Chair

Jane Meng is a Product Manager leader at Snap Inc. leading the Camera experience for millions of Snapchat users. She has previously worked at Facebook and Amazon leading product experiences in messaging, music, and gaming. She has a passion for technology as well as early childhood education.

MBA from Harvard Business School and Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Northwestern University.

Vice Chair

Nora Hackmann is the Co-founder & CEO of Kenji Health, a digital health company building AI-powered solutions for pediatric behavioral health.

Her career has been at the intersection of new product innovation, technology and impact spaces like health care. Most recently, she led product strategy for Meta/Facebook's venture arm New Product Experimentation - a mission-driven org dedicated to developing new apps for underserved communities. Prior to that she built and led a team at BCG Digital Ventures and was a project leader at the Boston Consulting Group.

MBA from Yale School of Management focused on social enterprise and a BA/MA of Economics from University of Mannheim in Germany.

Treasurer

Brian Abers is the Managing Partner of Captiva Partners, a real estate investment and operating company focused on the acquisition, ownership, renovation and management of commercial properties in Southern California. The firm, which was founded in 2018, applies an institutional and strategic approach to value-add and opportunistic real estate investments in order to optimize asset value and produce attractive risk-adjusted returns. Brian has been involved in the acquisition and management of industrial, office, retail, studio, and multifamily properties totaling over $1 billion in acquisition volume.

B.A. in Political Science from Colgate University.

Secretary

Dr. Jessica Neff is a Clinical Assistant Professor at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism; she currently serves as Co-Director of both the M.S. in Communication Data Science Program, a joint degree offered in partnership with the Viterbi School of Engineering, and the Communication Data Science dual degree program offered in collaboration with Tsinghua University. In addition to her administrative duties, Dr. Neff teaches courses on strategic and organizational communication in USC Annenberg’s Master of Communication Management Program. Dr. Neff also works with the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Executive Education, where she regularly leads workshops on strategic communication. Prior to working at USC and NPS, Dr. Neff completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Barcelona Media Center.

Ph.D. and M.A. in Communication from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and a B.A. in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz.

Board Member

Brian Sampey is a Principal in the Finance and Accounting group at Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES), a global alternative investment firm focusing on financial solutions across credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure asset classes. He has over 15 years’ of experience in portfolio return analysis, attribution reporting, and the application of data science tools within the financial industry. Brian has a leading role in supporting the maintenance of Global Investment Performance Standards at Ares and earned the Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM®) from the CFA Institute.

B.S. in Business Finance from the University of Southern California.

Board Member

Chaitanya (Chaitu) Ekanadham is a Senior Research Scientist at Netflix, working on forecasting content demand. He has over ten years of experience developing and applying AI and machine learning techniques across several domains (neuroscience, education, speech, images, streaming telemetry, content), and has led multiple teams spanning machine learning, data science, analytics, and engineering. Chaitu enjoys bridging the gap between business problems and technical solutions, determining the appropriate hammer for a given nail, and interfacing with diverse audiences ranging from technical experts to executives and prospective clients.

Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from New York University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Stanford.

Board Member

Drew Kaspers is the SVP of Account Management at Innovid, an independent CTV advertising and measurement platform for the world’s largest brands (NYSE: CTV).

Drew is a passionate leader with over 12 years of experience in the digital tech industry building collaborative and Innovative teams on a global scale. He excels at building key relationships with global brands to retain clients and maximize revenue through world-class client service.

B.S in Business from Pepperdine University.

Board Member

Erin is a dynamic professional with a diverse background in commercial banking, entrepreneurship, and executive leadership, boasting over a decade of experience. Her expertise lies in optimizing financial performance and navigating complex market dynamics for clients. Beyond her banking career, Erin is a passionate entrepreneur and successful tech startup founder, driven by her belief in the transformative power of technology.

Her entrepreneurial journey has led to the successful launch and scaling of tech startups, where she combines industry knowledge with innovative solutions to address market needs. Erin's unique blend of financial expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and tech savviness allows her to take a holistic approach to help clients achieve their financial goals.

In her recent most recent role as Chief of Staff, Erin demonstrated exceptional organizational and leadership skills, playing a vital role in driving operational efficiency and fostering cross-functional collaboration.

B.A. in Finance/Entrepreneurship from the University of Portland.

Board Member

Graham Lucas leads Accenture's Financial Services West Coast Customer Practice, which is focused on helping clients deliver incredible, personalized, omnichannel experiences for their customers across key touchpoints (e.g., brand, marketing, sales, service, commerce, and product innovation). His team is responsible for providing clients with holistic and innovative solutions to their customer needs by leveraging the full breadth of Accenture's capabilities across strategy and consulting, interactive, technology, and operations. Graham brings over 22+ years of consulting experience leading strategic, complex, value-driven projects across numerous business capabilities and industries.

In addition to his experience at Accenture, he has held leadership roles at Salesforce and Slalom Consulting.

B.A. from the University of Virginia.

Board Member

Hyejin Seo is a Vice President at BrightSpire Capital, a NYSE listed real estate investment firm focused on originating, acquiring, financing and managing commercial real estate investments with $5.0 billion of asset under management. Previously, she served as an Associate Vice President at Colony Capital, Inc., a NYSE listed real estate investment management firm with $60 billion of AUM until April 2021. Prior to joining Colony Capital, she was a Stock Analyst of Tech, Media, Telecom, Gaming and Lodging sectors at Morgan Stanley and an Investment Banking Analyst at Macquarie. Her family’s core value is making a positive impact on communities and she enjoys spending quality family time by exploring and traveling.

MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, focused in real estate, finance, and statistics, and BA and MA in Finance and Economics from Yonsei University in Korea.

Board Member

Jen recently joined the Herb Alpert Foundation as the Grants & Operations Manager, bringing more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector to the role. Prior to joining the Foundation, Jen was the Advancement Director at P.S. ARTS, where she served as a chief advisor to the CEO on all matters related to fundraising, communications, and governance. Jen also previously held positions with the UCLA School of the Arts & Architecture and the Fowler Museum.

M.A. in Curatorial Practice from USC and a B.A. in Art History and History from UCLA.

Board Member

Jonathan Wong is the Associate Director of the Army Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program at the RAND Corporation, where his research helps the U.S. Army understand its strategic context, identify and adjust to external demands, and optimize the use of its resources. He was previously a consultant at Boston Consulting Group and served in the U.S. Marine Corps as an infantry officer.

Ph.D. and M.Phil. in policy analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School, an M.A. in security studies from Georgetown University, and a B.A. in political science from the University of California, San Diego.

Board Member

Juan Bustamante is an attorney at Bocarsly Emden Cowan Esmail & Arndt LLP, where he practices real estate law with a focus on affordable housing and community development and is actively engaged in the firm's pro bono matters. He advises clients on all stages of development, including formation, financing, construction, and operation. His clients include local nonprofits, statewide developers, and national investors.

Juan also serves on the board of the Value Schools Foundation, a network of charter schools in central Los Angeles, and is counsel to Mercado La Paloma, a community based-nonprofit in South Los Angeles.

J.D. from New York University School of Law, B.S. in Earth Systems, and M.S. in Civil/Environmental Engineering from Stanford University.

Board Member

Sara Rubin is an English teacher at the Archer School for Girls, where she creates a classroom environment in which students can take risks, cultivate their curiosity, and develop into the ambitious, joyful leaders of the future.

She has additional experience working in charter schools, and has also served as an early childhood educator in a Head Start program in Los Angeles. She is committed to elevating the profession of Early Childhood Education (ECE) for the critical role ECE teachers play in establishing the foundations of children's lifelong achievement and empowerment.

M.A. in Early Childhood Education from Loyola Marymount University and B.A. in Foreign Languages from Claremont McKenna College.