strategic board and staff.

jay levine

JAY LEVIN - President

Jay is Founder and President of the EQuip Our Kids! Campaign. Generally acknowledged as a media pioneer, he is founder and former CEO and Editor-in-Chief of multiple award-winning and greatly successful (broke advertising records in the industry) LA Weekly newspaper, which he sold some years ago. Since then he has focused on three areas of activity. 

(1) Starting, growing or saving media properties that have social value. Mr. Levin is knowledgeable about most elements of media and marketing. 

(2) Non-profit organizations, of which he has launched six covering poverty and hunger, job and community economic development, human rights and, in education, EQuip Our Kids! and The California Social-Emotional Learning Alliance, now with 4,000 educator members. He has also served on the advisory board of other non-profits. 

(3) As a successful if very part-time  life and executive coach for 20 years, this based on his life-long interest in and study of human development, in which he is trained as a practitioner, including via a Master’s Degree program in spiritual psychology. The same inner-and-outer-world management skills that constitute adult social and emotional learning, he believes, are even more effective with – and more easily adopted by – children.

DR. KASTHURI HENRY - Executive Director & Board Chair

Dr. Kas, PhD, is also the CEO of KasHenry Inc. and the founder of Ennobled for Success InstituteHer expertise stretches across business change management, financial strategy, process improvement, and leadership training. Her work has influenced acquisition of the Duracell Brand by Warren Buffet from P&G; the business transformation of Chicago’s $22 billion Teachers Pension Fund as its CFO; along with transforming insurance practices and risk management through predictive analytics as CFO at Aon Risk Management. 

Dr. Kas is committed to holistic human development and has successfully integrated the development of EQ through her work with organizations, educational institutions, and global communities. Her ability to understand the importance of first developing the being and then bringing that authentic self to all the doing makes her a sought-after member of Forbes Coaches Council. A passion of hers is K-12 Social-Emotional Learning and training educators to successfully navigate SEL as a lived experience. As a graduate school professor, she continues to transform students from the US military, public safety, private and nonprofit sectors. Her books include two #1 International best sellers, Ennobled for Success: From Civil War to a US CFO, and The Resiliency Playbook. 

kasthuri henry raw

T.J. Aagesen

T.J., a public educator in the Chicago area, has a diverse background that includes as a professor since 2016 in the public safety management program at Southern Illinois University/Carbondale. An advocate of the need for social-emotional learning (SEL) for students, his keen interest in child development and safety includes his role for some years earlier as court-appointed special advocate for children from abused and neglected homes. Important to EQuip Our Kids! campaign that seeks municipal support for SEL, including from police and fire agencies, T.J. adds knowledge of municipal systems that includes serving as Board Chair of the Fire and Police Commissioners for the city of Elgin from 2014-2021, and as a commissioner from 2021-2023.

Joining the fire service in 2004, T.J.’s experience includes as a career firefighter, paramedic and arson investigator. His passion for community service also led him to be a volunteer peer reviewer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and to serve as a technical committee member to the National Fire Protection Association, which sets standards for motion picture and television production, studios and soundstages. In 2012, he founded a consulting service that also tapped his experience as a court-qualified fire analyst. 

MARQUES D. ANDERSON

Marques is an innovator, world builder and cyborg anthropologist, which studies the intra-connections between humans and technology. In 2009, following five years as an NFL player and two years of study abroad, he founded the World Education Foundation, which focuses on bridging the gap between academia, technology and project implementation in local communities around the world. WE developed on-site programs in 21 of the 81 countries he has visited. Accomplishments include improving malaria treatment production and access in DR Congo; also alleviating poverty there via an integrated biodiesel program; Youth Empowerment Programs in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia; an alternative fuel project in Haiti; and a solution incubator in refugee camps of Northern Iraq and Myanmar. Collaborators in WE projects include MIT, Harvard, Stanford, USC, the United Nations Foundation, Save the Children and Start Up Lab.

Inspired by a former fellowship in the Global Solutions Program hosted by Singularity University and NASA, Marques also founded and is CEO of Urban Matrix One, which utilizes satellite technology, unique data sets and machine learning to quantify financial, social and climate related impact for global infrastructure projects. He is currently building out a land operating company that re-imagines the future of community, citizenship and kinship. Marques likes to refer to himself as “a cyborg with a deep passion for ancestral wisdom, recognizing patterns and creating personal and communal transformation in sync with the natural world.”

BARBARA ANNIS

Barbara Annis, CEO of Gender Intelligence Group (GIG), is a world-renowned expert on gender, diversity and inclusive leadership. She advocates the value and practice of this new type of leadership in organizations and major companies worldwide. Her insights and achievements have pioneered a transformational shift in mindsets for men and women across the globe on the importance of gender unity to organizational success. Over the last 30 years, she and her associates have transformed organizational cultures and leadership behavior while creating greater gender balance at all levels. Barbara is also Chair Emeritus and current member of the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard Kennedy School, and was recently conferred the International Alliance for Women, Lifetime Achievement Award.

Barbara began her career as the first woman in sales at Sony and became the first woman Sales Manager, gaining 14 Outstanding Sales Achievement Awards and Sony’s MVP Award. Since then, her group has facilitated more than 8,000 workshops and conducted thousands of leadership assessments and executive coaching sessions. And she is the author of five books: Results at the Top: Using Gender Intelligence to Create Breakthrough Growth, co-authored with Richard Nesbitt; Gender Intelligence: Breakthrough Strategies for Increasing Diversity and Improving Your Bottom Line, co-authored with Dr. Keith Merron; Work with Me: The 8 Blind Spots between Men and Women in Business is written in conjunction with John Gray of Mars Venus renown; Same Words, Different Language: A Proven Guide for Creating Gender Intelligence at Work; and Leadership and the Sexes, co-authored with Michael Gurian Her 5th book, Results at the Top: Using Gender Intelligence to Create Breakthrough Growth is out now! View her TED Talk and an interview with her on  BNN Bloomberg.

Dr Roslyn Ellison Blake

DR. ROSLYN ELLISON BLAKE

Dr. Blake is CEO of MB Ellison, Inc., and COO of Bob Blake & Associates, which services the employee benefits programs of many government organizations in the Los Angeles region. Frequently honored as a leader in the African-American business and philanthropic communities, she has established her own program to elevate the lives of young people. Dr. Blake is also on the Board of Councilors at USC’s School of Pharmacy and the  board of Getty House Foundation, and is active in the Women Presidents’ Organization, Women Impacting Political Policy, and the National Association of Women Business Owners. A graduate of University of Southern California, she is a trained pharmacist turned entrepreneur and C-suite executive. As a Big EQ board member, she will serve as Secretary and Treasurer.

DR. DAVID WILEY CAMPT

The Founder and Principal of The Dialogue Company, David is a expert on enabling dialogue between disparate groups and individuals and on civic engagement and social inclusion. Born in Detroit, he holds a PHD in City Planning, and after college worked for the Clinton administration’s “Conversations on Race” initiative. Over his 25-year career as a featured presenter, he has helped groups focus on a variety of topics including strategic planning, conflict resolution, creating more inclusive decision-making, leadership succession, cultural competence, and many others. His wide variety of clients have included: the US military, The White House, large corporations, international organizations, foundations, governments, universities, national associations, and non-profit groups.  

A keen supporter of Social-Emotional Learning PreK-12, David’s work effectively provides some of the mindset and skills in creative collaboration and problem solving to groups ranging from small executive boards to large-scale summits involving thousands of people.  As “The Dialogue Guy,” he also has made numerous appearances on national media as well as local television, radio, and print media across the US.

Dr Amy Cranston

DR. AMY CRANSTON

Amy currently serves as the Executive Director of the California Social-Emotional Learning Alliance . Previously she was Director of Expanded Learning Services for the Ventura County Office of Education; also Co-Regional Lead for Region 8 of the California Department of Education’s Expanded Learning Division. A professional educator for nearly 20 years, she has been a teacher, school site administrator, county office administrator, and state representative for a four-county region. 

A formal and passionate SEL expert, her Doctoral study focused on Social-Emotional Learning in K-12 Education. She has since brought her SEL expertise into service in various capacities at the local, state, and national levels. Dr. Cranston holds an Ed.D. in K-12 Educational Leadership and has published several articles based on her SEL research.  Her book Creating SEL Environments is set for release in July, 2019 by Shell Education Publishing. Her additional areas of expertise include: Impact of poverty on education, social justice and educational equity for at-risk students, dropout prevention, college and career readiness, career and technical education (CTE), school climate and safety, family engagement, and afterschool expanded learning programs.

RYAN CROWNHOLM

Ryan is CEO of Crown Capital Ventures, Inc. and a veteran of the US Army. An enthusiastic supporter of social-emotional learning (SEL) and of positive school transformation and the father of two young children, he brings his exceptional talents as a guerilla marketer and entrepreneur to assist EQuip Our Kids! in developing business and philanthropic support for SEL. Ryan has built a succession of multi-million dollar companies with little capital and no outside investment. Sectors include waste management, trucking, excavating and construction, along with internet-based businesses, marketplaces, blockchain, and real estate. His creativity and experience has also helped dozens of businesses and non-profits execute on their vision. He has a unique talent of unlocking hidden revenue in almost any type of organization. Ryan also volunteers his time with Defy Ventures, helping formerly incarcerated inmates learn about soft job skills and entrepreneurship to help them re-integrate into society.

RYAN CROWNHOLM

ERNESTO DURAN

Mr. Duran is one of the 16 “Regional Leads” for Expanded Learning Programs in the State of California, responsible for providing technical assistance and grant compliance support to more than 50 school districts serving more than 21,000 children in 250 schools across four counties. Earlier, he managed a Boys and Girls Club department of 200 employees, overseeing multiple after-school programs.  A major supporter of Social-Emotional Learning and a frequent speaker at community events and at education and government conferences, his most recent area of focus is on SEL in the Latino community.

A research scholar as well, his latest study looks at the prevention of health disparities for children exposed to violence in under-served communities. Two earlier studies examined health disparities for farm workers and indigenous Mexican populations living and working in Ventura County. He also has provided consulting assistance and training to government institutions, businesses, non-profit organizations and marketing agencies seeking to increase their outreach and services to the growing Latino community. Mr. Durán graduated from UCLA with a double major in History and Spanish Literature and holds a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the school.

RICHARD FOOS

Best known as co-founder and former CEO of Rhino Records, which itself became famous twice over – once as the vanguard company that founded and reprised remarkable music (and later films) and packaged these in an elegant and intelligent manner; and secondly as one of the most socially conscious businesses in America, one that encouraged company employees to mentor disadvantaged youth and donated millions to various community-based charities. After selling Rhino, he founded the company Shout! Factory and introduced to it the same social values and product focus, except with more attention to films and TV than music.

Widely respected as a philanthropist, he has served on numerous charity and non-profit social cause boards, among them the Chrysalis Foundation (homelessness and poverty) and Little Kids Rock, a national organization devoted to enriching children’s lives by providing musical instruments and training to schools across the country (more than 1,000 to date), a cause in which he is energetically active. Richard is also deeply committed to infusing SEL programs into all schools.

Richard Foos

DUSTIN GARIS

A renowned brand innovator and keynote speaker once described as a cross between Richard Branson and Deepak Chopra, Dustin has brought his boundaries-pushing council and vision to numerous major companies, among them, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Google, Disney, Southwest, Pfizer, American Express, Ericsson, and others.

As their “Chief Troublemaker” he challenges companies to innovate for breakthrough results, particularly around creating for employees and customers “opportunities to live a memorable life.” His changemaker tactics break the mold of typical executives, such as his global expeditions to over 50 countries, and have gotten him branded the Indiana Jones of Marketing. Believing that “experience is everything,” he has kicked off meetings with opera singers and converted an elevator into his office, among others.

Dustin is an ardent supporter of expanding human emotional intelligence, and in particular, advancing both preK -12 school-based and adult Social-Emotional Learning. Dustin is helping guide EQuip Our Kids! campaign to develop corporate allies that will promote SEL as strongly as many have STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math).  Visit his website and if you’re lucky, you might have the opportunity to meet his goat.

MIKE GORMLEY

Mike Gormley achieved top recognition in his 40+ years in the music industry by setting into motion major artists’ international careers, including film composer Danny Elfman, the massively successful pop band The Bangles, Rod Stewart, Rush, BTO, The Police and Supertramp – this in roles as a record company executive and independent artist manager. He’s also been a music supervisor for TV and films, a music marketing/PR expert and, earlier, a journalist. He currently guides new talent seeking prominence in the industry.

As Publicity Director for Mercury Records, Mike engineered the media campaigns for Thin Lizzy, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, The Runaways and The Ohio Players, among others, and was instrumental in signing the pioneering punk band The New York Dolls and the groundbreaking German electronica artists, Kraftwerk. Later as VP-Publicity for A&M Records, he worked with Herb Alpert, Styx, Squeeze and others before starting the management firm Los Angeles Personal Development with Miles Copeland, manager of The Police. Artists he managed include African star Angelique Kidjo, hit songwriters Lowen & Navarro, Australian singer/songwriter Anne McCue, the producer/film composer Paul Schwartz, and Broadway and film star Paige O’Hara. Later as co-founder of Wildcat Records he signed Michael Damian and The Boomers. Marketing clients included Nickelodeon, hip-hop dance company Groovaloo, the Great American Food and Music Festival, Townsquare LLC and Rhino Records. Mike is on the boards of Armory of Harmony, an organization that turns gun metal into musical instruments, and of Music Manager’s Forum U.S. Earlier he was on the Management/Legal Advisory Committee for ASC

.

Mike Gormley
craig hanley

CRAIG HANDLEY

Craig Handley is an author of a best selling book, Hired To Quit, who “moonlights,” he jokes, as CEO of his company, ListenTrust, which was named #1 in Business Products and Service (#27 overall) on the Inc. Magazine 500/5000. The company’s almost 1,000 employees answer hundreds of thousands of CS and lead generation calls monthly, generating $150,000 a month average for clients. Craig also runs a rapidly growing social media company, SocialClose, that is now guiding EQuip Our Kids! social media activities.

An expert at restarts, culture and hiring and highly innovative in marketing and sales, Craig is also a musician who has written hundreds of songs for artists all over the world, from rap to pop to ballads to humorous parodies; and he’s a bit of a comedian whose done stand-up on Broadway in NYC.

Craig served five years in the U.S. Army infantry during the first Iraqi war, leaving with an honorable discharge. An adventurer, he has cage-dived with great white sharks and rappelled down Table Mountain in South Africa, driven the Baja 500 trail in Mexico, hiked through the jungles of Malaysia, and in Iceland he snowmobiled across a live volcano, swam in the Blue Lagoon, and dove in the famed Silfra Fissure – the only dive site in the world where your dive is in the crack between two continental plates. He is also the 85th civilian in the world ever to jump out of a plane from over 32,000 feet (HALO Dive). Other “adventures” he notes: Hanging out on Necker Island with Richard Branson, partying with Akon and Snoop Dogg and many other celebrities, some of whom asked him for his autograph because they thought he starred in Game Of Thrones and he did not correct their thinking.

ISAAC MIZRAKI

ISAAC MIZRAKI

Isaac Mizraki is a businessman and entrepreneur living in Los Angeles. He has founded and run numerous companies, primarily in the health care arena. These include physician management, pharmacy and medical supply companies. His most recent company is focused on Wellness. He is a proud father and grandfather and a dedicated hiker who enjoys writing poetry and sculpting. As a strong supporter of education in general, he sees both the need for and value of the Big EQ mission and what it can accomplish in the lives of our children and in their present and future wellbeing.

BRIAN MURDOCK

Brian is founder and CEO of All World Communications Group which designs, installs, and manages business technology solutions, including unified communications, managed IT, internet, and surveillance technologies for Los Angeles Metro, MGA Entertainment, Brookfield Properties, Levi’s Strauss and 300 plus other companies. His other companies include All World Internet and All World Puerto Rico.

A dynamic leader, his passion is for creating and sustaining an impact in black, brown and other marginalized communities. This includes finding solutions to bridge the digital divide and create opportunities in the tech industry for students looking for a nontraditional route of education. His focus includes helping kids learn emotion modulation, visualization, and resilience – all outcomes of social-emotional learning. He believes – and research supports – this will in turn help close the wealth gap, increase taxable income to municipalities, and lower crime rates nationwide. Brian is married to Ashley Murdock and they have three children, Maxwell, Mason, and Madison.

STEPHEN NEMETH

Stephen Nemeth is a feature film and documentary producer and executive producer with dozens of films to his credit – – most produced by his independent film company Rhino Films. He is best known for the feature films Sessions, Why do Fools Fall in Love, Spaceman and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; and for the documentaries Fuel, Climate Refugees, The Monopoly Story, and Dogtown and Z Boys. He also developed numerous human rights related features and documentaries for Amnesty International while on the board of Artists for Amnesty.

An activist on several fronts, Steve serves on the board of Children Uniting Nations and joined his wife Blake Lindsley in stepping into the world of raising children’s emotional intelligence by funding the training of teachers in social-emotional learning. Among other boards he serves on are Wheels for Humanity, whose focus is helping the disabled; Friends of the Earth and Star Ecostation. Film Industry boards and advisory boards include, among others, the International Documentary Association and the Hollywood, Earth X, Carmel and Zurich Film Festivals. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he was the recipient of the 2013 Global Action Award , the 2009 Vision Award for Documentary Producer and the 2009 Artivist Award for his advocacy and production of socially-conscious films.
STEPHEN NEMETH

DR MORONKE OSHIN-MARTIN

Dr. Moronke Oshin-Martin is a communications consultant, educator and executive coach with
experience in public relations, business consulting, training, and higher education. As an Assistant Professor of communication at the City University of New York/Bronx Community College and an Adjunct at Seton Hall University in NJ, she has been mentoring students and teaching communication and media courses for over 15 years.
 
She has worked as a journalist and as spokesperson and director of communication in city government and as a communication consultant for businesses, government, and non-profit organizations. She has also trained faculty to teach online prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A frequent guest lecturer and trainer to non-profits and other organizations, she has expertise in management, and advises firms on strategic communication, corporate reputation, crisis communication and specific diverse situational challenges.
 
As an educator, Dr. Oshin-Martin is passionate about issues related to diversity and inclusion, and experimenting with new approaches to teaching students the intercultural communication and social-emotional skills they need to become successful global citizens.
 
Dr. Oshin-Martin is also the host of the podcast What’s Going On? Eyes on Africa and the Caribbean, which talks about issues related to Africa, the Caribbean, and the African Diaspora,and highlights the life and work of professionals and everyday people.

JASMINE POWELL

Jasmine is the Strategy and Marketing Director of EQuip Our Kids! to which she brings considerable skills in organizational management, human/personal development, fine arts, event development, and marketing and advertising (starting with a USC degree in Communications and Marketing). Her profound interests in wellness, mental health and personal and community growth – including a strong desire to help provide all youth with the skills needed for living healthy, happy lives – led to her co-leadership role with EQuip! Earlier, her wellness focus combined with a lifelong love of horses led her to work with CornerStone Therapeutic Riding Center where she assists veterans recovery from PTSD, mental illnesses and physical traumas through Equine Therapy.

After graduation Jasmine joined her family as the third generation operator of Jack Powell Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in San Diego County, CA. Along the way she learned to understand, manage and motivate individuals and teams. Then, as General Manager she took the 60+ year old company gradually into the modern era, building a strong culture of caring. The results were a tripling of revenue and number of car sales along with a more than 45% increase in customer and employee retention. In 2017, she started CarPeazy LLC, a technology platform aimed at delivering auto sales services to customer’s homes on demand. 

RONNIE-SELINGER

RONNIE SELINGER

Ronnie is founder and CEO of Nordis Technologies, a high-tech national business communications firm that specializes in digital printing, electronic communications, billing and payment services focused on the Hospitality, Healthcare and Financial Services industries. The 30-year old company operates production facilities in Coral Springs, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ronnie is the visionary behind Nordis Technologies flagship products Expresso and Expresso Pay which are cloud-based electronic billing and payment technologies that allow Nordis clients the ability to manage the complex communications and payment processes from their desktop.

Ronnie makes his home in South Florida and before launching Nordis Technologies created a fundraising company that delivered more than $50 million to schools and youth groups throughout the U.S. His passion for helping children keeps him active in several children-oriented charities, including Voices for Children Broward County, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the March of Dimes, and he is in the early stages of setting up his own children’s support foundation. Other causes he aids are the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, and the American Cancer Society.

DR. VAL TORRES

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, and educated in Grenada and the US and now living in Tampa Bay, Fla., Dr. Torres focuses on reducing disparities in healthcare, housing, education, and economics in underserved communities, especially Hispanic ones. In this he wears several hats. He is CEO at Armada BusinessMD, which provides lower-cost health insurance and other business services to mostly minority-owned businesses, Separately, he is State Director of Business Development at The Force for Health® Network’s My Healthy Florida, a physician-led health system serving Florida and focused on improving health outcomes for – and providing high-quality, affordable healthcare to – low income communities. He is also Advisor to the Latino Leadership Institute’s Business Accelerator Program for Latino Entrepreneurs), and to Florida International University’s Executive Women of Influence Certificate Program.

Val notes that he is “absolutely living his best life, doing what he loves: bringing opportunity to those who’ve been historically disenfranchised!” He measures his success by the social and generational impact that he’s created for others. Passionate about helping underserved children reach their potential via access to social-emotional learning, he joined this board to help develop collaborations with his extensive network of businesses and nonprofits in advancing SEL into US schools.

Born of Portuguese and Spanish descent, he graduated from St. Mary’s College in Trinidad with an associate’s degree and was admitted to Grenada’s St. George’s University School of Medicine on a full scholarship and graduated with a Medical Doctorate and MBA. He then opted out of clinical medicine in favor of his current work life.

Susan Short

SUSAN SHORT

Susan Short is a multifaceted multimedia executive and entrepreneur with expertise in social media, magazine publishing, website and graphic design, video production, event management, and public relations.

She has managed magazines in various genres, including luxury interior design, travel, visitor’s guides, and Chamber of Commerce publications. Currently, she is publisher of Family Beautiful Magazine and Media, a multi-media platform that specializes in cutting-edge content using video, stills and social media to tell stories. A dynamic and frequent speaker and host at various events locally in the Gulf Coast region of Florida and nationally, Susan has hosted several TEC Tracks panels at the renowned music industry NAMM convention – most recently in 2020 with a music management panel featuring Randy Hoffman, John Mellencamp, Mike Gormley of The Bangles, Rod Stewart and Shannon O’Shea of Garbage.

Among events she has produced or co-produced was the Movieville International Film Festival in Sarasota, Florida, and she has been influential in helping the Florida Film Commission bring high-level talent to the area. A mom to one son now attending Law School, she believes “SEL is an essential tool in the overall comprehensive education and success of all children. These tools are critical to navigate the ever-complicated labyrinth of the road to becoming well-rounded adults who can achieve many great things.”

NIKKI WANG

Nikki Wang is founder of American Education Advantage, LLC, which facilitates U.S. university experiences for foreign students. Inspired by seeing students realize their dream of attending outstanding schools, she brings to EQuip Our Kids! a high degree of enthusiasm for education and the desire to help spread EQ and Social-Emotional Learning in the U.S for its benefits here and as a model for others. Originally from Hong Kong, Nikki is an Engineering graduate from University of Arizona who has risen to be an outstanding young woman entrepreneur working from the U.S. for 10 years – and is a person with traction among youth in many countries and with knowledge of advanced education in the U.S.

Emiritus Board

DAVID ADAMS

David is Chief Executive Officer of the Urban Assembly based in New York, which he joined in 2014 as the Director of Social-Emotional Learning. There he created the Resilient Scholars Program (RSP), a unique approach to integrating SEL into curriculum and classroom practices across the UA network. Now a national program, RSP serves schools and districts in Los Angeles, Houston, Syracuse, and other cities. Later, as Senior Director of Strategy, David led the expansion of the organization into a model provider of school support, with an emphasis on innovation and equity in public education.

David is also co-leader and key organizer of 4-year old International SEL Day, a collective social media effort by SEL educators to inform the public about the exceptional benefits of adopting SEL in all schools and homes. The event each year in March has collectively drawn nearly 25 million million views. He also is a board member of CASEL (the Collaborative for Academic and Social Emotional Learning), which is the most prominent and influential SEL support organization in the U.S.  In 2021, David received the Champion of Equity Award from the American Consortium for Equity in Education. He is an author of The Educator’s Practical Guide to Emotional Intelligence, and a co-author of the textbook, Challenges to Integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs in Organizations. A Civil Affairs Officer in the Army Reserve, he holds an M.Ed in Educational Psychology from Fordham University.

TED ALEMAYHU

TED ALEMAYHU

Ted became a globally-recognized and respected social entrepreneur when he founded and was Executive Chairman of U.S. Doctors for Africa (USDFA),a humanitarian organization committed to increasing access to medical care for diseases and conditions affecting the people of Africa. Ted is also recognized as the catalyst of the African First Ladies Health Summit, and was a key adviser and contributor to the formation of the African Union Foundation.

Ted has worked with the Clinton Foundation, UN, WHO, Merck, African Union, World Bank, HHS, and many other national and international institutions. As with all our board members, his extensive life experience has led him to conclude that much of human misery, conflict, emotional pain and dysfunctionality will be relieved by universal training in emotional intelligence and relationship skills, starting with our youth.

ERIK OBERHOLTZER

Co-Founder & CEO of Tender Greens restaurant chain. A civic activist, Erik focuses on poverty youth, foster care, food justice and job training, economic empowerment and the environment. As a social entrepreneur, Erik works to change the cycle of poverty affecting at-risk youth, doing so in part with culinary training through Tender Greens’ Sustainable Life Project, which he founded. SLP enrolls economically-disadvantaged youth in a six-month farm-to-fork internship consisting of weekly farm visits, classic culinary arts classes and weekly on-the job training at Tender Greens. Graduates are eligible for full-time employment upon completion. Erik also is co-founder of P. Balistreri Salumi Company, the first of chef legacy companies incubated and brought to market through Tender Greens.

ERIK OBERHOLTZER
TED SCHILOWITZ

TED SCHILOWITZ

Ted is the official Futurist for Paramount Pictures and views universal emotional intelligence learning as a necessity for the future well-being of society. He spends his time and pursues his passion in a unique role in the motion picture entertainment industry. He works with studio leadership and the technology teams at Paramount/Viacom exploring forms of new and emerging technologies, with an emphasis on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. Prior to joining Paramount, Ted was the Futurist at 20th Century Fox, where he worked on the evolving art, science and technology of advanced interactive visual storytelling. He was part of the creation team for the Martian VR and Wild VR experiences, which premiered at CES and Sundance as groundbreaking projects that pushed the envelope of Virtual Reality storytelling. 

our staff and consultants.

Jasmine Powell – Strategy and Marketing Director 

Livi Redden  – Manager, Youth Advisory and Social Media Teams

Grace Wang, Kent Velayo-Senior Project Managers 

Jennifer Duenas  – Social Media Manager

Greg Wasserman-Snow – Digital Advertising Manager

Mangala Rao, Latanya Jaeger – Streaming Video Managers  

  Adrienne Bracks – Salesforce/Mailchimp Administrator  

Molly Mandelbrot, Tanya Rodriguez, Neel Hunter –  Project Managers 

Ori Hoffer, Cheryl Sills,  Donya Hengehold – Public Relations Team 

  Julie Visco –  Graphics Manager 

Joe Collins,  Harsh Gohil . Paul Stravopoulos– Video Creators/Editors

Sasha Strauss, Greg Logan, Linda Hollander, Simon Mainwaring – Marketing Consultants

Livi Redden, Molly Mandelbrot, Natish Ramchandani, Rafaella Thorssen, Maxim Sokolov – Youth Advisory Board

Melissa Vo/Good Cause Group – Funding Consultants

11 Amps –  Website Services

The Art of Good – Design Teamr