenure as the Global Consumer Brand Marketing Practice Leader. With the emergence of Social Media, Christine became an industry leader who served five years on the Board of Directors of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, delivered keynotes and lectured at The Wharton School of Business.
Christine has been ranked twice on the PR Week Power List, which recognized her as “a champion who helped propel Unilever’s venerable brands into the digital age.” She received the 2014 PR Week Awards Honorable Mention as PR Professional of the Year – In House, which noted her industry thought leadership.
She holds a BA in English from Barnard College and an MA in English from Columbia University.
Margaret Coady, Head of Global Communications for Diversity, Inclusion, and Impact, Prudential
A leading practitioner and thought leader on corporate purpose and inclusive capitalism, Margaret has a nearly 25-year track record delivering next-level growth, societal impact, and stakeholder engagement at for-profit and non-profit institutions. Most recently, Margaret served as the first Executive Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Tapestry, Inc., the $6 billion house of fashion brands Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman. Reporting to Tapestry’s CEO, Margaret led the alignment of business and societal goals, driving the first values-forward, non-commercial consumer campaign in the Coach brand’s 77-year history. She transitioned the $97million Coach Foundation to #DreamItReal, a strategic signature mission shared with the brand that has thus far generated 3+ billion media impressions. Simultaneously, Margaret was a leader for Tapestry on ESG and sustainability, working cross-functionally to launch the company’s ambitious 2025 goals in the areas of people, planet, and community as well as Tapestry’s first public website to share progress toward its commitments. Margaret was also a catalyst for Tapestry joining the CEO Action on Diversity & Inclusion pledge, its plans to deliver unconscious bias training globally, and the launch of the company’s first employee council on inclusion and belonging.
Prior to Tapestry, Margaret served as Executive Director of the nonprofit Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), founded by the late actor and philanthropist Paul Newman. Margaret was instrumental in doubling the Fortune 500 CEO membership to 200+, and establishing the coalition as the top forum for the world’s leading companies to create a better world through business. In addition to serving as the organization’s spokesperson and setting its research agenda, Margaret advised CEOs across industries on corporate purpose initiatives. Margaret led the ‘Board of Boards’ CEO annual forum, a Forbes-named top three “power player” event, and annual Summit for 300+ corporate purpose professionals.
Margaret has served as an advisor to field-building organizations including Independent Sector and Charity Navigator, and has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations including the Taproot Foundation and Step Up Women’s Network, including leading the executive search committee during a nonprofit’s CEO transition. Margaret graduated from Williams College with honors and was Valedictorian of her class at Columbia Business School.
Aria Finger, CEO & Chief Old Person, DoSomething.org; President, TMI
As CEO and Chief Old Person of DoSomething.org, the largest organization for young people and social change in the world, Aria Finger uses her expertise on all things young people and tech to lead a diverse, impact-driven team. She has been an instrumental part of scaling DoSomething.org from less than 100,000 members to over 4.6 million members in 125 countries today. Starting at DoSomething.org as an associate 10 years ago, Aria created their Teens for Jeans campaign which has clothed over 5 million homeless teenagers to date.
With her cause-related marketing experience, Finger has spearheaded partnerships with top brands including Johnson & Johnson, H&M, Sprint and American Express.
In 2013, Aria founded and became President of TMI, a subsidiary agency that uses DoSomething.org’s 20+ years of experience to help clients reach young people and fuel positive impact in the world.
She graduated magna cum laude in economics and political science from Washington University in St. Louis, and completed the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Aria currently serves on the board of the NYC-based not-for-profit Care for the Homeless, was one of the first ten World Economic Forum Global Shapers and is an adjunct professor at New York University. She has been highlighted in the New York Times, Fast Company and was named to the 2012 Crain’s New York Business list of “40 Under Forty” and featured on the cover.
When she is not running DoSomething.org or desperately trying to improve her Spanish, Aria can be found reading The New Jim Crow for the thousandth time, or relearning her ABCs with the newest addition to the DS family, her adorable son Luke.
Gillian Lester, Dean Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law, Columbia Law School
Gillian Lester is Dean and the Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law at Columbia Law School. She joined the Law School in 2015 as its 15th dean.
Lester began her teaching career in 1994 at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, where she later became a full professor in 1999. In 2006, Lester joined the Berkeley Law faculty, where—in addition to serving as acting dean from 2012 to 2014—she was the Alexander F. and May T. Morrison Professor of Law and the Werner and Mimi Wolfen Research Professor. Lester also co-directed the Berkeley Center for Health, Economic and Family Security and was the Associate Dean for the J.D. Program and Curricular Planning.
Lester has held external appointments at Harvard Law School as the Sidley Austin Visiting Professor and at the Georgetown University Law Center as a Sloan Fellow and visiting professor. She also held short-term visiting appointments at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, University of Chicago Law School, and Radzyner School of Law Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel.
Lester serves on the Executive Board for the International Society of Labor Law & Social Security and the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Society of New York.
Lester received a J.S.D. from Stanford Law School, an LL.B. from the University of Toronto and a B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia.
Terri McCullough, Chief of Staff, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. House of Representatives
Terri McCullough is the Chief of Staff to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Prior to her role as Chief of Staff, Terri consulted for gender equity and nonprofit strategy. She was formerly director of No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project, a Clinton Foundation initiative led by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton. No Ceilings is a Clinton Foundation initiative that brings together partner organizations to evaluate and share the progress girls and women have made in the 20 years since the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and chart the path forward for full participation in political, civil, economic and cultural life for girls and women in the 21st century. Terri joined the Clinton Foundation from the Tory Burch Foundation, which works to support women entrepreneurs in the U.S. through small loans, mentoring and entrepreneurial education. She previously served as chief of staff, advisor on women’s issues and in a number of other roles in the office of Representative Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. Her non-profit experience includes positions at NARAL Pro-Choice America, PENCIL (Public Education Needs Civic Involvement in Learning), and Anna Deavere Smith’s Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue. She has a B.A. in politics from the University of California at Santa Cruz and lives in New York City with her husband, daughter, and son.
Tim Maleeny, President and Chief Strategy Officer, Havas
Tim Maleeny leads an eclectic group of strategic planners, communications architects, digital experts, and analysts who collaborate on building meaningful and effective brand platforms for our clients.
Tim is known as a pioneer in reshaping the industry’s approach to strategic planning, hiring hybrid talent, and building dynamic teams that can be reconfigured as client needs change. He is a hybrid himself, having worked as a copywriter, producer, account director, and strategic planner since his career began over two decades ago.
Tim has degrees from Dartmouth College and Columbia University, and he is a best-selling author of numerous short stories and four award-winning novels.
Katy Clark, President, BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music)
Katy Clark was appointed president of BAM in 2015. Clark oversees BAM’s 248 full-time employees and works alongside longtime BAM Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo. She leads an adventurous organization with a profile that extends far beyond Brooklyn and New York City. BAM engages with more than 700,000 audience members each year, presenting live performances and films from around the world, including the renowned Next Wave Festival. BAM is also highly regarded by the artistic community and audiences for its four live performance spaces, ranging in capacity from 250 to more than 2,000 seats, a vibrant independent cinema program, and far-reaching education and humanities initiatives.
From 2010 to 2015, Clark served as president and executive director of Orchestra of St. Luke’s, one of America’s foremost and most versatile ensembles. She joined Orchestra of St. Luke’s in 2005 as director of development. During Clark’s tenure, OSL significantly expanded its scope, mission, and budget. Major milestones include the opening and ongoing success of the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, the appointment of Pablo Heras-Casado as principal conductor, and the launch of several community-building and education programs, such as Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s, OSL@DMC, and St. Luke’s Subway Series.
Prior to her career in arts management, from 1994 to 1999 Clark was a violinist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London. From 2001 to 2004, Clark led the Philadelphia chapter of the American Composers Forum. She is an alumna of the League of American Orchestras’ Orchestral Management Fellowship Program, earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Jesus College, Cambridge University, holds a master’s degree in violin performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has a Certificate in Arts Management from Birbeck College, University of London. She was born and raised in Wales and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children.
Adam Quinton, Founder/CEO, Lucas Point Venture
As the Founder/CEO of Lucas Point Ventures, Adam Quinton invests in and advises early stage companies. His focus is supporting diverse management teams and his investments include The Muse, Glassbreakers, Venuebook, Pinks and Greens, Snaps, Rapt Media, EpiEP, Hire an Esquire, Tactile Finance, Validately, Consensus Point and LawGo.
He serves as an Advisory to Hire an Esquire, Tactile Finance and San Francisco based SwoopTalent as well as Chicago based techweek. In H1 2014 he served as Chief Financial Officer of leading NYC based cybersecurity company NopSec, another of his investees.
He Chairs the East Coast Advisory Board of Astia as well being a Founding Astia Angel. He is an Advisor for San Francisco based Women’s StartUp Lab and a mentor for the Boulder based accelerator MergeLane. He is also an advisor/mentor to 37 Angels and The Vinetta Project.
In 2014 he was named by AlleyWatch one of “25 Angel Investors in New York You Need to Know” and also one the “100 NYC Tech Influencers You Need to Know”. In 2015 tech.co named him “One of 8 VCs making waves.”
In the not-for-profit space, Quinton is on the Board at International House New York, and a member of the Executive Committee. He is also a Board member at the Center for Talent Innovation.
Adam has over 25 years of investing and management experience, most recently at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he was most recently Managing Director and head of Global Macro Research.
He has been a top ranked sell-side investment analyst in the UK, Asia, and the US.
Additionally, he is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where he is a Capstone workshop advisor and member of the Management and Gender & Policy faculties.
Quinton holds a MA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and an MBA from Cass Business School, London.
Adaora Udoji, Director of Corporate Innovation, RLab
Adaora Udoji‘s expertise is emerging technology. She helps startups grow their businesses, investors identify new opportunities, and businesses and people understand how new tech can work. Udoji also invests in and advises women founders and entrepreneurs. Currently, she’s the Director of Corporate Innovation at RLab, the nation’s first hub focused on immersive tech. She also tells stories with pictures and words in video, film, virtual reality, and augmented reality. Lastly, she’s a proud citizen of both the United States and Ireland.
Jenifer Willig, Co-Founder and CEO, hive
Jenifer Willig is the Co-Founder and CEO of hive, Founder of Motive and former CEO of (RED). Partnering with iconic brands including Nike, Apple, Dell, Microsoft, and Starbucks Jenifer most recently led (RED), the organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver to fight AIDS in Africa, to momentous growth over her four year tenure. Through her leadership (RED) raised $185 million and became a global brand with a social following of over 2.5 million active people who advocate on behalf of (RED).
Prior to joining (RED), Jenifer spent her career in advertising on global brands including AT&T, Levi Strauss & Co, British Airways, The Financial Times, ran the New York office of M&C Saatchi and developed the dot com business at TBWA/Chiat/Day SF during the tech boom of the late 1990′s.
She has recently been named one of the 10 Most Generous Marketing Geniuses by Catch a Fire’s Generosity Series featured on Fast Company and recognized as one of the 40 women over 40 to watch.
Jenifer is also the co-founder of WHOLE WORLD Water, a social enterprise raising money to provided access to clean and safe water around the world.
Kristy Wallace, CEO, Ellevate Network
Kristy Wallace is the CEO of Ellevate Network, and is responsible for executing Ellevate Network’s mission to close the gender achievement gap in business by providing professional women with a global community to lean on and learn from. She directs the Network’s staff, is responsible for business growth and strategy, and works closely with Ellevate’s Chapter Leaders, Business Partners, and Champions to further Ellevate’s impact.
Kristy is host of the Ellevate Podcast: Conversations with Women Changing the Face of Business and is also a regular speaker and thought leader on Leadership, Diversity, Social Entrepreneurship, Networking, and Entrepreneurialism. Most recently, Kristy was recognized as a Woman of Influence by the New York Business Journal.
Kristy strives to support women and girls in achieving their dreams. She is an Angel Investor with Pipeline Angels, and organization creating capital for women and non-binary femme social entrepreneurs; a Member of the UN Women Global Innovation Coalition for Change; an Advisor for the 92Y Women in Power Fellowship for Rising Female Leaders; on the Advisory Council for the Villanova University Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship Institute; Co-Chair of the Leadership Advisory Board for the Girl Scouts of Greater NYC; and a Board Member at Workforce Professionals Training Institute.
Prior to joining Ellevate, Kristy was a founding team member of Zeel.com, where she oversaw operations, business modeling, brand development, partnerships, and fundraising. Prior to Zeel, Kristy served as VP of North America Ad Sales and then GM of International Operations at Vault.com.
Kristy obtained her BA in English/Sociology from Villanova University and began her career as a financial analyst at KeyBank. A passionate runner, reader and world traveler, Kristy lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with her husband and three wonderful children.
Jennefer Witter, CEO and Founder of The Boreland Group
Jennefer Witter is the CEO/Founder of The Boreland Group Inc., a boutique public relations agency headquartered in New York City. The twelve-year old firm was named by TheStreet.com as one of five black owned businesses in the US “making a buzz.” The agency specializes in corporate visibility, getting their clients their “unfair share” of business-building attention via customized, results-driven PR programs.
A 30+ year PR veteran, Jennefer was ranked as one the nation’s top ten black CEOs and entrepreneurs by Madame Noire Magazine (the only other female on the list was Ursula Burns, the CEO/chairman of Xerox). Jennefer is the author of “The Little Book of Big PR: 100+ Tips to Get Your Small Business Noticed” (AMACOM, 2014) . She has presented at the 92nd St Y, American University, The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, GlobalWIN, Women’s Presidents Educational OrganizationWomen’s Presidents Educational Organizationthe Women’s Presidents Educational Organization, The Communication Exchange and Ellevate Network. The former PR expert for Inc.com TV, Jennefer has been featured in the Associated Press, TheStreet.com, Crain’s New York Business, and MarketWatch Radio Network. She has been profiled in the Huffington Post and the Amsterdam News.
Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs & Program Director, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Doron Weber runs the program for the Public Understanding of Science and Technology for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. He also directs the Foundation’s efforts to promote Universal Access to Knowledge through the Digital Information Technology program, which seeks to utilize emerging developments in information technology to make the benefits of human knowledge and human culture accessible to people everywhere. A fledgling program in International Science Engagement will focus on South Asia and seek to bring scientists and engineers in conflict regions together to collaborate on subjects and projects of mutual interest.
Mr. Weber has primary responsibility for the Foundation’s efforts to educate and engage the public through books, radio, public and commercial television and film, theater, opera, the Internet, and new media. He also supports selected scientific events of national concern and targeted public policy initiatives.
In 2004, the Foundation received the National Science Board’s Public Service Award, citing Mr. Weber’s program “for its innovative use of traditional media—books, radio, public television–and its pioneering efforts in theater and commercial television and films to advance public understanding of science and technology.” On behalf of the Foundation, in 2007, Mr. Weber received the PBS Leadership Award for over a decade of support, in 2009 the Nielsen Impact Award from the Hollywood Reporter, and, in 2011, the Communicator Award for a documentary about the Foundation’s history, “Sloan at 75.” Mr. Weber’s work at Sloan has been profiled in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Fortune, and The American Way.
Prior to joining Sloan in 1995, Mr. Weber served as Director of Communications at The Rockefeller University (1991-1995), and Director of Communications for the Society for the Right to Die (1989-91). Earlier, he worked as a senior editor for The Reader’s Catalog, a speechwriter for the United Jewish Appeal, and a screenwriter for both television and film. He has also been a teacher, tutor, taxi driver, romance novelist, busboy and boxer.
In February 2012, Mr. Weber published a critically acclaimed book, Immortal Bird: A Family Memoir (Simon & Schuster), that was widely reviewed, including reviews by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and People. Mr. Weber has previously coauthored three nonfiction trade books: Safe Blood: Purifying the Nation’s Blood Supply in the Age of AIDS (Free Press, 1990), The Complete Guide to Living Wills(Bantam Books, 1991), and Final Passages: Positive Choices for the Dying and their Loved One (Simon & Schuster, 1992, Fireside, 1993). His articles and reviews have appeared in, among other places, The New York Times, USA Today, Barron’s, The Baltimore Sun, The Village Voice Literary Supplement, and the Boston Review. His first novel, The Deserters, was excerpted in the fall 2003 issue of Kinder-Link.
Mr. Weber was educated at Brown University (BA, 1977), the Sorbonne, and Oxford University (MA, 1981), where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He also received a Fulbright. He served for ten years (1995-2005) as secretary of the New York State Committee for the Rhodes Scholarships and currently serves as President of The Writers Room Board of Trustees,Vice Chair of the Digital Public Library of America Steering Committee, Advisory Board Member of the Science and Entertainment Exchange, and Board Visitor of the Wikimedia Foundation. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, U.S.A. Triathlon, and the Century Club.
Stacey Hadash, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Global Capital Markets, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Stacey Hadash is managing director and chief operating officer of global capital markets at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She oversees banking teams that cover New York City and Long Island, providing a full range of solutions to companies with revenues of $50 million to $2 billion.
Stacey is responsible for delivering the entire enterprise to clients, including investment banking and capital markets, credit, syndications, global treasury services, leasing, risk management, global markets and wealth management.
Previously, she was chief operating officer for the firm’s Global Capital Markets business, which includes equity capital markets, investment grade capital markets, leveraged finance, and derivatives & foreign exchange origination.
Stacey joined the firm in 2005 from The New York Stock Exchange, where she was managing director and head of Financial Planning. Prior to that, she worked with former Texas Governor Ann Richards at Public Strategies, a communications consulting firm.
Stacey began her finance career as an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley. She later worked for the mergers and acquisitions group at Goldman Sachs in both New York and London.
Earlier in her career, Stacey worked on economic policy in the 1992 Clinton/Gore campaign. Following the election, she was appointed as a Special Assistant in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Stacey holds a BA from Smith College and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is a 2003 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Stacey sits on the board of the Ann Richards School Foundation.
Laura A. Clayton McDonnell, Vice President, Enterprise Sales - Eastern Region, ServiceNow
Laura A. Clayton McDonnell is the Vice President, Enterprise Sales – Eastern Region at ServiceNow, a cloud-based platform that provides digital solutions that help people do their best work. Previously, she was Vice President, New York Region at Microsoft where she provided executive leadership and management of the Microsoft New York Region, with a team of over 230 industry sales, technical and business professionals. She managed executive relationships at the world’s largest companies for Microsoft and represents the company in community initiatives with private and public organizations.
Laura is an executive with extensive sales management and legal experience in the information technology industry. Prior to Microsoft, she was Senior Vice President, North America Sales at Aspect Software. Prior to that role, she was Vice President of Strategic Services at IBM and closed the first $200M+, 5 year long term services transformational deal with a leading insurer/healthcare provider in Spanish South America.
She also was Vice President, Public Sector, West IMT, North America Group leading a $2.2B sales organization which supported the State and Local Government, Education, Healthcare and Life Sciences industries. In that capacity, she generated 11 out of 13 quarters of positive growth, holding or taking market share in all quarters except one. She also led the Smarter Cities/Smarter Planet and the North America Healthcare Growth Initiatives.
Laura’s prior IBM positions included Vice President, Services Business Development, S&D Communications Sector, Director & Senior Client Solutions Executive for Global Technology Services, and Director of Contracts & Negotiations for Global Business Development. Before joining IBM, she was Vice President of Business Development at Rational Software. Prior to Rational, Laura was at Sun Microsystems, Inc. where she held a variety of executive-level positions including Senior Director of Market Development and Strategic Planning, and General Counsel of the Consumer and Embedded Software Division. Prior to joining Sun, she was Managing Attorney for North American Sales at Cisco Systems, Inc. and a Senior Counsel at Apple Computer, Inc. Prior to Apple, Laura was in private corporate and securities law practice at a law firm in San Francisco.
Laura received her Bachelor of Science degree “with distinction” in International Business Administration at San Jose State University, her Masters in Business Administration degree from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley in Finance and International Business Administration, and her Juris Doctorate from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley. At Boalt, she was awarded “Best Oral Argument” for First Year Moot Court, and served as Articles Editor for the International Tax and Business Lawyer Journal. She is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and the State of California.
Laura has held leadership positions in community and business professional organizations. She has served as President of the Barristers Section of the Santa Clara County Bar Association, and President of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Black MBA Association. Laura has been a member of the Development Council for the Haas School of Business, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Boalt Hall School of Law Alumni Association. She is a recipient of the 2008 YWCA of Silicon Valley Tribute to Women Award (TWIN). Laura is a member of the Women’s Forum of New York and an Advisory Committee Member of the Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact of the 92Y.
Kim Pendergast, Managing Partner, Pendergast Partners, LLC
Kim Pendergast is Managing Partner of Pendergast Partners, LLC, a private equity management company that invests in technology driven performance automotive aftermarket companies, more specifically power-train related companies, which are in a position to benefit from active management.
Kim is a serial entrepreneur. She was founder and CEO of five companies before starting Pendergast Partners. Pendergast Logistics Services, was a dedicated freight management company for a $5 billion publicly traded company with over $100 million in freight. Client Distribution Services, was created with the assets of a division of Random House and grew to a run rate of $70 million dollars annually before it was sold. She also founded an environmental consulting company based in Denver, a strategy and investment banking company whose client list included AT&T and ABB, and a leasing company.
Currently, Ms. Pendergast is CEO and Chairman of the Board of Magnuson Products, LLC, a portfolio company located in Ventura, California.
Kim graduated from Indiana University with honors, B.A., M.B.A. and was selected as a Henry Crown Fellow, Aspen Institute. She helped found the Learning Spring Academy, a school for Children with Asperger’s Syndrome in NYC, and the National Art Museum of Sport and supports The Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Indiana. She speaks both German and Spanish.
Katie Bisbee, Chief Marketing Officer & EVP, Partnerships, DonorsChoose
Katie Bisbee leads the marketing and partnership team, engaging 2.5 million citizen donors and 500 corporate and foundation partners in supporting public school classrooms. Prior to joining DonorsChoose.org, Katie launched a customer acquisition business at Red Ventures, a company ranked on the Inc. 500 list as one of the nation’s top 20 fastest growing companies. She also conducted market research and political polling for corporate and media clients.
Katie earned her M.B.A. from the Darden School at the University of Virginia, where the faculty awarded her the Hyde Fellowship for her contributions to the school. In 2016, she was named to Direct Marketing News’ “Marketing Hall of Femme”.
Asha Curran, CEO, GivingTuesday
Asha Curran is CEO of GivingTuesday, the global generosity movement. She was formerly Chief Innovation Officer and director of the Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact at 92nd Street Y, which was named one of the 10 Most Innovative Nonprofits by Fast Company. She remains co-chair of the Belfer Center with Henry Timms, co-founder of GivingTuesday and President and CEO of Lincoln Center. At 92Y, she and her team in one of the nonprofit world’s pioneering innovation labs launched the Women inPower Fellowship, the Ben Franklin Circles, and the 7 Days of Genius festival, all built on the same distributed-leadership model as GivingTuesday. She is the recipient of the 2015 Social Capital Hero Award, and was named a 2016 Woman of Influence by New York Business Journals and a 40 Over 40 Women to Watch honoree. Asha serves on the board of directors of Guardian.org, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing civil discourse and issues-driven journalism at The Guardian; and the Scout Film Festival, which amplifies the work of teen filmmakers. She is a fellow at Stanford University’s Digital Civil Society Lab within the Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society.