Board of Directors

 

Cheryl D. Alston

Cheryl D. Alston, MBA, is Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer of Employees’ Retirement Fund (ERF) of the City of Dallas, a $3.6 billion pension fund. Ms. Alston is responsible for strategy development, finance, operations and investments. She is the first African American and the first woman to serve as the executive director of ERF. Ms. Alston has over 20 years of expertise in the financial services industry, including positions at ERF, Cigna Corporation and Chase Global Securities. Ms. Alston staffs a host of volunteer positions. Cheryl was appointed by President Barack Obama to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) Advisory Committee and served from 2011-2016. The PBGC protects the retirement incomes of more than 34 million U.S. workers. She also chairs the Finance & Strategy committee for a large Catholic healthcare system and a board member for the Texas Women’s Foundation. Her other board memberships include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City and The Arts Community Alliance (TACA). Ms. Alston is a noted speaker on asset allocation, manager selection, and risk management for institutional investor conferences. In 2016, Ms. Alston received Institutional Investor’s prestigious Investor Intelligence Network Award for her significant contributions to the industry through her work with Emerging Managers. Ms. Alston has a MBA in Finance from The Leonard N. Stern School at New York University and received a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Kafi D. Blumenfield

 

Brickson Diamond

Brickson Diamond is CEO of Big Answers, LLC, which supports senior leaders in the development and implementation of diversity and inclusion strategies. Big Answers generates new partnerships and leverages impactful connections for clients in entertainment, technology, asset management and philanthropy. Diamond previously served for five years as COO of The Executive Leadership Council, the preeminent membership organization of Black board members, CEOs and senior executives within Fortune 1000/Global 500 corporations. He held various executive roles in the investment management industry over a 15-year career with The Capital Group Companies, principally in the firm’s private wealth division. Diamond is a founding board member and chair of The Blackhouse Foundation, which works to expand opportunities for Black multi-platform content creators by providing pathways into distribution and career opportunities within film, television, digital and emerging platforms. He is a trustee of Brown University (chairing its Communications, Alumni and External Affairs committee), the Middlesex School and Tides. He serves on the investment committee of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands. Diamond is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Business School.

 

Marc Diaz

Marc Diaz is a leader in the impact investing field, focused on scaling sustainable businesses. As Senior Vice President at TerViva, a food and agriculture technology company, Mr. Diaz directs efforts to commercialize TerViva’s pongamia oilseed food products and tree cultivation worldwide. He is committed to the company’s work toward helping farmers restore agricultural lands into productive sources of food and bioproducts in an innovative, sustainable and responsible way. Mr. Diaz works with TerViva’s stakeholders to grow carbon-negative food that achieves environmental, social and governance goals with strong financial performance. Prior to joining TerViva, Marc launched and led NatureVest, The Nature Conservancy’s impact investing platform, building a $2 billion portfolio to deliver conservation outcomes at an ecosystem scale. He helped establish the UNICEF Bridge Fund as Managing Director, providing a source of flexible capital to fast-track life-saving goods to children in need worldwide. Mr. Diaz has served in Board leadership roles in community development finance, real estate, philanthropy, theater, and The Episcopal Church. He earned his MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School and holds an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School. He graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Government from Harvard College.

 

Sid Espinosa

Sid Espinosa is a businessman and politician. He is the former mayor of Palo Alto, CA, notably the first Hispanic to be elected to public office in that city’s history. Sid is currently the Senior Director of U.S. Philanthropies for Microsoft Corporation. Sid graduated from Wesleyan University where he majored in Government. He later earned a master’s degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he developed a passion for philanthropy and “its power to transform communities and individuals.” Sid’s career has spanned the government, business, philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. After working at the Democratic National Committee during the 1994 congressional campaigns, Sid joined the Clinton Administration, and worked both at the White House and then as an Advisor to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno at the U.S. Department of Justice. Sid has served on numerous boards of directors for business, nonprofit and educational organizations around the world.

 

Janiece Evans-Page

Janiece Evans-Page is the Chief Executive Officer of Tides, leading the organization as it seeks to broaden the reach of its impact and deepen its commitment to social change with dynamic tools, deep expertise, novel collaborations and innovative ideas. Ms. Evans-Page, who sits on the board in her capacity as Tides’ CEO, previously served as the inaugural Chief Sustainability and Diversity Officer at Fossil Group and Head of Fossil Foundation. She launched Fossil Group’s global philanthropy practice, leading the strategic modernization of Fossil Group’s global philanthropic investment portfolio and environmental impact framework. She was also the architect of Fossil Foundation’s signature initiative, empowering youth through innovative partnerships with social entrepreneurs. To date, the organization has impacted the lives of 1M+ underserved young people around the globe. In 2018, she was honored by Ebony Magazine as one of its Power 100 awardees in the “Women Up” category. In 2021, she was honored at the 12th Annual Powerful Women of The Bay Awards Luncheon. During her 20-plus year tenure at Hewlett-Packard Co., Ms. Evans-Page served as vice president and general manager of HP’s Imaging and Printing Attach Organization, which she launched and grew into a $600M+global enterprise. She currently serves on the boards of Southern New Hampshire University and IDEO.org. Ms. Evans-Page earned a B.S. in Social Science/Organizational Behavior at the University of California at Berkeley, and an Executive M.B.A. at Golden Gate University in San Francisco.

 

Michael Fernandez

Michael is Co-Founder and CEO of Threadeo, a software company building productivity tools. He is Co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of Little Kids Rock, a national non-profit restoring and revitalizing music education in disadvantaged public schools by donating instruments and music lessons to over 100,000 kids annually across the U.S. and in 25 cities. Little Kids Rock has been featured in Forbes and Rolling Stone, and supported by Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, Metallica, and many other musical luminaries. Michael served on the board of NCIRE, the leading nonprofit medical research institute in the United States devoted to pioneering new treatments and providing medical care for military Veterans. He served in the US Army and was the #1 ranked Distinguished Military Graduate of his ROTC class and ranked #1 in his Officer Basic Course. He was promoted to the rank of Captain after graduating from the JFK Special Warfare Center and while serving in a special operations unit; US Army Reserves. He is a Marshall Memorial Fellow, a White House Fellowship-National Finalist, and is recognized as “One of the most influential Bay Area Latinos” by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Born in NYC, he is the son of hard-working immigrant parents and the first to attend college earning a BSE from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an MPA from Harvard University.

 

Antionette Klatzky

Antoinette Klatzky is Executive Director of the Eileen Fisher Leadership Institute and host and co-producer of Women Together, a series of interactive, live-stream gatherings. She facilitates leadership programming and empowerment workshops and was responsible for hosting and producing a global movement of 13,000 changemakers during COVID-19. In her role of Strategic Partner for Eileen Fisher, Ms. Klatzky developed an Emergency Relief Fund for employees affected by COVID-19, prior to which, she led the development of Choose Handloom, a human rights initiative in the Eileen Fisher supply chain and supported the launch of a recycled clothing initiative, now known as Eileen Fisher Renew. Ms. Klatzky has a certification in Advanced Facilitation from the Presencing Institute, where she also completed a two-year MasterClass and became co-faculty on their Ecosystem Leadership Program. She has been recognized by the YWCA’s Salute to Women and Racial Justice as a “Person to Watch” and continues to serve as an advisor to various networks on systemic and strategic action for racial equity and justice. She serves on the boards of Westchester Community Foundation, Presencing Institute, and Women’s Funding Network.

 

Edward G. Lloyd

Ed Lloyd is the President of UNICEF USA Impact In Kind Assistance Corporation (IKAC) and Impact Investing in New York. Prior to this, he served from 2001 to 2018 as the U.S. Fund for UNICEF COO and CFO, where he supervised a 68-person staff with the following direct reports: Finance, Budgeting, IT, Strategic Planning, Revenue Processing, Donor Management, and Human Resources. Among his most important accomplishments have been establishing the bridge fund, establishing an excellent retirement plan, purchasing the organization’s real estate and establishing a transparent and positive relationship with the board. Ed is President of the Board of Condominium of 125 Maiden Lane, the headquarters of U.S. Fund for UNICEF. In addition, he chairs the Investment Committee of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York and is a member of the church’s Audit Committee. Ed also serves as the President of the Rivers Arts Cooperative Board in New York. Ed was awarded the St. Martin de Porres Award from Molloy College in 2003.

 

Suzanne Nossel, Secretary

Suzanne Nossel is Chief Executive Officer of PEN America and author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All. Prior to joining PEN America, she served as the Chief Operating Officer of Human Rights Watch and as Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. She has also served in the Obama Administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations, leading US engagement in the UN and multilateral institutions on human rights issues, and in the Clinton Administration as Deputy to the US Ambassador for UN Management and Reform. Nossel coined the term “Smart Power,” which was the title of a 2004 article she published in Foreign Affairs Magazine and later became the theme of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s tenure in office. She is a featured columnist for Foreign Policy magazine and has published op-eds in The New York Times, Washington Post, and LA Times, as well as scholarly articles in Foreign Affairs, Dissent, and Democracy, among others. She is a former senior fellow at the Century Foundation, the Center for American Progress, and the Council on Foreign Relations. Nossel is a magna cum laude graduate of both Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

 

John Oxtoby

John Oxtoby is Vice President and Director of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Investing for Ariel Investments. Mr. Oxtoby is responsible for leading the company’s efforts to integrate ESG research into its investment process. Under his direction and in concert with Ariel Investments’ core domestic ESG research analyst, he proactively works with portfolio companies to adopt and strengthen their social and environmental impacts, and improve governance practices to create shareholder value. Prior to joining Ariel Investments, Mr. Oxtoby worked in the White House with Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Austan Goolsbee on public-private partnerships, including the CEO-led President’s Jobs Council. He is a Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting Credential holder, which is administered by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). He graduated with an A.B. degree in economics from Harvard College and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

 

 

Roslyn Dawson Thompson

Roslyn joined Texas Women’s Foundation as president and CEO in July 2011, moving from a 25-year career as owner of an award-winning national marketing communications firm to leading the organization she had supported since its inception.

Under Roslyn’s leadership, the Foundation has undertaken ambitious strategic initiatives to impact women’s economic security and women’s leadership. The Foundation’s assets have increased by more than 54%, and its grants and programs benefiting women and girls by 180% to more than $7 million annually. The Foundation is also a leader in the gender lens investing movement, and has deployed 100% of its assets in a gendered impact portfolio that yields both financial returns and social benefits to women and girls.

 

Linda Verhulp
Linda Verhulp is the Executive Director of the Morgan Family Foundation, a private foundation that focuses its philanthropic goals on youth development, education, the environment and stewardship of regions and organizations. The foundation seeds promising leaders with innovative initiatives in addition to supporting established nonprofits working on society’s most difficult issues. She works with organizations to maximize their potential and impact through strategic grantmaking and leadership development. Ms. Verhulp’s professional experience includes executive positions in finance, operations and marketing in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. She was the General Manager of the United States Embassy Employees’ Association in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the Desert Storm conflict. Ms. Verhulp serves on the national board of the Positive Coaching Alliance, a catalyst for a positive and inclusive youth sports culture across the U.S. and was a founding board member of Teen Success Inc., a nonprofit that empowers young mothers to graduate high school, break out of the cycle of poverty and become valued members of society. She has provided leadership on governance, strategic planning and audit committees for nonprofit boards. She holds an Economics degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

 

Jacob Weldon

Jacob Weldon is a change management and brand reputation strategist for corporate and nonprofit organizations focused on social justice and next-gen leadership. He previously served as Global Director of Corporate Affairs at Estée Lauder Companies Inc, joining in 2012 to modernize and strategically align philanthropic investments across the company’s 30+ brands and six global regions. His role soon expanded to include oversight of global thought leadership and stakeholder engagement for Executive Chairman William Lauder, and strategic initiatives in the company’s Sustainability, Regulatory Affairs, and Inclusion & Diversity functions. He is also the architect behind the company’s inaugural corporate identity as a family of brands, which launched in 2018 as The Global House of Prestige Beauty. Jacob conceived ELC’s NextGen Leadership Team and served as founding Chair of the company’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group. Before joining ELC, Jacob was Chief of Staff at Taproot Foundation, which connects nonprofit organizations and changemakers with pro bono expertise to solve urgent social challenges. Prior to Taproot, he held positions in Social Innovation and Corporate Responsibility at Weber Shandwick and Time Warner Inc. With a special passion for LGBTQ+ social justice, Jacob has served as a Fellow to the CEOs of GLAAD and The Trevor Project, and on the Advisory Board of The Tyler Clementi Foundation. He is a Point Scholar Alumni and graduate of Columbia University.

 

Jason Wingard, Chair

Dr. Jason Wingard is Dean Emeritus and Professor of Human Capital Management at the Columbia University School of Professional Studies (SPS). He is also Founder and Chairman of The Education Board, Inc., a boutique management consulting firm specializing in executive coaching and corporate training. Prior to Columbia, Dr. Wingard served as Managing Director and Chief Learning Officer at Goldman Sachs where he oversaw the acclaimed Pine Street Leadership Development Group and Goldman Sachs University.

Previously, he served as Vice Dean of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; Senior Vice President of ePals, Inc. and President & CEO of the ePals Foundation; and Executive Director of the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute at Stanford University. He has also served in a variety of cross-functional executive and consulting roles for organizations including the Aspen Institute, the Vanguard Group, and Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI).

As a thought leader, Dr. Wingard has published widely on the topic of strategy, learning, and leadership, including his most recent books: Learning to Succeed: Reinventing Corporate Education in a World of Unrelenting Change (2015); and Learning for Life: How Continuous Education Will Keep Us Competitive in the Global Knowledge Economy (2016). His forthcoming book is The Great Skills Gap: Optimizing the Talent Pipeline for the Future of Work (Stanford University Press, 2021). He is also Senior Contributor for Forbes where he writes about Leadership Strategy.

Dr. Wingard currently serves as an Independent Board Director for Duff and Phelps. He is also an Advisor for PepsiCo. As a public servant, he currently serves on the Boards of Directors for Tides (Chair), Roundabout Theater Company (Executive Committee), the Education Board Foundation (Chair), and Building21. He is also an Advisor for JUST Capital. Previously, he served on the Board of Directors for United Cerebral Palsy, Touchstone, Inc., and the National Center for Fathering.

Dr. Wingard holds a BA in Sociology (Organizational Behavior & Social Psychology), with honors, from Stanford University where he was a member of the varsity football and track teams. He also holds a MA in Education (Professional Development) from Emory University, a EdM in Technology in Education from Harvard University, and a PhD in Education, Culture, and Society from the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Steve Zuckerman, Vice Chair

Steve Zuckerman is Managing Director of Self-Help’s California operations and President of Self-Help Federal Credit Union. Self-Help is a leading nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) founded in 1980 and now manages almost $2 billion in assets and 42 credit union branches with more than 100,000 members. Self-Help has provided nearly $6.5 billion in financing to roughly 87,000 families, businesses and nonprofits. Previously, Steve spent almost 15 years with McCown De Leeuw & Co (MDC), a private investment firm based in Menlo Park, CA that focused on middle market management buyouts. Throughout his career, Steve has served on numerous nonprofit boards in the areas of economic justice and youth development. In addition to Self-Help related boards, he currently serves on the national governing board of Positive Coaching Alliance and the New Market Tax Credit advisory board of Opportunity Fund. Steve earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA from Yale University. Steve is married with three children.

Tides is a network of nonprofit organizations. The Tides Board of Directors oversees Tides as a whole, and its members also make up the directors for each Tides organization.