CONVENING MEMBERS

Steve focuses on optimizing health through human-centric and system-changing development. His current work focuses on how to engage communities to build capacity for accessing resources needed to achieve high quality health, including working with both researchers and community groups across an array of research topics. He is currently working on creation of community-based approaches to developing primary health resources that are integrated into the broader health system. 

Abdul Samad serves as the Assistant Director of the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative (MPI) at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. He also serves as the managing editor for the Muslim Humanitarian Review Journal, where he ensures the management and dissemination of insightful and impactful research on Muslim humanitarianism. In addition to his editorial responsibilities, Abdul is passionate about advancing professional development within the philanthropic sector. He designs and delivers tailored training programs and certification courses for nonprofit leaders, philanthropists, and institutions, both locally and internationally. 

Wendy Angst is the Director of the Powerful Means Initiative and Professor of Management & Organization at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. She also directs the Impact Consulting Minor, creating experiential learning opportunities that empower students to drive social impact. She founded the Powerful Means Initiative, which engages students in multi-semester projects tackling pressing global challenges. Her work with Saint Bakhita’s Vocational Training Center in Uganda—featured in Notre Dame’s What Would You Fight For? campaign—focuses on advancing education and entrepreneurship to create pathways out of poverty.

Dr. Robert Ashcraft is the executive director of the Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation at Arizona State University (ASU), the Saguaro Professor of Civic Enterprise in ASU's School of Community Resources and Development (SCRD), and a Senior Global Futures Scholar, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory. Dr. Ashcraft has a global reputation for his pioneering work to advance the understanding of and effective practice for leaders of nonprofit/philanthropic organizations.

Dr. Jen Bennett is the Director of Teaching, Curricular and Co-Curricular Experiences for the Center for L.I.F.E. at Miami University, where she leads national efforts to scale faith and entrepreneurship across higher education. With over 20 years of experience in education, she has designed transformative programs, from pitch competitions to immersive learning journeys, that equip students to integrate their faith with their entrepreneurial calling. She is the author of #BeWorthFollowing, host of the She Impacts Culture podcast, and founder of The Waco Gathering.

Cassie is the Director of the Social Impact Center at UVU. She's a social impact strategist, educator, and consultant with specialties in systems thinking, equity-centered design, and relationality. Her understanding is informed by the relational, community-based theories of Black intersectional feminists and Indigenous philosophers, and lived experience as a queer, biracial Black woman. She's passionate about helping people improve and enhance communities and dismantle oppressive structures by understanding and redesigning systems.

Thomas Bryer is a Pegasus Professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Central Florida. He has been at UCF since 2007, arriving there after completing his PhD in public administration from the University of Southern California. Dr. Bryer is also a professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities at Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania. He leads a multi-national team of scholars from across disciplines and he was recognized in 2021 as a Global Lithuanian Award recipient for his contributions to science in Lithuania. 

As the Executive Director, Alexis Bucknam leads a team of community engaged professionals from the Center for Community Engaged Learning, Office of Community Research & Evaluation, and Office of Community Development. Bucknam has worked in higher education and non-profit contexts for over two decades, with a particular focus on community engagement. She began her tenure at Weber State University in Summer 2023 after completing her Doctoral studies in Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Utah in 2002. 

Lisa Jones Christensen, Ph.D. is a scholar, educator, and changemaker whose work bridges organizational behavior, strategy, and social impact. With a Ph.D. from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and dual master’s degrees in International Development and Business Administration from BYU, she has built a career at the intersection of business and social good. Her award-winning research explores entrepreneurship, trauma, sustainability, and refugee innovation—most recently published in Business & Society and the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal. She currently directs the Business for Good Initiative at BYU’s Ballard Center and serves on the Center’s Board of Advisors.

Eric N. Ford has more than 30 years of experience in the human services field in the Baltimore metropolitan area.   Eric holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology from Hampton University and he has completed the post baccalaureate certificate program in the non-profit sector, the Personal Leadership and Project Management and Retriever Talks programs at UMBC.  His research is focused on racial equity and the dismantling of racial hierarchies. He is currently the executive director for the Shriver Center at the University of MD – Baltimore County where he leads the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) framework in partnership with the American Association of Colleges and Universities. Eric is responsible for leading the planning, development and oversight of The Choice Program, Maryland Public Service Scholars (MPSS) and the Maryland Early Childhood Leadership program (MECLP) with overall administration of internal programmatic and fiscal processes of the Shriver Center.

Emily is the associate director for the Institute for Social Concerns, where she oversees and develops the strategic vision and implementation of justice education efforts, with particular attention to scholarly direction, community partners, University direction, and national and international best practices. Additionally, she develops, delivers, and oversees curricular and co-curricular justice education programs for undergraduate and graduate students. Her role supports efforts of institute faculty and staff in the design and delivery of justice education programs, and she serves as a node for programmatic innovation inside and outside the classroom. Emily holds a master’s degree in systematic theology from the University Notre Dame.

David Gastwirth is Vice President, Innovation and Associate Dean, Online and Extended Campuses at Union Theological Seminary. He works to expand access to higher education and lifelong learning by leveraging technology and reaching beyond traditional campus settings. He leads a portfolio of Lilly Endowment–funded initiatives that advance theological education and institutional sustainability through collaboration. Additionally, he oversees graduate degree programs offered inside correctional facilities and engagement with the programs’ 600+ justice-impacted alumni. Previously, David served as Director of Online Education at NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service and Assistant Director of the Hart Leadership Program at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. He holds a BA in Public Policy from Duke, an Ed.M. in Higher Education from Harvard, and an MPA from USC.

Rabbi Shirley Idelson, Ph.D., is Director of the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management (Zschool). Previously, she was serving as Director of the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis University. She earned her B.A. in History at Dartmouth College, her rabbinical ordination from HUC-JIR/New York, her M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, and her Ph.D. in History from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She sees the critical role of preparing innovative and effective communal leaders who can blend Jewish wisdom with the cutting-edge tools of contemporary nonprofit management.

Min-Dong Paul Lee's came to Wheaton with a very diverse set of experiences (e.g. ministry, corporate career, and international development) and training (e.g. theology, history, sociology, and business management). He is elated that, at Wheaton, all these experiences and training can come together in a meaningful way toward equipping God’s people to make positive impacts in the marketplace. Currently, the focus of his research revolves around three themes: corporate social responsibility, compassion in workplace, and faith and business as a mission. On the personal side, God has blessed him with a wonderful and godly wife, Caroline, and three hilarious children who cause him to give thanks to the Lord all the time.

Brigitte Madrian is a behavioral economist and the ninth dean of the BYU Marriott School of Business. She has a joint appointment in the Department of Finance and the George W. Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics. Madrian's research focuses on behavioral economics and household finance, with a particular focus on household saving and investment behavior. She is also a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and served as co-director of the NBER Household Finance working group. Madrian received her Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and studied economics as an undergraduate at Brigham Young University. 

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Jenifer McGill graduated from BYU with both her undergraduate (General Studies) and Graduate degree (MPA). Shay and Jenifer have lived in Texas, Arizona and Utah. Since 2018, Jenifer has taught entrepreneurial courses for both BYU-Idaho and BYU–Hawaii. Teaching has provided many opportunities to be an active mentor and investor, supporting innovative ideas and entrepreneurs in achieving their visions. Her experience spans consulting, business strategy, and mentorship, with a consistent focus on empowering others to succeed.

Jake works at the intersection of art, design, and business to strategically catalyze transformation in teams, organizations, and communities. Jake received his Masters Degree in Collaborative Design from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship and Urban Theory. One of his key goals is to facilitate urban renewal and catalyze a new creative economy for the city of Ogden through his work with Union Creative Agency. Jake also holds a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Sculpture and Minor in Business Administration from the University of Utah co-founded multiple artist collectives, and was involved in the funding and curation of several collaborative endeavors. 

Grace Norman is the Chief of Staff and Sr. Director for Public Affairs and Strategic Partnerships at the Baylor Collaborative. In this capacity, she supports the organization’s policy work at the local, state, and federal levels. Previously she worked as the No Kid Hungry Campaign Manager, overseeing outreach for child nutrition programs across the state. She also served as Regional Director and Child Hunger Outreach Specialist in the Texas Hunger Initiative’s Lubbock Regional Office. She earned her Bachelor’s in Agricultural Leadership and Development from Texas A&M University and a Master of Public Service Administration from the Bush School of Government & Public Service.

Terry Yasuko Ogawa has just joined the Yale Center for Environmental Justice as Program Manager, coming from her time as Area Conference minister in the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ. She was the Associate Advancement Director of Pacific School of Religion, where she focused on building relationships with alumnx, denominations, and congregations. She has also worked at The Institute for Human Services (IHS), the largest comprehensive homelessness services agency in Hawai‘i, where she built the foundation for an interfaith chaplaincy program. Terry’s experience extends to significant work in areas of economic, social, environmental, and gender justice work that has been international in scope.

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Colleen Olphert is Director of Membership and Member Services at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, where she leads strategy and operations for a membership community that has grown to over 400 Fortune 1000 companies under her leadership. She orchestrates the Center's signature research initiatives, guides content development for BCCCC's annual conference, and leads two member advisory boards that shape the future of corporate citizenship practice.  Colleen's perspective is informed by her roots in the nonprofit sector, where she connected volunteers to social services, assisted new immigrants in Boston, and supported mental health programs. She holds an MBA and MSW from Boston College. 

Jill is an advocate for social impact and community-driven change, bringing over two decades of leadership experience in nonprofit management, service-learning, and social responsibility. She holds a BA in sociology and an MBA from the BYU Marriott School of Business, where she developed expertise in ethical business practices and strategic human resources. Jill teaches courses like Social Impact Projects (SIP), where students gain hands-on experience addressing social issues for social impact organizations. Her diverse background spans nonprofit leadership, curriculum development, and organizational strategy, making her a valued mentor and advocate for actionable social change.

As Director of W&M Civic & Community Engagement, Melody advances community engagement efforts across the university, oversees student and staff programming, and develops strong connections with community partners to ensure work that is community-driven and leads to positive social change. Melody received a BA in Political Science and Religion from Emory University. She returned to Emory to earn her Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology. Melody came to William & Mary from Emory University, where she served for three years as director of Volunteer Emory, a student-led department for community service. Melody is an author of Working Side by Side: Creating Alternative Breaks as Catalysts for Global Learning, Student Leadership, and Social Change. 

Molly serves as the Managing Director of the Beeck Center at Georgetown. She also serves on the Beeck Center’s leadership team. Previously, Molly served as Senior Director of Project Management at the Case Foundation, leading collaboration and innovation across teams and subject matters to strategize, develop and execute the Foundation’s Inclusive Entrepreneurship & Impact Investing programs, communications and operations. Outside of work, Molly is busy pursuing her passions for travel, cooking, hiking, spin, yoga and learning.

Joby came to Baltimore as a Peaceworker Fellow in 1999 and liked the program and the city so much that he has proudly stayed on, becoming program director in 2003. Joby was born and raised in Miami, Oklahoma, a small town that is also home to eight Native American nations. Joby received his BA in Philosophy, an MA in Religious Studies, and completed his Ph.D. in the Interdisciplinary Language Literacy and Culture program. His dissertation is titled: Metaphors We Serve By: Critical and Constructive Play with the Discourses on Service.

Rebecca serves as Executive Director of Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University, where she has dedicated 17 years to building institutional excellence and social innovation. She has established over 200 funded student internships across 80 civic, nonprofit and social innovation organizations, while supporting the production of 60+ peer-reviewed research papers and reports addressing critical social impact challenges. She received her Ph.D. in Economics and Public Management from the University of Switzerland-Lugano as a Swiss National Science Foundation Scholar, her MBA in Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Oxford, her MPA in Nonprofit Management from Pace, and her BA in English Literature from Vassar College.

Daniela Papi-Thornton is an educator, facilitator, and author whose work focuses on systems-led leadership: an approach to social innovation that centers on systems understanding. She recently launched Systems. Change. Educators. Unite. an organization designed to support anyone working at the intersections of systems understanding, social innovation, and education. Daniela is a lecturer at University of Colorado Boulder and a consultant with a range of organizations looking to contribute to systems change. She previously served as a Lecturer at Yale School of Management, Watson Institute, and Oxford’s Saïd Business School where she was also the Deputy Director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship. Her TEDx talk on Reclaiming Social Entrepreneurship highlights some of her thinking.  

Dr. Rajesh Sampath is an Associate Professor of the Philosophy of Justice, Rights, and Social Change at Brandeis University.  He is lead investigator of the Program on Social Exclusion at Brandeis University’s Heller School Center for Global Development and Sustainability.  His work includes a historic declaration calling for a ban against discrimination on the basis of work and descent in Africa, South Asia and Asia, which are not covered within existing U.N. declarations, conventions and treaties.

Bailey is the Assistant Director at the Center for Social Impact at Utah Valley University. The purpose of the Center is to offer several ways to get involved in community organizations & action. Bailey helps run programming that develops students as compassionate community members who collaborate on strategic social impact alongside strengthening those skills ourselves. She is a graduate of Brigham Young University, where she studied sociology and was a student director for Social Internship Projects and Labs.

Dr. Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes is the Director of The Technology Innovation & Digital Engagement Lab (TIDEL) Fellowship, housed at Union Theological Seminary. She is a pastor, leader, innovation strategist and author whose work has been featured in Forbes, Essence & The New York Times. She holds a doctorate from Duke University, a Masters of Divinity from Yale University, a Masters of Arts from NYU and a Bachelors of Arts from Hampton University. She is the President of the Yale Divinity School Alumni Board and a member of the Morehouse College MLK Board of Preachers and a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority - committed to the work of love and justice. She is the author of the best-selling text, Psalms for Black Lives.

Jeff is the Associate Dean of Academics at the BYU Marriott School of Business and the EY Distinguished Professor of Accounting. He is the founder of RevenueHub® and has served as a technical advisor to Connor Group, providing GAAP and SEC reporting guidance to firms preparing for IPO. He has served as a consulting expert for the SEC and an expert witness in various cases. Jeff has served as a member of the FASB’s Academic FASAC and the AICPA’s Revenue Recognition Task Force. He is a member of Deloitte’s Center for Controllership and currently serves on the audit committee of Deseret Management Corporation. Jeff completed a sabbatical doing research for EY’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Office and continues to research ways to embed mental health practices into student and auditor workflows.

Matt currently serves as the Director of the Collaboratory at Messiah University and is the Sector Leader for the Mechanical Engineering projects. Following his graduation from Penn State with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Business Administration, Matt spent time working in plumbing and HVAC design with a primary focus in the healthcare industry. Following God's leading, he left the engineering industry to pursue full time ministry as the Director of Children's Ministry at Daybreak Church. He is excited to be a part of the Collaboratory leadership team as they continue to build student's technical skills while fostering an attitude of servant-leadership and passion for God's global Kingdom.

Dr. Eva Witesman serves as the Director of the Ballard Center for Social Impact and is an Associate Professor at the Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics at the Marriot School of Business at BYU. She studies the major institutions in society (markets, government, nonprofits) and teaches students and public managers how to measure the social impact of their policies and programs. She seek to improve the institutions in society through ethical, evidence-based administrative practices.  

Lianne is the Director of Programming at Neeley’s Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at TCU. She is a Harvard graduate and K12 public education advocate with over 10 years of varied experience in K12 and higher ed settings. Lianne runs the Values and Ventures Competition and has research interests that include education policy, organizational structures, and change implementation.

Fueled by a passion for fostering "aha moments" through curiosity, connection, and creativity, Kyra Zylstra serves as the Director of the IMPACT Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program at Taylor University. As part of the management team the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, she is energized by spending her days coaching and supervising TU students in the Ignite Internship Program. Kyra has spent 25 years as a community and higher ed professional investing in people and empowering them to amplify their strengths. She previously served as the Director of Initiatives at a makerspace where she launched a Maker in Residence Fellowship, Action Lab collaboration process, and developed a Maker Mindset educational curriculum.