Ajay invests in early-stage software with a focus on front-office SaaS, AI/ML infrastructure, and supply chain technology. Prior to Bain Capital Ventures, Ajay led product and sales as an early employee at Trilogy, an enterprise software pioneer, growing annual revenues to $300 million.

Ajay’s primary investment themes include AI-enabled applications (Clari, Gainsight), the future of work (Homebase), bottom-up and developer led software (Sendgrid), supply chain and manufacturing transformation (FourKites, ShipBob, Vention), and automation (Ike). Ajay served as board director of several exited companies with combined outcomes of nearly $5 Billion, including SendGrid (acq. by Twilio), TellApart (acq. by Twitter), Kiva Systems (acq. by Amazon), and InfoScout (acq. by Vista Equity), and has been named multiple times to the Forbes Midas List Top 100 Venture Capitalists.

As employee #18 and SVP Product, Sales & Marketing at Trilogy Software, Ajay built a legendary recruiting program, signed multi-million-dollar contracts with Fortune 500 customers, and delivered breakthrough enterprise products, including market leading config-price-quote (CPQ) software. Ajay holds a patent for the “Method and Apparatus of Configuration Solutions”.

Combining his track record at Trilogy with 17 years of investment experience at Bain Capital Ventures, Ajay’s passion is working with early stage founders on team-building, culture, iterating on product-market fit, and scaling go-to-market operations.

Alex Laser joins the BUILD Greater Boston team with over 12 years of experience in secondary education and project management in high schools around the country, including DC, Chicago and Greater Boston. It was during his early tenure teaching English in DC that Alex became a Year 1 BUILD teacher, igniting an enduring passion for community building and project-based learning. At every opportunity, he opened the four walls of his English classroom to guest speakers and field trips, partnering with an array of local teaching artists, theater companies, recording studios, even public television and radio programs. True to the BUILD spirit, Alex loves to provide students platforms to share their stories, topple dominant narratives about their communities, and pitch their vision of a better world.

In his most recent roles, Alex co-founded and facilitated the Boston-based group PARC (Practicing Anti-Racist Collegiality), a coalition of White educator allies and BIPOC educators engaging in tough conversations on race, matching community activism with rigorous inner work. He has several years of experience writing anti-bias curriculum and training educators in DEI and culturally responsive teaching practices. During COVID, he also organized Edubabble, an eZine showcasing the creative voices of educators outside the classroom, and Coffee House, a virtual monthly meetup and writing space for educators seeking self-care and community through communal art and storytelling. Alex holds a B.A. in English Literature and an M.Ed. in Secondary Education from George Washington University. He is excited to serve BUILD Greater Boston students and teachers in realizing their entrepreneurial dreams!

Before joining BUILD, Alfred dedicated his efforts towards community-led systems change with high schools as fulcrum at XQ Institute. He led the professional learning community within the network of schools across the country to actualize their bold ideas and fostered the partnership with the Carnegie Foundation of the Advancement of Teaching to build a new architecture for learning to replace the current time-based system.

While at the Buck Institute for Education (now PBLWorks), Alfred led the development of their integrated Project Based Learning teacher experience that offered services and tools to guide educators in their journey toward sustained, high-quality PBL practice.

Alfred also taught math and physics at High Tech High where he used his engineering background and industry experience to design classroom projects and educator workshops. Alfred started his career with Andersen Consulting doing business/internet consulting and later joined a Bay Area venture fund, CreateLabs.

Alfred currently resides in Minneapolis with his wife and daughter.

Alicia Perry joins BUILD with many years of administrative experience in the nonprofit world in the areas of conservation, higher education and philanthropy. She was born and raised in Boston, MA, and holds a B.A. in Communications from Suffolk University. In her spare time, she enjoys documentaries, traveling, and writing.

Alicia is excited to be a part of the National Team supporting the Director of Impact and Organizational Learning and the Director of Philanthropy. She looks forward to mentoring and seeing the impact BUILD is making in the world first hand.

Alyssa Hudak joins BUILD as a student at Robert Morris University, where she is studying business administration. She was first hired at BUILD as a Salesforce intern and is now being taken on as a part-time associate. She is excited to be a part of the BUILD culture and transition to this new role. In her spare time, she enjoys volleyball, reading, and baking.

Andrea Atwell is the Vice President eCommerce for L’Oreal USA. Prior to this position, she was VP of US Market Supply Chain at L’Oreal’s Luxe Division. Her responsibilities included business, demand and supply planning, and customer care, with the vision of leveraging improved supply chain results to drive strategic relationships with L’Oreal’s US customers. Andrea has helped to lead significant planning process initiatives for L’Oreal which has transformed forecast accuracy, service levels, and inventory results, including managing the supply chain and human transitions of 3 major acquisitions for L’Oreal USA. Andrea’s efforts helped to shape the partnership between the supply chain and brands in L’Oreal, shifting the culture to drive operational awareness, improved results and competitive advantage. Prior to her 10 years at L’Oreal, Andrea has worked in the medical device and food & beverage industries.​

Andrea has 15 years of supply chain experience and a true passion for leading and developing teams and recognizing and growing talent. She was recognized as a 2015 Visionary Leader by Consumer Goods Technology for her approach in prioritizing people and leadership to drive supply chain results. Andrea’s leadership has demonstrated that by focusing on people and creating a culture of change leaders, no business challenge is insurmountable. Andrea is also a frequent speaker on supply chain planning and talent development.​

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Andrea has a BA in Marketing from Michigan State University.

Angela Stokes joins BUILD with varied non-profit experience across education, mentoring and corporate engagement. She is also a proponent of National Service, having served two years in AmeriCorps, solidifying her desire to give back to the community. Moving to Boston over a decade ago, Angela hoped to connect better to the community by becoming a mentor and pursued being a Big Sister. This experience has now helped her call Boston home. She is excited to join the BUILD team to continue connecting with students, maximizing their potential and engaging awesome mentors to do so too. In her spare time, Angela enjoys music, cooking and exploring parks with her toddler.

Anthony Walker is an entrepreneur from San Diego, CA. He is a Licensed Life Insurance Agent based in Oakland, CA and the founder of Finance Friday, a financial literacy platform. Anthony has been an educator, as well as the Founder and Director of National Elite LLC, an organization focused on summer football camps for youth in Oakland and San Diego. Anthony received a bachelor’s degree from Whittier College and a master’s from Saint Mary’s College in Sports Management.

Anupama Pasumarthy works as a Software Engineer at IBM where she helps IBM.com visitors discover products across global markets through Search and Navigation capabilities. She has experience mentoring young adults, boot camp program design and curriculum building through working with several non-profit organizations, including BUILD where she served as a student mentor in 2017-18. In recognition of her community service efforts, she was honored with The President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2017. She received her Master’s in Computer Science from UMass Amherst in 2016, prior to which she earned her Bachelor’s in CS from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad, India. In her free time, Anu enjoys cooking, running, and yoga.

Ashley Washington holds the position of Student Experience Program Manager of the Oakland, Bay Area programmatic team. Prior to joining the BUILD family Ashley earned her Master of Arts in Education from the University of Southern California and began her career within the teaching field in East Palo Alto, Ca serving her community directly. With East Palo Alto origins, she connects deeply to the purpose behind BUILD’s mission and has a strong connection to the foundation of the organization.

As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., service has played a dynamic role in her lifestyle and is of high value. Mentorship, service, and impact are instrumental pieces of her holistic approach to life, this aligning directly with the aspirations of BUILD.

Ashley BUILDs to inspire and empower youth by providing opportunities to maximize student potential

Baratunde Thurston holds space for hard and complex conversations with his blend of humor, wisdom, and compassion. Baratunde is an Emmy-nominated host who has worked for The Onion, produced for The Daily Show, advised the Obama White House, and wrote the New York Times bestseller How To Be Black. He’s the executive producer and host of How To Citizen with Baratunde which Apple named one of its favorite podcasts of 2020. Baratunde also received the Social Impact Award at the 2021 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards on behalf of How to Citizen with Baratunde. In 2019, he delivered what MSNBC’s Brian Williams called “one of the greatest TED talks of all time.” Baratunde is unique in his ability to integrate and synthesize themes of race, culture, politics, and technology to explain where our nation is and where we can take it.

Baratunde serves on the boards of BUILD and the Brooklyn Public Library and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Ben Mangum is a sales and business development professional specializing in software startups. Ben has been a mentor and board member at BUILD since 2017.

Ben is a graduate of the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

Bethany Thomas is the Executive Operations Manager of BUILD Boston. Before coming to BUILD she worked as the Director of Sales of Taste Buds Kitchen which helped her strengthen the multi-tasking, calendar organizing, and team-leading skills she now brings to BUILD. Although she has over 10+ years of volunteer experience, working for BUILD Boston fulfills her lifelong dream of working professionally in the Nonprofit world. Bethany has a B.A in both Journalism and Philosophy from The University of Massachusetts Amherst. She enjoys spending time with her loved ones, traveling the world, and hiking with her rescue pup, Moose.

“I BUILD because I know firsthand the powerful effect the right help can make for under-resourced youth. I believe in the ability of one single, caring person to help change the course of multiple lives.”

Betsy Neptune comes to BUILD with over 15 years of experience in community economic development in Latin America and the U.S. She is passionate about creating a world in which everyone can have a job that they love and one through which they can grow and develop in order to have a positive impact. In her most recent role as the Chief of Economic Development for the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency, she led economic recovery and resilience efforts for 101 cities and towns in Greater Boston. During her tenure, she expanded the work of the team beyond traditional economic development efforts, to include workforce development, digital access, and other strategies to advance wealth creation with a focus on reducing the racial wealth gap. Over the past year, her team played a key role in COVID response and recovery efforts throughout the Greater Boston region.

Prior to that role, she led the Small Business Technical Assistance program for the City of Boston, after serving as the Executive Director of Egleston Square Main Street, an organization in Jamaica Plain/Roxbury whose mission is to support small businesses. This work was shaped by her experiences working in community economic development for several years in Ecuador, Peru, and Chile.

Betsy has a heart for teaching, coaching, and entrepreneurship, so BUILD is a perfect fit. She has taught high school and graduate-level classes and also coaches existing and emerging entrepreneurs through her coaching business. She is a graduate of Trinity College with a degree in Anthropology and has certificates in Nonprofit Management and Corporate Social Responsibility. She received her MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and lives in Boston.

Having been in the for-profit sector for over ten years, Beverly joined BUILD after witnessing BUILD’s impressive student entrepreneurs at the 2013 Gala.  Beverly currently leads the National Talent Team and brings her passion for equity into her daily work and connections with BUILDers across all of our regions. Beverly lives in the San Francisco, Bay Area with her husband, three children and cat.  When not supporting our team with the important work, she enjoys watching competitive sports, learning about different cultures, trying new recipes and spending time outdoors.

I graduated from high school thinking I wanted to be a professional musician, so I majored in music at the University of Central Florida. I spent my days playing music, sports, and pledging to a fraternity but failed to have an academic focus. After three semesters of struggle, I went to work for Disney World, where for the first time in my life I was given responsibility for other employees. I blossomed in this role and was sent to France to open Euro Disney where I lived and worked for four months. Coming back home with a burning desire to learn more about the African diaspora, I went back to school graduating with a sociology degree from State University of New York Geneseo. I wanted to pursue a career where I could make a difference in the world, particularly for those who have historically been underserved and denied the opportunity. I moved to NYC where I taught high school, then was hired by NAF (National Academy Foundation) in 2000 to help launch the Academy of Information Technology. NAF is a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure high school students are college, career, and future ready.

My NAF career has been a wonderful 22-year journey which has prepared me for this incredible opportunity with BUILD. I helped NAF grow from supporting 3,000 students to over 120,000 today, with budgets growing from $8M to $25M, and a staff of 17 to over 90. Growth and scale are not easy hills to climb, however, I am very confident that we will accomplish that at BUILD given the incredible work done to date and the passion and energy that exists to create an even brighter future.

I believe that we are at a critical moment in the United States, confronted with deep partisan divisions roiled by populism, racism, and other dividing forces. Now more than ever, our country needs an organization committed to helping its youth develop the entrepreneurial skills and growth mindsets that will empower them as leaders of innovation, agents of change, and position them for success as the CEOs of their lives. I am very honored and super excited to lead the BUILD team at this unique moment.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Brian Costanzo was most recently President and CEO of SOCAP International. He entered the association profession in 2005, joining the executive staff of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO). He served first as EO’s Senior Vice President, Global Membership and later became the group’s Senior Vice President, Business Development in 2014. Brian’s previous 20 years were spent providing unparalleled client service in a variety of roles—as restaurant manager, sales manager, customer service manager and director of operations—for high-end properties, including Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and Signature Hospitality Group. He is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and became a Certified Association Executive (CAE) in January 2011. As a former entrepreneur himself, Brian founded his own company, Vision Hospitality, in 2004. Brian says, “Entrepreneurship has been a significant part of my life for many years and I can think of no better mission than to deliver a program to our youth that builds self confidence and self-esteem.”

Brigitte is an analyst at Oak HC/FT, a venture capital fund, where she concentrates on growth equity and early-stage venture opportunities in financial services technology. Previously, she as a consultant with Accenture’s M&A Strategy group. Brigitte graduated from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, where she was an Echols Scholar.

Bruce has been an entrepreneur in New York City for more than 30 years. After graduating from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, he was the co-founder and president of Crescent Communications, which he helped grow into the largest privately-owned pay telephone company in New York City. After selling his payphone route, he attended Stanford Law School. During his time there, he assisted Suzanne McKechnie Klahr during BUILD’s formative stages and had the honor of being one of BUILD’s first mentors. Returning to New York after graduation, Bruce founded BAS Communications, through which he built and then sold one of the largest owner operated ATM portfolios in New York City. His most recent venture was as a co-founder and CFO of a litigation finance provider.

Bryce Jacobs is an educational reformer and educator with a particular interest in family engagement and college equity. Prior to joining BUILD, Dr. Jacobs was Director of National Programs at College Summit, an organization with a mission to help more low income students get to and through college, and previously was a program specialist at the National Parent Teacher Association. In her role at College Summit, Dr. Jacobs wrote training materials, designed curriculum, and innovated new programs that supported 11 regions across the country. She is a founding board chair and current board member of Sela Public Charter School, a Diverse By Design Hebrew language immersion school in Washington DC. Dr. Jacobs has a B.A. in International Development from Clark University, an M.A. from George Washington University in Education, and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in Education Policy and Leadership. Dr. Jacobs served as the Regional Executive Director for BUILD Metro DC for 5 years before moving up to the Chief Strategy Officer role on the National Leadership Team in 2019.

Carlton Charles, Vice President, and Treasurer, Hearst, serves as global treasurer, oversees Risk Management and Insurance, leads the company’s Risk Working Group and is on the Board of Advisors of Hearst Labs, Hearst’s platform for nurturing and grooming early-stage, women-led companies. Carlton has demonstrated financial acumen through a 30-year career in treasury and risk management. Carlton was an early architect of the Enterprise Risk Management program for Moody’s Corporation, a SEC regulated company and one of the largest rating agencies in the world. Carlton regularly reported to the Moody’s board on treasury and enterprise risk topics.​

Carlton also developed the operational risk management program for Hearst and is chair of the company’s Risk Working Group. Among the focus areas for the group are cybersecurity and data privacy. Carlton has created an annual risk summit which is an annual convening of CFOs and CTOs from across Hearst’s businesses. Prior to Moody’s, Carlton held increasingly responsible positions in treasury and risk management for International Paper, Joseph E. Seagram and Sons, Viacom and Philip Morris. ​

Carlton currently serves on the Board of Advisors of Hearst Lab, has been working with a group of professionals to establish a business accelerator in Upper Manhattan and The Bronx, was recently on the Board of Trustees of St. Thomas Aquinas College and previously served on The Board of the Bronx Preparatory Charter School.​

​Carlton holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago and a Masters in Public Policy and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from SUNY at Stony Brook.

Caroline Ardery comes to BUILD with a background in product development and consumer packaged goods. Since 2018, Caroline has worked on the product innovation team at Harry’s Inc., a men’s care company that began as a direct-to-consumer razor start-up. Most recently, Caroline supported the launch of Harry’s hair portfolio, an expansion into a new category for Harry’s brand. Prior to joining Harry’s, Caroline worked in brand management within the Writing division at Newell Brands, a manufacturer of consumer and commercial products.

Caroline graduated cum laude from Duke University, where she earned a dual Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy and Arabic.

Chelsey was born and raised in East Palo Alto in a blended working-class family. The first in her family to attend and graduate college, Chelsey attended San Francisco State University. Chelsey’s own life experiences led her to design programs and advocate for underrepresented youth as Program Director of the well-known non-profits in the Bay Area and in Austin Texas. As the BUILD Program Director for the Bay Area, Chelsey uses her leadership to guide the Oakland team in implementation of the BUILD program for highest impact. Chelsey is responsible for overseeing regional implementation of BUILD’s program, curriculum and events and developing and managing partnerships with district leaders and school administrators to ensure impact with BUILD target students.

Being a living testimony to what programs such as BUILD can do for a student’s life, Chelsey BUILD’s to continue provide other students like her, with the opportunity to be exposed to a world of endless opportunities!

Chris is an active tech startup investor and founder of C2 Ventures, a privately-held investment firm with a focus on consumer, data, financial tech such as blockchain and wellness. C2V provides seed capital and hustle to early-stage companies both directly and via limited partnerships with Techstars, Bowery Capital, and NYC’s leading angels. C2V’s current portfolio includes 15 investments, three of which have been acquired or returned a multiple for the investors – Arbor.io acquired by LiveRamp, Uru acquired by Adobe and MightyTV acquired by Spotify and JenJo 3X return. C2 Ventures has a 7X return over the last 4 years.​
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Previously, Chris was the President of Unacast, the leading location data platform which recently raised $17M in series B funding. At Unacast, Chris built the commercial and revenue operations from zero to seven figures in 18 months and led all commercial efforts. Chris was the first US employee and 7th overall. Chris was also the CEO and Co-Founder of appssavvy, a company that pioneered in-app advertising on Facebook and mobile while putting the user experience first through timing and context. In 7 years appssavvy drove over $75MM in gross revenue for the app ecosystem.​
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Chris has been named one of the “Most Important People in Mobile Advertising” by Business Insider, as well as being an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist 2 years in a row. He’s been a featured speaker at International CES, Cannes Lions, IAB’s Annual Leadership, dmexco, and f.ounders. He is a contributor to CNBC and Bloomberg TV via on-screen appearances and also produces content through C2V Studios. Chris sits on the board of both Build NYC and Cornell Tech here in New York City and strongly believes in supporting young people and their startup journey.

Christine Lee is a Licensed Real Estate Agent at Compass Inc. Where she specializes in the sale of Manhattan condos and coops and helping international buyers relocating to the city. After working with high profile clients and recognizing the significant personal impact of selling and purchasing a home, she sought to help her clients live happily and fulfilled lives as a Certified Professional Life Coach. As a first-generation American, she experienced first hand the impact teachers and mentors had for her growth towards personal and professional success. Her passions lie in bridging the gap between the eastern and western worlds through holistic practices and integrative medicine. Christine is a graduate of Drexel University with a BSBA focused in International Business and Marketing. Find Christine escaping to nature or sipping on a matcha latte somewhere, in nature.

Cindy Pineda is a mission-driven educator with over 10 years of experience who has dedicated her life to youth development, fighting social injustices and closing the achievement gap. She cares deeply about future generations and seeks to leave a legacy through everything she does. Hailing from the sunny city of Los Angeles, she attended the University of California Berkeley, where she received her Bachelors’ in Psychology with a minor in Public Policy. Upon graduation, Cindy interned in Washington DC, working on educational policy reform on Capitol Hill. While in Washington, she moved on to work as an Academic Advisor for a non-profit organization called Upward Bound, chaired the Policy Committee for the District of Colombia of Consolidated Services and worked for the US Census Bureau. Her interest in international education came after she worked on and led various Latin American education development projects in Colombia and El Salvador. Being a huge advocate for social change and multicultural exposure, Cindy was devoted to bring students of all backgrounds together to share their stories and experience the world from different perspectives. This interest led her to pursue a Master’s in International Education with a focus on development at New Yok University. While at NYU, she continued her career as the Assistant Director of the Field Projects office. There, she managed the daily operations of all civic engagement, college preparation and community outreach programs with NYC public schools, and designed first-year college programs. At BUILD, Cindy has spent the last 4 years instilling and developing entrepreneurial lessons to a budding group of students in NYC communities. Her innovative ideas and program design have been instrumental in improving the student experience. She serves as an imputation to the first graduating class to become the best they can be, add value to others lives and explore the world as evidence by lessons learned in her travel of over 30 countries. Cindy is obsessed with tacos and french-fries., and loves to try new foods wherever she goes. On her free time, Cindy likes to work out, do yoga, run, cook, show off her dancing skills or just sit at a park on a sunny day and read a good book.

Courtney is a marketing leader with over 18 years of experience. She’s led accounts at various advertising agencies managing internal and external client marketing needs – from strategy evolution through to creative development and execution across all mediums. Some of her key clients include; Northrop Grumman, Amazon, Walmart, LEGO, ConAgra, Samsung, and NBA. In 2017 Courtney co-founded PAL, a childcare tech platform, which was acquired in 2019. In 2021 she joined the Techstars NY Accelerator as the Marketing Expert in Residence where she advised early-stage startups on branding and marketing. Courtney holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BA from Denison University and is currently at Silicon Valley Bank as the Integrated Marketing Strategy Director for Partnerships.

Courtney has a career that spans contributing as a Marketing Expert in Residency at Techstars, founding a company that was acquired in 2019 and leading digital marketing engagements with clients while working on the agency-side.  Courtney graduated from Columbia Business School – attending business school part-time while juggling a full-time job and starting a company. She is currently at Silicon Valley Bank as the Integrated Marketing Strategy Director for Partnerships.

Crissi is a Vice President at Goldman Sachs in New York where she leads global client engagement and technology for the Private Wealth Management division. Crissi is also the Co-Founder of Project Bead Foundation, a social enterprise that sells beaded products made by female Ghanaian entrepreneurs in order to fund scholarships for children in Ghana. ​

She earned a BS in Finance from Bentley University in 2011 and a Masters in Policy and Nonprofit Management at New York University in 2018.

Dakotah Rice is an internet, media, and telecom investor at Coatue Management, a $30bn
hedge fund and venture capital fund based in New York. Prior to Coatue, he worked at The
Carlyle Group, where he was a private equity investor. Before joining Carlyle, he worked as
an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs, where he advised internet and media
companies on mergers and acquisitions as well as various other capital markets
transactions. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in Political Science in
2016.

Dan is the CEO of an e-learning startup called Nardagani and is involved in a number of other investment and philanthropic activities.​

Prior to that, Dan ran the Americas Debt Capital Markets Group for Santander Investment Securities for 11 years and the Latin America Debt Capital Markets Group, among other businesses, at Merrill Lynch for 13 years. Early in his career, he worked at The World Bank and the Bank of Boston. ​

Dan received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his MBA from Insead.

Danielle joined BUILD Metro DC in the Fall of 2020 and serves as the hub of all development operations for the Metro DC team. This includes, but is not limited to helping to manage fundraising, coordinating social media/communication, and supporting the Executive Director. Danielle’s background is in events and fundraising, having worked both for political agencies and education nonprofits. She has always had a passion for youth empowerment and an entrepreneurial mindset, believing in the power of education as a pathway to closing the opportunity gap in underserved communities. Danielle graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.A. in International Relations, with a focus in diplomacy and political communication.

A graduate of Howard University with a background in Communications. Decota was born and raised in the Bronx by way of Jamaica. Hailing from a single parent home and growing up in one of the most disenfranchised communities in New York City, Decota has experienced the affects of living and surviving in an under served community. Working with students that look like her and live in the same area she grew up in brings joy to Decota’s heart knowing she can share her experience with others. It is for this very reason she BUILDS. Combining nine years of experience in communications in the entertainment, arts, and lifestyle space and five years in community engagement. Decota joined the BUILD NYC team as its Community Engagement Manager, and is now the Director of Strategic Partnerships, NYC .  In her spare time she enjoys listening to music, grounding, traveling and experiencing all the world has to offer. She would ultimately like to create safe spaces for students in under-resourced communities to fully exercise their potential and be given the same opportunities as their counterparts.

Dianna Nguyen is a Staff Accountant at BUILD. She handles account payable activity and trains BUILD staffs on the most effective ways to use Concur. Prior, she was a part of San Jose Grant Thornton Audit team. Dianna had experienced in teaching and working with students during her years in college as a Supplemental Instructor at San Jose City College. She was a member of BAP, a prestigious Accounting Club running by students where she gained an insight Accounting. She also worked at The Health Trust and Bank of America. Dianna is a proud Spartan, graduated from San Jose State with a Bachelor degree in Accounting.

She always believes that “success doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work”.

Divya Talla currently serves as Head of Partnerships at Croissant, a tech company that supports the growing remote and entrepreneurial workforce. Previously, she helped build real estate and tech brands in creative agencies. Her passion is working alongside entrepreneurs and teams building innovative products. She was born and raised outside of Detroit, Michigan and is a proud University of Michigan Alum. She’s traveled to 20+ countries, loves exploring the world’s oceans as a scuba diver, and is busy raising a feisty Husky/Retriever puppy named Rambo.

Ed Wilson has over a decade of experience in fundraising and development. Prior to leading BUILD’s National Development efforts, Ed served as the Development Director for BUILD Boston. Ed earned his MBA, with a concentration in Leadership & Organizational Change, from Northeastern University, and his BA in Economics and Management from Albion College, Michigan. Ed resides in Dedham, MA with his wife Jennie and his two daughters Adeline and Violet.

Liz has been with BUILD since the spring of 2018 and is currently the National Talent Acquisition and Benefits Manager. Previously employed by Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts and Arlington Free Clinic, Liz has always had a passion for helping others and working for organizations which put people at the center. She was initially drawn to BUILD because of its mission – helping underserved youth recognize and harness their potential for greatness – and continues to be blown away by the affect BUILD’s programming has on students’ personal growth. In her spare time, Liz refinishes old furniture, volunteers at the local dog shelter, and cheers on her Boston sports teams. Liz graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Studio Art and Family Life Cycle Studies.

Elizabeth, who is a first-generation Nigerian American, was born & raised in Westchester, NY. She attended college in upstate New York at SUNY Albany where she studied Communication & Rhetoric. Following an internship at Vogue Magazine, she worked in IT before becoming a founding team member of the luxury fashion brand, Moda Operandi. Since then, she’s transitioned from fashion to finance to better understand the process that goes into vetting and investing in a company. Now in Fintech, she is focusing her attention on People & Culture at the data delivery startup, Crux Informatics, based in NYC. In her spare time, Elizabeth is building a women’s lifestyle brand, The Anti Heel, which merges fashion with foot wellness. She is an avid runner/yogi/cook and has a deep love for interior design. Currently residing in Brooklyn, she’s a volunteer for Hearts & Bones animal rescue and loves exploring all NYC has to offer.

Emily joins BUILD with experience as Manager of Career Development Programs at Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania and a former Career Coach serving high school students placed in corporate internships in the greater Pittsburgh area. With expertise in personalized learning, program development, and youth and volunteer recruitment, Emily’s tools workforce development includes Project Based Learning and Human Centered Design. Emily is an AmeriCorps Public Ally Pittsburgh Alum and a yoga instructor. She received her RYT-200 Certification from YogaRoots on Location’s Anti-Racist Yoga Teacher Training in 2018. Emily’s yoga and career-mentorship practices utilize trauma-informed care and restorative practices.

Emily believes that engaging, real-world workforce development training for young people is the key to social, economic, and educational equity. For fun she enjoys travel, food, music, reading, playing with dogs, laughing with friends, and encouraging self-compassion and accountability. Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Theatre Dance from the College of Wooster.

Erin Brinig is a corporate attorney working in mergers and acquisitions. Previously, she worked as a financial services consultant in San Francisco. Erin has fundraising and event planning experience and has worked with nonprofits to coordinate service projects and programming opportunities for students of all ages. She is a graduate of Georgetown University, with a B.S. in Business Administration and a concentration in Accounting and Finance, and of UCLA School of Law. Erin is originally from San Diego and enjoys playing volleyball, dressmaking, and skiing.

Felipe Duran is excited to join BUILD Los Angeles as the Community Engagement Manager. Felipe is an experienced non-profit professional having worked with disconnected youth and youth experiencing homelessness in the Los Angeles area. In his prior experience designing and leading holistic youth programs, Felipe has applied research-based mentoring tools and developed various community partnerships to support youth in their personal and professional development.

Having grown up and still currently living in Northeast Los Angeles, it is his mission to support youth in his community. He looks forward to leveraging his experience to support a network of mentors for student entrepreneurs. In his spare time, Felipe enjoys watching professional football, playing golf, and going on walks with his wife and daughter.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Gaurav Ahuja is an investor at Thrive Capital, a venture capital firm in NYC that has supported companies like Warby Parker, Instagram, Robinhood Markets, Spotify, GitHub, and Slack. He is responsible for executing investments in growing technology companies with the goal of helping them scale and sculpt their strategy. Prior to being at Thrive, Gaurav worked in San Francisco on later stage, enterprise software investments at TA Associates, a growth private equity firm.

Gaurav was formerly a consultant with McKinsey & Co, a global consulting firm that advises management teams at Fortune 100 companies. He was part of McKinsey’s Technology, Media, and Telecom practice. Gaurav has helped guide several large technology companies with growth strategy and go to market

Gaurav was not only born and raised in Michigan but also attended the University of Michigan, where he studied pre-medical sciences and earned a B.B.A. degree with high distinction. While at the University of Michigan, Gaurav was a Head Resident Advisor in Michigan Housing and the Director of the SAAN, a non-profit group devoted to acting on and spreading awareness of social justice issues. In his free time, he enjoys watching the Detroit Pistons lose and fantasizes about the latest consumer tech gadgets.

Greg Minetti is an Associate on Togetherwork’s Corporate Development team where he works on the Company’s Mergers & Acquisitions strategy. Specifically, Greg is involved with deal sourcing, modeling and financial analysis, market research and deal diligence. Prior to joining Togetherwork, Greg worked in Advertising Sales at AMC Networks. Greg is a graduate of Wake Forest University with a Bachelor’s in Political Science and History. In his spare time, Greg enjoys going to the movies, running, reading and watching sports.

Gregory Williams joins the Build Metro DC team with years of experience as a Special Educator in the Washington D.C area. As a former Program Coordinator with the College Steps Program, Greg provided customized college support for students with learning and social challenges.

He is excited to join BUILD DC and transition back into High School Programming. Greg is most excited to continue to make a positive impact on the empowerment of our students. He often enjoys spending time with his family and friends and serving his community as a local Football coach in his spare time. Greg holds a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management from Johnson C. Smith University.

Hadiya Culbreath recently graduated from the University of Southern California and is thrilled to be a part of the BUILD family. While studying Health and Human Sciences with a Psychology emphasis, Hadiya co-directed the USC Prison Education Project and worked as a Community Health Organizer at her alma mater. She also interned at the City of Hope medical center and gained valuable experience in Human Resources and employee development. Hadiya fed her passion for health and education as often as she could and is excited to contribute to the BUILD mission as a Talent Associate.

A former member of collegiate a cappella, Hadiya loves singing, listening to suspenseful podcasts, and gardening in her free time. She is originally from Atlanta, GA and now lives in Houston, TX, where she’s getting to know the city through local festivals and small businesses.

Harry O’Sullivan is VP of Finance at Bowery Valuation, a venture-backed real estate tech startup based in New York. Prior to Bowery, Harry worked at ff Venture Capital, a seed-stage venture fund that invests in a range of early-stage technology companies. Harry has worked with Build for two years, first as a Venture Capital Advisor and more recently as an Associate Board member. In his spare time, Harry enjoys traveling and skiing.

Isai started his career in the print industry going from an estimator to production/ outsourcing manager and later a production artist and Account specialist. After working with the top cosmetics, publishing, and entertainment companies, Isai shifted gears and became a CTE teacher in 2009. He has taught graphic arts, financial management and now entrepreneurship and digital marketing through BUILD. His goal is to impact students and help them achieve the potential they have yet to see in themselves. His claim to fame are his students’ achievements many of which are now leaders in their respective industries. Currently Isai is a certified work-based learning coordinator providing all the students at Ralph McKee High School opportunities to engage in their career interest though field experiences. 

Itzel is a first-generation Chicana who recently earned a BA in Sociology from the University of California, Merced. In recent years, Itzel has worked with youth in various roles. This is where she grew her passion for mentorship and community empowerment. Itzel believes that if we provide guidance and resources to empower our youth, it would better everyone’s future. Itzel’s at BUILD because she truly believes in keeping our students in the center. Itzel also spends her time being a dog mom, traveling, and creating.

Jamaal Glenn is a Vice President at Alumni Ventures Group, a global venture capital firm. He is also an adjunct professor at New York University and the founder of Glenn Media Group, a boutique strategy and digital media consulting firm with clients that include Google, Harvard University, and the City of New York. ​

Previously, he was Vice President of Strategy, Business Development and Corporate Development at First Look Media, a company started by eBay founder and philanthropist Pierre Omidyar which produces world-class investigative news and journalism, documentary and scripted films/television, digital video, and podcasts. Jamaal led U.S. business development for a venture-backed, Israeli tech startup that was acquired in 2016. He also founded and sold Politiconomist.com and Capitolista.com, and worked at Google and J.P. Morgan.​

Jamaal received an MBA from Stanford, an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a bachelors degrees in finance and journalism from the University of Missouri.

A Los Angeles native, Jaren has dedicated his career to community engagement and working with disenfranchised populations. Prior to joining BUILD, Jaren served as the Director of Casa Esperanza, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit focused on gang intervention and prevention activities for Latinx youth and their families. He has also held senior positions at Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles, CASA of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Animal Services, and Union Station Homeless Services.

He earned a BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco, and a Master of Public Administration, with a focus on public policy, from California State University, Northridge.

Raised in East Oakland, Jasmine graduated high school from Lionel Wilson Prep as a BUILD student. Throughout high school Jasmine spent a lot of her time volunteering at a variety of organizations, such as OUSD and The Red Cross. Jasmine attended Holy Names University, where she received her Bachelor’s in Business marketing in 2018 and her Master’s in business administration in 2019. Throughout her college experience she continued volunteering with different organizations and often remembered about BUILD and the knowledge and benefits it brought her. Jasmine greatly believes in the BUILD program and the doors it can open for students, which is why she decided to come back to the organization and work with high school freshmen and sophomores. As the Bay Area Program Manager Jasmine is regularly visiting our partner schools. She attends class sessions to work directly with our 9th and 10th grade students preparing them for showcases and ensuring they are receiving the most from the BUILD program.

Jasmine strives to provide students with the same benefits BUILD provided for her. She loves to get to know our BUILD students closely and aspires to be a positive influence in their life.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Jenise Gonzalez is the College & Career Access Coordinator at BUILD Boston. Jenise is a Boston Public Schools alum and is passionate about serving youth in underserved communities. Jenise served an AmeriCorps year with The Massachusetts Promise Fellowship at BUILD Boston working with juniors and seniors with college & career access work. Jenise has a B.A. in Sociology from Stonehill College in Easton, MA.

Jenise grew up in the Hyde Park/Roslindale area. She enjoys blogging, fashion and traveling!

“I BUILD because I see myself in my youth. I was once that student who needed a caring adult in their life to push them towards their goals/aspirations. My youth are full of life, energy, and are innovators. I enjoy listening to them talk about their college and career goals. It also excites me to see their growth throughout the year and relationships they create with peers, mentors, and BUILD staff”

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Jessica, a graduate of Virginia Tech, has fifteen years of fundraising experience having worked for nonprofits in both California and Maryland and is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Prior to joining BUILD in February 2020, Jessica most recently worked for Family Giving Tree where she managed individual and corporate relationships. In her spare time, Jessica has a passion for mentorship and has served as a CASA to foster youth for the past five years.

MediaMath’s Chairman and CEO Joe Zawadzki has spent his career redefining the marketing and advertising industries through software and data sciences. He has created and scaled companies with a combined $2B in market value, personally invested in a range of start-ups and is sought after for his vision on the future of technology. Throughout his career representing marketers at top-tier agencies and Fortune 500 companies such as AOL, American Express, IAC, Verizon and Vonage, Joe has focused on the integration of media, data and data sciences, in software. That reached its peak with the founding of MediaMath in 2007, a company credited with starting the programmatic revolution with the first demand-side platform. ​

Prior to MediaMath, Joe was Founder, President, and Chairman of Poindexter Systems / [x+1], a pure-play marketing optimization enterprise, where he helped found and incubate Right Media, which sold to Yahoo! in 2007. He has been an active champion of digital media and the broader NYC startup ecosystem, having made investments in over 50 companies including 33Across, Accordant, AppNexus, CreditKarma, DataMinr, Electronics, Integral Ad Science, Namely, Optoro, Sourcepoint, and Vistar Media. He is a graduate of Harvard University and was a Teaching Fellow in cosmology, set theory and the history of science. He lives in New York City with his wife, Daria, and their children Dune and Jack.

John Morytko joins BUILD with a diverse background in the nonprofit industry. Previously he has operated in roles that include volunteer management, grant writing, and even program implementation in Ghana for Pencils of Promise. Most recently, John worked with Citizen Schools to raise funds around the country for programs focused on STEM education and increasing the representation of underserved populations in STEM career fields. John has a BSBA in Entrepreneurship from Xavier University, as well as his Masters in Nonprofit Management from Northeastern University. John is excited to join BUILD and work to provide students with new educational opportunities and help them find the same passion for entrepreneurship that sparked his career.

In his free time, John is an advocate for educational nonprofit work across the globe. He serves as the UN youth representative for Caring for Cambodia and is always planning his next international trip. When not working or volunteering, he can be found cooking, at a baseball game, or with his family exploring New England.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Julie brings her passion for visual storytelling, entrepreneurship and digital design to her position as the National Creative Director. She uses her positive energy and strategic digital tactics to bring the spark to BUILD’s national communications plan, digital campaigns and video production.

Julie comes to BUILD after working with the United Nations as a digital content analyst/video producer where she produced, edited and shot promotional videos in Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon and Hawaii to spotlight grassroots organizations and local sustainable development solutions to be showcased at the UN Climate Change Summit. Julie’s passion for entrepreneurship comes after co-founding the nonprofit organization, Design Xchange in 2019, a startup providing training to Ugandan social enterprises in digital communications. While working in Liberia as a Visual Storytelling Consultant at the nonprofit Accountability Lab, Julie developed her interest for nonprofit communications while producing digital marketing content promoting accountability and exposing corruption.

Julie first developed her passion for education as a teacher during her 2 year Peace Corps service in the small village of Zvan, Macedonia. Julie’s love for teaching only grew while teaching internationally in Morocco and Myanmar in the years following her Peace Corps Service. Julie completed her MPA in Development Practice at Columbia University with a specialization in Technology, Media and Communication. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Design with a minor in Film Production from the University of Virginia.

Residing in Harlem, New York by way of Benin, West Africa. Justin Lokossou has spent the majority of his life in the service to students. As a curriculum designer, educator, academic advisor, and fencing instructor, Justin has worked with students from grades K through 12, and has since focused his passion towards working with high school students. He enjoys long walks on the beach, riding his bicycle, judo, lying about enjoying walks on the beach (he and sand do not get along, the sand knows what it did), and writing amusing biographies about himself. This is amusing bio #8. Justin hopes to bring his love of writing, poetry, fantasy fiction, music and comic culture into designing an engaging curriculum for BUILD that will help students not only see themselves in their lesson, but fulfill and exceed their own expectations of how great they can become. 

Kali Walker has more than 25 years of experience in operations, project management, administration, customer service and sales. She earned a bachelor of arts in English/Communications and Theatre from Regis College in Weston, MA, where she also worked in the role of the Center for Student Services Manager before coming to BUILD. In addition, Kali has worked for Kaplan Test Prep, Harvard University and Young Audiences of Massachusetts. In her spare time, Kali is an active volunteer with Hagar’s Sisters, a domestic violence nonprofit in Acton, MA, as well, as an actor with local performing arts projects on stage and the web.

Karleton Thomas is a social entrepreneur and workforce development practitioner who has spent much of his career developing opportunities for marginalized communities. After nearly a decade of engaging vulnerable populations and witnessing the myriad of barriers to effective programming, Karleton is poised to deliver on the “dream” and provide sustainable solutions to the students, residents, and parents of our communities.

Prior to joining BUILD, Kate Slater, Ph.D. was the Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Affairs at Brandeis University and the Associate Director and Manager of Programs at the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers, a nonprofit that addresses the lack of educators of color in the American educational system. Kate is also a professor and teaches courses in the Department of Education at the University of New Hampshire, including “Issues in Education” and “Teaching Race”. Kate also facilitates trainings and conversations around social justice and anti-racism with K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and private organizations.

Kate Slater, Ph.D. received her doctorate in Educational Policy and Leadership from the University of New Hampshire, where her dissertation research focused on the experiences of underrepresented students who participate in bridge / access programs as an entry point into predominantly white institutions (PWIs). She is thrilled to bring this expertise to her role as the National Director of College Success at BUILD. Kate lives in Massachusetts with her partner, her two daughters, and her absurd dog Carrot Cake. In her spare time, she’s an obsessive reader and a very slow runner.

Katherine Tkaczyk joins the BUILD team to serve as Program Operations Manager for the National Shared Services team. Katherine is an experienced educator who has worked with adolescents in various settings―including as a high school English teacher in Dover, NH, and as a hospital teacher, supporting teens receiving mental health treatment in Southeastern PA. Most recently, Katherine served as project coordinator, maintaining training and development operations with the Penn Center for Community Health Workers in Philadelphia, PA. She is passionate about supporting the holistic needs of learners, discovering how to best utilize technology to improve learning, and centering equitable practices.

Katherine attended the University of New Hampshire, where she earned a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Teaching Secondary English Education. She now lives in Philadelphia, PA with her partner, Nick, and her sweet ol’ cat, Kitty. In her free time, she enjoys taking long bike rides, exploring new food and places, and spending time in nature.

Kenya is a dynamic community organizer and youth developer committed to the transformation and upliftment of youth, young adults and their families.  She currently serves as Program Director with BUILD NYC. Prior to build, Kenya spent over a decade with University Settlement,  a nonprofit that provides services throughout University Settlement.

As Community School Director, Kenya led a team of professionals in planning and implementing enrichment programs for youth, young adults and families, building relationships with stakeholders in the community, and raising funding to sustain and propel youth development forward.

Kenya holds a B.A. in psychology from Barnard College, a Masters of Social Work from Hunter College.

Kim brings 15 years of experience in teaching and program development to BUILD. She taught high school English and journalism for over a decade in the Bay Area, and she also served as a teacher educator and graduate school instructor through the Stanford Teacher Education Program. She has experience leading teacher innovation and collaboration through The Education Trust-West and The Teachers Guild at IDEO. Kim earned a B.A. in English and Urban Studies and a M.A. in Education at Stanford University and lives in San Francisco.

As a former Political candidate, Criminal Justice Reform Program Director & CEO, Educational Administrator, and also an established transformational leader in both the private and public sector, Lamar Blackwell joins BUILD as the Founding Director with a plethora of relevant relationships and invaluable experience. Lamar has had an amazing track record of reforming broken communities through administrative duties. He attended the 9th-ranked dual-degree graduate and law school program in the United States, Georgia State University. Lamar also received his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College in 2016. Lamar has mastered the ability to maximize equity through creating, influencing, and operating policy that justly allocates resources to under-served residents, students, and communities. He is an accomplished professional with extensive experience advocating and campaigning to mitigate injustice for individuals by leading social justice organizations, schools, and social service agencies. The unmatched ability to connect community partners, potential funders, and regular people to a product has helped Lamar Blackwell establish himself as a “widely-recognized” dynamic leader throughout the region.

Mr. Blackwell was born and raised in one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in the Northeast; at one point he attended one of the lowest-performing schools in Pennsylvania, Peabody High School. He states “of all the friends I grew up around, I’m the only one who is currently walking the streets free. Half are dead, half are incarcerated, but it started from the time we were students.” Lamar realized that being born into an unsatisfactory environment, with little resources would lead many to a life of self-destruction. He noticed that many of the friends he grew up with were struggling due to the fact that they were not connected to the work they were doing and didn’t have a chance to create opportunities for themselves. At that point, Lamar dedicated himself to fighting for equity and opportunity for those who are unable to fight for themselves.

Lamar has served numerous low-income communities and transformed the minds of many speaking professionally to over 900,000 people and raising millions of dollars for low-income residents and nonprofit organizations. Lamar has created strong networks, working alongside diverse groups of people, ranging from troubled minority students to formerly incarcerated individuals. Lamar looks forward to serving BUILD and helping change the trajectory of the lives of students through informal education.

Len joins the BUILD Boston team with nine years of experience in education and youth development work. He has most recently worked at the Pingree School outside of Boston, as the Dean of Students for six years. In addition to his role overseeing student life, Len has taught social studies and coached basketball at Pingree. He also serves as a workshop presenter and conference facilitator on the topics of social justice in education and student motivation. He offers professional development webinars for educators in school districts across the state through the Massachusetts Partnership for Youth and works alongside a diverse group of educators from around the country to deliver social justice curricula for high schoolers at the annual NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference.

As a volunteer, Len supports nonprofit organizations around Greater Boston, including serving on the board of directors of Aaron’s Presents, a service-learning program for kids in under-resourced communities on the north shore. His joy in working with young people was sparked after college, while playing pro basketball overseas and coaching local youth teams. Whether it’s on the court, in the classroom, or in life, Len is excited by the process of experiential learning and believes wholeheartedly in the power of a growth mindset. He earned a B.A. in Sociology from Amherst College and an M.Ed. in K-12 Learning and Instruction from Northeastern University.

Lisa Pham is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, who majored in Health and Society.  Because of her lifelong passion for digital art and an interest in social entrepreneurship, she began an internship at BUILD in January 2022, while she was in her final year at university. During her internship, Lisa achieved a sense of fulfillment and support that led to an offer of full-time employment. She is now the National Communications and Marketing Associate!

In her personal life, Lisa is into Dungeons and Dragons, reading novels, and developing enriching stories in various visual mediums.

Maria Raftelis has more than a decade of fundraising experience in education. Before joining BUILD, Maria served as Associate Director of Foundation Relations at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. In this role, she oversaw fundraising for the Center of Radiological Research (CRR) and worked with medical faculty across the College to raise funds for research. Prior to Columbia University, Maria served as Grant Writer at the City College Fund, the fundraising organization of the City College of New York (CCNY). During my nine year tenure at the City College Fund, Maria expanded the College’s portfolio of institutional donors to double institutional giving. 

Maria resides in the Bronx with her husband and son. A graduate of the New York City public school system, Maria believed every student should have access to an excellent education that inspires them to dream and achieve their full potential.

Maria holds a Bachelor’s degree in Individualized Studies from New York University and a Master’s degree in Social Science from the University of Chicago.

Mariana Lopez-Sutherland joins the BUILD Bay Area team with experience working in the education sector, primarily in economically disadvantaged communities. Through her work as a tutor and substitute teacher Mariana has helped several students reach their academic goals. As a first-generation immigrant from Venezuela, she is very passionate about social justice and education equity. She is excited to join BUILD Bay Area to start her career in the nonprofit sector, and to further her work helping the youth thrive. Mariana also loves arts and crafts, being a dog parent to a little Chiweenie called Maya, travelling, and finding new spots to eat. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Economics from UC San Diego.

Marisol Adriana Burgueño is the National Senior Manager of Digital Strategies and Innovation. Before BUILD, Marisol dedicated her career to public advocacy and the intersection of design and social impact. Marisol received her Master’s in Product Design & Development from ELISAVA Barcelona School of Engineering and holds a Bachelors in Industrial Design from California College of the Arts. Marisol started her career by working in various roles in product design and visual communications for social entrepreneurship companies. After leaving the for-profit sector, she put her knowledge of design and background in communications to use, working with nonprofit anti-violence organizations and educational programs for under-served youth in the Bay Area. Marisol’s goals are fueled by her passion to bring an end to the cycles of violence and poverty in her community. She is focused on strengthening community partnerships, increasing access to resources and public awareness.

Matt brings to BUILD NYC a wealth of experience in entrepreneurship and technology leadership. Matt is the founder of ResoluteAI, a venture-backed SaaS startup building
enterprise search solutions for R&D organizations. Prior to Resolute, Matt founded
ZergNet, an ad-tech startup currently serving over a billion ads daily. Earlier in his career, he
was the VP of Engineering for Fina Technologies, where he built trading systems using
machine learning. He has also lectured at NYU on machine learning and other computer
science topics. Matt is passionate about advocating for children and underserved
communities. He is a former board member of the Child Care Resource Center, a nonprofit
helping families find and afford quality child care. Matt has also often served as a volunteer
tutor for high school and middle school children in New York City through organizations
such as New York Cares. Matt received his S.B. and M.Eng. degrees in computer science
from MIT.

Michael holds the Senior Program Manager role for the Los Angeles region.  He brings with him over 15 years of experience working for nonprofit organizations dedicated to youth development.  Having grown up in a Boys & Girls Club, he understands the importance of empowering young people through quality programs and engaging mentors.  His personal mission is to support the creation of collaborative communities that generate opportunities for youth to thrive.

Born and raised in Southern California Michael is excited to expand BUILD’s programs in the Los Angeles area and to bring Spark Skills to the area’s diverse student population.

Michael Cianciotta is a Senior Associate at EY where he consults financial institutions on growth, integration, and business planning through mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. He previously worked as a consultant at Capco focusing on the Capital Markets space. Michael is passionate about entrepreneurship and utilizing his experience to enhance the education of young entrepreneurs.

Michael studied Finance and Economics at the Boston University Questrom School of Business.

Michael has over 15 years of experience building, running and scaling technology companies and organizations across a wide range of industries. Leading the organization of Neon One brings together Michael’s skills and experience in growing entrepreneurial technology companies with his passion of supporting non-profit organizations to increase their impact in the world. In addition to Neon, Michael serves as Board Chair for Build.org, a national education-based nonprofit that leverage entrepreneurship to empower students in underserved communities.

Michael has a Computer Science Degree from UPenn, and an MBA from the University of Chicago. After starting a career at Accenture where he built global technology systems in New York, London, Singapore, & Seoul, he co-founded CaptainU. Acting as President, he and his team scaled this sports technology platform to millions of customers and organizations. After CaptainU was acquired by Blue Star Sports, Michael joined the Blue Star team as Chief Revenue Office and GM of the Enterprise Software and Payments group, helping scale the organization and combining products to build a product suite for organizations to excel and flourish. Michael is now proud to leverage his background to help nonprofits and other mission-driven organizations drive impact and help them reach their goals more quickly.

Michael has over 15 years of experience building, running and scaling technology companies and organizations across a wide range of industries. Leading the organization of Neon One brings together Michael’s skills and experience in growing entrepreneurial technology companies with his passion of supporting non-profit organizations to increase their impact in the world. In addition to Neon, Michael serves as Board Chair for Build.org, a national education-based nonprofit that leverage entrepreneurship to empower students in underserved communities.

Michael has a Computer Science Degree from UPenn, and an MBA from the University of Chicago. After starting a career at Accenture where he built global technology systems in New York, London, Singapore, & Seoul, he co-founded CaptainU. Acting as President, he and his team scaled this sports technology platform to millions of customers and organizations. After CaptainU was acquired by Blue Star Sports, Michael joined the Blue Star team as Chief Revenue Office and GM of the Enterprise Software and Payments group, helping scale the organization and combining products to build a product suite for organizations to excel and flourish. Michael is now proud to leverage his background to help nonprofits and other mission-driven organizations drive impact and help them reach their goals more quickly.

Michael is the Founder and Principal Attorney of Springer Law PLLC, where he represents
entrepreneurs, startups, and creative professionals in a variety of legal areas, including
business law, venture finance, intellectual property, corporate governance, entertainment
law, and commercial litigation. Michael is also an active angel investor in early-stage
companies, focusing on a range of industries, including wearable technologies, software,
fashion, medical devices, and home delivery. Michael holds a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard
Law School and a B.B.A., magna cum laude, from the Mays Business School at Texas A&M
University. He and his wife split their time between New York City and Houston, Texas.

Michelle Lacroix is an eight-year veteran teacher from Baltimore. She studied Journalism and Political Science at Penn State before joining Teach for America in 2011. Through her time in Baltimore, she earned her Master’s Degree in Urban Education as well as a Certificate in Supervision. In addition, she helped to establish a non-profit called B’More Global that fundraises scholarships for middle-schoolers to go on trips abroad. She is passionate about providing opportunities to youth and is excited to continue that work with BUILD. She is also an avid traveler has spent time working with teachers in Uganda as well as doing yoga teacher training in Thailand. In her spare time, she enjoys practicing yoga, working on her French speaking skills, and (trying) to play the ukelele.

Mike Portegello is an Assurance Partner at Ernst & Young LLP, where he brings more than 30 years of international and domestic experience in public accounting serving publicly traded companies with operations in both the US and abroad. Currently, he serves as the Northeast Region Strategic Growth Markets (SGM) Leader to provide services that help companies navigate the various aspects of a growth-oriented enterprise. SGM is a global network of EY professionals advising the full spectrum of dynamic, fast-moving and groundbreaking companies around the world, including VC-backed/private equity companies and their investors, large private and family enterprises, IPO-bound companies, and public companies in the Russell 3000 and 2000 indexes.​
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Throughout his career, Mike has worked with clients in New York and California, as well as internationally. He has served US registrants and foreign private issuers on SEC matters including initial public offerings (IPOs), public and private debt offerings, quarterly and annual filings, acquisitions, divestitures, and stock registrations. ​
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Previously, he provided overall management and led high performing teams to deliver audit services to New York State and Connecticut area clients. He continues to work closely with multinational organizations as well as high growth phase companies in the software/technology, media and entertainment, and leasing industries.​
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Prior to this role, Mike served as Strategic Growth Markets Leader for New York, leading a multidisciplinary team of dedicated professionals in providing perspective to and advising our emerging, IPO-bound, entrepreneurial clients on accelerating their growth. In addition, he has served as a Co-Director of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year New York program. ​

Mike graduated Suma Cum Laude from St. John’s University and received his MBA from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at NYU.

Mike Portegello is an Assurance Partner at Ernst & Young LLP, where he brings more than 30 years of international and domestic experience in public accounting serving publicly traded companies with operations in both the US and abroad. Currently, he serves as the Northeast Region Strategic Growth Markets (SGM) Leader to provide services that help companies navigate the various aspects of a growth-oriented enterprise. SGM is a global network of EY professionals advising the full spectrum of dynamic, fast-moving and groundbreaking companies around the world, including VC-backed/private equity companies and their investors, large private and family enterprises, IPO-bound companies, and public companies in the Russell 3000 and 2000 indexes.​
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Throughout his career, Mike has worked with clients in New York and California, as well as internationally. He has served US registrants and foreign private issuers on SEC matters including initial public offerings (IPOs), public and private debt offerings, quarterly and annual filings, acquisitions, divestitures, and stock registrations. ​
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Previously, he provided overall management and led high performing teams to deliver audit services to New York State and Connecticut area clients. He continues to work closely with multinational organizations as well as high growth phase companies in the software/technology, media and entertainment, and leasing industries.​
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Prior to this role, Mike served as Strategic Growth Markets Leader for New York, leading a multidisciplinary team of dedicated professionals in providing perspective to and advising our emerging, IPO-bound, entrepreneurial clients on accelerating their growth. In addition, he has served as a Co-Director of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year New York program. ​

Mike graduated Suma Cum Laude from St. John’s University and received his MBA from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at NYU.

Natalia is the Founder and CEO of Seen@Work.As Founder and CEO of Seen@Work (seenatwork.com), a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consulting firm, Natalia Eileen leverages the team she manages to support her clients with all their DEI needs. She develops and facilitates workshops, coaches senior leaders, and builds DEI initiatives related to employee resource groups, executive scorecards, inclusion councils, task forces, diversity reporting, metrics planning, and more.

Prior to founding Seen@Work, Natalia worked as a diversity and inclusion strategist and human capital consultant for over seven years through organizations including Deloitte, Facebook, and Teach For America. Natalia graduated from University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School with an MBA in Organizational Effectiveness with an emphasis in Inclusion in the Workplace and from New York University with a BA in History, which included courses in critical race theory and oppressive political structures.

Naveen Shahani is a Principal at Apollo Global Management, where he focuses on the firm’s private equity investments. Prior to Apollo, Naveen worked in the Financial Sponsors Group in the Investment Banking Division of Credit Suisse. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Naveen currently serves on the Board of Directors of CEC Entertainment, parent company to Chuck E. Cheese.

NICOLAS LIRETTEVice President, American Express
Nic most recently served as President at American Express, serving as Chief of Staff for the head of the Consumer business. He was responsible for a range of business planning and strategic activities and partners with leaders across the organization, from country managers globally to c-suite partners. Prior to this role, Nic worked in the Merchant business where he played a central role in the launch of EMV chip cards and contactless payments and helped improve customer satisfaction globally. Prior to American Express, Nic worked in investment banking at UBS and investment management at Wellington Management. ​

Nic holds an MBA degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor’s degree from Tufts University. Originally from Canada, Nic speaks French fluently. Nic lives in New York with his wife, son, and daughter.​

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Nicole Thomas is currently the Director of Strategic Partnership with BUILD Metro DC and has been with BUILD since 2016. In her role, Nicole spearheads all BUILD Metro DC fundraising-related community outreach activities, recruits volunteers and engages new networks and individual donor prospects. Nicole also oversees BUILD Metro DC’s Associate Board. Prior to her work with BUILD, Nicole was with College Summit for four years. College Summit is a college access non-profit where she executed over 100 successful College Summit workshops on 35 college campuses that served 5,000 students and 1,500 volunteers. Before that, Nicole worked for Monumental Sports and Entertainment for more than 10 years where she was the Director of Community Relations for the Washington Wizards (NBA) and Washington Mystics (WNBA) professional teams. In that role, she managed the community outreach activities including the scheduling, development, and execution of over 400 appearances per year for players, coaches, and front office staff. Nicole graduated from the University of Arizona.

Norbert joins BUILD after several years of experience in analytical roles within the real estate industry. In his last role, Norbert guided his team through monthly forecasts and the yearly budget process. He was also vital in implementing a new FP&A software for 130+ users within the company. Norbert is a numbers-oriented individual who likes to use data to tell a story and drive business decisions.

He is ecstatic to join the BUILD team and looks forward to being part of the “spark” that positively impacts future generations. Norbert loves to learn new things and try new activities. He is currently learning about blogging and how to make latte art, and his favorite things to do in his free time include pickleball, bouldering, and skiing. Norbert holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Finance from Cornell College.

Pam has spent the majority of her career in the financial services sector where she worked at a range of boutique and bulge bracket firms including Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and Mogavero, Lee. Her diverse experience encompasses investment banking, institutional sales and marketing. She has always been passionate about educational equity and child and family welfare and has served as a mentor and nonprofit board member for over twenty years. In 2017, Pam joined the BUILD NYC team where she is responsible for all fundraising activities. Pam graduated from the University of Virginia with Highest Distinction and received her MBA from Columbia Business School.

Pepper Hayes loves to crunch numbers and look for patterns in data. She uses these insights to coach BUILD’s development teams to raise the funds we need to support BUILD students. As Director of Development Operations and Communications she maintains our infrastructure for fundraising operations and oversees donor communication and stewardship. As an entrepreneur herself, Pepper knows first-hand how empowering the experience can be and was immediately drawn to BUILD’s mission, which inspired her to leave her career in law in 2014 to join the BUILD team. Pepper is an enthusiastic cat-lover and blogs about her knitting adventures in her spare time. She holds a BA in History, Philosophy, and Gender Studies from Westminster College and earned her JD at the Boston University School of Law.

Ram Vijayanathan is the Head of Internal Audit at Pinterest, a visual discovery engine with
the mission to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love. His responsibilities
include helping the organization manage strategic, operational, and financial risk by
providing oversight to the internal audit team, developing and executing on the annual
audit plan, and supporting the company’s Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance efforts. Ram
and his team evaluate Pinterest’s systems of internal controls and operational efficiency
and effectiveness. Before joining Pinterest, Ram was an Internal Audit Director at Facebook,
Inc., where he was a part of the corporate audit function and led teams that supported the
company’s SOX efforts along with managing an operational audit plan. Prior to Facebook,
Ram held various positions of increasing scope and responsibility in audit for QVC and
American Standard. He has a background in public accounting from Deloitte. Ram has
previously served as the President and a board member of the Philadelphia Institute of
Internal Auditors and graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. in
Business Logistics. In his free time, he enjoys watching all Philadelphia sports teams, riding
his Peloton, and traveling.

Rashaida is a lifelong educator who enjoys providing life-changing opportunities to students and coaching and supporting teachers. She joined BUILD as its first Satellite Program Director, supporting partner schools and organizations across the country to implement the BUILD experience with their students. Her support ranged from curriculum development to student event support.  She now serves as Program Director, National Partnerships. Rashaida’s goal is to support teachers and students as BUILD expands across the country.

Rashaida is excited to join the BUILD team so that she can combine her love for coaching teachers with entrepreneurship. As an entrepreneur herself, Rashaida has learned how to run and manage her own businesses through trial and error. She recognizes the value that BUILD provides as we teach students the skills early on that allow them to thrive as young entrepreneurs, ready to be successful young adults in the 21st Century. Rashaida finds value in knowing that her work with BUILD provides new opportunities for students that look like her, opportunities that students of color deserve to receive, but often are denied simply due to the color of their skin or where they live.

Rashaida comes to BUILD after serving as a school leader, leading a team of instructional coaches, and teaching in the classroom. Every day Rashaida strives to provide positive opportunities for students so that they may dream big, aim high, and shatter glass ceilings.

Rashi Singhal joins BUILD as a Staff Accountant. She has a master’s degree in Accounting and Economics from India. In her prior experience, she helped scale the AR team at a medical devices manufacturing company, all the way to help build the new ERP (AR side) and the processes for better customer experiences. She has experience in AR/AP and is skilled in various accounting software and problem-solving.

She is very excited to join a non-profit organization that is in the educational field which she has always been passionate about. Previously, she has helped with after-school hands-on science programs. She is looking forward to the exclusive experiences and making a positive impact.

Rashi lives in Palo Alto, California with her husband and 2 kids. In her personal life, she loves to travel, cook Indian food, work in the garden, and volunteer for her kid’s science and robotics programs.

Rayna Landa is originally from Springfield, NJ and is a recent graduate of the Pennsylvania State University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Education and Public Policy with a minor in Sociology. She is thrilled to join the incredible BUILD DC team as this year’s Avodah fellow. Avodah is a Jewish non profit organization whose mission is to develop lifelong social justice leaders. As the Program Associate at BUILD DC, she facilitates mentoring and helps to aid the student experience. This year, she is excited to have the opportunity to live, learn, and work in D.C. with other members of the fellowship, creating a mindful and impactful community. .

Renaldo Webb is Founder and Chief Product Officer at PetPlate. Inspired by his dog Winston, Renaldo founded PetPlate after deciding that he did not want to feed his dog anything less than real food. After making hundreds of batches of home-cooked dog food for Winston and his pup pals, Renaldo decided to launch a pet food brand that he could proudly call his own. 

Renaldo graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in Physics, and prior to starting PetPlate worked at LCatterton and McKinsey & Company. He launched PetPlate as a nationwide subscription service in early 2017, following an appearance on the hit TV show Shark Tank.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Rodrigo Alfaro brings over a decade of experience in community outreach and nonprofit leadership from churches to college access orgs across the Bay Area. A true relationship builder, Rodrigo consistently seeks ways to unify diverse partners in service to equity for under-represented communities. As a native of El Salvador who moved to the Bay Area at a young age, Rodrigo brings a deeply personal perspective to his role. He experienced first-hand the challenges many immigrants face balancing diverse cultural identities, and the transformative power of entrepreneurship for families like his own.

Roger is the founder and Managing Partner of Barton LLP, a law firm of over 30 attorneys practicing across most areas of business law. Roger is widely published and speaks nationally and internationally on law firm innovation, the practice of law as a business, and forming partnering relationships with clients. Barton LLP was recently featured by Law360 in an article entitled Giving Big Law a Run for Its Money as one of “10 boutiques that have established brands on par with the biggest of firms” who are “capable of competing with – and beating – the best big firms at the highest level” and by Acquisition International as among “Ones to Watch: The Best Boutique Law Firms.” ​

Roger’s practice is mostly high-stakes commercial litigation, but he also enjoys his role as outside General Counsel and adviser to many of the entrepreneurial clients of his firm. He is rated by The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel Magazine and the National Law Journal as one of the Top Commercial Litigators in the United States. He is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, the invitation-only trial lawyer honorary society limited to less than one-half of one percent of lawyers in America and has been selected as a Super Lawyer in Thompson Reuters’ annual survey of the top 5% of lawyers in the New York Metro Area every year since 2013. He holds an “AV Preeminent” rating, the highest rating in the legal profession for professional excellence and ethical standards, as determined by the peer review of judges and lawyers conducted by Martindale.​

Prior to founding Barton LLP, Roger was with Sidley Austin in New York. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, AB Honors College, and has a JD from Fordham University School of Law.

Roger Du is a dedicated educator with a specific interest in adolescent mental health, immigrant parental involvement, and college access. He brings over 7 years of classroom experience and program development for educational nonprofits. Previously, Roger served as a Youth Job-Readiness Program Director, school counselor, and social studies teacher in Bangkok, Thailand. As a native New Yorker, Roger is devoted to advocating for the youth of New York City. Roger is a graduate of St. John’s University with a Bachelor’s in Adolescent Education with a concentration of History and a Master’s in School Counseling. In his spare time, Roger enjoys playing basketball, scuba diving, and taking his dog, Chance to the dog park.

Ryan joined the BUILD family in 2016, stepping into her current role in 2018. She is responsible for gift processing and helps manage BUILD’s donor database. Ryan works closely with Pepper Hayes to develop data and tools that grease the wheels of BUILD’s development team.

Originally from Austin, TX, Ryan now lives with her husband near BUILD headquarters in Redwood City, CA. She earned a BA in Sociology from Eckerd College in 2015. Education has been a guiding beacon of her professional and volunteer efforts. Serving as a math and statistics tutor through high school and college, Ryan found that thinking outside the box with her teaching style helped transform even fervent math-haters into A+ students. As someone who fell through the cracks early in school, Ryan is immensely grateful to have found an alternate path to education that reignited her love of learning. She is proud to draw on her own experience and is determined to support those with diverse paths to achieve their education goals.

Ryan Oliver serves as Regional Executive Director for BUILD Bay Area and Los Angeles, holding primary responsibility for leading growth initiatives and directing strategy. Ryan brings twenty years of experience as an innovative educator, leader, and program designer in urban schools, from Boston and Pittsburgh to Los Angeles and East Oakland. Previously, Ryan served as Founding Program Director for BUILD Boston. A Bay Area native, Ryan has lived, learned, and worked on both coasts. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Harvard University, a Master of Arts in Education from California State University Monterey Bay, and Principal Certification from University of Pittsburgh.

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Sami Soma is a Partner Lead at Google, working on Advertising and Marketing strategies for large clients within the Consumer Packaged Goods industry. Prior to her role at Google, Sami worked at L’Oreal on digital media efforts across the Luxury product division. She has also held roles in Finance and Marketing across L’Oreal Paris, Active Cosmetics Division and Lancome.

Sami graduated from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business with an emphasis in Finance and Marketing where her passion for supporting under-resourced schools began. Since graduating she has volunteered with various organizations such as The Posse Foundation, The Exodus Foundation and iMentor.

Sandra brings more than a decade of leadership in brand, integrated marketing, public relations, and retail strategy across B2B and B2C brands. Her experience spans across Fortune 100 companies, startups, and agency. Currently, Sandra is the Director of Marketing & Partnerships for Ennovae and Co, where she provides marketing and partnerships counsel for SAP, Verizon, and JP Morgan Chase. Most recently she was the Strategic Marketing Lead at Samsung Ads. In this role, Sandra was responsible for leading in-market engagement in North America inclusive of go-to-market strategy, branding, demand generation, and content development.

Prior to Samsung Ads, Sandra was the Integrated Marketing Lead for Dolby, where she led brand strategy and partner marketing for the consumer products division and Dolby Vision. Before that, Sandra spearheaded retail and channel programs at Jawbone introducing new categories in wireless speakers and wearables. She began her career at Ogilvy and Mather in Digital Strategy where she executed award-winning digital programs for Fortune 100 companies.

Sandra graduated with honors with a dual degree in International Relations and Political Science from the University of California, Davis.

Sarah Malonda was born and raised in Queens, New York, and was the daughter of Indonesian immigrants. She graduated from CUNY Hunter College with a degree in Political Science. She’s interested in local politics and community organizing  — and has been participating in outreach events like getting people registered to vote, informing folks about upcoming elections, and visiting local businesses to pass out PPE and other resources. She is committed to helping under-resourced communities such as her own and she is a strong advocate of student engagement in school, so she truly believes in the work BUILD NYC is doing.

Scorpio Rogers is an Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor at Mercy College in the School of Business on the Bronx Campus. He is the Director of Entrepreneurship for the School of Business across all campuses where amongst other things he manages the annual Student-Preneur Conference and Business Plan Competition. He is also the Executive Director of the Mercy Business Incubation Center (MIC) tasked with aiding in the growth of start-up and bourgeoning entrepreneurial businesses. Additionally, he is the advisor to the Mercy chapter of CEO, Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a student-run organization that fosters entrepreneurship amongst college students.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

As a Director with The Siegfried Group, Sean works directly with financial executives, across multiple industries, providing them with a combination of accounting and leadership advisory services designed to provide greater professional and personal success. Sean also volunteers domestically and abroad with Digital Divide Data, a social enterprise creating better futures for disadvantaged youth in Cambodia, Laos, and Kenya through an innovative technology driven work/study program founded in 2001. Prior to joining The Siegfried Group, Sean started his career with Deloitte in New York.​

Sean is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and graduated with honors from Bentley University. He currently serves on the Bentley Alumni Board of New York and is an active member of the Robin Hood Foundation. Sean lives in New York City and enjoys traveling, running and skiing.

Sean Merriweather is a strategist focused on the intersection of media, data and technology who is currently the VP of Product Marketing at Publicis Media, a top global agency. Sean also teaches in NYU’s MS in Integrated Marketing program.

I came across BUILD during a time when I was searching for a consistent organization to volunteer with and support. I’ve stayed involved over the past 2 years because of the amazing staff and the work they support. It’s great to see the growth of the students even from freshman to sophomore year; from making eye contact, to speaking with confidence and advocating for their ideas it’s incredible to play even a small part in the journey.

Shai Goldman is a Managing Director at Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”) and has more than 15 years of experience working with the startup and venture capital community. He moved to NYC from the Bay Area in 2011 to help build out SVB’s New York office and launch a new group serving early-stage founders. His current focus is on engaging the local VC community. Previously, he was a Venture Partner at 500 Startups, where he conducted investing, fundraising, community building, and portfolio management. ​

Shai graduated from Santa Clara University. Similar to the bank he works for, Shai has a global background, having been born in Israel and speaking three languages. He is married to a California native and helps raise their two children and two yorkies.​

Shannon Hayes joins the BUILD Boston team with years of experience in youth development and K-12 education in Boston. As former Interim Executive Director of Expanded Learning Opportunities & Partnerships and Director of Expanded Learning Opportunities at Boston Public Schools, Shannon worked with community-based organizations and school leaders to plan and execute summer and vacation week programs across the city that offered students academic support and enrichment opportunities. Prior to that, she was the Afterschool & Summer Learning Program Manager at Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA), overseeing the implementation of arts-integrated, experiential learning programs for English Learners in Boston’s South End.

Shannon is excited to join the team at BUILD Boston to support and develop strong school partnerships and high quality teacher and volunteer training for our school partners in Boston. Shannon is a licensed educator and holds a master’s degree in Elementary Education and Creative Arts in Learning from Lesley University and a bachelor’s in Critical Social Thought from Mount Holyoke College. In her spare time, she enjoys travel, yoga and cooking, and is currently learning ASL.

Shawn worked as a professional chef straight out of high school before landing his first real office job in international development. In that role, Shawn spent several years working with government clients from Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam, and came to appreciate just how much need there is for community support initiatives around the world. In 2005, Shawn and his wife, Eva, moved to Washington, DC from New Zealand. After working at both the New Zealand and Canadian Embassies to the U.S., Shawn left government work to join the world of social good. Over the past decade, Shawn has worked with several nonprofits to help connect individuals and companies to the causes they most deeply care about. If Shawn’s fundraising experiences were written up as a novel, he believes that the donors and corporate partners would be the heroes of the story – after all, it is they who through their generosity help make change possible.

Shawn holds a Graduate Diploma in Business Studies form Massey University in New Zealand and is blessed to have two amazing children: Anna (6) and Owen (3).

Stamatis Kakleas is currently an Operations Associate at Tiger Global Management and joined our associate board at the beginning of 2019. Stam has previously worked at Highbridge Capital Management and Stelliam Investment Management and on the Pastry Team of Gramercy Tavern, one of the best restaurants in America.
Stam has a passion for entrepreneurship and has co-founded two businesses of his own; a seasonal gourmet cookie company and a cold brew coffee delivery service. He is a graduate of the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University and studied Pastry and Baking Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC.

Stephanie comes to BUILD with almost a decade of experience as a college access and success practitioner across several schools in her hometown of Los Angeles. She was born and raised in Los Angeles and is the daughter of Salvadoran immigrants.

As a college success practitioner, she helped develop programs to support predominantly first-generation BIPOC youth in Los Angeles to prepare for their postsecondary education and careers. She is excited to join the LA team to support teachers and students in becoming the CEO of their own life. Stephanie is also an entrepreneur supporting digital media and the operations of her family business. She enjoys traveling, dancing, and event planning in her free time. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UCLA in Women’s Studies with a Minor in Education Studies and a master’s from California State University, Long Beach.

Steve Mea joined BUILD in 2016 and currently serves as Operations Manager for the National Shared Services team. In this role, he supports our organization by keeping tabs on our technology, government filings, insurance coverage, external vendors and contractors, and student program operations. Before stepping in to this position, Steve was a member of the Boston Program team as a Youth Engagement Coordinator and Student Experience Program Manager, in which he supported students, teachers, mentors, and staff in all aspects of the BUILD program. Prior to his time with BUILD, Steve worked for the Germantown Historical Society in Philadelphia and led educational tours of historic homes for 4th and 5th graders. Steve attended Millersville University of Pennsylvania where he studied History and Governmental & Political Affairs, and currently resides in Philadelphia with his Fiancé, rabbit, and two cats. In his spare time, he enjoys playing the drum kit for his band at local Philly-area venues.

“I BUILD because of the incredible impact the program has on students, school communities, and families. I saw this first hand as a member of the Boston Program team, and am fortunate enough to continue this work remotely in Philadelphia. An education in business provides a young person with 21st century skills that their normal course load does not have the time to cover. It empowers them to realize their dreams, and graduate from high school with a vision for the future.” -Steve Mea

Sue has over 25 years’ experience as a regional and national nonprofit executive, successfully building and leading cross-functional, inclusive, high performing teams. Sue began her career with audience development work for Shear Madness/Cranberry Productions, one of the nation’s longest-running theatrical productions. She moved into the nonprofit sector with her role as the Director of Registration and Student Services at the Boston Center for Adult Education and eventually as its first Director of Development. She then became Director of Posse Boston at The Posse Foundation, an acclaimed national college access and diversity program. After transforming the Boston site to a revenue self-sustaining and programmatically successful one, Sue rose to Regional Vice President, implementing the strategic plan and ensuring overall health of the organization while overseeing numerous chapters. During her subsequent tenure as a member of the executive team at Health Leads, a social enterprise, she led in several areas including national program and revenue and helped to position the organization to capitalize on market changes through greatly increased programmatic efficiency and productivity. Later, at Peace First, Sue served as a Senior Advisor to the executive team in a variety of functional and strategic areas, and, more recently, as Chief Operating Officer for Big Sister Association of Greater Boston. Sue also served as Chair of the board of directors for Y2Y Network, an innovative, student-run, overnight shelter which provides a safe and affirming environment for young adults experiencing homelessness.

Sue has over 25 years’ experience as a regional and national nonprofit executive, successfully building and leading cross-functional, inclusive, high performing teams. Sue began her career with audience development work for Shear Madness/Cranberry Productions, one of the nation’s longest-running theatrical productions. She moved into the nonprofit sector with her role as the Director of Registration and Student Services at the Boston Center for Adult Education and eventually as its first Director of Development. She then became Director of Posse Boston at The Posse Foundation, an acclaimed national college access and diversity program. After transforming the Boston site to a revenue self-sustaining and programmatically successful one, Sue rose to Regional Vice President, implementing the strategic plan and ensuring overall health of the organization while overseeing numerous chapters. During her subsequent tenure as a member of the executive team at Health Leads, a social enterprise, she led in several areas including national program and revenue and helped to position the organization to capitalize on market changes through greatly increased programmatic efficiency and productivity. Later, at Peace First, Sue served as a Senior Advisor to the executive team in a variety of functional and strategic areas, and, more recently, as Chief Operating Officer for Big Sister Association of Greater Boston. Sue also served as Chair of the board of directors for Y2Y Network, an innovative, student-run, overnight shelter which provides a safe and affirming environment for young adults experiencing homelessness.