Our Board & Advisory Councils

Chair: Ellen Wingard, Global Collaborative Change Partners
Ellen Wingard, Board Chair, a social entrepreneur and early innovator in the field of leadership development has 30 years of experience advising CEOs and emerging leaders on socially responsible business, innovation, gender equity, employee engagement and talent retention. A sample list of clients includes the Consensus Building Institute, Genentech, Harvard Business School, Diageo, Hispanic Access Foundation, International Finance Corporation, MIT, New York Times, Pfizer, PricewaterhouseCoopers, UN Food Programme, Wells Fargo, West Elm and the World Bank. She is a member of the Women’s Leadership Board, Harvard Kennedy School and an Executive Coach at the Harvard Business School Executive Education Program. She serves as a mentor for the Impact Center, affiliated with the Federal Leader- ship Program to prepare the next generation of public service leaders. As co-author of the Jossey Bass book Enlightened Power: How Women Are Transforming The Practice of Leadership, Ellen has been a commentator on the strategic advantage of women’s leadership to the Committee of 200, the Fletcher School Inter- national Business Program and NPR Marketplace. She has served as the Program Advisor to the World Pulse Voices of Our Future Media and Empowerment program to foster the vocal uprising of the next generation of grassroots global activists and redefine mentoring from “power bestowed” to reciprocal partnership.

Jessica Robinson, Business Partner, Target
Jessica Robinson, Board Secretary, is a district leader in Assets Protection with Target Corporation sup- porting a $355M business and has worked in the area of Community Partnerships and Reputation Management. Ms. Robinson is also Founder, and President, of PurePoint Inter- national working with individuals as a Peak Performance Strategist and Transformational Coach. Ms. Robinson has served on the board, or committees, of numerous non-profit organizations including the Washington DC Police Foundation, National Black MBA Association - Philadelphia Chapter, Opportunities PA, and the International Organization of Black Security Executives. Ms. Robinson is a 2012 Fellow at The Impact Center in Washington, DC, and received her Master’s in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh.

Kim Anderson, CEO Families First
Kim Anderson is Chief Executive Officer of Families First, Georgia’s oldest and leading non- profit family service agency— assisting almost 40,000 children and families each year and serving metro Atlanta for 120 years ensuring the success of children in jeopardy by empowering families. Families First accomplishes its mission through: Intervention – achieving child well-being and family success through counseling and safe housing; Education – preventing and solving family problems through training and skills development; and Advocacy – raising awareness and championing changes in public policy. As CEO, Kim is responsible for the implementation and success of the Families First mission while guiding a staff of over 100 employees in 16 locations with an annual budget of $10 million.

Immediately prior to joining Families First, Kim was Senior Director for BoardWalk Consulting, a leading non-profit consulting firm based in Atlanta. At BoardWalk Consulting, Kim provided strategic planning, board enhancement, organizational management and executive leadership for numerous non-profit organizations. Kim previously served as Executive Director of AID Atlanta, the Southeast’s largest AIDS services organization. Before AID Atlanta, Kim enjoyed an extensive legal career in the healthcare arena. After service with the law firm of Alston & Bird, she became the first General Counsel of Grady Health System, and subsequently served as Vice President & Assistant General Counsel for Magellan Health Systems, a publicly traded behavioral healthcare company, and senior legal counsel for the Atlanta Housing Authority. Kim is a graduate of Oberlin College and Columbia University School of Law.

Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan, Legal Fellow, Human Rights Activist
Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan is a Legal Fellow at the Center for Reproductive Rights where she works on litigation and the domestic implementation of human rights pertaining to women’s reproductive health. Prior to her joining the Center, she clerked for the Hon. Ronald L. Ellis in the Southern District of New York. She is Co-Chair of the International Committee of the National Lawyers Guild and Co-Chair of the Subcommittee on Puerto Rico. Natasha was an Ella Baker Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights where she worked to hold governments accountable for human rights violations. She graduated from CUNY School of Law, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the CUNY Law Review and a Fellow at the Center for Latino/a Rights and Equality. As part of the International Women’s Human Rights Clinic, she co-authored a shadow report to the Human Rights Committee on violence against women in Guatemala and an amicus brief to the Mississippi Supreme Court based on international human rights norms. Natasha has authored several articles on gender and human rights.

Kate Byrne, Chief Brand Officer, Tides
As Chief Brand Officer at Tides, Kate serves as the voice for Tides, positioning, evangelizing and building the Tides audience, brand and product line. A creative, strategic self-starter, Kate has been a leader in the media realm for over 20 years. Marrying her interest in technology and its ability to forward publishing, She has a track record of successful launches for key brand initiatives at such well known media outlets as Business- Week’s small business edition, Fast Company’s Social Capitalist Awards—the first of its kind to recognize and honor the world of Social Entrepreneurship, recognizing creative education practices and next generational thinking by building both the website and the digital magazine edition for Edutopia, the publication and website for The George Lucas Education Foundation. In 2011, she was awarded one of the media industry’s top honors being named to the Folio:40 and recognized as one of the 40 most influential and top industry performers on account of the award-winning iPad app she built with her team at Future US that captured honors from Apple as well as AdAge. She continues to support the educational field through her work with Dogo News, the largest independent kids and teacher’s news site and women’s empowerment via World Pulse, Women for Women Inter- national, and Exceptional Women in Publishing (EWIP). Kate graduated from Stanford with a BA in Psychology.

Halima Rahman, Community Board Member
Sudanese freelance citizen journalist, facilitator, researcher, blogger and advocate. A journalist with 10 years experience, Halima Mohamad Abdel has worked for numerous Sudanese and Saudi Arabian publications as a writer, researcher, editor, and translator. Halima was a participant in World Pulse’s inaugural class of the Voices of Our Future program, where she was the first to break the story of Sudanese journalist Lubna Hussein, who the Sudanese government sentenced to flogging for wearing pants. The story soon became international news. A graduate of the University of Khartoum with a degree in translation, Halima is fluent in French, English, and Arabic. She is passionate about using social media to connect women around the world and is committed to bringing the voices of women of the. Arab world to an international audience.

Halima holds a Certificate in Development Education: Training for Transformation from Kimmage Development Study Centre in Ireland and the South African based Training for Transformation Programme, a certificate in Social Media and Empowerment, a certificate in Gender & Development, a higher diploma in translation: (Arabic- English languages) as well as a Bachelor of Arts, in French language. She contributed to a number of newspapers and magazines in Sudan and abroad.

Susan Kenniston, Technology Consultant
Susan Kenniston is a prominent business IT professional with over 20 years of hands-on experience delivering architected data, information, and application capabilities across business process areas and diverse industries (healthcare, education, apparel/AFS, consumer goods, high tech mfg, utility). Previously, Ms. Kenniston successfully led IT divisions for HP and Nike, and has been recognized for delivering key business portfolio capabilities through mid/large programs, building, leading, and mentoring teams, collaborating across organizational levels, and being an innovative, systems-thinking problem solver. Before joining the Board of Directors, Ms. Kenniston was an expert technology advisor to World Pulse for three years during which she quickly became an integral part of the team and a devoted champion for lifting and uniting women’s voices through our technology platform.

Jensine Larsen, Founder and CEO World Pulse Media
As a young journalist in Burma and the Amazon, Jensine discovered that some of the world’s most important stories are rarely mentioned in the mass media. But through her determination and persistence to reach out and connect, she became a new voice in global media. Touring around the world, she appeared on NPR and Air America, presented keynotes at major corporations, universities and world forums, and wrote articles in international publications. A visionary and pioneer, Jensine became the first voice of World Pulse—the first of many.

Andrea Meditch, Filmmaker and Media Executive
Andrea Meditch, a noted executive producer whose credits include the 2009 Oscar-winning film Man on Wire and 2009 Oscar-nominated film Encounters at the End of the World, is the president of Back Allie Films, whose most recent film BUCK earned the 2010 Audience Award at Sundance. Until recently, she served as the director of the Film and Media Arts Initiative at Michigan State University, where she helped develop a center for creativity in film and media and served as the College’s liaison to the film industry in Michigan. Prior to joining MSU, Meditch was Vice President of Discovery Films, the theatrical arm of Discovery Communications, which she helped create and build, and head of Development for the Discovery Channel. Previously she was executive editor of Discovery.com and Managing Editor of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. She has PhD Linguistic Anthropology, with a concentration in Communications.

Zulma Miranda, International Law and Human Rights Consultant
Zulma is an international human rights attorney with over 20 years of experience as an activist for gender equality and social change. She has established landmark legal precedents in domestic and international forums and spearheaded several successful efforts where the application of international law was used to ensure the rights of women in national jurisdictions, including women’s rights to criminal accountability under Security Council resolutions and by the International Criminal Court. Zulma serves as adviser and consultant for various organizations and has extensive experience in training, providing counsel and coordinating initiatives with women leaders, international policymakers, various UN bodies and a diverse group of advocates; including raising millions of dollars
for global social justice initiatives. She has worked with the Global Justice Center, International Women’s Human Rights Clinic, Equality Now, ACLU, Burma Lawyers’ Council, Women’s League of Burma, Humanas, Women’s Link Worldwide and led initiatives with the UN Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, Amnesty Inter- national, Human Rights Watch, and UNIFEM. Her specialized expertise is war crimes tribunal law, international humanitarian law, transnational justice issues, universal jurisdiction and comparative constitutional law; and has published numerous articles on these topics. Zulma lives in NYC and is of Colombian and Lebanese heritage. She is a photographer; loves poetry, her bike and cooking for her family and friends.

Geri Eisenman Pell, CFP®, MBA-Private Wealth Advisor
Geri Eisenman Pell, Private Wealth Advisor and President of Geri Pell & Associates, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., has been a financial advisor since 1986. Among numerous national recognitions, Geri has appeared on CNBC, CNN, NBC Nightly News, and Fox Business News. She has also been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Financial Planning, and Registered Rep Magazines. Geri has had the distinct honor of being recognized as one of the Top 100 Women Financial Advisors in the country by Barron’s Magazine in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.* Her focus is on helping high net worth clients plan their financial goals for a lifetime and beyond. She believes that when done right, financial planning can be a life changing experience, re- aligning your relationship with wealth. Geri is a firm believer in the idea that working on money, investment and family issues should be a healing, non-stress-inducing process. Clients often tell her she sits at the intersection of money and life.

As CEO of a growing and successful practice, Geri employs a staff of 12 women and men who serve as financial advisors and in other various administrative roles. She has, and continues to travel the country as a mentor, educator, and counselor for women and new advisors on financial planning initiatives and practice management.

Geri is a graduate of SUNY Albany, with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. She went on to receive a Masters of Business Administration in Finance & International Business from New York University’s highly regarded Stern School of Business in 1981.

Geri serves on the Endowment Committee of Woodlands Community Temple in Greenburgh, New York. She is also President of the Board of Trustees for Treehouse Shakers, an organization that brings dance and storytelling to children. She is on the Westchester Board of UJA and a member of the Women’s Executive Counsel in NYC. Other areas of philanthropic involvement include the Food Bank for Westchester, Girls Inc., Scenic Hudson and the Pachamama Alliance.

Marisa Rivera-Albert, President, Mpowerment Works
Marisa Rivera-Albert is the President of Mpowerment Works, a consulting firm designed to impact global change by focusing on empowering Women. Her extensive work experience in the non-profit, government and private sectors have always been used to resolve justice and equality issues facing the world today.

Prior to starting Mpowerment Works, Ms. Rivera-Albert was President of the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI), the top leadership program for Latinas in the country. Her work experience includes several assignments overseas, including working for the U.S. Information Agency, the U.S. Embassy in Panama and as a consultant in organizational
development in Spain. She is the recipient of the Cesar Chavez Community Service Award given by the US Hispanic Leadership Institute, and she was awarded as one of the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century by Women’s eNews. Ms. Rivera-Albert has extensive community service and volunteering experience and serves on the Board of the U.S. Committee for UNIFEM, The United Nations Development Fund for Women. She was appointed by Governor Mark Warner of Virginia to the Commission on the Status of Women and was a Board member for Habitat for Humanity in Northern Virginia.

Founding Board Emeritus:

Nanci Luna Jiménez
Kathy Murphy
Sharon Marer
Jeannette Fruen
Kathy Long Holland
Shafia Monroe
Wendy Cutler
Rangineh Azimzadeh
Darcy Winslow

The 13 Indigenous Grandmothers
Thirteen grandmothers from all corners of the earth that have gathered to fulfill a prophecy and chart a course for humanity.

Lisa Ling, USA
Journalist for National Geographic Explorer and "The Oprah Winfrey Show" who reports from some of the most dangerous places on earth.

Mariane Pearl, France/Cuba
Award-winning international journalist, wife of the late Daniel Pearl of the Wall St. Journal.

Paul Hawken, USA
Environmentalist, entrepreneur, journalist, and best-selling author of "Natural Capitalism" and “Blessed Unrest”.

Loung Ung, Cambodia
Author, outspoken human rights and anti-landmine activist, and survivor of the Cambodian Killing Fields.

Zainab Salbi, Iraq/USA
Esteemed global advocate for women peacemakers and founder of Women for Women International.

Mahnaz Afkhami, Iran
Exiled former Minister of State for Women's Affairs in Iran.

Hafsat Abiola, Nigeria
Acclaimed global democracy activist.

Riane Eisler, Austria/Cuba/USA
Futurist, international best-selling author, and visionary historian.

Ritu Sharma Fox, India/USA
Founder of Women Thrive Worldwide, the leading non-partisan organization shaping US policy to benefit poor women worldwide.

Winona La Duke, USA
Indigenous rights leader.

Naomi Shihab Nye, Palestine/USA
Award-winning international poet and peacemaker.

Hazel Henderson, USA
World renowned futurist, evolutionary economist, sustainable development expert, and television producer with eight published books and a globally syndicated newspaper column.

Andrea Learned, Chair of Marketing Council, President of Learned on Women
Andrea Learned is a leading women’s market authority, writer, speaker, consultant and co-author of "Don't Think Pink: What Really Makes Women Buy and How To Increase Your Share of this Crucial Market."

Janet Champ, Copy Writer
Award-winning writer for Nike, Microsoft, Time Warner and CNN, Champ has written for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Adweek, Advertising Age, The Wallstreet Journal, Allure, Vogue, Sports Illustrated, Mirabella, and Lear's.

Sarah B. Murphy, VP Communications, American Express
As Vice President of American Express, Murphy is responsible for direct marketing communications for 22 international markets. Previously, she ran the Charge Card business in the UK with responsibility for developing new Charge Card products.

Rodney Rascona, Photographer and Image Maker
With over two decades of serving the design and advertising industry, Rodney has produced captivating images in 40 countries around the world and across the USA.

Gisela Grier, Market Researcher, Skype
Gisela’s specialty is changing the culture within business through intelligence gathering and insight generation to the brand and strategic teams who need to have a clear understanding of consumer and market trends in order to drive brand positioning and communications strategies.

Myrna Yoo, CEO, Blueline Publishing
Founder of a national independent book and magazine publishing with a specialty in socially responsible projects relating to climate change, energy and the environment.

Janet Johnson, VP Online Marketing, Marqui
Ms. Johnson is a skilled online marketing executive and a pioneer in corporate blogging with outstanding success in start-up, mid-size and Fortune 50 technology companies.