Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based CEO’ operating in the Non Profit space. If you think a CEO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Denelle Dixon
CEO and Executive Director of Stellar Development Foundation
Denelle Dixon is the CEO and Executive Director of the Stellar Development Foundation, a non-profit organization using blockchain to unlock the world’s economic potential by making money more fluid, markets more open, and people more empowered. Before joining Stellar, Dixon served as COO of Mozilla, one of the most successful mission-driven open-source organizations. During her tenure at Mozilla, she led the organization’s business, revenue and policy teams including the ongoing fight for Net Neutrality and the global effort to ensure that people can control their personal data. She also pushed Mozilla to understand how to partner with commercial entities while staying true to its core mission of openness, innovation, and opportunity on the web. A lawyer by trade, Denelle previously served as a general counsel and legal advisor in private equity and technology. Throughout her career, Denelle has been a vocal advocate for net neutrality, encryption, the disclosure of vulnerabilities by governments, and greater user choice and control.
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About Stellar Development Foundation: Stellar Development Foundation supports the development and growth of Stellar, a blockchain network that connects financial infrastructure.
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Marissa Streit
Chief Executive Officer of PragerU
Marissa Streit is the CEO of PragerU.
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About PragerU: PragerU is an online video resource that promotes knowledge and clarity on life’s biggest and most interesting topics.
William Jeffrey
President and CEO of SRI International
William Jeffrey, Ph.D., is president and chief executive officer of SRI International, a leading research and development organization serving government and industry. Jeffrey joined SRI in 2014. From 2008 to 2014, Jeffrey was president and CEO of HRL Laboratories, a corporate R&D organization owned by The Boeing Company and General Motors. Prior to joining HRL, Jeffrey served in the George W. Bush Administration as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Jeffrey also served in the Executive Office of the President as senior director for homeland and national security and as assistant director for space and aeronautics within the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Earlier in his career, Jeffrey was deputy director for the Advanced Technology Office and chief scientist for the Tactical Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and assistant deputy for technology at the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office. Jeffrey started his professional career at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). Jeffrey is an elected Fellow of the American Physical Society, an elected Honorary Member of the International Society of Automation, a recipient of the 2008 Navigator Award from the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, and a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service. Jeffrey is a member of the Board of Directors of TE Connectivity Ltd. Jeffrey received his M.A. and Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University, and his B.Sc. in physics is from MIT.
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About SRI International: SRI International is a nonprofit, independent research center serving government and industry.
Jocelyn Mangan
CEO and Co-Founder of Him For Her
Jocelyn Mangan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Him For Her.
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About Him For Her, Snagajob: Him For Her is a social venture that accelerates the diversity on corporate boards.
Aditi Hardikar
Manager of the Office of the CEO of Obama Foundation
Aditi oversees the Office of the CEO at the Obama Foundation, where she directly supports the CEO’s vision, manages strategy and operations, and motivates cross-functional teams to achieve the mission of the Obama Foundation to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world. Previously, Aditi served as Coalitions Finance Director for the Hillary Clinton for President campaign in 2016, and President Obama’s White House LGBT and AAPI Liaison. She brings a background of fundraising, political strategy, and constituency outreach and communications. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and resides in Chicago.
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About Obama Foundation: The Obama Foundation is a start-up for citizenship and an ongoing project for people to shape, together, what it means to be a good citizen.
Ernie Sadau
President, CEO of CHRISTUS Health
Ernie Sadau is responsible for day-to-day operations of CHRISTUS Health and lends extensive expertise in developing programs to improve quality and clinical integration and preparing the organization to capitalize on the opportunities of the future. Ernie joined CHRISTUS as Senior Vice President of Patient and Resident Care Operations in 2006. His title was changed to Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 2008 as he expanded his role and oversight within the organization. Ernie also served as the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for CHRISTUS Health, developing the strategic initiatives and processes to ensure that CHRISTUS is living out its commitment to valuing differences and strengthening the ministry’s culture of inclusion. Before joining CHRISTUS, Ernie served in many roles at Adventist Health System from 1983-2006, holding various executive positions in the organization’s many hospitals and systems, including Chief Financial Officer, Administrator, and President and CEO of Adventist Health System/Midwest in Hinsdale, Ill., which includes five hospitals, over 60 physician practices, surgery and imaging centers and several home care agencies. During his tenure with Adventist, Ernie led successful hospital acquisitions and joint ventures; implemented thriving physician recruiting, community relations and employee development programs and developed many necessary medical services in the communities he served, including opening the only freestanding Emergency Room in Illinois and a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Ernie holds a master’s degree in Hospital Administration from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of North Texas. Ernie is a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives, and was named an Up & Comer by Modern Healthcare magazine in 2000, an award that honors rising young stars in the health care management field.
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About CHRISTUS Health: Christus Health is an international Catholic, faith-based, not-for-profit health system
Michael Gianoni
CEO of Blackbaud
Michael Gianoni joined us as President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors in January 2014. Prior to joining us, he served as Executive Vice President and Group President, Financial Institutions at Fiserv, Inc., a global technology provider serving the financial services industry, from January 2010 to December 2013. He joined Fiserv as President of its Investment Services division in December 2007. Mr. Gianoni was Executive Vice President and General Manager of CheckFree Investment Services, which provided investment management solutions to financial services organizations, from June 2006 until December 2007 when CheckFree was acquired by Fiserv. From May 1994 to November 2005, he served as Senior Vice President of DST Systems Inc., a global provider of technology-based service solutions. Mr. Gianoni is a member of the board of directors of Teradata Corporation, a publicly traded global big data analytics and marketing applications company. He holds an AS in electrical engineering from Waterbury State Technical College, a BS with a business concentration from Charter Oak State College and an MBA and honorary Doctorate, from the University of New Haven. Mr. Gianoni’s unique experience and perspective on the technology industry and our business led to the conclusion of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and of our full Board that he should serve as a director of our Company in light of our business and structure.
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About Blackbaud, Teradata: Blackbaud is a provider of software and services designed for non-profit organizations enabling them to build strong relationships and more.
Charles Best
Founder of DonorsChoose
Charles Best is the Founder os DonorsChoose.
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About DonorsChoose: DonorsChoose is a nonprofit classroom funding site for public school teachers.
Nick Sutardja
CEO of Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology
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About Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology: The Sutardja Center supports new venture teams with mentoring, network connections, and Delta prize awards.
Edward Benz
CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Edward Benz, Jr. M.D. is President and Chief Executive Officer of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, CEO of Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care as well as Principal Investigator and Director of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Care and a member of the Governing Board of Dana-Farber/Children’s Hospital Cancer Center. An internationally recognized hematologist, Benz received his training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the National Institutes of Health, and Harvard Medical School. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Hematology. Benz continues to be an active NIH funded investigator. He has authored over 300 peer reviewed articles, reviews, chapters and abstracts. He is a co-editor of Hematology: Principles and Practice and of the Oxford Textbook of Medicine for which he and his colleagues received the Royal Society of Authors Textbook Award. He is an associate editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. Benz’ accomplishments have been recognized by a number of distinctions, including membership in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Science. He is a past president of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Cancer Institutes.
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About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a center dedicated to carrying out adult and pediatric cancer treatment activities and advanced research.
Sepideh Nasiri
Founder & CEO of Persian Women In Tech
Sepideh (“Sepi”) Nasiri is an award winning serial Entrepreneur with 16 years of experience working in the Tech Industry, the Founder of Persian Women In Tech, the former Vice President at Women 2.0 and a life-time advocate for women, diversity and inclusion. Mrs. Nasiri started her career as a Co-founder and Managing Editor of a digital and print Los Angeles Magazine and later joined a number of successful startups in Silicon Valley. In 2014, she was recognized by San Francisco Business Times/Journal “40under40” and Diversity Journal’s 2014 “Women Worth Watching”. Currently, Mrs. Nasiri advises early stage startups including at global initiatives such as WeMENA (a program by the World Bank) and mentors globally many female entrepreneurs and founders in technology serving as an advisor to initiatives such as TechWomen, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
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About Persian Women In Tech: Persian Women In Tech supports Iranian women in Tech/STEM from all across the Globe’s landscape.
John Boyd
Chief Executive Officer, System Mental Health Services of Sutter Health
John Boyd, Psy.D., MHA, serves as the Sutter Health’s System Executive for Mental Health and Chief Executive Officer for both the Sutter Solano Medical Center and the Sutter Center for Psychiatry.
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About Sutter Health, Sutter Health: Sutter Health is a non-profit organization operating a network of hospitals and physicians in Northern California.
Hadi Partovi
Founder and CEO of Code.org
Hadi Partovi is an entrepreneur and investor, and CEO of the education non-profit Code.org. In 2013 Hadi and his twin brother Ali launched the education nonprofit Code.org which Hadi continues to lead full-time as CEO. Code.org has established computer science classes in 15% of US classrooms, created the most popular curriculum platform for K-12 computer science, and launched the global Hour of Code movement that has reached over 100 million students. A computer science graduate of Harvard University, Hadi began his career during the browser wars in the 1990s, when he was Microsoft’s Group Program Manager for Internet Explorer. In a second stint at Microsoft, he was General Manager of the MSN portal, delivering its first year of profit. As an entrepreneur, Hadi was on the founding teams of Tellme Networks and iLike, which were acquired by Microsoft and MySpace, respectively. Hadi has served as an early advisor to numerous startups including Facebook and Dropbox, and as a tech investor his portfolio also includes airbnb, Uber, Zappos, IndieGogo, Change.org, and others. Aside from his investments, Hadi also serves as a Director on the boards of TASER International and Convoy.
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About Code.org: Code.org is a non-profit foundation focusing on developing computer programming education in the U.S.
Ellen Pao
Co-Founder & CEO of Project Include
One of Silicon Valley’s leading advocates for diversity and inclusion, Ellen K. Pao is not only a long-time entrepreneur and tech investor, but her landmark gender discrimination case against venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, propelled her to the front of the fight — years before the Times Up movement. Her 2012 lawsuit helped encourage other women, people of color and especially women of color to stand-up against harassment and discrimination in tech in what has been called the “Pao Effect.” Currently, Ellen serves as CEO and co-founder of nonprofit Project Include, where she works closely with tech leaders to bring fairness to all tech workers, using data-based, practical solutions and recommendations. As interim CEO of reddit, she was the first leader of a large social media company to ban revenge porn and unauthorized nude photos as part of her broader efforts to curtail harassment on the site. Before reddit, she spent seven years as a investment partner at Kleiner Perkins. During her two decades in Silicon Valley, she has also served as a board member, engineering manager, software programmer, and business development executive. She received her BSE in electrical engineering and public policy certificate from Princeton University, her JD from Harvard Law School, and her MBA from Harvard Business School.
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About Project Include: Project Include promotes diversity and inclusion through research and advocacy. We are a non-profit, and we are hiring.
Ron Baldwin
Co-Founder & CEO of Uncommon Giving
Ron Baldwin is Chairman, President & CEO of CrossFirst Holdings, LLC, a private equity company investing in the financial services industry. Ron was a long-time Wichita, Kansas resident who, in 2005 after a 10-year tenure, left the position of President & COO of INTRUST Bank, the largest privately held bank in Kansas. Ron’s 36 years of banking service also includes a 23-year term with Fourth Financial Corporation, a $7.8 billion bank holding company, where he served in various positions including CFO, EVP and Chief Administrative Officer, President of BANK IV Oklahoma and EVP of Retail Banking. He holds a B.B.A. degree from Wichita State University and obtained a CPA designation. Ron resides in Overland Park, Kansas and is a board member of Kanakuk Ministries.
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About CrossFirst Bank, CrossFirst Holdings, Uncommon Giving: Uncommon Giving is a digital financial services company that provides innovative financial solutions for profit businesses.
Joseph Huang
CEO of StartX (Stanford-StartX Fund)
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About StartX (Stanford-StartX Fund): StartX is an educational non-profit that helps Stanford’s top entrepreneurs.
Kimberly Bryant
Founder & CEO of Black Girls CODE
Kimberly Bryant is the Founder and Executive Director of Black Girls CODE, a non-profit organization dedicated to “changing the face of technology” by introducing girls of color (ages 7-17) to the field of technology and computer science with a concentration on entrepreneurial concepts. Kimberly has enjoyed a successful 25+ year professional career in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries as an Engineering Manager in a series of technical leadership roles for various Fortune 100 companies such as Genentech, Merck, and Pfizer. Since 2011 Kimberly has helped Black Girls CODE grow from a local organization serving only the Bay Area, to an international organization with seven chapters across the U.S. and in Johannesburg, South Africa. Black Girls CODE has currently reached over 3000 students and continues to grow and thrive. Kimberly serves on the National Champions Board for the National Girls Collaborative Project, and the National Board of the NCWIT K-12 Alliance. Kimberly and Black Girls CODE have been nationally recognized as a social innovator and for her work to increase opportunities for women and girls in the tech industry. In August 2012 Kimberly was given the prestigious Jefferson Award for Community Service for her work to support communities in the Bay Area. In 2013 Kimberly was highlighted by Business Insider on its list of “The 25 Most Influential African- Americans in Technology” and was named to The Root 100 and the Ebony Power 100 lists. A highlight of 2013 for Kimberly was being invited to the White House as a Champion of Change for her work in tech inclusion and for her focus on bridging the digital divide for girls of color. In 2014 Kimberly received an American Ingenuity Award in Social Progress from the Smithsonian along with being given the Inaugural Women Who Rule Award in Technology via Politico. She has been identified as a thought leader in the area of tech inclusion and has spoken on the topic at events such as Personal Democracy Forum, TedX Kansas City, Platform Summit, Big Ideas Festival, SXSW, and many others.
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About Black Girls CODE: Black Girls CODE is a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching girls aged 7 to 17 about computer programming and digital technology.
Gayle Jennings O’Byrne
Founder and CEO of iNTENT Manifesto
20+ years of finance, investment banking, philanthropy and lobbying experience. Previously, executive positions in Mergers and Acquisitions, Global Philanthropy, International Government Relations at JPMorgan Chase. Media Manager at Sun Microsystems. Developed and managed investment strategy and corporate relationships. Enjoys valuation, modeling, due diligence and championing founders and startups. Graduate of Wharton School of Business and the University of Michigan School of Business. Attended National University of Singapore and City of London Polytechnic. Conducted academic consulting project in Israel.
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About iNTENT Manifesto, The Prometheus Exchange, WOCstar Fund: iNTENT Manifesto IS an educational and investment platform.
Evan Marwell
Founder & CEO of EducationSuperHighway
Evan is a serial entrepreneur, having started companies over the last 25 years in the telecom, software, hedge fund, and consumer retailing industries including INFONXX (now KGB) and Criterion Capital Management. Collectively, these businesses created thousands of jobs and generated billions of dollars of revenues and investment returns. Evan founded the non-profit EducationSuperHighway in 2012. In its first three years, the organization helped shape President Obama’s ConnectED initiative and served as a catalyst for modernization of the Federal Communications Commission’s $3.9 billion E-rate program, earning Evan the 2015 Visionary of the Year award from the San Francisco Chronicle. Evan is an honors graduate of Harvard College ’87 and Harvard Business School ’92.
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About EducationSuperHighway: EducationSuperHighway is focused on providing internet infrastructure that students and teachers need for digital learning.
Caroline Beckman
Founder and CEO of Nouri Life
Caroline Beckman is a Co-Founder & CEO at Nomva.
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About Nomva, Nouri Life, Suja Life: Nouri is for men and women around the world who believe in increasing their mental and physical health.
Tessie Martin
President & CEO, USA of Plan International
Tessie San Martin, President/CEO, is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years’ experience helping to address gaps in education, economic growth, capacity-building, corporate governance, political reform and labor policy globally. Her work has taken her to Egypt, India, Mexico, Bosnia, and Indonesia, among other countries, where professional initiatives have involved supporting disenfranchised populations, a significant number of which are women and young girls. Dr. San Martin holds a Ph.D. in political economy and government from Harvard University, a Master’s in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and a B.S. from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Her career includes work in public and private sectors, bilateral and multilateral development agencies, and academia – as well as a wide variety of international development roles. Prior to joining Plan International USA as CEO and President, Dr. San Martin served as Vice President for International Development at Abt Associates, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based consulting company providing research and technical assistance expertise on a wide range of social, economic, and technological policy issues in the US and overseas. While at Abt Associates, she helped grow the company’s international development business to nearly $200 million a year, almost tripling the portfolio in less than three years. Under her leadership, Abt was tapped by the UK government to implement the ambitious $200 million PATHS2 program in Nigeria, designed to improve that country’s healthcare system. The USAID-funded projects in her portfolio spanned a broad range of activities – from improving the efficiency and quality of obstetrics and newborn care in Jordan and Peru, to helping increase farmer income and food security in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Mali, and Mozambique. Dr. San Martin previously worked as the Director for the Operations Group of the World Bank’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), where she was responsible for a group of 45 professionals involved in the Agency’s political risk insurance and technical assistance programs. In this role, she facilitated the integration of the agency’s $1.2 billion underwriting operations with other risk mitigation products in the World Bank, oversaw development of the agency’s new strategic framework, as well as increased significantly MIGA’s trust funds to support an expanded technical assistance portfolio focused on enhancing developing country access to foreign investment. Before joining MIGA, Dr. San Martin was a Partner in IBM Consulting Services, where she was responsible for building a $100 million portfolio in international development spanning more than 40 countries. The portfolio included privatization projects in Egypt, Bosnia, and Indonesia; capital markets and corporate governance strengthening projects in the former Soviet Union and India; pension reform programs in Mexico and Poland; and competitiveness and workforce development projects in Egypt. Previously she was an adjunct professor at Florida International University in Miami; president of a consulting company in Washington, DC that specialized in strategic planning; and senior faculty advisor for a management institute in the Dominican Republic. Dr. San Martin lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and two teenage daughters. She is on the road frequently, traveling between Plan’s offices in the U.S. and abroad. But she always finds time to go running, and as time permits enjoys tennis and baking (and eating) bread.
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About Plan International: Plan International is a children’s development organization that promotes child rights to end child poverty.
Kavya Kopparapu
Founder & CEO of Girls Computing League
Kavya Kopparapu is the Founder and CEO of GirlsComputingLeague and current junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. She is dedicated to sharing her passion for computer science with others, especially young girls, as the field has given her a world of opportunities. Kavya has been recognized by organizations such as the White House and the National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT). Recently, she spoke at the March for Science in DC about Computer Science for All and presented at a TEDx Conference.
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About Girls Computing League: GCL is a nonprofit working to empower underrepresented groups in technology by fostering the interests of girls in computer science
Scott Harrison
Founder & CEO of charity: water
Harrison was born an only child in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Charles and Joan Harrison. His family relocated and he was raised in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. When Harrison was four years old, his mother was exposed to carbon monoxide from a cracked furnace installed in their new energy efficient home. His mother’s immune system was destroyed and she became an invalid. As a result, Harrison grew up taking care of his mother and the household. He credits his family’s deep Christian faith for giving them hope that one day his mother would be healed. At age 18, Harrison left home for New York City and enrolled at New York University (NYU). He graduated from NYU with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 1998. Harrison admits he was not a diligent student, and began working as a nightclub and party promoter in Manhattan. He spent the next 10 years throwing lavish parties for the likes of MTV, VH1, Bacardi and Elle. Harrison describes this as a time when he was “chasing after models,” mingling with the New York City elite and indulging in illicit drugs including cocaine and ecstasy. When he was 28, Harrison had a “crisis of conscience” during a vacation in Uruguay. Harrison had an epiphany about his job and life: “I was selling selfishness and decadence.” He recalled feeling like “the most selfish, sycophantic and miserable human being” and “the worst person I knew.” In August 2004, Harrison quit his job and volunteered as a photojournalist for the Christian charity Mercy Ships, which operates a fleet of hospital ships offering free healthcare. He served aboard the Mercy Ship Anastasis in West Africa, taking over 60,000 photos in 13 months. While on his first mission trip with Mercy Ships, Harrison received word that his mother was “miraculously healed” of her illness. Returning home from Africa in the fall of 2006, he started charity: water, which in just more than 6 years has raised over $95 million, and funded 8,000+ water projects in 20 countries that provide acces to clean drinking water for 3.2 million people. www.charitywater.org
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About 1% of Nothing, charity: water: charity: water is a non-profit organization that supplies clean and safe drinking water to developing nations.
Jeff Miller
Co-Founder and CEO of Helping Hands Community
Jeff Miller is the Co-Founder and CEO of Helping Hands Community.
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About Helping Hands Community, Uber: Helping Hands Community is not for profit community that serves COVID-19 vulnerable members with medicine, food and supplies.
Dan Whaley
CEO & Founder of Hypothes.is
Dan Whaley is the Founding Board Member at Getaground.
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About BTP, BTPIndex, Hypothes.is: Hypothes.is a distributed, open-source platform for the collaborative evaluation of information.
Ben Rattray
Founder & CEO of Change.org
Ben Rattray is the founder and CEO of Change.org, the world’s largest platform for social change.He has been named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and one of Fortune’s 40 Under 40 rising young business leaders. A graduate of Stanford University and the London School of Economics, Rattray leads Change.org’s strategic vision and is a frequent public speaker about the intersection of technology and social change. There are more than 75 million Change.org users in 196 countries, and every day, people use its tools to transform their communities – locally, nationally and globally. Whether it’s a mother fighting bullying in her daughter’s school, customers pressing banks to drop unfair fees, or citizens holding corrupt officials to account, thousands of campaigns started by ordinary people have won on Change.org, and more win every day. Time Magazine writes, “Rattray’s site has quietly enabled tens of thousands of people, many with little exposure to social activism, to launch homegrown crusades on issues ranging from corporate malpractice to immigration reform without ever gathering in a park or square. By marrying one of the world’s oldest organizing tools, the petition, to one of its newest, the social-media loop, Change.org is putting companies and governments under tremendous pressure to change their policies, sometimes in a matter of a few weeks or less, and it has invited everyone around the globe to participate.”
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About Change.org: Change.org is social change platform with over 150 million users worldwide.
Pam Kostka
CEO of All Raise
Pam Kostka is the CEO of All Raise, a startup nonprofit on a mission to accelerate the success of female founders and funders to build a more prosperous, equitable future. Pam is a seasoned CEO with over 25 years of experience as a startup operator. Her specialties are defining go-to-market strategies and implementing operational processes that allow startups to effectively scale to successful exits. Most recently, she was CEO of Loop, a local community mobile app. Previously, she served as CEO of Bluebox Security, interim CEO and CMO at VirtuOz, SVP of Marketing and Sales for Sabrix, and CEO and Co-founder of Visiline, Inc. She has also held executive and senior marketing roles at software companies such as Arena Solutions, Connect, and Extensity. Pam earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, summa cum laude, from College of the Holy Cross, and her MBA from Harvard Business School. A lifelong cyclist, runner, and outdoor adventure seeker, she enjoys Bay Area trails with her husband, Yuri, and daughter, Rae.
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About All Raise: All Raise is a nonprofit on a mission to accelerate the success of female founders and funders to build a more prosperous equitable future.
Azzedine Downes
President and Chief Executive Officer of IFAW
As President and CEO, Azzedine Downes is responsible for the strategic vision that will guide IFAW’s contribution to a standard for conservation and animal welfare worldwide. Azzedine has been a leader on conservation issues over the past sixteen years. In his previous role as IFAW’s Executive Vice President, Azzedine oversaw both the Programmes Team and International Operations. His coordination of these key areas led to an increased global impact on animal issues and led to the expansion of IFAW’s work to the more than forty countries in which IFAW is found today. He has made significant contributions to the development of management systems within the organisation, paving the way for improved functioning throughout IFAW’s increasing global range.Under Azzedine’s leadership, IFAW opened its first office in the Middle East and expanded its work on global animal conservation and welfare issues. He was responsible for designing and launching IFAW’s Prevention of Wildlife Trafficking (Wildlife Law Enforcement) programme, which provides ongoing training and support for law enforcement and customs officials faced with growing illegal trade issues. His leadership on international illicit trade in wildlife has resulted in the development of IFAW’s Wildlife Crime and Consumer Awareness programme. Azzedine spearheaded the expansion of IFAW’s Tiger Team work into Bhutan and South Asia, expanding and strengthening protection for tigers in their range states.Azzedine has served as Head of the Delegation to the CITES Conference of the Parties, leading campaigns to reduce and restrict negative impacts of wildlife trade. His programme teams also provide direct assistance to wildlife and domestic animals through the Animal Rescue and Companion Animals Programmes. Fluent in English, French and Arabic, Azzedine is an accomplished public speaker and regularly presents IFAW’s work to the media in those three languages.Azzedine is committed to finding solutions to the problems facing wildlife and companion animals in today’s complex world by combining good science, sound animal welfare concepts and culturally appropriate solutions.
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About IFAW: IFAW is a non-profit organization that saves individual animals, animal populations, and habitats all over the world.
Jack Haire
Chief Executive Officer of Concern WorldWide
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About Concern WorldWide: Concern WorldWide are believing in the concept that eliminating extreme poverty is possible, and we act on that belief every day.
Daniel Weisberg
Chief Executive Officer of TNTP
As TNTP’s Chief Executive Officer, Dan Weisberg oversees TNTP’s executive team, and all aspects of the organization’s operations, strategy and growth. Prior to becoming CEO in June 2015 as part of TNTP’s long-term growth strategy, Dan was the Executive Vice President for Performance Management and General Counsel. In this role, he built and led a 130-person team to support the efforts of school systems and states nationwide to recruit, develop and retain effective teachers and principals. Previously, as Vice President of Policy, Dan helped build TNTP into “a leading voice on teacher quality” and co-authored TNTP’s acclaimed study on the failures of the nation’s teacher evaluation systems, The Widget Effect, which has helped to catalyze evaluation reforms in more than 30 states since 2009. More recently, he participated in the writing of The Irreplaceables (2012), which explored the teacher retention crisis through the experience of the country’s best teachers. Before TNTP, Dan served as Chief Executive of Labor Policy and Implementation for the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), the country’s largest public school system. In this role, he led negotiations between the Department and the United Federation of Teachers that resulted in a series of groundbreaking reforms, including the city’s highly-regarded “mutual consent” system, which gives teachers and schools the primary voice in school staffing. He also led a team that provided labor support to NYCDOE’s 1,700 principals and implemented a number of high-stakes talent initiatives. Before joining the NYCDOE, Dan was a Partner in the New York office of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison where he led the firm’s east coast labor and employment practice. He holds a J.D. from New York University Law School and a BA in Political Science from Columbia College.
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About TNTP, TNTP: A national nonprofit founded by teachers, TNTP helps school systems end educational inequality and achieve their goals for students.
Bob Bickel
Founder & CEO of GiveSignup | RunSignUp
Bob Bickel is the Founder and CEO at RunSignUp.
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About GiveSignup, GiveSignup | RunSignUp, RedLine13: GiveSignup | RunSignup is the leading endurance and fundraising platform used by more than 25,000 events, supporting over 10,000 nonprofits.
Jim Steyer
Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media
Jim has spent more than 20 years as one of the most respected experts and entrepreneurs on issues related to children’s policy and media in the United States. As CEO, he is responsible for the overall leadership of Common Sense Media, the nation’s leading nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving the media lives of kids and families. Prior to founding Common Sense, Jim was Chairman and CEO of JP Kids, a respected family media company. Before that, he served as President of Children Now, a leading national advocacy and media organization for children, which he founded in 1988. Jim began his career as an elementary school teacher and then became a public interest lawyer. He served as a law clerk for the California Supreme Court, as a deputy district attorney, and as a civil rights attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. In addition to his duties at Common Sense, Jim teaches popular courses on civil rights, civil liberties, and children’s issues at Stanford University, where he has taught for the past 22 years in the School of Education and Department of Political Science. During that period, he has received a number of Stanford’s highest teaching honors. Jim is also the author of the widely acclaimed book The Other Parent: The Inside Story of the Media’s Effect on Our Children, which draws upon his extensive experience as a leading child advocate, educational media expert, and dad. Over the past decade, Jim has appeared regularly on a variety of national television and radio programs, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah, CNN, The O’Reilly Factor, and Larry King. He hosts a regular weekly segment, “Kids and the Media,” on CBS-5 TV in San Francisco, and his work has been featured in many publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, Newsweek, and The Wall Street Journal. Jim grew up in New York City and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford. He received his JD from Stanford Law School, where he founded the East Palo Alto Community Law Project. Jim is the father of four children and lives with his family in the Bay Area.
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About Common Sense Media: Common Sense Media provides information and education to help kids and families thrive in a world of media and technology.
Sajid Shariff
Founder & CEO of Doing Good Fellows
Sajid is a consultant at Boston Consulting Group and a graduate from Stanford University in California and IIT Bombay, where he served as the General Secretary. Previously he worked in investment banking, venture capital and consumer tech startups and is passionate about using technology to create impact. While he’s not by his laptop, he loves traveling, beaches and fitness.
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About Blitz Technologies, Doing Good Fellows: Doing Good Fellows enables people to donate their skills and networks to solve the challenges of social organizations in India and Kenya.
Jill Sigal
Vice President, US Government Policy and Chief of Staff to the Chairman and CEO of Conservation International
Jill Sigal is the Vice President of Conservation International’s department of US Government Policy.Jill has built a strong foundation in the energy sector after first becoming employed by the Department of Energy in 1985. Since then, her career has brought her to EnergySolutions Inc. and Conservation International Foundation.
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About Conservation International: Conservation International is a financially accountable and transparent organization that empowers societies to responsibly care for nature.
Jennifer Xia
Founder & Co-CEO of FreeWill
Jennifer Xia is the co-founder and co-CEO of Freewill.
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About FreeWill: FreeWill offers philanthropy and estate planning tools for donors and fundraisers to donate simpler.
Rob Stephenson
Chief Executive Officer of Thrive
Mr. Stephenson brings more than 20 years of Executive Level technology business experience to Thrive Networks. Mr. Stephenson has previously been a principal at 19 Technologies, an Executive Consulting Firm whose clients included Faction Cloud, Oxford Networks, Expedient, Sweetwater Capital, Bay Capital, Spring Capital and others. Prior to that, he was the Chief Marketing Officer and managing partner at Xand where he oversaw a sale to Tierpoint in 2014, after selling his firm, Access Northeast, to Xand in 2012. Rob was the CEO at Access Northeast from 2007-2012, building the company into a $20 Million plus Data Center/Cloud/MSP regional powerhouse with seven+ consecutive years of record income, growth & profitability. He executed three successful term sheets with Private Equity Firms, Senior Banks and Mezzanine SBA Lenders generating working capital for the business and liquidity for shareholders in excess of $60 Million. Mr. Stephenson has undergraduate degrees in Economics & Political Science from the University of Vermont (1990) and a Masters’ Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the Boston College Carroll School of Management (2002), with a concentration in Technology Marketing. He was enshrined in the Beta Gamma Sigma National Honor Society in 2002.
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About Thrive: Thrive Networks is an outsourced IT provider with an outstanding record of success we have achieved for clients such as the Boston Celtics,.
David Spradlin
CEO & Founder of The Village
David Spradlin lives and works in Sacramento, California as the CEO and Founder of Golden Valley Security. David’s security company provides unparalleled overnight security detail service for companies of all sizes, as well as vehicle patrol, personal bodyguards, and plain clothes investigation. Golden Valley Security’s comprehensive training, hiring, and quality leadership under David Spradlin has made it one of the most sought after companies in the industry. Additionally, David is the CEO and Co-Founder of The Village: a non-profit organization dedicated to providing healthy food and frequent meals to underprivileged children and families in the Sacramento area. Through programs such as Full Belly backpacks and community movie nights, David Spradlin and his team has been able to make a difference in the lives of people in need, and his commitment to doing so drives every facet of his life. Outside of work, David Spradlin is passionate about spending time with his wife and children and supporting them in their personal endeavors. David also appreciates and supports local art, values exercise and healthy eating, and volunteering. Though he is from California’s bay area, David Spradlin has grown to love Sacramento and is dedicated to serving his community where possible.
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About The Village: The Village is a formal non-profit organization designed to help the less fortunate and needy within the Sacramento, CA area.
Calista Redmond
CEO, RISC-V International of Linux Foundation
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About Linux Foundation: The Linux Foundation builds sustainable ecosystems around open source projects to accelerate technology development and industry adoption.
Carl Champagne
Chairman & CEO of Eccovia Solutions
Carl Champagne is a seasoned “Hi Tech” Business leader with broad experience in all aspects of technology companies. Carl invested in and acquired Eccovia Solutions (formerly ClientTrack Inc.) in 1998 as a vehicle to market the ClientTrack platform and solutions into the health, human, and social service markets. Over the last 30 years, Carl has guided several high technology and manufacturing companies through critical phases of turn-around and fast-track growth. With each of these endeavors, he has not only provided market vision and technological and business expertise, but vital leadership necessary for the company’s long-term growth and profitability. Carl also has significant experience with large corporations, such as Digital Equipment, GTE (now Verizon), and Compaq (now Hewlett-Packard). Carl has a Bachelor of Science and Master’s Degree in Computer Science, and completed the Management of High Technology Business program from the Sloan School of Management at MIT. He is also a past Chair of the Board of Directors for Special People Loving Outdoor Recreation Experiences (SPLORE), a nonprofit organization.
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About Eccovia Solutions: Eccovia is a software company that seeks to assist the health and human services through case and data management.
Alex Groth
CEO & Co-founder of Tab for a Cause
Alex Groth is Cofounder and CEO of Gladly, adtech that’s transforming the Internet experience by improving how online advertising is done. Through its core services, Tab for a Cause and Goodblock, Gladly’s mission is to give users a choice in the ads they view, while protecting their privacy and making sure every ad serves a worthy purpose.
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About Gladly, Tab for a Cause: Save the world, one tab at a time.
Thomas Priselac
CEO & President & Board of Directors of Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Thomas Priselac is President & CEO at Cedars-Sinai. An advocate for improving quality and access in healthcare, Thomas M. Priselac has developed strategic and operational innovations to foster high-quality, safe and efficient care for patients. Under his leadership, Cedars-Sinai has earned an international reputation for quality care, community service, research and education while evolving from a community hospital to a major health system that continues to expand to better serve patients. Priselac, who holds the Warschaw Law Chair in Healthcare Leadership at Cedars-Sinai, first joined Cedars-Sinai in 1979, and has been president and CEO since 1994. Before being appointed to his current role, he was executive vice president of Cedars-Sinai from 1988 to 1993. Earlier in his career, he was on the executive staff of Montefiore Hospital in Pittsburgh. An authority on healthcare delivery and policy, Priselac is a past chair of the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees and a past chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges. When he was chair of the American Hospital Association in 2009, he had an instrumental role in the development of Affordable Care Act. He also formerly chaired the California Hospital Association and the Hospital Association of Southern California. He is a member of the Board of Councilors of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Civic Alliance, the Los Angeles Coalition for the Economy and Jobs, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation and he Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. Priselac has received numerous awards for his leadership in healthcare and his commitment to improving the health of the underserved, including the American Hospital Association’s Distinguished Service Award, B’nai Brith International’s National Healthcare Award, the Special Needs Network’s Distinguished Community Champion Corporate Leadership Award and the Charles R. Drew University Board of Trustees Medal of Honor. Priselac writes and speaks on a variety of policy issues related to the delivery and financing of healthcare, healthcare quality and safety, and the adoption and implementation of information technology. He is an adjunct professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, where he teaches principles of organizational leadership. Priselac earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Washington and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree in public health, health services administration and planning from the University of Pittsburgh.
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About Cedars Sinai Medical Center: Cedars-Sinai is a non-profit, academic, community-centric medical center in Los Angeles, California.
Kanika Bahl
Chief Executive Officer of Evidence Action
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About Evidence Action: Evidence Action reducing poverty and spurring growth in developing countries.
Sedale Turbovsky
CEO and Founder of OpenGrants
Sedale Turbovsky’s career has been focused on startups, and innovation. As an Independent business consultant and strategic business development expert, Sedale specializes in fundraising, leadership, project management, program management, and data analysis. He is passionate about economic empowerment, conservation, and sustainability. Sedale attended Sacramento State University, where his studies focused on economics, political science, and international development. After an extended gap year, he pursued a career as an international adventure guide working in Argentina, Chile and various counties in Europe for five years. During this time he launched a startup studio, Guerrilla Digital. Guerrilla Digital is a collection of leaders, designers and builders focused on enabling large-scale societal improvements. Their mission is to establish and grow sustainable solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems and inefficiencies by bringing cutting-edge technology to late-adopting industries. Guerrilla Digital partners with investors, advisors and government leaders to help entrepreneurs build out product concepts, test business models, find market fit, connect with difficult-to-reach public/private networks, and achieve the discipline required for growth. In 2012 Sedale and his team were engaged to launch carbonBLU, a machine learning SaaS product for the transportation sector, backed by an emissions testing technology. Sedale lead the team to raise $500k in seed capital while supporting day to day operations and product development. While at carobnBLU Sedale built at 2.5M dollar pipeline in government sales, won the people choice award of the CleanTech Open Accelerator and was accepted into and completed Impact Venture Capital’s accelerator program. In 2018, Sedale served as CEO of carbonBLU for a year, eventually exiting with the Guerrilla Digital team to start OpenGrants, a SaaS company focused on connecting startups to non-dilutive capital. As a founder of OpenGrants, Sedale helped source the founding team, secured pre-seed and seed capital, while engaging strategic partners like AWS and Momentum.
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About OpenGrants: The easy way to win grants
Tobin Richardson
CEO & President of Zigbee Alliance
Tobin J. M. Richardson serves as President and CEO of the ZigBee Alliance, leading the Alliance’s efforts to develop and promote world-leading open, global IoT standards. In this role, he works closely with the Alliance Board of Directors to set strategy and to advance the adoption of ZigBee standards around the globe. Tobin has two decades of experience in strategic leadership and marketing for technology firms and organizations. His experience spans large-scale technology implementations, new service and product rollouts, and transformational change in Fortune 500 companies and world-leading organizations. He currently serves in a number of industry leadership roles, including Co-Chair of NAESB’s Energy Usage Information standard committee, and participates actively on NEMA’s Smart Grid Task Force and the CEA’s Smart Grid Working Group. He holds a Master’s degree from Georgetown University, and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis.
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About Zigbee Alliance: Zigbee Alliance is the foundation and future of the IoT.
Peter Byrnes
Co-Founder and CEO of Fundraise Up
Peter Byrnes is the Co-Founder and CEO at Fundraise Up.
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About Campus On Fire, Fundraise Up, Lúgh Studio, Inc.: The new standard in online giving.
Graham Covington
CEO & Founder of Engaging Networks
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About Engaging Networks: Engaging Networks is the technology used by many of the world’s leading charities to power their digital strategies.
Sylvia Acevedo
Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts
Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), brings to the organization a background in entrepreneurship; science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); and innovation, as well as a lifelong commitment to girls’ success in their own lives and the world. She was a member of the GSUSA Board of Directors from 2009 to 2016 and served as its secretary. Dedicated to girls’ leadership development long before she was named to GSUSA’s board, Sylvia has seen firsthand the power of Girl Scouts. As a girl growing up in New Mexico, after her family suffered a major tragedy, Sylvia was forced to move and leave behind her school, her neighborhood, and her friends. It was this move that brought her to Girl Scouts, which would change her life forever. Her troop provided her with tools and experiences not widely available to girls of her background at that time. In Sylvia’s words, “This life-changing experience showed me what leadership looked like and enabled me to pursue it as a goal.”
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About Girl Scouts: Girl Scouts is a youth organization strives to increase girls’ awareness about the world, cross-cultural learning opportunities, and more.
Edwin Oley
CEO, Mercy Health – Lorain & Senior Vice President, Mercy Health of Mercy Health
Edwin Oley has been chief executive officer of the Lorain Region for nine years. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Oberlin Medical Center. He has also served on the executive management team of the newly merged St. Joseph and Lorain Community Hospitals. Oley has a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from Ohio Northern University’s College of Pharmacy. He is very active in the community and has served as the chair of the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce and as a trustee on the boards of CommStar Credit Union and the Lorain County Community College Foundation. Oley was recognized by the American Red Cross as its 2012 Community Hero and by the Boy Scouts of America as their 2016 Distinguished Citizen Award honoree.
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About Mercy Health: Mercy Health is a mission-driven, integrated healthcare organization.
Donald Kline
President & CEO of Mercy Health
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About Bon Secours Mercy Health, Mercy Health: Mercy Health is a mission-driven, integrated healthcare organization.
Robert Baxter
President and CEO, Mercy Health – Lima and Toledo Regions of Mercy Health
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About Mercy Health: Mercy Health is a mission-driven, integrated healthcare organization.
Mike Garfield
CEO, Mercy Health – Cincinnati Region & Senior Vice President, Mercy Health of Mercy Health
Mike Garfield, the executive leader of Mercy Health – Cincinnati, is accountable for leading the region’s operations, which includes five award-winning hospitals and four freestanding emergency departments, as well as accredited cardiac, oncology and orthopaedic service lines. Previously, Garfield served as chief operating officer of Mercy Health – Cincinnati. In that role, he was accountable for operations, placing a strong emphasis on quality, patient experience, physician relations and business development. Prior to joining Mercy Health, he was division president at Health Management Associates. He also has held executive leadership roles with Community Health Systems and was CEO of four hospitals within HCA/Health Trust. Garfield received a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from Furman University and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Tulane University.
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About FGP, Mercy Health: Mercy Health is a mission-driven, integrated healthcare organization.
John Starcher
President and CEO of Mercy Health
John Starcher oversees the development of system strategies and operations for all 23 Mercy Health hospitals and the clinically integrated network across Ohio and Kentucky. The ministry offers a full range of acute and post-acute services which treat 6.3 million patients annually through nearly 500 practice locations. Mercy Health employs more than 33,500 people, including 1,300 employed providers, and has net operating revenue of more than $4 billion. Starcher was the former president and chief executive officer of Health Management Associates (HMA), an integrated acute care delivery system with 71 hospitals across 15 states. He guided HMA through its successful sale to Community Health Systems. Prior to becoming HMA president and CEO, Starcher served as president of HMA’s Eastern Group. Before joining HMA, Starcher served as the CEO of three of Mercy Health’s four divisions – overseeing more than 20 acute care hospitals, five long term care facilities, six home health agencies and dozens of affiliated clinical practices with more than $3 billion in net revenue. He also served as the CEO of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Region, the senior vice president of Human Resources and corporate associate general counsel. Starcher began his healthcare career in academic medicine, serving six years in leadership roles at the Medical College of Ohio, now the University of Toledo Medical Center. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bowling Green State University and a Doctorate in Jurisprudence from the University of Toledo. He is licensed to practice law in the State of Ohio and has actively served as a director on more than 16 boards.
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About Mercy Health: Mercy Health is a mission-driven, integrated healthcare organization.
Scott Michael
President & CEO of United Motorcoach Association
Scott Michael serves as President and CEO for AMSA. He has served as the industry’s primary liaison to the Department of Defense, GSA, and other government customers of the moving and storage industry. He was previously AMSA’s Vice President for Membership and has held other positions with AMSA and the American Movers Conference over the past two decades. Scott also serves as a vice president of the National Defense Transportation Association, an organization of transportation providers which works in support of the military. He lives in Alexandria, Va. with his wife and three daughters.
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About United Motorcoach Association: United Motorcoach Association is a group of professional bus and motor coach companies.
Patrick Trueman
CEO & President of Morality In Media
Patrick Trueman is a former Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Criminal Division, U. S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. from 1988 to 1993. While there, he supervised the prosecution of child sex crimes, child pornography, and obscenity. He managed an office of twenty of prosecutors and support staff, and worked with the nation’s ninety-three United States Attorneys to initiate and coordinate federal prosecutions. Among his duties at MIM, Mr. Trueman directs the War on Illegal Pornography, a national coalition effort involving dozens of national, state and local groups that are educating the American public on the great harms of pornography and calling for vigorous enforcement of federal laws against illegal pornography. During his 34 years as a lawyer, he has litigated cases at all levels of the federal system, including in the United States Supreme Court. He has been an advisor to many municipalities on First Amendment law and has helped draft ordinances to end or curb the impact of sexually oriented businesses such as pornography shops, strip clubs, and related establishments. In 2010 he founded the website, Pornography Harms, http://pornharms.com, dedicated to providing the most accurate peer-reviewed research on the harm from pornography. The site has a companion YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/PornHarms, and a Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/PornHarms?ref=ts. A recognized international expert, Trueman has traveled to Europe, South American, the Middle East, and other areas to speak and train on the issue of human trafficking or deliver papers on the effects of television sex and violence on the family. A sampling of his training, advocacy, legal briefs and presentations includes: Nicaragua: Trueman led the training of Nicaragua’s state police in the recognition and apprehension of perpetrators of human trafficking. Qatar: Trueman authored and delivered, “The Harm from Sex and Violence on Television: Practical Solutions to Protect Society,” to the Forum on the Cable Television Channels to the Moral Challenge for Gulf Youth sponsored by Her Highness, Sheikha Mozah, wife of the ruling leader of Qatar. Romania: Trueman authored and submitted a legal brief to Romania’s Parliament in opposition to the legalization of prostitution and incest. The paper, “Legalized Prostitution & Incest Will Harm Romania,” was used to successfully counter a policy recommendation by Romania’s Ministry of Justice (the equivalent of our US Department of Justice) that would have legalized incest and prostitution in the country. Mr. Trueman served as chief of staff to a Member of the United States Congress. From 1976 to 1982, he was Executive Director and General Counsel to Americans United for Life, a national public interest law firm in Chicago. He lives just outside Washington, D.C., is married to Laura Clay Trueman, and has three children, Patrick, Claire, and Elizabeth.
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About Morality In Media: Morality In Media The leading National Organization opposing pornography and indecency through public education and application of the law.
Gary Shapiro
President & CEO of Consumer Technology Association
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About Consumer Technology Association: CTA brings a strong, collective voice to advocate on behalf of the entrepreneurs, technologists and innovators.
Julie Cordua
CEO of Thorn
As CEO, Julie leads Thorn’s efforts to bring the best minds in technology to bear to address the rise in technology-facilitated exploitation. Julie has spent more than ten years leading change at established firms and helping new organizations create their brands. She previously led marketing and communications for (RED), working with brand partners to generate more than $160 million to fight AIDS in Africa and, prior to that, spent a decade running global marketing efforts for Motorola and wireless start-up HELIO.
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About Thorn: Thorn, digital defenders of children, drives technology innovation to fight the sexual exploitation of children.
David J. Campisi
President & CEO of Big Lots
Mr. David J. Campisi has been appointed as President, Chief Executive Officer, Director of Big Lots, Inc., effective May 30, 2013. He was appointed as President, Chief Executive Officer of the Company on May 3, 2013. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Campisi served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Respect Your Universe, Inc., an activewear company, since August 2012, having first been appointed to the company’s board of directors in March 2012. Mr. Campisi also previously served as the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Sports Authority, Inc., a sporting goods retailer, from March 2010 to August 2011, having first joined the company as President in November 2004. From February 2004 to October 2004, Mr. Campisi served as the Executive Vice President and General Merchandise Manager, Women’s Apparel, Accessories, Intimates and Cosmetics of Kohl’s Corporation, a department store retailer. Mr. Campisi also held various executive positions at Fred Meyer, Inc., a department store retailer and division of The Kroger Co., from 1996 to 2004, including Senior Vice President and Director of Apparel, Home and Electronics from 2001 to 2004, Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager, Apparel from 1997 to 2001, and Vice President and Divisional Merchandise Manager, Women’s Apparel from 1996 to 1997. From 1987 to 1996, Mr. Campisi served as Vice President and Divisional Merchandise Manager, Women’s Apparel at Meier and Frank, a department store retailer and division of The May Department Stores Company (which was subsequently acquired by Federated Department Stores, Inc.).
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About Big Lots: Big Lots is a discount retailer that offers affordable solutions in the merchandise categories such as furniture, food, decor, and more.
David L. Holmberg
CEO & President of Highmark Health
David Holmberg is president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Highmark Health, a diversified health and wellness enterprise based in Pittsburgh, Pa., that serves an estimated 35 million people nationwide. Passionate about solving our nation’s most pressing health care problems, Mr. Holmberg is committed to improving the total health care experience for members, patients and consumers in a rapidly changing health care landscape. Mr. Holmberg joined Highmark in 2007, serving in a series of executive positions. Most recently he was president, Diversified Businesses for Highmark Inc., where he was responsible for businesses representing more than $3.5 billion in revenue. He has also served as chief executive officer for HVHC Inc. and chief executive officer and chairman for HM Insurance Group, United Concordia Dental and San Antonio, Texas-based Visionworks, formerly Eye Care Centers of America (ECCA). Mr. Holmberg is active in his community and supports several causes including the Wounded Warriors Family Center, Children’s Medical Center of Dallas and the United Way. He is a Distinguished Alumni of the University of Texas at Dallas School of Management and a member of the University of Texas at Dallas School of Management Advisory Board. He received his MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.
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About Highmark Health: Highmark Health and its subsidiaries and affiliates comprise a diversified health and wellness enterprise based in Pittsburgh.
Brian Pieninck
President & CEO of CareFirst
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About CareFirst: CareFirst is a not-for-profit, non-stock health services company.
Tracy Palandjian
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder of Social Finance
Tracy Palandjian is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Social Finance, a nonprofit organization which is leading the development of Pay for Success financing and Social Impact Bonds, an innovative public-private partnership that mobilizes capital to drive social progress. For more than a decade, Tracy has committed to building a more impactful nonprofit sector by re-imagining the role of the capital markets in enabling social progress. Inspired by Social Finance UK, Tracy co-founded Social Finance US in January 2011 to develop the Social Impact Bond and Pay for Success model in the United States. Prior to Social Finance, Tracy was a Managing Director for 11 years at The Parthenon Group where she established and led the Nonprofit Practice and worked with foundations and NGOs to accomplish their missions in the US and globally. Tracy also worked at Wellington Management Co. and McKinsey & Co. Tracy is co-author of Investing for Impact: Case Studies Across Asset Classes. She is Vice-Chair of the U.S. National Advisory Board to the Global Impact Investment Steering Group (previously the G8 Taskforce). She is a member of the Board of Overseers at Harvard University, and serves on the boards of Facing History and Ourselves and the Surdna Foundation. She is also a Director of Affiliated Managers Group (NYSE: AMG). Tracy is a frequent speaker and writer on impact investing and social innovation, having been covered in The Wall Street Journal, Atlantic, Economist, Forbes, and New York Times. A native of Hong Kong, Tracy is fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin. She graduated from Harvard College with a B.A. in Economics and holds an M.B.A. with high distinction from Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar.
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About Affiliated Managers Group, Social Finance: Social Finance focuses on mobilizing capital to drive social progress.
George A. Hamalian
Chief Executive Officer of United Scientists Association of Technology
With more than 30 years of corporate experience, George Hamalian has broken through countless barriers to take many companies through to commercial success. During these years, George has established a unique approach through which he opens doors to the private sector by building on government relationships and minimising red-tape obstacles along the way.
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About United Scientists Association of Technology: USAT is an australian organisation utilising blockchain-enabled technology to store, fund, develop & commercialise intellectual property.
Francesco Nazari Fusetti
CEO & Co-founder of Aidcoin
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About Aidcoin, CharityStars, ScuolaZoo, ZooCom: AidCoin is an ERC20 token that will become the preferred method of giving and paying service fees throughout the non profit ecosystem.
Alaina Percival
CEO & Board Chair of Women Who Code
Alaina Percival spent the first three years of her career working at the PUMA headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany as the International Niche Product Manager. Upon completion of her MBA, Percival accepted a Brand Marketing Manager position for Nfinity, a performance footwear company, where she led the rollout of the first women specific volleyball and basketball shoes. Her migration to the technical sector took place in 2010 and her tech industry experience includes heading up developer outreach at Riviera Partners in addition to working as the Director of Marketing for Snip.it – a start-up which was eventually acquired by Yahoo! Today, Percival is an Advisor for CodePath, the first mobile developer school for engineers that is free. She has been involved with Women Who Code since 2011 and drives the organization’s strategic goals, partnerships, and sponsorships. Of note, she was invited to speak at the Belfast Technology Conference in April of this year, which brought together business leaders and politicians from Belfast, Europe, and the United States to discuss emerging technologies and best technology industry practices. Percival has also been a featured speaker at She Talks Forum discussing Women In Tech, The O’Reilly Fluent Conference discussing how to master the technologies driving the web, and has been interviewed by the Huffington Post and Women 2.0, a leading media brand, to share her expertise on best practices for female engineers to advance their careers. Percival lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband and is active in both the technology and education circles. She has traveled to more than 60 countries and speaks fluent German.
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About Women Who Code: Women Who Code is a global organization dedicated to inspiring women to pursue and excel in technology careers.
Rachel Thomas
Founder & CEO of Lean In
Rachel Thomas is the Founder & CEO of Lean in.
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About Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation: LeanIn.Org is a nonprofit organization that aims to offer women with inspiration and support to help them achieve their goals.
David Brand
President & CEO of Alliance for Global Good
David Brand is a retired business executive with a broad knowledge of retail operations and over 30 years experience in building and developing retail teams. He has served as the Executive Vice President of the Haynes Furniture Company, Incorporated, located in Virginia Beach, VA, since 1976. Mr. Brand also served as a Legislative Aide to Senator Henry M. Jackson between 1975-1976. As current President and CEO of the Alliance for Global Good, David Brand has been driven by a lifetime devoted to philanthropy and charitable giving. He currently serves as a member of the Executive Committee for the Tidewater United Jewish Federation, an organization he previously presided over as President as well as well as a Chair of several committees. Mr. Brand’s myriad positions and organizational involvements have also included: General Campaign Chair and Men’s Campaign Chair, Tidewater United Jewish Federation; Member of the Board of Directors, Tidewater Big Brothers Big Sisters; Member of National United Jewish Appeal Young Leadership Cabinet.
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About Alliance for Global Good: Alliance for Global Good is focused on developing strategies and best practices for effective collaboration to tackle complex global issues.
Sanford Kunkel
Co-Founder and CEO of Spotfund
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About Spotfund: Spotfund – The Future of Fundraising is Here
Rob Acker
Chief Executive Officer of Salesforce Foundation
Rob leads the business that enables Salesforce.org to be the most impactful nonprofit social enterprise in the world. He has responsibility for the management of Salesforce.org and focuses on delivering world-class technology to nonprofits and higher education customers.
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About Salesforce Foundation: Salesforce Foundation provides cloud-based solutions based on the Salesforce platform for nonprofits and educational institutions.
Chad Nelsen
CEO of Surfrider Foundation
I grew up on the coast surfing, swimming and fishing, and eventually got my first job as an ocean lifeguard in Laguna Beach. These formative experiences gave me both love and respect for the power and fragility of the ocean. In my case, the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. My father has been a marine science educator for over 40 years and I have vivid memories of catching shrimp and feeding octopus in his touch tanks, sitting on the jaw bones of grey whales and doing seawater buoyancy and salinity tests in his lab with my brother. My brother dedicated himself to making a career out of surfing and now runs a summer surf camp for kids and spends much of the off-season guiding surfers in Fiji. It wasn’t until I considered grad school that I realized that I could combine my passion for science and protecting the environment with my love of the ocean. I found the Coastal Environmental Management program at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment and learned that there are many ocean-related careers beyond marine biology. After grad school, I explored coastal zone management jobs in the federal and state government, but it wasn’t until I found my job at Surfrider that I fully appreciated that protecting the environment needs more than science and government – it needs people! More recently, I completed my doctorate on the economics of coastal recreation and surfing to help ensure that our oceans, waves and beaches are valued appropriately. Surfrider’s grassroots approach has become my passion, I love working with passionate people who are connected to the coasts and want to make a difference in the health of our coastal environment.
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About Surfrider Foundation: Surfrider Foundation is an online community that protects oceans, waves, and beaches through activist networks.
Timothy Gregg Ferris
CEO of Massachusetts General Hospital
Timothy Gregg Ferris is the CEO of Massachusetts General Hospital.
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About Massachusetts General Hospital: Massachusetts General Hospital is the primary teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and a biomedical research facility.
Dan Ratner
Cofounder & CEO of Public Good Software
Dan Ratner is Executive Chairman and co-founder of Public Good, an organization that helps people find, connect with and support organizations that are working on the causes they care about. Prior to Public Good, Dan served as Director of Development for President Obama‘s 2012 reelection campaign, and as co-founder and COO/CTO at Sittercity, the nation’s largest service dedicated to helping parents find quality childcare online. In addition to his startup and campaign work, Dan is on the boards of Open Books, a Chicago literacy organization, and Fulcrum Point New Music Project. Also an investor, Dan serves on the board of Impact Engine, an accelerator and early stage investment fund. He also loves to write—he’s published two non-fiction books on nanotechnology and is working on a novel.
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About Cure Violence, Impact Engine, Open Books, Public Good Software: Meet new donors and raise more money by making online fundraising easy and accessible to all.
David Schutt
Chief Executive Officer & Board of Directors of SAE International
David Schutt, PhD, is the Chief Executive Officer of SAE International. He oversees the global management and operations of the +$100M SAE Enterprise, consisting of SAE International, The Performance Review Institute, the Industry Technologies Consortia and several subsidiaries and joint ventures. SAE International is non-for-profit educational and scientific organization dedicated to advancing mobility technology and design engineering to better serve humanity. Its more than 138,000 members-engineers, business executives, educators, and students from more than 100 countries-develop technical standards, publish authoritative literature, and share information and exchange ideas for advancing the engineering of mobility systems. SAE is the world’s resource for designing, building, maintaining and operating self-propelled vehicles for use on land or sea, in air or space. Additionally, Schutt serves as the CEO & President of the Performance Review Institute, a trade association that advances the interests of industry through development of performance standards and administration of quality assurance, accreditation, and certification programs; as well as related activities for the benefit of industry, government and the public. It provides a full range of programs and services designed to improve manufacturing process and product quality by adding value, reducing total cost and promoting collaboration between global stakeholders in the mobility and other interested industries. Schutt also serves as the CEO & President of the Industry Technologies Consortia, a trade association that provides a unique framework for building industry infrastructure tailored to specific technology, market and industry groups. Consortia are managed to satisfy industry time horizons and responsibly steward resources to achieve shared objectives. Participants include private companies, government agencies, individuals, and trade associations. Together they build consensus and break through barriers to achieve solutions. Schutt serves on a variety of not-for-profit and for-profits boards, national commissions and local business organizations. He is Vice President-America on the International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies’ (FISITA) Executive Board and is a member of the Calvin College Board of Trustees. He was appointed Commissioner, U.S. National Commission for the United National Education and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) by the U.S. Secretary of State.Prior to joining SAE International in 2007, Schutt worked at the American Chemical Society (ACS) in several executive management positions. Schutt holds a doctorate in physical chemistry from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree from Calvin College. He also earned an M.B.A. from Johns Hopkins University.
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About Performance Review Institute, SAE International: SAE International is a professional association for engineering professionals in aerospace, automotive, and commercial-vehicle industries.
Tom Hopcroft
President & CEO of MassTLC
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About MassTLC: MassTLC is the region’s leading technology association and the premier network for tech executives, entrepreneurs, investors.
Doug Galen
Founder & CEO of RippleWorks
In addition to RippleWorks, Doug is a Lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Doug sits on the non-profit Boards of Heifer International, Positive Coaching Alliance, and Jasper Ridge Farm and advises early stage companies. Prior to RippleWorks, Doug served as Chief Revenue Officer at Shopkick, a mobile app startup that was bought by SK Telecom. Prior to Shopkick, he was SVP of business and corporate development at Shutterfly, where he helped grow revenue from $50 million to $500 million. Doug served as VP and GM of new ventures for eBay, and was employee #3 as Vice President of Sales and BD for publicly traded E-LOAN.
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About RippleWorks, Stanford Graduate School of Business: RippleWorks pairs startup and technology experts with social ventures around the world to jointly conquer scaling challenges.
Bacely YoroBi
CEO and co-founder of Connectxglobal
Bacely Yorobi is co-founder and CEO of Connectxglobal, a not-profit startup that connects tomorrow’s leaders with the world-class organization, former community manager of the Ivorian government, International and Inspirational Speaker, He has severals awards like MIT GSW Fellow 2015, CRANSMONTANA 2015, ICI2014 Startup Awards, Carrefour des Possibles , Fellow DEMO Africa. He is a startup junkie and socia/tech entrepreneur who travels and works in West Africa, France and the United States. However, Global Facilitator, UP Global, SXSW Accelerator Advisor, Consultant and mentor to several global technology organizations. He is passionate about the countless opportunities that technology brings to emerging economies and his ability to uplift the populations of the world. Bacely has participated in many conferences on Open Source and Free Software and other topics such as Websummit , Web2Day , DEMO Africa, Carrefour des Possibles, DzWebdays, GDG Barcamp Abidjan….
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About AngelList, Connectxglobal, ESCP, IIM – Institute of Internet and Multimedia, Myworldwall, Republic, Techstars Startup Weekend: ConnectX is a global marketplace that connects talents with businesses to scale quicker and faster.
Danny Grossman
Chief Executive Officer of Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund
Danny, a successful business owner and entrepreneur, has served extensively on the Federation’s Board of Directors, Endowment and other committees, as well as on numerous Jewish and non-Jewish boards. He brings decades of experience as a leader in the Bay Area’s Jewish and civic communities, and many years of business and public sector leadership. Previously, he was CEO of SLOW Food for Fast Lives and CEO and founder of Wild Planet Entertainment. He also served for seven years in the U.S. Foreign Service, as a diplomat overseas and at the Department of State. He holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University and received his B.A. in Russian and East European Studies from Yale University.
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About Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund: A vibrant, connected, and enduring Jewish community that is a force for good locally, in Israel, and around the world.
Joe Phoenix
CEO and Co-Founder of Givinga
Joe Phoenix is the Co-Founder and CEO at Givinga, Inc. He has 30 years experience in the global asset management industry in the US and overseas. Joe is a former Head of Global Institutional Management at Putnam Investments. Mr. Phoenix spreads the word about philantech, believing anyone can be a philanthropist, especially when they leverage all available resources. He received a master of business administration in Management at Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management.
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About Givinga: Givinga is a provider of financial technology platform for employers.
Jacob Wood
CEO of Team Rubicon
Jake Wood is the CEO of Team Rubicon.
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About Council on Foreign Relations, Groundswell, Penguin Random House, Team Rubicon: Team Rubicon is a non-government organization providing disaster relief from the moment a disaster happens.
Marcus Schabacker
CEO and President of ECRI Institute
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About ECRI Institute: ECRI Institute is a nonprofit organization authority on the medical practices and products.
William Karol
President & CEO of KODA Enterprises Group
William Karol is a President & CEO at KODA Enterprises Group.
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About KODA Enterprises Group: KODA Enterprises Group acquires companies which are or have the potential to be market leaders.
Ro Valiao
Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder of Flipcause
Business executive and entrepreneur passionate about social impact and the nonprofit community. Experience includes renewable energy, technology, and social enterprise. Recognized for identifying problems, contributing innovative solutions, and spearheading change.
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About Flipcause: Fundraising technology and services for nonprofits
T. Willard Fair
President and Chief Executive Officer of Urban League of Greater Miami
T. Willard Fair is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Greater Miami, Inc. He also holds various leadership positions, including Chairman of the Miami-Bayside Foundation BOD and Member of the Miami Business Forum Board of Directors. He received a B.A. degree in Sociology, graduating Cum Laude, from Johnson C. Smith University, in 1961. And the M.S.W. degree from Atlanta University School of Social Work, in 1963. Mr. Fair’s 100-plus, service and recognition awards include: Family Christian Association of America (FCAA) Presidential Excalibur Award and The Greater Miami Region of the National Conference of Christians and Jews Community Service Award, 1995.
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About Urban League of Greater Miami: The Urban League of Greater Miami is a non-profits that assists black children and families.
Domenic Graziosi
CEO of Relationship Science
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About Relationship Science: Relationship Science is a business development tool that provides influential people profiles.
John Leong
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kupu Hawaii
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About Kupu Hawaii: Kupu, based in Hawaii, aims to empower the youth to serve the community through character building and environmental stewardship.
Harold Wimmer
National President & CEO of American Lung Association
Harold P. Wimmer is National President and CEO of the American Lung Association, the nation’s oldest voluntary health association, working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease—including lung cancer, asthma, COPD, and influenza. The American Lung Association represents more than 21 million constituents and 300,000 volunteers and staff nationwide. Mr. Wimmer has served as National President and CEO since February 2013. He began his career with the American Lung Association in 1978 and served in key executive positions in Illinois and the Upper Midwest. Mr. Wimmer is responsible for carrying out the strategic framework and policies established by the National Board of Directors, and directs the executive operations of the Association including: organizational growth and development, advocacy, public policy, marketing, research and program services. In his tenure as National President and CEO, Mr. Wimmer has helped shape a nationwide culture based on “Mission First” results with a focus on high performance and cost-effective operations. Mr. Wimmer has been a driving force in the launch of the Association’s new LUNG FORCE initiative aimed at building awareness and funding support for lung cancer in women. Mr. Wimmer earned a B.S. in Community Health and an M.S. in Health Administration & Policy from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He has been an active alumni member at U of I, serving on the Applied Health Sciences Alumni Board. Mr. Wimmer received the 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Illinois, College of Applied Health Sciences.
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About American Lung Association: American Lung Association aims to save lives by improving lung health through research, education, and advocacy.
Martha Bogdan
President and CEO of American Lung Association
Martha Bogdan is President and CEO at American Lung Association.
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About American Lung Association: American Lung Association aims to save lives by improving lung health through research, education, and advocacy.
Frederick Kempe
President and CEO of The Atlantic Council
Frederick Kempe has held the position of President and CEO of the Atlantic Council since December 1, 2006. He is the author of four books, and a regular commentator on television and radio both in Europe and the United States. His latest book, BERLIN 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth (foreword by Gen. Brent Scowcroft) was published by Putnam in 2012 and is a New York Times bestseller. Under his leadership, the Council has achieved significant growth while considerably expanding its staff, work, and influence in areas that include international security, business and economics, energy and environment, and global issues of transatlantic interest ranging from Asia to Africa. He comes to the Council from a prominent twenty-five-year career at the Wall Street Journal, where he won national and international recognition while serving in numerous senior editorial and reportorial capacities. His last position with the paper was in New York, where he served as assistant managing editor, international, and “Thinking Global” columnist. Prior to that, he was for seven years the longest-serving editor and associate publisher ever of the Wall Street Journal Europe, simultaneously functioning as European editor for the Global Wall Street Journal from 2002 to 2005. During this time he managed six news bureaus, several satellite offices, a Brussels news desk operation, and he oversaw European and Middle Eastern reporting. Throughout his tenure as editor and associate publisher, the newspaper won a number of awards including the prestigious Harold Wincott Award as UK Business Journal of the Year, the Media Tenor Award as the top international paper in Europe, and multiple “Business Journalist of the Year” prizes from the World Leadership Forum in London. His teams participated in two Pulitzer Prizes. As managing editor of theWall Street Journal Europe from 1992 to 1997, he founded and managed the Central European Economic Review (CEER), which covered the countries of the former Soviet bloc. In 1993 he also cofounded Convergence, a magazine on Europe’s digital economy. Kempe joined Journal in 1981 in London before opening the paper’s Vienna bureau in 1984. He transferred to Washington, DC, in 1986 as chief diplomatic correspondent, and in 1990 opened its Berlin bureau. As a reporter, he covered a number of significant stories, including the rise of solidarity in Poland and the growing resistance to Soviet rule, the coming to power of Mikhail Gorbachev in Russia and all his summit meetings with Ronald Reagan, war reporting in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon in the 1980s, and the American invasion of Panama. He also covered the unification of Germany and the collapse of Soviet communism. He is a graduate of the University of Utah and has a master’s degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he was a member of the International Fellows Program in the School of International Affairs. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Maryland University College and from Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina and is a visiting fellow at Oxford University’s Said School of Business. He has won the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism’s top alumni achievement award and the University of Utah’s prize for the top young alumnus. He serves on a number of boards of directors, including the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and is on the advisory board of the Transatlantic Policy Network as well as the international advisory council of Atlantik-Bruecke e.V. in Berlin. He also served on the Senior Advisory Group of Admiral James Stavridis, Commander, US European Command (EUCOM). He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Kempe speaks German and is the son of German immigrants who came to the United States before World War II. His wife, Pamela Meyer, is the CEO of Calibrate. They live with their daughter, Johanna, in Washington, DC.
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About The Atlantic Council: Renewing the Atlantic community for global challenges
Herrick Lipton
Administrative and Financial Director; Current CEO of New Horizon Counseling Center
Herrick Lipton is a leading figure in the behavioral healthcare industry. With an extensive background in administrative and financial management, he is more than qualified to direct operations at New Horizon Counseling Center– and his genuine passion for helping people and removing negative connotations from behavioral health inform every one of his decisions. Herrick Lipton earned his Master of Business Administration in Health/Health Care Administration/Management from Hofstra University on Long Island before joining the team at New Horizon Counseling Center in 1994. After years of working as an administrator and financial director at New Horizon Counseling Center, he eventually was able to work his way up to become its Chief Executive Officer. As the CEO, he has overseen expansion of the center throughout New York State, diversified its divisions, and started new programs for local communities. Herrick’s passion lies in making the New Horizon Counseling Center one of the most supportive resources for those living in the New York City area. As the Chief Executive Officer, Herrick Lipton has been able to improve the center, diversifying the options available to those who need it. One of his passions lies in helping those afflicted with substance abuse and making it easier for people with addictions to receive help before the situation becomes dire and to help prevent the stigma associated with addiction. Herrick works tirelessly to make the community a better place for everyone, which is why he founded the NHCC’s Day Habilitation Without Walls for adults living with developmental disabilities. This program helps empower the individuals by teaching them employment and vocational skills and is a tool to help them become more active in their community and society as a whole. A tireless advocate for improving representation, funding, and access of behavioral healthcare, Herrick’s goal in NHCC is to make behavioral healthcare a key part of our increasingly integrated healthcare system. Herrick and his team at NHCC are helping the organization become a leading nonprofit in the local New York City area.
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About New Horizon Counseling Center: Behavioral health nonprofit organization.
Adam Harriss
CEO & Founder of doGood
Adam’s background includes venture capital, entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship at HP, strategy, business development, and product management. During the original dot-com boom, Adam worked in venture capital. From there he moved to HP, where he co-founded the Retail Photo business winning Walmart and Tesco accounts and displaced Kodak from Australia. Since then, he has worked in VP and Director roles or as a consultant for various mobile advertising and SaaS startups. Adam obtained his MBA from the Haas School of Business where he studied under Steve Blank, amongst other notable professors.
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About doGood: doGood building a platform that engages the crowd to help both sides of the funder/funded.
Scot Chisholm
CEO & Co-Founder of Classy
Scot is the CEO & Co-Founder of Classy, a social enterprise that creates world-class online fundraising tools for nonprofits, modernizing the giving experience to accelerate global social impact. When one of the largest cancer organizations refused to accept the money he raised during a pub crawl held to honor his mom, a two-time breast cancer survivor, Scot was inspired to start Classy to make it easier for anyone to support a cause that’s meaningful to them—and just as easy for organizations to make purposeful and lasting connections with their supporters. Since 2011, fundraising on the Classy platform has doubled each year—resulting in thousands of nonprofits collectively raising over half a billion dollars. Classy partners with organizations of all sizes, from the fastest-growing nonprofits such as Team Rubicon and Malala Fund, to some of the world’s largest social organizations, such as Acumen Fund, Oxfam, and Shriners Hospitals for Children. Based in San Diego, CA, Classy has raised $53 million to-date in growth capital and is backed by prominent technology investors including JMI Equity, Mithril, Salesforce Ventures, and Bullpen Capital. Classy was selected by Fast Company as one of “The World’s Most Innovative Companies in Social Good,” and recognized on the “100 Brilliant Companies” list by Entrepreneur Magazine. Most recently, Scot was recognized by Glassdoor as a Highest Rated CEO in 2017. Outside of Classy, Scot is an active advisor and angel investor, investing out of a fund called Mixture that includes investments in Change.org, inDinero, Casetext and FanDuel. He’s also part of the founding investor group and on the Board of Directors at San Francisco City Football Club, the country’s first social enterprise semi-professional soccer club. Previously he served for four years on the founding Board of Directors at Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster relief nonprofit. Prior to Classy, Scot was a Senior Consultant and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt at Booz Allen Hamilton. Scot earned a B.S in Mechanical & Industrial Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
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About Classy, Mixture: Classy offers an online and mobile platform that enables socially good organizations to raise funds for various causes.
Andy Moon
Co-Founder, Board Director, and former CEO of SunFarmer
Andy has spent his career focused on the intersection of environment and international development. Since 2009, he has worked in the solar energy industry, initially at SunEdison Solar and later as a freelance project finance advisor, closing or advising over $150MM in renewable energy transactions. Prior to SunEdison, Andy worked at McKinsey & Company’s Sustainability and Nonprofit practices in New York, where he co-authored widely cited papers on climate change and public health and worked closely with major foundations and multilateral organizations. Andy has spent summers volunteering in Cambodia and the Philippines, and has a longstanding interest in public health through his work as an early fundraiser and energy advisor to the nonprofit Possible. Andy holds a Phi Beta Kappa honors degree from Stanford University.
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About Shelf Engine, SunFarmer: SunFarmer provides solar energy for hospitals, schools, businesses, and farms in developing countries.
Tomislav Mihaljevic
President and CEO of Cleveland Clinic
Tom Mihaljevic, MD, is CEO and President of Cleveland Clinic. He leads an $8 billion medical system that includes a main campus, 10 regional hospitals, 18 family health centers, and facilities in Florida, Nevada, Toronto, Abu Dhabi and London. Representing a new generation of leadership for American’s #2 ranked hospital (U.S. News & World Report), Dr. Mihaljevic seeks to build on Cleveland Clinic’s reputation for medical expertise, to enhance the patient experience, and expand access to clinical services. Dr. Mihaljevic joined Cleveland Clinic in 2004 as a surgeon in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. He has performed almost 3,000 operations over the course of his career, specializing in minimally invasive and robotic-assisted procedures, valve replacement and repair, image-guided surgery, heart failure and cardiac transplantation. He earned his medical degree at the Medical School, University of Zagreb, Croatia. He trained in cardiac surgery at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. In the United States, he did residencies in general and cardiothoracic surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and was chief resident in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. Before coming to Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Mihaljevic was director of the Cardiac Surgery Research Laboratory and an associate surgeon in the Division of Cardiac Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Mihaljevic held a seven-year academic appointment to Harvard Medical School as a Clinical Fellow in Surgery. He was also Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. From 2015-2017, Dr. Mihaljevic served as CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD). He oversaw the opening of the 365-bed hospital and clinic, with 3,000 caregivers, in 2015. Under his leadership, CCAD expanded its treatment capabilities, built relationships in the private and public sector, and established its growing reputation for clinical excellence, research and education. From 2010 to 2015, Dr. Mihaljevic was Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Heart & Vascular Institute at CCAD. He led a recruitment effort that drew 5,500 applications for 175 physician posts, and went on to launch the most advanced cardiovascular program in the Middle East.
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About Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic: Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit medical center that combines clinical and hospital care with research and education.
Delos Cosgrove
CEO & President of Cleveland Clinic
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About Cleveland Clinic: Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit medical center that combines clinical and hospital care with research and education.
Delos Cosgrove
CEO & President of Cleveland Clinic
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About Cleveland Clinic: Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit medical center that combines clinical and hospital care with research and education.
Jules Kortenhorst
CEO of Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)
Jules Kortenhorst is the Chief Executive Officer of RMI. He is a recognized leader on global energy issues and climate change. His background spans business, government, entrepreneurial, and nonprofit leadership.
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About Energy Web Foundation, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI): Rocky Mountain Institute is an independent, non-partisan nonprofit that drives the efficient and restorative use of resources.
Coppy Holzman
CEO and Co-founder, charitybuzz of Charitybuzz
Coppy is the CEO and co-founder of Boris & Horton. He founded Charitybuzz, the leading online charity auction site, which raised hundreds of millions of dollars in partnership with top celebrities and nonprofits all over the globe. He is considered an expert in upscale cause marketing. Prior to Charitybuzz he co-founded Webvan which pioneered online grocery ordering and delivery. He is President of Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation and is a member of the RFK Human Rights Leadership Council.
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About Boris & Horton, Charitybuzz: Charitybuzz is involved in raising funds for non-profit organizations by conducting online auctions with notable celebrities and brands.
Brett Hagler
CEO & Co-Founder of New Story Charity
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About Forbes Nonprofit Council, Hometeam Ventures, New Story Charity: New Story Charity are crowdfunding life-changing homes for families around the world.
Jodi Shelton
Co-Founder and CEO of Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA)
Jodi Shelton combined her business and communications expertise to launch Shelton Group, an integrated communications firm providing customized programs for public relations and investor relations. Shelton began her career at Cyrix Corporation, a company founded by her husband, Jerry Rogers. Shelton became part of a three-person executive team that led the company’s IPO. Her positioning of Cyrix to the industry and the media as a formidable competitor to Intel Corporation resulted in hundreds of articles, including feature stories in Forbes and BusinessWeek. Shelton opened a Jitrois shop in NY, but the venture shuttered in about a year. Shelton has grown her agency to one of the most recognized communications firms in the southwest. Shelton Group has previously been recognized among the Dallas Business Journal’s ‘Top 25 PR Agencies in the Metroplex’ and was once ranked in the top third of PR Week’s ‘Top PR Agency Rankings’. Shelton is a speaker at industry events and has authored articles for industry and business publications. Several media have featured her, including Electronic News, Dallas Business Journal, PR Week, PR Tactics, Exclusively Dallas, WFAA-TV’s High Tech Texas, Texas Technology, Texas Woman, among others. Shelton is also active within the community, serving as a board member of various organizations and a contributor of time, resources and capital for numerous charitable and civic projects, including Girls Inc., Jonathan’s Place and Habitat for Humanity. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from San Diego State and her master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Houston.
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About Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA), Shelton Group: Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) is a not-for-profit trade organization with over 400 members in the semiconductor ecosystem.
Todd Connor
Founder & CEO of Bunker Labs
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About Bunker Labs, Flank 5 Academy, The Collective Academy: Bunker Labs provides a peer-learning environment for veteran entrepreneurs.
Satish Rishi
Chief Executive Officer of Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay
Satish Rishi is the Chief Executive Officer at Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay.
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About Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay, View: Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay is a nonprofit organization that builds affordable homes and ownership for low-income families.
Sam Zherka
Chief Executive Officer of Real Estate Development Company
A successful real estate maven, Sam Zherka has behind him more than 30 years of experience in the industry, owing much of success through leveraging opportunities and building value in properties through improvements. He has established rapport with many financial institutions over the years. Sam can attribute his success in the industry as a direct result of his early acknowledgement of a hard work ethic from his father. Watching him start from the bottom and work his way up to become a landlord in New York, Sam was always inspired by his father’s passion and drive. In fact, a lot of Sam Zherka’s attitude and outlook on life is credited to his parents. Sam was raised alongside his seven siblings by his hardworking parents. Both his mother and father suffered torture and oppression under the Communist regime in their native country of Albania. This all took place because they spoke out against tyranny and spoke up for freedom. Fortunately, in the early 1960s the Zherkas were finally offered a means and passageway to start a new life the United States. The family worked hard and lived humbly as Sam’s father pushed himself to the limit around the clock in various maintenance jobs to support his wife and children. Sam Zherka’s most impactful childhood memories is of watching his father dress up in a suit to go to his daily job of cleaning toilets — because if he was going to clean toilets, he was going to be the best at it. Sam himself started his career at the age of just 17, buying and selling buildings in the Bronx in the 1980s. Once his father has successfully obtained his own property, Sam was by his side helping to collect rent. This sparked his interest in the real estate industry and knew he had to get his foot in the door as early as possible! He quickly proved his unique ability to find potentials in buildings through renovations, capital improvements, and life enhancing amenities. For the next 30 years Sam Zherka cracked on with his work and collaborated with a variety of high-profile clients to develop their portfolios. Through his endeavors, he was able to personally add hundreds of millions of value in client’s assets. Over his tenure thus far, Sam has completed over 100 commercial transactions. Sam Zherka has a deep passion for developing value and opportunity through real estate. Thanks to his creative mind and sharp business intuition, along with his natural ability to engage and inspire others, Sam has had the opportunity to generate vast capital from high-value investors. So often, he has gained influence with industry insiders from the top commercial lending institutions in the Northeast.
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About Real Estate Development Company: A company run by Sam Zherka in the New York area
Richard DiPilla
Founder & CEO of Global Goodwill Ambassadors
When I founded Global Goodwill Ambassadors years ago, I had no idea that it would become a beacon of light for so many good hearted people from around the world. Once discovered, I now realize that the value of human kindness is immeasurable.
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About Global Goodwill Ambassadors: Changing Real Lives Of Real People In Need Around The World.
