Dana Al-Ansari

Co-Chair

Dana Al-Ansari is a business strategist based in NYC. Currently, she is working on improving access to home finance at Better.com. Previously she was at McKinsey & Company where she worked with governments on developing housing projects and policies for urban development.

Education: BS, Carnegie Mellon University; MBA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Charlotte Harris

Co-Chair

Charlotte Harris is currently an MBA Candidate at the University of California Haas School of Business. Previously she worked as a Project Manager at Local Projects, an experience design firm based in New York City. She has worked on designing and developing permanent exhibitions for The Museum of the City of New York, in NY, The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration in Montgomery, AL, Fashion for Good in Amsterdam, NL, and most recently Planet Word, a new museum about language based in Washington DC. 

Education: BA, Carleton College

Jay Harris

Jay Harris works with independent journalism organizations on business strategies that support their reporting. Between 1991 and 2009, Jay was the publisher of Mother Jones, the investigative news organization. Before joining Mother Jones, Harris was an executive with Newsweek International in New York and Hong Kong. He currently serves as publisher of The Hightower Lowdown.

Jay is vice chair of the board of Free Speech TV and serves on the executive board of the First Amendment Coalition and on the communications board of Human Rights Watch.

Education: AB, Duke University; MBA, Yale School of Management

Asad Hassanali

Asad Hassanali is currently at Better.com, where he works to make home ownership and financing more accessible to all. Previously, he was a consultant at McKinsey & Company and has also worked with the Singapore Police Force and the Ministry of Home Affairs. He grew up in Singapore and now lives in Brooklyn.

Education: BA, Wesleyan University

James K. Phelps

Jim Phelps has served as an investment banker, attorney, strategic advisor and consultant for over 35 years. His clients have included privately held and publicly traded companies and a wide range of public and non-profit entities [including cities and counties, authorities, 501(c)(3) organizations, and university-related research institutes]. He has held full/part-time positions with the cities of New York, Beverly Hills and Palo Alto.

Education: BA, Johns Hopkins (Urban Studies); MPA, New York University; JD, UCLA School of Law, MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Aswin Pranam

Aswin Pranam is a technologist, educator, writer, and lifelong student. Currently, he is a Senior Product Manager at McKinsey & Company focused on building innovative and sustainable startup companies within the New Ventures group. Previously, he held technical & engineering positions at Google, Boeing, Disney, and IBM. Aswin teaches as an Instructor, Continuing Studies at Stanford University and as an Instructor, Rabb School at Brandeis University. 

Education: BS, University of Washington; MS, Johns Hopkins University; MBA, Carnegie Mellon University

TINA RAVITZ

Tina Ravitz is a global executive, attorney, entrepreneur, consultant, and photographer. Previously, she was chief operating officer of the Institute of International Education and of an electronic publishing and Internet startup, was vice president of technology and business operations at Viacom Inc., and was vice president and chief counsel to Newsweek, Inc.

Education: B. A., Princeton University; M. Sc., The London School of Economics and Political Science; J. D., The University of Virginia School of Law

Cynthia Round

Cynthia Round is a brand strategist with focus on revitalizing iconic brands and building relevance to new audiences.  She has led marketing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and United Way Worldwide, the largest privately-funded nonprofit in the world. Previously she built global brands at P&G and Ogilvy & Mather and now advises cultural and nonprofit organizations.

Education:  BA, Oklahoma State University

Dee Yang

Dee Yang is an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company. She advises a portfolio of institutions across industries on strategy and risk topics. She leads a partnership program with New York-focused foundations to provide strategic planning for non-profits. She is a New Yorker and resides in the Lower East Side.

Education: BS, New York University Stern School of Business

sam goldsmith

Sam is a communications and strategy professional specializing in public policy and civil rights. Prior to his career in New York City government, Sam was a metro reporter at the New York Daily News and New York Post. Sam is a Trustee of the Neuman Family Foundation and former Governor of The Evergreen State College Foundation. He is a woodworker, activist, and resident of Long Island City, Queens.

Education: BA, The Evergreen State College; MS, Columbia University

Lydia Neumann

Based in New York City, Lydia Neumann is a seasoned development strategist who has worked in leading institutions including Columbia University, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the American Thoracic Society Foundation, the New York Women's Foundation, and the Ms.Foundation for Women. She currently advises nonprofits in their capacity-building efforts.

Education: BA, City College of New York; MA Program, University of Chicago

Oliver Tessier

Based in Washington D.C. area, Oliver Tessier is an executive coach and organizational development consultant with a broad background in the business aspects of the nonprofit sector. Earlier in his career, he served as a CEO, COO, CFO, and organizational development officer. He has chaired nonprofit boards and works with them in many capacities.