Nick Costides is an Independent Board Director, retired Fortune 50 executive (UPS), and nonprofit leader dedicated to advancing volunteerism, community engagement, and civic service.

Nick currently serves as an Independent Board Director and Audit Committee Member of First Student, North America’s leading student transportation provider. He retired from UPS after a distinguished 30-year career, culminating as President of Information Technology, where he led the global technology organization supporting operations in more than 220 countries and territories. During his tenure, he helped pioneer innovations that transformed the transportation, logistics, and supply chain industries while leading large-scale digital transformation, governance, and operational excellence initiatives.

Nick has dedicated his leadership, expertise, and personal commitment to strengthening nonprofit organizations and expanding opportunities for volunteer service. He currently serves on the Executive Committees of Points of Light and the Student Conservation Association and as a board member of the Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy.

Nick was a founding director of ToolBank USA, helping launch and build the organization into a national movement that empowers nonprofits and volunteers with the tools and resources needed to strengthen communities. He championed the creation of ToolBank’s mobile disaster response program, expanding the organization’s ability to support communities impacted by natural disasters and other emergencies.

As Board President of the Conrad Foundation, Nick led the successful transition of the Conrad Challenge to Space Center Houston, ensuring the long-term sustainability of one of the nation’s leading youth innovation and entrepreneurship programs.

His nonprofit leadership also includes serving as Board Chair of Hands On Atlanta and ToolBank USA, advisor to United Way Worldwide, trustee of the Louisville Zoo Foundation, and board member of the Kentucky Humane Society.

Nick believes that volunteerism is one of the most powerful forces for strengthening communities and creating lasting social impact.

Jennifer Hunter serves as Senior Vice President, Corporate Citizenship & Chief Sustainability Officer for Altria Client Services. Jennifer leads the company’s corporate responsibility and ESG strategy and integration efforts, including environmental sustainability and its operating companies’ efforts to help prevent underage tobacco use and help adult tobacco users who decide to quit be more successful. She also leads corporate communications, community impact and inclusion, diversity and equity. All of this work is central to how Altria will achieve its Vision of responsibly leading the transition of adult smokers to a smoke-free future.

Jennifer has held a variety of roles at Philip Morris (PM USA) Sales, PM USA Youth Smoking Prevention & Corporate Responsibility, ALCS Corporate Responsibility & Stakeholder Relations and ALCS Corporate Communications. She joined PM USA in 1994 as a Territory Sales Manager in Kenosha, Wis.

Jennifer holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of Wisconsin and is a member of the Executive Leadership Council. Jennifer also serves on the Boards of the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development; as Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for the ChamberRVA Board; as the Board Vice-Chair for The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia; the Virginia Business Higher Education Council; and on the Virginia Growth and Opportunity Fund Region 4 Council. Jennifer previously served two terms on the Virginia State University Board of Visitors.

Neil Bush is an international businessman who is active in service. He serves as chair of the Points of Light board of directors, where he expands his father’s vision of inspiring, equipping and mobilizing volunteers to increase capacity for vital social services and for finding innovative solutions that lift individuals, strengthen families, and renew communities. Neil chairs both the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, dedicated to helping all Houstonians realize their fullest potential through literacy, and the Bush China, U.S. Relations Foundation, which convenes a conference that brings together leaders from the United States and China forging cooperation on issues of global importance. Neil serves on the advisory boards of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M, the Houston Salvation Army and the Asia Society Texas Center.

In his professional life, Neil develops international business opportunities. He is chairman of Singhaiyi, a Singapore company investing in U.S. real estate; co-chair of CIIC, a property development business in China; and chairman of A&A Consulting, a global platform that attracts Asian capital for investments in health care, education and food in the United States.

Neil and his wife, Maria, have six wonderful children, and they are proud that the family passion for service has passed on to the next generation. Neil’s daughter, Lauren Bush Lauren, is founder and CEO of FEED Projects, a nonprofit that has provided over 93 million meals that are served in schools in Africa through the UN World Food Programme. His son, Pierce Bush, mentors inner-city youngsters and leads the largest Big Brothers Big Sisters agency in the United States.

Neil earned an MBA and a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University.

Nikki leads UPS’s global philanthropy, social impact and community affairs efforts as part of the UPS Corporate Affairs, Communications and Sustainability team. She oversees the company’s efforts to respond to the world’s most pressing social, humanitarian and environmental needs.

Nikki has been instrumental in UPS’s response to human rights and social justice issues, including spearheading and coordinating UPS’s anti-human trafficking, awareness and education. Her Ted Talk, “3 Ways Businesses Can Fight Sex Trafficking” has garnered more than 1.5 million views. Additionally, she leads the UPS Equity, Justice & Action Task Force, a cross-functional leadership team working to dismantle systemic racism through strategic internal and external engagement.

Most recently, Nikki served as Vice President, Global Public Affairs, and led UPS’s workforce policy, legislative advocacy and external affairs engagement with members of congress and the states’ attorneys general. Prior to government affairs, Nikki was part of UPS’s Labor and Employment Counsel. Before joining UPS, Nikki worked for Delta Air Lines as a labor and employment litigator, and practiced labor and employment law with two Atlanta law firms.

Nikki earned her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in communications from Howard University’s Annenberg Honors Program and her J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law. She is a member of the Georgia Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Nikki serves on the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital and is active in a number of civic and volunteer organizations. Nikki and her husband have four children and reside in Falls Church, Virginia.

James Collins is the managing and founding partner of Eastwood Capital Associates LLC, a private equity firm focused on middle market investments in consumer and business services industries. Collins has also held roles at other private equity and financial services firms, including Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill, & Co. and Roark Capital Group, after starting his career as an associate consultant at Bain & Company.

Collins holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting from Howard University. He has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards of directors, including generationOn, Points of Light’s youth activation enterprise.

Alex Edgar is a dynamic Gen Z civic leader transforming how communities and institutions engage younger, diverse audiences. Passionate about bridging generations, Alex designs systems and strategies that foster intentional youth participation, strengthen trust and engagement in institutions, and move beyond tokenization.

Alex is the Youth Engagement Manager at Made By Us, a national coalition of hundreds of cultural institutions across the United States joining forces to engage Millennials and Gen Z with history to inform and inspire civic participation. He leads their National Youth250 Advisory Bureau, which amplifies young people’s imaginations, ideas, and input, ensuring their voices lead the reflection on and commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026. These 100 paid advisors are aged 18 to 30, hail from 45 states and territories, and represent a broad spectrum of perspectives.

Previously, Alex spearheaded civic engagement efforts at UC Berkeley, where he also created and taught an undergraduate civic engagement course for the Goldman School of Public Policy. His background includes fellowships and internships with over a dozen nonprofits in the youth civic engagement field.

Recognized as a trusted voice on youth empowerment, Alex has traveled the country speaking at conferences and advising foundations, nonprofits, higher education institutions, and mission-driven organizations. His contributions have earned him notable honors, including: the 2021 Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice Student Award from the California Council for the Social Studies, the 2022 John Lewis Youth Leadership Award from the National Association of Secretaries of State, the 2023 Hidden Hero Award from the Andrew Goodman Foundation, and the 2023 California Young Steward Leader Award from California Forward.

Alex serves on several boards and committees, including the Board of Directors for Points of Light, the National Advisory Board for the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, the Executive Committee of Californians for Civic Learning, and the United States Census Bureau’s 2030 Census Advisory Committee, where he is the youngest appointee in Department of Commerce history.

An Eagle Scout, Alex lives by the motto “Do a good turn daily,” mentoring young changemakers and volunteering with local nonprofits. He is a proud UC Berkeley graduate and currently resides in Washington, D.C.

As a 29-year Fidelity Investments veteran with financial services expertise, Pamela Everhart is a senior vice president and Head of Regional Public Affairs and Community Relations in Fidelity’s Corporate Affairs group. In this role, Pamela oversees the firm’s state and local government relationships, public affairs, and community relations activities at its Boston Headquarters and across Fidelity’s regions in the U.S., India, and Ireland. Pamela has led Fidelity’s efforts to deliver financial literacy to hundreds of thousands of students in underserved communities in the regions where Fidelity has a footprint. Previously, Pamela led the firm’s advocacy strategy and engagement with government officials in Washington DC, on federal regulatory policy matters that could impact Fidelity’s ability to serve its clients and customers, its products and services, and the firm.

Pamela has led Fidelity’s Personal Investing and Workplace Investing business units’ external retirement and benefit policy development efforts, where she engaged and educated federal and state lawmakers and administrative officials on key policy issues and positions. She has managed the staff and budget of a 200+ compliance team for the firm’s retirement and HR outsourcing services and products provided to corporate, tax-exempt and governmental employers. She has held the position of Associate General Counsel, responsible for legal issues arising from the company’s management of retirement plan assets, including the application of federal tax laws, regulations, and rulings. Pamela is also a member of all of Fidelity’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and serves as Co-Executive Sponsor for Aspire (Fidelity’s Latino and Black ERG) and a Senior Advisor for the Women’s Leadership Group.

Prior to joining Fidelity, Pamela was an associate with the global law firm Ropes & Gray LLP, concentrating in employee benefits and corporate tax matters. She also practiced as a certified public accountant and senior tax manager with EY.

Pamela received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School, where she was an Asst. Managing Editor on the Harvard Women’s Law Journal and a Class Marshall. Pamela worked on the campaigns for former MA Governor Deval Patrick, President Barack Obama, Senator Kamala Harris, among others.

Regarding professional affiliations, Pamela is admitted to practice law in MA and before the Supreme Court. She is a member of the MA Bar and the Texas Society of CPAs. She is a Governor-appointed member of the MA MassHire State Workforce Board, the MA Economic Development Council, and the MA Financial Services Advisory Council. In February 2023, Pamela was also appointed to serve on Governor Healey’s Advisory Council on Black Empowerment to advise on issues related to the economic prosperity and well-being of Massachusetts’ Black community. She is also a member of the executive board of The New England Council. Pamela is Co-Chair of the Public Policy Leadership Council and a member of the Economic Opportunity Committee at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Pamela is the 2021 recipient of the Boston Chamber’s Pinnacle Lifetime Achievement Award. Pamela has served as the mutual fund representative to the IRS Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee, where she advised senior IRS officials on a wide range of tax reporting issues.

As a leader in the community, Pamela is one of the 19 MA Black and Brown executives who launched the “New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund” to help drive transformative social changes to address systemic racism and racial inequity and was appointed by Boston Mayor Martin Walsh as a Steering Committee member of the Boston Racial Equity Fund. Pamela is active in several community service organizations and sits on several not-for-profit boards, including the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Trustee Advisory Board, Harvard Law School Alumni Association, Association of Corporate Counsel Foundation, the Neighborhood House Charter School (life trustee), and the Boston Symphony Orchestra (overseer Emeriti). She’s also legislative chair of the Boston Chapter of Jack and Jill, Inc., and an active member in Girl Friends, Inc., Circle-Lets, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Pamela is a past member of the board of trustees of the Roxbury Latin School, past president of the Boston Chapter of Links, Inc., and a former president of the Houston Chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants.

Pamela is married and has two children.

Jeff Feingold has spent most of his last 35 years focused on his family, professional and philanthropic pursuits. After receiving his B.A. from Brown University in 1992 and working at Morgan Stanley as a Financial Analyst after college, he received an MBA from Harvard Business School. He then worked full-time at Fidelity Investments from 1997 to 2019 as an Analyst, Co-Director of Research and Portfolio Manager in the Equity Division, including running the Fidelity Magellan Fund from 2011 to 2019. He has continued to work part-time at Fidelity since 2020 with their Early Career team, mentoring and coaching recent college and business school graduates.

For over 35 years, philanthropy and community service have been integral to Jeff’s professional and personal life. His efforts include volunteering at a camp for children with cancer called Camp Happy Times, where he met his wife and fellow counselor, Loren, in 1994. He has taught classes to inner-city youth in Boston, covering topics like “paying it forward”, kindness and journalism. Additionally, over the years, he led hundreds of colleagues at Fidelity Investments and friends in various volunteer initiatives, from renovating inner-city schools, serving holiday meals and organizing drives for basic necessities.

In 2011, he founded Hope & Comfort out of his garage in Weston MA, to help those in need and to teach his young children at the time the importance of giving back to the community and to ensure that all people have access to basic and essential personal hygiene products like soap and toothpaste to stay healthy and confident. In 2021, Jeff was recognized as a “CNN Hero” for his work with Hope & Comfort. He was also honored as a Daily Point of Light for his ongoing commitment to volunteerism and community impact. In 2024, Hope & Comfort distributed more than 5 million products to hundreds of thousands of children and adults in Massachusetts through a distribution network of more than 500 charitable organizations and has become one of the largest nonprofits solely focused on distributing these items in New England and the country. He remains active on Hope & Comfort’s Board.

Most recently, after more than 18 months of extensive research with experts in and out of MA, driven by his deep passion for collaboration, Jeff and his co-founders are launching The Massachusetts Nonprofit Collaboration Fund (“Masscollab”), a collaborative funding initiative, to provide advice and grants to encourage sustained and strategic collaborations such as joint programming, ventures, co-locations, shared back offices, mergers and more between 2 or more nonprofits in MA to drive more impact and sustainability across the sector.

Jeff and his wife, Loren, live in Weston MA, with their two children and Australian Labradoodle, Luna.

Michelle Gavin has twenty years of experience in government and nonprofit work in international affairs. At the end of 2016, she left her position as the Managing Director of The Africa Center, a nonprofit, multidisciplinary institution in New York City dedicated to increasing understanding of contemporary Africa. Previously she served as the United States Ambassador to Botswana, and served concurrently as the United States Representative to the Southern African Development Community, or SADC.

From 2009 to 2011, Gavin was a Special Assistant to President Obama and the Senior Director for Africa at the National Security Council. Prior to joining the administration, she worked with the Council on Foreign Relations as an International Affairs Fellow and an Adjunct Fellow for Africa. Earlier in her career she worked in the United States Senate, where she was the Staff Director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on African Affairs, Director of International Policy Issues for Senator Russ Feingold, and Legislative Director for Senator Ken Salazar.

Gavin received an M.Phil. in International Relations from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where she was a Truman Scholar. She serves on the Board of Directors of Points of Light, and is a member of the Harvard AIDS Initiative’s International Advisory Board.

Kelly Goodejohn is Vice President and Chief Social Impact Officer at Starbucks, where she’s been working for 18 years. As part of the company’s community promise to contribute positively, she leads the community and social impact strategy, including enabling partner engagement, developing social impact stores portfolio, community resilience programs and responding in times of disaster. She is focused on ways in which Starbucks can support thriving communities by empowering partners, leveraging our Third Place for connection, and solving community challenges. This work extends to the Starbucks Alumni Community where we are building an active alumni community that enhances partners’ lifelong connection with Starbucks.

Her team also leads The Starbucks Foundation, which supports thriving communities through grants to nonprofit organizations, from coffee and tea-growing communities around the world to its hometown in Seattle and neighborhoods across the country. They strive to create a positive impact for people — from the first ten feet to the last ten feet of coffee — by supporting nonprofit organizations in partnership with Starbucks partners, licensee partners and others with a shared commitment and belief in stronger, more equitable communities.

Kelly is an executive sponsor of Hora del Café, a Partner Network that celebrates the Latino culture, develops partners and positively impacts our customers and communities. With over 25 years of social impact and sustainability experience, Kelly has a relentless commitment to making a difference for all.

Jeff Hoffman is an accomplished corporate executive who has served on the global stage. Through board and commission leadership roles, he has a distinguished history working with business, non-profit, civic and government agencies on strategic direction and innovative programs.  Jeff has a professional portfolio made up of four components:  His consulting business, Jeff Hoffman & Associates; Founding Leader of the Institute for Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy; Corporate Governance; and Pro Bono Volunteering/Service.  

The Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy Institute is part of the ESG Center at The Conference Board. Through convenings and research, the Institute globally produces and disseminates timely, relevant, and thought-provoking content as well as actionable and trustworthy insights.  As part of his role leading the Institute, Jeff regularly moderates webcasts and podcasts, speaks, and writes on the evolving role of the corporation in society. 

Jeff Hoffman & Associates is a global corporate citizenship, philanthropy and civic engagement firm that enables businesses, organizations and individuals re-imagine a world full of purpose, hope, promise and opportunity while strengthening their own enterprise.     

Working at The Walt Disney Company for 31 years, Jeff most recently served as Vice President of Disney Worldwide Outreach.  In this role, he had global responsibility for Disney’s philanthropy, community relations and cause marketing activities including its award-winning employee volunteer program, Disney VoluntEARS.   

Jeff’s board memberships include Points of Light, California Commission on Service (California Volunteers), and the Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy at USC. He is a Leadership Fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors. 

George A. Kalogridis is a C-suite executive with an accomplished career leading a Fortune 100 business around the globe. With 50 years of experience, George’s legacy is his ability to create an environment to deliver a best-in-class level of excellence. Throughout his career, George has cultivated strategic partnerships across the Americas, Asia, and Europe, and together with a diverse group of colleagues and thinkers, he has set the bar for delivering unparalleled products and services.

George has led teams of 70,000+ and managed businesses driving over $13 billion in revenue through his unique approach of stretching creativity to inspire teams to deliver an exceptional customer experience. Under his leadership as a transformational leader, Disney Springs was reimagined, a variety of hotels opened and were transformed, creative transportation alternatives such as Disney’s Skyliner launched, My Magic Plus was introduced, and a host of new attractions, rides, and shows were created for millions of guests who visited each year.

George’s depth of experience throughout his career placed him in one of the most visible positions in the Company’s history as the Global Ambassador for Walt Disney World Resort’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. George has been awarded the highest honor Disney bestows upon a leader by creating a window on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom. The Orlando Business Journal acknowledged George as among the most influential executives in Central Florida, the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association honored him with the Charles Andres Memorial Hospitality Award, the highest honor awarded within the association, and Out & Equal honored him with their highest accolade: the Lifetime Achievement Award.

As an active member of the community, George continues to serve as a leader on several boards, including the onePULSE Foundation, Florida Council of 100, and Points of Light.

In November 2017, Heidi Magyar was appointed to a newly combined position at General Motors as executive director of corporate giving. In this role, Magyar oversees the integrated social impact, community relations and employee volunteerism initiatives.

Prior to this, Magyar was director of community outreach programs, leading a team that included GM’s ever-growing teamGM Cares employee volunteer program, GM Student Corps and other community volunteer activities in Michigan and the U.S.

In 2013, Magyar developed and led the GM Student Corps, a unique program that partners retired GM executives and university interns with 150 Detroit-area high school students for paid summer internships.

Previously, Magyar served as chief of staff supporting GM’s executive vice president of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain. She helped to manage day-to-day operations for a global team of 30,000 people focused on vehicle programs worldwide.

Formerly, she was the communications manager for the president of GM North America and other product and technology leaders. In this role, she created and implemented public speaking and media relations strategies for GM’s senior executives.

Before joining the GM executive communications staff, Magyar led communications at GM’s Lansing, Saginaw and Bay City manufacturing facilities, including managing plant-community partnerships. She helped launch GM’s two newest assembly plants in the U.S. – Lansing Grand River Assembly and Lansing Delta Township Assembly.

She joined GM in 1997 as a communications coordinator for the former Oldsmobile divisions, followed by Saturn and began her career at EDS Corp. as a customer assistance advisor for Oldsmobile.

In 2016, she was appointed as a Commissioner by the governor of Michigan to the Michigan Community Service Commission, which utilizes service as a strategy to address the state’s most pressing issues and empowers volunteers to strengthen communities. Magyar also serves on the Board of Points of Light, an international nonprofit dedicated to engaging more people and resources in solving serious social problems through volunteerism.

As president of Fidelity Charitable®, Pamela Norley was a leading voice in advocating for the power of American philanthropy across the world. Fidelity Charitable, the leading U.S. grantmaker, has granted more than $51 billion to more than 325,000 nonprofit organizations since 1991,1 advancing the philanthropic intentions of nearly a quarter of a million donors at all income levels. In 2020, Fidelity Charitable donors recommended $9.1 billion in grants to local, national and global causes. During Ms. Norley’s tenure, Fidelity Charitable’s annual grantmaking more than doubled, supporting the organization’s mission to make charitable giving accessible, simple and effective. Ms. Norley is a frequent speaker on the topics of philanthropic trends and leadership.

Prior to leading Fidelity Charitable, Ms. Norley held a number of executive leadership roles at Fidelity Investments®, including head of Enterprise Relationships and Talent Groups, where she managed Fidelity’s top institutional client relationships and led the talent management and recruiting organizations, and leading the Fidelity Consulting Group, where she oversaw strategy and consulting support to all Fidelity businesses, including its global private equity and venture capital units. Prior to that, she played a key role in launching Fidelity’s Corporate Business Development Group, supporting mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances. Ms. Norley joined Fidelity in the Corporate Legal department in 1996 after working in the legal department of Bank of America, and held a series of roles leading business compliance and health care product management and sales for Fidelity’s outsourcing businesses.

Outside of the office, Ms. Norley volunteers her time as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for Points of Light, the largest global volunteer organization established by President George H.W. Bush, and is a Trustee of the College Foundation Board at the University of Virginia. She also serves on the boards of the U.S. Impact Investing Alliance, Research Triangle Park Foundation and the Flying Kites School Network.

She formerly served on the Executive Women’s Council for the Dana-Farber Institute; United Way’s Women’s Initiative; University of Virginia’s Board of Benefactors; Boston Ballet’s Board of Directors; the Advisory Board of the Greater Boston Food Bank; the Board of Visitors of Temple University School of Law; and Wall Street Journal’s Taskforce for Women in the Economy.

Gregg Petersmeyer has more than 35 years of experience creating and building organizations and initiatives in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.

Gregg is the chair of America’s Promise Alliance, which he began with Colin Powell and others. He has served on the White House staffs of two presidents, and helped President George H.W. Bush make civic engagement, social entrepreneurship and "Points of Light" hallmarks of his presidency. At that time, Gregg was the founding Director of the White House Office of National Service; created the first daily Presidential recognition program in American history from the White House; helped establish the Points of Light Foundation; and was instrumental in the passage and President Bush signing the National and Community Service Act of 1990 which created the Commission on National and Community Service, the forerunner of the current federal Corporation.

Gregg is currently the founder and CEO of an early-stage company developing a technology product called LightWeaver® to enable colleagues within an enterprise to work “across lines of difference” with more agility and effectiveness as individuals, in teams, and within their own enterprise’s networks.

Earlier in his career, Gregg was a consultant with McKinsey & Company in New York; an officer and director of General Atlantic Energy, a private oil and gas exploration and production company in Denver; the Colorado State Chairman of the George H.W. Bush for President campaign in 1988; and a Visiting Scholar at Indiana University.

In addition to America’s Promise Alliance, Gregg is on the boards of City Year; The Committee for Economic Development (CED); Oxford Analytica; and The Fitzie Foundation. Gregg is a graduate of Harvard College, Oxford University and Harvard Business School.

Brenda Robinson is an entertainment attorney and producer with extensive experience in the film, television and music industries. She has been an advisor to many entertainment and production companies, including Amazon Studios, IMDb, HiddenLight Productions and Wavelength.

Brenda was most recently a financier on the Academy Award-winning documentary Icarus, as well as Won’t You Be My Neighbor and Step. She is an executive producer on numerous projects including, the BAFTA-nominated Passing, directed by Rebecca Hall and produced by Nina Yang Bongiovi and Forest Whitaker; the Emmy-nominated United Skates, alongside executive producer John Legend;  Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story, alongside executive producer Steph Curry; and Uncharted, alongside executive producer Alicia Keys.

Brenda is a member of Impact Partners, a film financing collective dedicated to funding independent documentary storytelling that engages with pressing social issues and propels the art of cinema forward. As a dedicated philanthropist in the arts and entertainment community and advocate on behalf of creative artists, Brenda currently serves as the Board Chair of Film Independent, is on the board of The Representation Project, founded by California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, is an advisor to The Redford Center, co-founded by Robert Redford and his son James Redford and is a board member of the GRAMMY Museum Foundation.

Brenda is a member of The Recording Academy, BAFTA and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and obtained her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a certificate in business and public policy from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School.

Michael Smerconish is the host of a daily radio program heard nationwide on SiriusXM’s POTUS channel. He is also the host of CNN’s “Smerconish”, which airs Saturdays at 9 a.m. ET. He was a longtime newspaper columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News and Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer and his columns were routinely re-printed in newspapers all across the country. He is the author of seven books. He has donated all of the proceeds for four of them to charity. One was a novel, TALK, for which the television rights were optioned by Warner Brothers. His latest book is titled: Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right: American Life in Columns. His one-man, live performance, “Things I Wish Knew Before I Started Talking” is a TV special streaming on Hulu. He is of counsel at the Philadelphia law firm of Kline & Specter. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Lehigh University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and resides in the Philadelphia suburbs where he and his wife have raised four children.

Suzanne Spero is the President of The MCJ Amelior Foundation. For more than two decades, the foundation has focused its efforts on the well-being of the citizens of Newark, NJ. Its primary areas of work in the city are education, economic redevelopment support in the downtown, and health.

MCJ Amelior also supports and partners with numerous national and local programs in order to best serve people who are most in need. Globally, the foundation works to promote reducing the number of people who live in extreme poverty, with a particular focus on ending deaths from malaria.

Suzanne currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center Women’s Association as Co-Vice President. She is also on the Board of Directors of Points of Light and on the Board of Trustees of LifeCamp. Suzanne sits on the Governing Board of Newark Alliance and is a member of the Board of Trustees at the Hackensack School of Medicine.

As a Co-Founder of Jersey Cares, Suzanne played a crucial role in the new organization’s mission to organize teams of socially minded individuals for community service projects. Most currently, she became an Advisory Board Member of The Co-Co, a cooperative community for women of all stages of life and career, to not only help them thrive, but to also enable them to fulfill their common desire to aid the community at large.

Prior to her non-profit career, Suzanne worked in Washington, DC, for Congresswoman Marge Roukema. She is a graduate of Drew University’s College of Liberal Arts with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Suzanne resides in Chatham, NJ, with her husband and two children.

Eric Tanenblatt is the global chair of public policy and regulation at Dentons, the world’s largest law firm. He also leads the firm’s U.S. public policy practice, leveraging his three decades of experience at the very highest levels of the federal and state governments.

Eric, a renowned lecturer and political counselor who is widely regarded as one of the nation’s pre-eminent public policy thought leaders, has served in the administrations of three U.S. presidents and as a senior advisor to a U.S. senator and governor, and held a U.S. Senate-confirmable post governing a federal agency.

He has a passion for shepherding disruptive companies and industries through the complicated web of law and regulation, and often writes and speaks about the innovation economy. He leads Dentons’ global autonomous vehicles team and authors a popular weekly digest tracking the most consequential regulatory, political, and technical developments in the world of automotive autonomy.

Eric’s political and fundraising activities and experience are extensive. He served as chief of staff to Governor Sonny Perdue, Georgia’s first Republican governor in 130 years, and later helped coordinate the 2004 G-8 Economic Summit, hosted by President George W. Bush at Sea Island, Georgia. He served in 2012 as a political advisor and national finance co-chairman for the presidential campaign of Gov. Mitt Romney, with whom his relationship dates back to 2004, when he served as finance co-chair for the Romney-led Republican Governors Association. Earlier, in 2000, he served as the state chairman for President George W. Bush’s successful Georgia campaign and held senior positions in the 1996 Bob Dole and Phil Gramm presidential campaigns. He also served as a longtime advisor to the late U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell (R-GA), including as vice chairman of the senator’s re-election bid in 1998. He also served in the administration of President George H.W. Bush at the Department of Health and Human Services as a special assistant to the secretary and as director of intergovernmental affairs at the Peace Corps.

Eric is a prominent advocate for civic engagement, often writing and speaking on the subject. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service, serving from 2008 until 2013. He was also the founder and chairman of Hands on Georgia, a statewide organization to promote volunteerism, and served as co-chair of the host committee for Points of Light’s annual conference in 2008 and 2018.

Routinely named one of Georgia’s 100 most influential persons by Georgia Trend magazine, which years earlier named him one of the state’s “40 under 40” rising stars, Eric is often quoted or cited by some of the most prestigious news and opinion services in the world, including the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, US News and World Report, National Journal, Politico, The Hill, Roll Call, the Associated Press, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Catherine is a nonprofit leader with a communications and events background spanning 20 years. As Executive Director of HandsOn Hong Kong, Catherine leads the team that empowers everyone in Hong Kong to volunteer—providing vital behind-the-scenes assistance to over 100 charities each year through more than 3,000 programs. Catherine has a passion for creating impactful community initiatives, moving people to take action and guiding teams to reach their full potential. Since joining HandsOn in 2016, she has empowered thousands of students, families, employees and community members on the transformative power of volunteering to address social needs. Prior to joining the non-profit sector, Catherine led teams and ran flagship events at both OgilvyOne and The Economist Group. She holds a B.A. (Honours) in Communications from the University of Technology in Sydney.

Shaina Zafar, 26, is an Executive at the Next Gen Practice at UTA Marketing. She is the former Co-founder/Chief Marketing Officer at JUV Consulting which was acquired by United Talent Agency in March 2024. She is an unapologetic American-Muslim and daughter of first-gen Pakistani parents. 

She oversees new business, thought leadership, events, PR, and community building with talent and brands across UTA Marketing. She has authored Gen Z yellowpapers at the company ranging from the future of work, technology trends, to pop culture, and oversees their weekly trends newsletter, The Screenshot, with a subscriber base of 5,000+ business professionals.  

She is a graduate from the University of Pennsylvania and wrote her thesis on impactful ESG practices for businesses. She now serves on the Doris Duke Foundation Creator Council, Penn Board of Directors, Yahoo MAKERS Board of Advisors, and NowThis Advisory Board. 

She has spoken for major brands like Mondelez, L’Oréal, and KPMG as well as conferences like Social Media Week and Cannes Lions. She has been quoted in the likes of The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Business of Fashion.  

In her free time, she runs a community series for events, pop-ups, and salon style dinners rooted in local grassroots connections called Good Neighbors.  

If she wasn’t at UTA, her dream would be to own a restaurant that makes ever changing menus from leftovers!