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    National and Regional Boards

    Roch Hillenbrand, Chairman
    Managing Director, Stony Brook Investments, LLC
    M. Roch Hillenbrand, after retiring as a Partner at Goldman Sachs in 2004, founded Stony Brook Investments, LLC to invest in private equity and hedge funds. At Goldman, Roch served as President of Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund Strategies LLC after initiating and arranging its acquisition in 1997 of Commodities Corporation an investor in, and manager of, hedge funds. At Commodities Corp since 1980, he held various senior executive positions, serving as its President since 1994. At Goldman, Roch also served as the Head of Global Active Equity within its Asset Management division overseeing portfolio managers based in New York, London, Tokyo, Singapore and Tampa, Florida who collectively managed over $60 billion in assets. Roch received an M.B.A. with distinction from New York University Graduate School of Business in 1974 and graduated from Boston College in 1972 with a major in Economics. In 2016, Roch was a Fellow at the Distinguished Career Institute at Stanford University. Roch currently serves on the Boards of Historic Charleston Foundation and the Charleston Literary Festival. 

    Carolyn Blankenship
    General Counsel and Secretary, BigBear.ai
    Carolyn Blankenship is General Counsel and Secretary at BigBear.ai. Her prior role was SVP, Associate General Counsel, Intellectual Property for Thomson Reuters. She joined Reuters in 2001 and before that held a variety of IP-related positions as both in-house and outside counsel, including stints at Skadden, Arps and Priceline.com. Ms. Blankenship leads the Global Corporate Legal IP Practice Group for Thomson Reuters, creating an IP practice that allows Thomson Reuters to leverage the innovations created throughout the company. She also created and oversees the company’s open source software policy. In addition, Ms. Blankenship oversees all patent litigation, trademark and domain names efforts and supports the IP aspects of the company’s M&A activity. She is also a frequent lecturer at the Practicing Law Institute on various aspects of patent law and open source software and has written many articles on these subjects. As an undergraduate, Ms. Blankenship attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for two years and went on to earn a B.A. in Biology from Harvard College. She has a J.D. from Arizona State University College of Law and clerked for the Hon. Noel Fidel of the Arizona State Court of Appeals.

    Todd Collins
    Managing Director, Tregaron Capital, Member, Board of Trustees, Palo Alto Unified School District
    Todd Collins has spent his career investing in, advising, and building high-performance companies in a wide range of industries. He is a co-founder and Managing Director at Tregaron Capital, a private equity firm. Earlier in his career, he was a management consultant. He has served as an active board member and board adviser of over 30 organizations, from small start-ups to large public companies. Active in the community, Todd is an elected member of the Palo Alto, California school board and is active in several education reform initiatives.

    Michael J. Critelli
    President and CEO, Dossia Service Corporation
    Michael J. Critelli, who retired from Pitney Bowes, a global mailstream and e-commerce solutions provider in 2008, has been an industry leader in mailing industry reform and innovation in diversity and inclusion programs, leadership development, transportation and environmental sustainability strategies, education and literacy philanthropy, and workplace-driven health programs. He has been a feature film producer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and investor in multiple high-tech businesses since his retirement.

    Jared Crooks 
    Head of People Operations, ONE
    Jared A. Crooks is Head of People Operations at ONE, where he joined in 2022. Previously, he served as Vice President of Two Sigma Impact. He focuses on value creation and implementing high impact workforce strategies at companies. In his prior role as Manager of Science Investments at Schmidt Futures, he developed the strategy for supporting innovative scientific research, technologies and people to address pressing issues and advance cutting-edge programs. Prior to Schmidt Futures, Jared worked at McKinsey & Company, spinning out internal ventures into new businesses verticals for McKinsey. He led a team responsible for the development of an Innovation Lab, building the overlying framework of how McKinsey can innovate and experiment at the intersection of transformational change, neuroscience, and technology to deliver the impact for clients. He also managed teams to create multi-course leadership and capability learning programs. Jared was previously a member of the Office of the Chief Technologist at NASA. Jared serves on the Executive Committee for Math and Science for Minority Students, a 3- summer intensive academic program for talented diverse youth held at Phillips Academy. He also loves the arts and is on the Associate Board for the Harlem School of the Arts. Jared holds three degrees from Princeton University; a M.P.A from Princeton School of International and Public Affairs, M.Eng in Mechanical Engineering and a B.A. in Astrophysical Sciences.

    Carol Y. Cunningham
    Managing Director, Human Experiences, Shopper Insights & Innovation, Anheuser Busch 
    Carol Y. Cunningham is the Managing Director, Human Experiences, Shopper Insights & Innovation at Anheuser Busch. Previously, she was Vice President, Consumer Insights and Business Strategy Analytics at BET Networks. With more than two decades of research experience, Cunningham joined BET Networks’ Corporate Market Research team in September 2007. Cunningham’s responsibilities include leading the charge on all consumer insights, trend spotting, questionnaire design and primary analysis for all qualitative and quantitative studies. Previously, Cunningham served as head of Strategic Research for Scripps Interactive (HGTV, Food Network, GAC, DIY and Fine Living) where she worked on all aspects of brand and media engagement, emerging technologies, streaming media and custom research special projects. Prior to her stint at Scripps Networks, she also led all affiliate strategic initiatives for A&E Television Networks, ESPN and has extensive expertise in network, syndication and local broadcast having served as Head of Research for Univision’s WLTV, Fox Broadcasting’s KTTV, NBC Universal’s O & O–NBC 4 and as Director of Syndication Research for MGM United Artists. Cunningham works on the Diversity Alumni Task Force, Office of Program Development and the Newhouse Network Board of Directors at Syracuse University; she’s also on the National Board for Elon University’s Communications School. She completed these programs VIACOM’S RISING STAR THRIVE, CTAMU’s Executive Leadership Program at Harvard Business School, and the NAMIC Executive Development Leadership Program at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

    Jean DeSombre
    Founder and CEO, Paragon Global Ventures LLC
    Jean DeSombre is the founder and CEO of Paragon Global Ventures LLC, a venture capital firm focused on investing in underrepresented industries and promoting diversity in venture investing. With over 20 years of experience in international legal and business operations, Jean is a highly strategic and empathetic leader with a strong commitment to employee mentoring and talent development. Previously, as the Chief Operating Officer of Care Delivery International at Fresenius Medical Care, Jean was responsible for US$3B+ revenue and 40,000+ employees across multiple business units in over 50 countries. Jean is also a speaker and lecturer, with a focus on women's empowerment and corporate governance.  Jean earned a BA in Chemistry from Harvard College and a JD from Harvard Law School.

    Floyd Fernandes
    Chief Information Security Officer, Whatnot
    Floyd Fernandes is currently the Chief Information Security Officer at Whatnot. He previously was the Chief Security Officer at Credit Karma, where ensuring the trust and safety of our 120M+ members was his top priority and privacy is a central factor in earning and maintaining that Trust.  He was also the prior CISO at CBS Interactive, where he led security for the 6th largest web property in the US. Over the last 25 years having worked across the globe in Fortune 500 organizations, he has led multi-cloud, platform and mobile security practices during their business transformations as an executive. Floyd holds a Masters in Enterprise Architecture from Penn State and an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from New Zealand along with multiple industry certifications in security and technology.

    David C. Foley
    Vice President and Quantitative Analyst, Capital Group
    David C. Foley is a vice president and quantitative analyst at Capital Group, with fund/mandate research and analytics responsibilities. He has 19 years of investment experience, all with Capital Group. Earlier in his career at Capital, he was a results analyst. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Boston College. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. David is passionate about advancing educational equity, particularly in Los Angeles, where he has spent most of his life.

    Jamie Joyce
    Owner, Liquid Rock Collective LLC
    Founder of Liquid Rock Collective LLC, Jamie is a seasoned marketing professional with 25 years of experience in digital communications and brand building. He has led high-impact campaigns for clients across industries, including top organizations like Tishman Speyer, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Warner Bros., Rolex, NYU, Vassar College, and MoMA. Before founding Liquid Rock Collective, Jamie held executive leadership roles at Rubenstein and Fenton, where he spearheaded global digital initiatives. His work reflects both a deep professional expertise and a strong commitment to making a meaningful impact in his community.

    George Maddaloni
    Chief Technology Officer, Operations, Mastercard
    George Maddaloni is Chief Technology Officer, Operations at Mastercard and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. In this role, George leads Mastercard’s Operations, Network, and Employee Digital Experience (ONE) organizations, the largest division within Mastercard Technology. The team supports every employee and application at Mastercard, powering secure, reliable, next-generation infrastructure services that are defining our tomorrow in payments. George has developed his skillset through key experiences in the financial services and technology industries, I.T. strategy, and networking computing. George previously worked as Chief Technology Officer at AIG. Before his role at AIG, George served as the Managing Director, Americas Infrastructure and Global Network Operations at UBS, and Vice President at AT&T, Global Managed Services and Outsourcing. George’s leadership acumen garnered him a spot as one of the top 10 financial CTOs in The Financial Technology Report. George earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, an M.S. in Technology Management from Stevens Institute of Technology, and an MBA in Finance from Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business. George is a member of the Technology Business Management Council Board of Directors, and a member of the Global Cisco Customer Advisory Board, and the Verizon Innovation Council.

    Beth Mejia
    Partner at EdSolutions, Co-Founder of The Center for Education Market Dynamics
    Beth Mejia brings nearly 30 years of expertise in the education sector, with a focus on the acquisition, development, marketing, and implementation of high-quality educational content and digital tools. Her career spans leadership roles in marketing, editorial, and digital product development at industry giants such as Macmillan, Pearson, and McGraw-Hill. Following her corporate tenure, Beth founded and led EyeLevel Consulting, a boutique firm specializing in digital product development, before joining EdSolutions as a Partner. At EdSolutions, a social impact consultancy, she leverages her extensive experience to drive innovative, high-impact educational initiatives for philanthropies and the mission-based organizations they support. Beth has managed large cross-functional teams across product development, marketing, and sales, consistently launching and refining best-selling products for K-12 and Higher Education markets..As a former teacher and a mother of three, Beth brings a unique, deeply personal understanding of people, product, and pedagogy to every client and every engagement. Beth holds an MA in Teaching from the University of West Alabama and a BA in English from Bethany College.

    Jared Miller
    Founder & CEO - Future Flexible, LLC
    Jared Miller is founder and CEO of Future Flexible, LLC, a technology consulting firm focusing on the Sports & Entertainment industries.  Prior to this role, Jared was the Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Sphere Entertainment and Madison Square Garden Entertainment.  In his time there, Jared was responsible for all technology across the enterprise, including the development of the immersive technologies deployed at the Sphere in Las Vegas.  He has worked across numerous industries from semiconductor manufacturing to airlines to sports & entertainment.  Jared has spent his career at the forefront of digital transformation, customer experience, and multi-billion dollar construction projects.  A proud 3x MIT alum, Jared earned his BS in Chemical Engineering, MS in Civil & Environmental Engineering, and an MS in Management Science from MIT Sloan and was a fellow in the Leaders for Global Operations Program.

    Rhonda Powell
    General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Strada Education Foundation, Inc.
    Rhonda Powell is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Strada Education Foundation. Formerly, Ms. Powell served as General Counsel  at Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Buzzfeed. Prior roles include Senior Vice President Business and Legal Affairs, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Complex Networks (dba Complex Media, Inc.); Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs, Scripps Networks Interactive; and Senior Counsel at Reuters. Ms. Powell earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Harvard University (magna cum laude) and a J.D. juris doctorate from University of Michigan Law School.

    Arun Ramanathan, (non-voting member)
    CEO, PowerMyLearning
    Arun Ramanathan’s biography is available to     read here.

    José Luis Vilson
    Executive Director, Co-Founder, EduColor
    Dr. José Luis Vilson is a veteran educator, sociologist, and author in New York City, NY. He received his PhD in sociology and education from Teachers College, Columbia University, studying education, race, and professionalism. He is also the executive director of EduColor, an organization dedicated to building and supporting communities of educators of color. He is the author of the best-selling book This Is Not A Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education, and has written for multiple publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Atlantic. He has spoken about education, math, and race for a number of organizations including TED, AERA, NCTM, and NCTE. He serves on the board of directors for the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and PowerMyLearning.