Lisa Benson

Lisa Benson is a Vice President of IMG Models, New York. She oversees the careers of several of the industry’s top names, with a focus on developing each of them into 360-degree brands whose careers evolve alongside the fast-paced and increasingly digitally-driven fashion industry. Lisa’s client roster touts names such as Chrissy Teigen, Lily Aldridge, Chanel Iman, Halima Aden, and Georgia Fowler to name a few.

Lisa started her career at IMG in 2002 as a receptionist and was quickly promoted to become Ivan Bart’s assistant after mastering the switchboard. Since then, Lisa has worked her way up the ranks to become a key part of the IMG Models senior leadership team. During her tenure, Lisa has secured countless covers for her clients in top publications such as Vogue, V Magazine, Sports Illustrated, CR Magazine and Vanity Fair. She has also been at the helm of several deals with industry leading brands including Victoria’s Secret, Estée Lauder, H&M, Google and Bobbi Brown.

Lisa studied Finance and International Business at Pennsylvania State University, where she was a star player on the Division I golf team. She currently resides in Manhattan, New York.

Rochel Leah Bernstein

Rochel Leah Bernstein is the Founder of RLB Partners. She is an experienced for-profit and non-profit strategist, ranging from philanthropy technology to financial services. Rochel Leah is passionate about cutting-edge technology and creative startups that align with her values. She is a proud venture partner at Regeneration VC, a climate change focused VC that supercharges innovation in the circular brand climate arena and an Advisor to CityRock Venture Partners.

On the philanthropic side, Rochel Leah is focused on innovation in the child abuse prevention space through collaboration with purpose-driven corporations and foundations. She founded the Child Safety Pledge (CSP), an organization committed to helping parents prevent and combat child sexual abuse in the United States. She grew CSP to become a national grassroots movement and spearheaded CSP’s merger with Darkness to Light. Rochel Leah also focuses on impact investing and the muni market as it pertains to child protection and child welfare. She advocates for family and personal mental health awareness and healing, with a special interest in culturally sensitive mental health resourcing for faith-based communities. She serves as Vice-Chair for “Tell My Story,” an organization on a mission to end teen suicide by 2030.

Rochel Leah is a proud mother of four and is a frequent speaker for organizations such as the Milken Institute, Morgan Stanley Private Wealth, and NEXUS, as well as for family offices events across the country. Rochel Leah is also a Young Leadership Fellow at Milken Institute and a YPO and NEXUS Global member. She is based in Los Angeles with her family and is an active community builder.

Natalie Bruss

Natalie is the founder of BrussCo, a bespoke brand advisory and venture studio focused on empowering companies to see around the corner—and connecting them with the right people, places, and partners to get there. We identify strategic opportunities and creative advantages that others do not see. From trend forecasting and marketing strategy to branding and partnerships, BrussCo works with companies to force multiply ideas in the gray areas where venture capital, marketing, media, and brand meet today.

Previously, Natalie served as a Partner at Fifth Wall Ventures. At Fifth Wall, Natalie leveraged her background as a connector and marketer to create partnerships for LPs and portfolio companies, as well as overseeing marketing and brand strategy for the firm itself. Prior to Fifth Wall, Natalie spent nine years as Vice President of Digital Strategy and Partnerships at ID, where she built and ran the digital division.

Natalie started her career as a trend forecaster and connector, bringing together innovators and expanding new ecosystems across technology, entertainment, media and consumer brands. She’s been honored as one of The Hollywood Reporter’s 35 under 35, Fast Company’s MCP1000, Variety’s New Leaders, Forbes 30 Under 30, and been named one of the Top Five Women in Commercial Real Estate 2018 among many other accolades. Natalie began her career at Creative Artists Agency and subsidiary The Intelligence Group.

Natalie has participated in and moderated panels for numerous industry conferences including PSFK’s Future of Retail, CES, HIVE, SXSW, Cosmopolitan Magazine, in addition to speaking for classes at MIT, USC and Harvard. In 2012, Natalie worked with the White House to curate their first-ever “21st Century Innovators and Communicators” summit.

Natalie grew up just outside of Washington, DC and has worked with a variety of philanthropic organizations including Stand Up To Cancer (she negotiated Facebook and SU2C’s partnership in 2010, making SU2C the first charity to allow donations via Facebook Credits, as well as FB’s first-ever philanthropy live stream in 2016), Sean Penn’s JPHRO, Ben Stiller’s STILLERSTRONG, Sean Parker’s cancer efforts, and Star Wars Force For Change. She is a proud investor in Omaze, which has granted more than $100M to charity through once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and currently co-chairs the NextGen board of the Motion Picture Television Fund.

Michael Coscetta

Michael is currently an angel investor and advisor with 15+ years of experience running global revenue and product teams across multiple software and fintech companies. Most recently as Chief Commercial Officer & Chief Strategy Officer of Compass (NYSE: COMP), he oversaw all aspects of revenue growth across Compass’ many markets, including the development of new revenue streams to the business. Compass is a real estate technology company that went public on the NYSE in April 2021 after finishing 2020 with $3.5B+ in revenue, a big jump from the $880M in 2018. Compass is also the largest independent real estate brokerage in the US.

Michael was previously at Square (NYSE: SQ) where he was Vice President of Global Sales, overseeing the growth of their sales and business development organization from two to thirty teams across the United States and 4 other countries. One key area of focus for his teams was to accelerate the company’s push upmarket – winning, retaining, and growing larger sellers within the Square ecosystem. During this time Square launched ecommerce APIs, vertical-specific point of sale software (restaurants, retail/omnichannel, services), and software development kits (SDKs) to help Square develop a mobile commerce product. While Michael was at Square the business grew from a $3.5B newly public company to a $50B+ innovative leader in global financial technology.

Prior to Square, Michael was the VP of Sales & Marketing at StructuredWeb, a leading provider of marketing and sales automation software to global companies who sell through indirect channels, resellers, and distributors. Michael started his career after college by building a company to teach individuals and companies how to sell and how to build their own sales teams.

Outside of work Michael supports multiple nonprofits including New Story, Scholars of Finance, and the Front Row Foundation. Michael lives in Miami and NYC when not traveling, and he holds a BA in Economics from Harvard University where he graduated with honors.

Robert H. Edwards Jr.

Rob has more than 25 years of diverse experience in closing deals and advising companies driving the energy transition.  He is Managing Director at HamiltonClark Sustainable Capital, where he works with energy transition companies in raising debt and equity.

Rob has vast experience in the energy sector, spending the vast majority of his career in the private sector. Rob was with the JP Morgan Global Commodities Group in NYC where he was a senior member on the Project/Structured Finance Desk. Rob has also been aPartner in two Am Law 100 Firms advising project developers and lenders in a series of innovative transactions in the United States, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Africa. During his career he has successfully closed more than $15 billion in energy and electric vehicles financing and energy sector M&A transactions.

Rob served at the U.S. Department of Energy in senior roles on two occasions.  In 2009-2011, he was appointed Deputy General Counsel for Energy Policy under President Obama where he was a senior member of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Team. Robhelped to guide the deployment of more than $35 billion in ARRA funding.  At that time he also led the structuring and negotiation of the Tesla $465 million ATVM loan which funded Tesla’s first ever manufacturing line in Fremont, California, and negotiated the successful financial closing of the Ford $5.9 billion ATVM loan which funded Ford’s continued investments in increasing MPGs in ICE engine vehicles and funded the beginning of Ford’s investments in electric vehicles.

More recently Rob served as the first Director of the Outreach and Business Development Division in the DOE Loan Programs Office to assist applicants applying for loans and loan guarantees to help deploy innovative clean energy and advanced transportation projects in the United States. Rob led a team of 20 senior professionals as they networked widely with potential applicants as well as the leading investment banks and venture capital firms investing in the energy transition.

Rob graduated with an AB in Economics, magna cum laude from Harvard College.  He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a JD from Stanford Law School. Rob lives with his wife in Potomac, Maryland, and they have two grown children who live and work in New York City.

David Eun

David Eun has over 25 years of experience in technology and media.  He served as Chief Innovation Officer of Samsung Electronics where he was responsible for developing a long-term vision and driving future growth opportunities for the company, leading Samsung’s entry into: IoT, Fintech/Payments, Blockchain, VR/AR/Metaverse and Connected TV/Mediatech services. He also served as President at Samsung NEXT, an innovation group he founded providing venture capital, partnership formation, product development, M&A advisory and operational support to startups globally.

Prior to joining Samsung, David served as President of AOL Media, and Global Head of Content Partnerships and Business Development at YouTube/Google. He began his career as a venture capitalist at Arts Alliance and executive at Time Warner and NBC Entertainment. David is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

Jill Ford

Jill Ford is an independent investor, board director, and advisor who is passionate about  enabling people and transforming communities. She brings a wealth of experience as a  venture capitalist, economic development leader, corporate business development  executive, strategist, and closer.  

As Toyota Ventures’ Principal and first hire, Jill focused on discovering investment  opportunities in autonomous mobility, robotics, AI, and data and cloud, as well as on  working closely with Toyota Ventures’ portfolio companies.  

Jill joined Toyota Ventures from Mayor Duggan’s team at the City of Detroit, where she  served as the Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This role was created for Jill in  2014 after a visit to Detroit as a relatively new angel investor considering investment  opportunities led to a meeting with Mayor Duggan.  

In Detroit, Jill attracted and grew startups and small businesses by engaging directly with  entrepreneurs, uncovering gaps in Detroit’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, and working  with public and private sector partners to create programs, such as the Motor City Match,  to fill these gaps.  

Previously, Jill held global technology leadership roles, including heading Disney Mobile’s  worldwide distribution to mobile device manufacturers and running Motorola’s global  games usage. She also ran a company in Ghana that discovered, developed, and funded  new entrepreneurs.  

A global citizen, Jill has traveled to more than 15 countries. The relationships that she  has developed within communities continue to help her to make valued connections  between them.  

Jill received a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Harvard University and a  Wharton MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management.

Dr. Randel “Laz” Gordon (COL, USAF Ret.)

Dr. Randel “Laz” Gordon is a retired US Air Force Colonel and was the Wing Commander of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex, a multi-billion dollar nationwide organization featuring more than 68 developmental test and evaluation capabilities designed to test the superiority of aerospace systems required to meet the demands of the National Defense Strategy.

Prior to this role, he served as the initial cadre Director for the Secretary of the Air Force’s AI Technology Accelerator with MIT.  He also served on the Secretary of the Air Force’s initial cadre for the AFWERX Technology Innovation Team with business, academia, and Airmen.

Dr. Gordon is a Presidential Fellow, Harvard Business School Alumnus, DARPA Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Fellow, and graduate of the US Air Force’s School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS).  He has over 3000 flight hours as an experimental test pilot and operational combat fighter pilot with experience in the F-22A, F-15C/E, A-10A/C, F-16A/C, T-38C, Bombardier BD-700 Global Express business jet, and 70 other military and civilian aircraft.

Claire Broido Johnson

Claire is a senior operations and finance executive who runs the University System of Maryland Momentum Fund. (MMF) She has a proven track record in creating and managing successful businesses and driving operations (including as founder of SunEdison).  She also guided the deployment of $11 billion in economic stimulus funds in 2009-2010 at the Department of Energy (DOE).  Prior to MMF and after DOE, she ran CBJ Energy where she developed a energy efficiency financing product for Serious Energy, launched new products and new states for Next Step Living, and managed energy projects and research for Katerra.    She is on the Board of BlocPower.io,  the National Sierra Club Foundation, Living Classrooms, and serves as an Advisor for several companies. She lives with her husband and 2 kids in Baltimore.

Joe Kelley

A veteran to the grocery and CPG retail industry, Joe Kelley is known for his ability to deliver transformational results and immediate impact at the regional, national, and international levels. For years, he has led organizations to instill the discipline and rigor found in larger corporations, while ensuring they remain nimble and responsive like an independent to stay relevant and profitable in today’s radically shifting grocery retail marketplace.

As Executive Vice President at Price Chopper Supermarkets, he turned around years of stagnant growth and profitability by transforming the company’s culture and value proposition in the market – growing market share by over 100 basis points in Total Markets and over 220 basis points in Major Markets. Following this success, he was retained by Marsh Supermarkets as Chairman, CEO, and President to turn around floundering sales, delivering a 40 basis point savings in SG&A within twelve months.

As President of the New England Division at Stop & Shop, Joe served as an Executive Board Member for the Ahold USA business. Within short time, he turned around a significant five-year decline in sales to deliver 3% to 5% profitable sales growth and he led the division to regain market share, realizing a 100 basis point improvement. Recognized for his achievements, Joe was honored with the Man of the Year award by the CT Food Association in 2009 and Man of the Year award in 2010 by the MA Food Association. As principal of Kelley Business Advisors, LLC, he has helped retail and consumer goods companies as well as start-ups to achieve growth, and has been instrumental in contributing to Dunkin Brands’ successful recent coffee pod launch into the restaurant and donut shop market and Big Papi’s (David Ortiz Brands) tortilla chips, sales, and hummus launch.

Ceci Kurzman

Ceci Kurzman is a private investor, entrepreneur, and independent board member. Her experience building artists’ careers in the media and entertainment industry has made her a business leader at the intersection of talent and business.

Ceci is the founder of Nexus Management, a private investment company dedicated to innovative growth-stage businesses in the consumer, media and technology sectors. As a manager, Ceci pioneered the concept of “artist as enterprise”. Ceci has guided the careers, business strategies and brand development of many “living brands” and iconic recording artists including Shakira and Alicia Keys. In transforming Nexus Management from a talent management operation into a private investment vehicle, Ceci uniquely capitalized on the artists’ influence by sourcing and co-investing in private investments, thus evolving it from a transactional business model to an asset-driven one. Utilizing her artist development expertise to develop businesses and entrepreneurs, Ceci has grown a portfolio of companies taking on varying degrees of operational involvement.

Prior to founding Nexus, Ceci was Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Epic / Sony Music where she led the marketing team and oversaw the US and International strategy for priority artists. She oversaw a roster of artists that included Pearl Jam, Sade, George Michael, Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion and Michael Jackson. She began her career in the record business at Arista Records working for the legendary Clive Davis as Director of Artist Development and Special Projects.

Ceci sits on the board of directors of Revlon where she is a member of the Compensation and Audit committees. Her additional board seats include Spring Studios, Johnson Publishing (former), Migreat and The Women’s Forum of New York. Her non-profit board positions include Medecins du Monde, The Mayor’s Office for Global Partnerships, Choate Rosemary Hall and The Council on Foreign Relations Global Communications Advisory Committee. A graduate of Harvard who grew up in several countries throughout Africa, Middle East and Asia, Ceci resides in NY with her husband and 2 sons.

Christina Lewis

Christina Lewis is the Founder and President of All Star Code, a leading organization creating economic opportunity by developing boys and young men of color with entrepreneurial mindsets and the tools they need to succeed in the technological world. Since 2013, All Star Code has taught coding to over 600 students via its flagship Summer Intensive program in New York City, Jersey City and Pittsburgh— with 98 percent matriculating to four year colleges and 85 percent intending to major in computer science-related subjects.

Lewis is formerly an award-winning journalist. Her writing has been featured in publications such as The New York Times Magazine and The Wall Street Journal, where she spent five years as a staff writer. Building on the legacy of her late father, prominent Wall Street financier Reginald F. Lewis, Christina is a sought-after speaker whose work has been profiled by various media outlets. Christina is a member of the Hunter College Computer Science Advisory Board, a Director of The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, and an elected Director of the Harvard Alumni Association. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College and lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

Esteban Lopez

Dr. Esteban López is a seasoned healthcare executive and entrepreneur, who has held various senior leadership positions throughout his career. He is the founder of Hopscotch Health, a medical practice that he operates today.

Previously, Dr. López served as the Healthcare and Life Sciences Market Lead for the Americas at Google Cloud, where he was responsible for developing and executing market strategies, promoting thought leadership, and creating innovative solutions for the North and Latin American markets. He also served as the Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Strategy and Innovation at Health Care Service Corporation, the largest member-owned health insurance company in the US, and was the President of the Southwest Texas Region for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and Chief Medical Officer for the entire state.

Dr. López holds a Bachelor’s in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, an M.D. from Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, and an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas. He is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. In addition to running his medical practice, he serves on the board of directors for publicly traded companies Addus Homecare and Axonics, both listed on the NASDAQ exchange.

Anish Melwani

Anish Melwani is the Chairman & CEO, LVMH for North America. In this role, he oversees and coordinates the activities of the LVMH Group across 75+ Maisons. He sits on the board of directors for Fresh, Marc Jacobs, Colgin Cellars and Starboard Cruise Services.

He was formerly a Senior Partner in the New York Office of McKinsey and Company where he co-led the Global Strategy & Corporate Finance practice and supports clients across industries.
Mr. Melwani is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Board of the United Way of New York City where he serves on the Marketing Committee.

He holds a BA in Economics from Harvard University.

Abe Minkara

Abe Minkara is the Chief Investment Officer and Founding Partner of Legacy Knight. Prior to Legacy Knight, Abe was the Managing Director at Mark Cuban Companies. Abe managed the portfolio of investments at Mark Cuban Companies with a focus on technology, logistics, and consumer product goods (Shark Tank).

Abe is also actively engaged as an advisor and board member with a number of companies leveraging his expertise in strategy, operations, and capital allocation to help accelerate their growth. D CEO Magazine has recognized Abe as one of the 500 most influential business leaders in North Texas for 2020.

Additionally Abe is a Member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) North Texas Chapter, Advisory board member at Institute of Excellence in Corporate Governance (IECG), Advisor at NPX (A new Donor Fund), Advisor at NYC based City Rock Ventures (Focus on impact with diverse founding teams), Mentor at Unreasonable Group (Global Impact Accelerator), Advisor at Guardian Bikes (Shark Tank Season 8 company), and Advisor/Mentor at Stadia Ventures (Global Sport Business Accelerator).

Abe received his MBA from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.

Christopher J. O'Connor

Christopher J. O’Connor, CEO of The Bayard Group, is an experienced executive and nationally recognized healthcare entrepreneur, innovator and thought leader. With more than three decades of global experience leading and advising growth-oriented hospitals and health systems in strategic supply chain management, Christopher is known for his breakthrough contributions at the intersection of cost, quality, and outcomes (CQO). His crisis leadership was field tested in the most challenging of situations, leading efforts to maintain Metropolitan New York hospital and health system supply chains through multiple natural disasters and healthcare crises with the NYC Office of Emergency Medicine.

Christopher’s contributions in the fields of healthcare supply chain operations and cost containment are well established. His corporate career began at Mount Vernon Hospital, gaining experience that he brought to his work at Deloitte leading global supply chain projects in Europe, Latin America and Africa for complex organizations such as USPS, the United Nations, and the Department of Homeland Security. Christopher joined the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) in 2003, achieving roles of increasing responsibility to become the EVP of GNYHA Ventures and President and CEO of two of its businesses: Acurity and Nexera.

Acurity’s client base of 300+ hospitals and health systems represent over $7 billion of purchasing volume. Under Christopher’s leadership, clients realized extensive cost savings and enhancements to business processes in pharmacy services, purchasing, and contracting. He founded Nexera to complement Acurity’s offerings, and to provide strategic supply chain solutions (including outsourcing) to healthcare organizations seeking a better alignment of efforts related to cost containment, quality, and financial outcomes (reimbursements). His strategic leadership significantly increased the value positioning of the businesses resulting in a sale to Premier, Inc. (NYSE: PINC) in 2020 for $300 million.

Christopher is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the New York Academy of Medicine, and the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM) where he also served as Chair and is a board member of the YMCA of Greater New York where he chairs the governance and nominating committee. His volunteer work with Covenant House Latin America led to the creation of sustainable revenue streams, significantly reducing reliance on donors for achieving its mission. He is/has been an adjunct faculty member at Cornell University, Pace University, Iona College, and SUNY Binghamton, where he has lectured on healthcare and supply chain management.

Christopher is an author of two CQO books including Healthcare Supply Chain at the intersection of Cost, Quality and Outcomes. He was previously a special education teacher, founder of a real estate development company, and an accomplished long-distance/marathon runner. He is the father of three grown sons, a licensed pilot, and an avid boater. He holds a B.A., an M.B.A., and a post-graduate certificate in organizational behavior from Iona College.

John Osborn

John joined OMD in 2017 after 25 years with BBDO, where he served as President and CEO of the New York Agency for 13 years.

In his 3 ½ years at OMD, John has integrated together the agency’s brand, data & analytics and performance media services under a centralized management structure, enabling the agency to deliver better decisions, faster. He has also reignited growth with a string of new business, including Clorox, NFL, Boehringer Ingelheim, Dolby, TOMS shoes, IMAX, Ireland Tourism, Georgia Pacific, SNAP and Canva.

John has been equally active outside business. He serves as Chairman of the Board of the American Red Cross for Greater New York and as Vice Chairman of Global Dignity. He also serves on the AAF and AdCouncil Boards.

In recognition of his accomplishments, John was a recipient of a 2012 AdColor Award celebrating diversity champions in advertising, media, marketing and public relations. In 2003, he was inducted into the AAF Hall of Achievement, which honors people 40 years of age or under for their contributions to business. He has also been named to the Crain’s New York Business list of “40 under 40” as well as BtoB magazine’s “Who’s Who in BtoB.”

John earned his BA at Dartmouth, for which he continues to serve as a member of its Alumni Association and Friends of Dartmouth Hockey Program. He is married to Lesley and is the father of a 16-year-old daughter (Caroline) and a 15-year-old son (John Jr.).

Stephen Palmese

Stephen P. Palmese is Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Integritas Capital, a vertically integrated private equity firm with a broad range of investments with a focus on commercial real estate private equity and private credit strategies.  Since 2004, Integritas Capital has been the direct developer of more than $1 billion in real estate transactions and lead investor in more than $1.5 billion in real estate projects across ground up development, direct investment and preferred equity investment, the acquiring of non-performing loans and the origination of whole loans and mezzanine financing.  In 2010, Stephen started Legacy Equity Ventures, an early-stage venture investment vehicle which has made over twenty direct investments.  Stephen is a graduate from Georgetown University and lives in New York City.

Kara Ross

Kara Ross is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and an award-winning jewelry designer whose work is recognized by the White House. Her pieces were commissioned by the Obama White House, and art museums across the country. Kara is a certified gemologist, a member of Women Moving Millions and the Harvard Kennedy School of Public Policy, and has served on the boards of the CFDA and Georgetown University. Kara Ross has sold to top international retailers over the years including Harrods, Selfridges, Barney’s NY, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue, to name a few.

Kara’s most recent venture is UNLEASHED, a 501(c)3 non-profit media organization. She founded UNLEASHED to support & celebrate female artisans and entrepreneurs around the world through authentic storytelling. UNLEASHED is currently creating a new TV series which profiles distinguished female change makers and entrepreneurs who are making a difference around the world. UNLEASHED is based on the mantra, “If You Can’t See It, You Can’t Be It!”. The series is meant to entertain, educate and inspire.

Annie Day Thorp

Annie Day Thorp is a marketer and entrepreneur focused on direct-to-consumer brands. Most recently, she was the founding Chief Marketing Officer of women’s work wear brand MM.LaFleur. She scaled the venture-backed brand an average of 300% y/y over four years, led their pivot to a stylist-enabled business model, and helped to lead fundraising, communications, and HR. Prior to MM.LaFleur, she worked in marketing for Amazon-owned Quidsi (the Diapers.com family of sites). Annie started her career in Online Sales and Operations at Google.

Annie currently sits on the board of designer shoe brand Sarah Flint, and is an advisor to DTC brands Haute Hijab, Service First Jewelry, and Paper Cape children’s clothing.  Annie earned her BA with honors in Social Studies from Harvard College. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and their three children.

Ann M. Veneman

Ann M. Veneman has a distinguished career in public service, serving as the Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from 2005 to 2010 and as the United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2001 to 2005. Veneman’s leadership and vision has been recognized both nationally and internationally. In 2009 she was named to the Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Women Making History Award from the National Women’s History Museum.

The only woman to ever serve as Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Veneman directed one of most diverse federal agencies with a budget of $113 billion and 110,000 employees. She also served as Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture from 1995 to 1999, overseeing the state agency responsible for nation’s largest agricultural producing region. From 1986 to 1993, she served in various positions in the USDA, including Deputy Secretary, Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs, and Associate Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service.

Veneman currently serves on the boards of directors for Nestlé S.A., Full Harvest, the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), and the Washington Institute for Business, Government and Society. She is a member of the Hilton Humanitarian Prize Jury and the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a frequent speaker on a range of topics including poverty alleviation, empowering women and girls, food security and nutrition, and global health.

Throughout her career Veneman has served on a number of advisory councils and committees. Currently she serves on the advisory boards of Sundridge Partners, CitiRock Partners, BRAC, KDC Ag, Just Capital, the National 4-H Council, Resolution Project, Terra Vesco, the Close Up Foundation, the United Nations Foundation, Living Goods, Perfect Day, Ukko, Memphis Meats, and the Stanislaus County Community Foundation. She has also a worked with the Bipartisan Policy Center on nutrition and political reform issues and with the Chicago Council on agricultural development. She also served as a fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health and the U.C. Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy.

A lawyer by training, Veneman has practiced law in both California and in Washington DC. Veneman holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Davis; a master’s degree in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley; and a juris doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from several universities and colleges.

Strauss Zelnick

Strauss Zelnick founded ZMC in 2001. Mr. Zelnick has a long history of leading media and communications enterprises and is deeply involved in originating investments, advising executives and guiding the strategic and operational initiatives across all portfolio company investments. Mr. Zelnick currently represents ZMC as a director of Education Networks of America, Inc. He serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Previously, Mr. Zelnick was on the boards of Cast & Crew Entertainment Services, L.L.C., Alloy, Inc. and Naylor L.L.C. He also served as Chairman and CEO of Columbia Music Entertainment, Chairman of ITN Networks, Chairman of Direct Holdings Worldwide and OTX.

Prior to forming ZMC, Mr. Zelnick was President and Chief Executive Officer of BMG Entertainment, at that time one of the world’s largest music and entertainment companies with more than 200 record labels and operations in 54 countries.

Before joining BMG Entertainment, Mr. Zelnick was President and Chief Executive Officer of Crystal Dynamics, a producer and distributor of interactive entertainment software. Prior to that, he spent four years as President and Chief Operating Officer of 20th Century Fox, where he managed all aspects of Fox Inc.’s worldwide motion picture production and distribution business.

Previously, Mr. Zelnick spent three years at Vestron Inc., two as the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Zelnick also served as Vice President of International Television Sales at Columbia Pictures.

Mr. Zelnick holds a BA from Wesleyan University, as well as an MBA from Harvard Business School and a JD from Harvard Law School