Our Team

Vilas Dhar

President and Trustee

Vilas is an entrepreneur, technologist and human rights advocate with a lifelong commitment to creating more robust social institutions that foster shared opportunity.

Karen Kelley Gill

Vice President of Operations

Karen oversees the Foundation’s internal infrastructure including finance, grants management, compliance, and IT.

Claudia Juech

Vice President of Data and Society

Claudia leads the Data and Society program, which builds technical capacity and data-use cultures at nonprofits and social impact organizations around the world.

Hanako Brais

Assistant to the President

Hanako provides direct support to the President of the Foundation, and assists with special projects.

Previously, Hanako worked as a Research and Programming Assistant at Arts Connect International, a nonprofit working to build intersectional equity and inclusion in the arts. She holds a BA in Anthropology and French from Connecticut College, and an MA in Global Inclusion and Social Development from UMass Boston, with a concentration in Critical Ethnic and Community Studies.

Suzanne DiBianca

Trustee

Suzanne is Chief Impact Officer and EVP of Corporate Relations at Salesforce.

Suzanne leads Salesforce’s stakeholder capitalism strategy—including the company’s global corporate relations and sustainability efforts. Through the Salesforce Ventures Impact Fund, she invests in innovative cloud companies driving positive change across sustainability, education, equality and social sector technology solutions. Suzanne was co-founder and president of the Salesforce Foundation and co-created Pledge 1%.

Rebecca Distler

AI, Data, and Digital Health Strategist

Rebecca leads the Foundation’s work to advance digital health equity in collaboration with Foundation leadership, programmatic teams, and external partners.

Rebecca has spent nearly a decade building partnerships and programs with technology companies, foundations, non-profits, and governments to advance innovation in global health. Most recently, she served as Global Health Programs Lead at ID2020 and Director of Global Health Initiatives at Element, a AI digital identity company. Rebecca holds a MPH from the Yale School of Public Health and a BA from Yale University.

Meaghan English

Senior Manager, Office of the President

In conjunction with the Office of the President and Board of Trustees, Meaghan manages the Foundation’s work in developing and delivering on strategic priorities and new partnerships.

Previously, Meaghan managed business in society partnerships and focused on social impact and corporate responsibility at the Boston Consulting Group. She holds a BA in Political Science from Boston College and an MA in Gender & International Development from The George Washington University. Outside of work, Meaghan enjoys yoga, running, and traveling (and learning new languages along the way)!

Zeia Fawaz

Program Associate, Rising Leaders for Equity

As a Program Associate, Zeia conducts research, drafts presentation materials, supports the grant management process and manages action items for meetings with grantees and partners.

Having spent her childhood in Nigeria and Lebanon, Zeia is passionate about equity and social justice. This very passion led her to earn a degree in International Studies with a concentration in Justice, Ethics and Human Rights from American University. During her college career, Zeia interned at a wide range of nonprofit organizations, further equipping her with the necessary skills to be a part of systemic change.

Annette Florczak

Controller

Annette oversees the daily accounting operations of the Foundation to ensure compliance and continuous improvement of financial controls.

Annette was previously the Senior Director of Finance, Operations and Grants with the Blue Shield of CA Foundation and Deputy Director of the Brookline Community Foundation. She has an MBA from UMass Boston, a BS in Physiology from Cal State Long Beach, and is a Certified Management Accountant. In her free time, Annette runs ultramarathons and enjoys traveling with her husband and two dogs.

Clara Gamboa de Levin

Operations Coordinator

Clara works closely with the Director of Finance and Operations, the Grants Manager, and the Controller to develop and implement data- and technology-forward solutions to improve team and individual workflows.

Previously, Clara was a Data Analyst at Cambridge Associates, an investment firm in Boston. Her work focused on data management and analytics for the Global Business and Development team, producing reports to predict client and prospect trends which enabled the team to develop informed marketing strategies. Clara earned her BA in studio art & art history from the University of Vermont.

Sarah Grady

Grants Manager

Sarah manages the grantmaking process with a focus on creating equitable systems, compliance, and technology.

Sarah’s experience in philanthropy spans nearly 10 years in both programmatic and grants administration roles for various nonprofits and foundations. Most recently, Sarah was the program and grants manager at the Silver Giving Foundation and a program associate at the Heising-Simons Foundation. She serves on the board of NextGen America and the Hope Strengthens Foundation.

Nikita Japra

Senior Manager, Accelerator Program

Nikita leads strategy and partnerships for the Accelerator program. She also advises on the Data and Society team’s broader strategy and field-building efforts to ethically and responsibly advance nonprofit data maturity.

Previously, Nikita worked on the strategic development of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Precision Public Health Initiative. She was an inaugural member of the NBC News Health and Medical Unit, where she wrote and produced coverage broadcast nationally. Nikita holds an MPH from Columbia University, an MA in Media Studies from The New School, and a BA in International Relations and Writing from Johns Hopkins University.

Diamond Jones

Program Associate, Rising Leaders for Equity

Diamond assists the grant diligence process, formulates presentation materials, complete action items for grant partners and partner organizations, and conducts applicable research.

Prior to PJMF, Diamond served in the Chapel Hill community as a literacy tutor working with underrepresented students. She also partnered with nonprofits in Chapel Hill and Durham to provide educational resources for English language learners and communities that lack access to public libraries. Diamond completed her BA in Classical Archaeology at UNC Chapel Hill. She enjoys racquetball, new recipes, and scenic walks.

Mike Kohn

Director of People and Talent

Mike works to create systems that promote inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility while enabling individual and organizational growth.

Mike previously built the people functions as the Chief People Officer at Sparkfund, a clean technology company, and at Marts & Lundy, a philanthropy consulting firm. He earned his MA in Organizational Leadership from the George Washington University. When not at work, he’s spending time with his husband, Tony, and their dog, Spot. He also sits on the Board of Directors at Freshfarm Markets.

Eloy Leibas

Manager, Talent Recruitment

Eloy works to create and continuously evolve the philanthropy’s recruitment strategy, candidate experience, and employer brand initiatives.

Previously, Eloy supported the recruitment function for organizations of various sizes, including start-ups, regional firms, nationwide companies, and global enterprises. He earned his BBA in Marketing / Management from the University of Houston. When not at work, he’s spending time with his wife, Jacqueline, and their dog, Billie. He also is a student at the University of Houston-Downtown for his MBA in HR Management.

Ben Mann

Director, Direct Data & AI Services

Ben leads the Direct Data & AI Services team within Data and Society. He provides leadership and strategic technical inputs to the Accelerator and multi-year grants on incorporating data science in our programs.

Ben is a passionate data technologist, always on the search for creative solutions to big, messy problems. He has worked globally with non-profit, academic, and other organizations to apply advanced analytics and AI. He has a history of leading entrepreneurial projects and building teams to test new ideas. He has applied his background in engineering and public policy to measure the impact of humanitarian assistance.

George Mastoras

Communications Manager

George oversees project management and hands-on work across brand development, storytelling, stakeholder engagement, media relations, and digital media.

Previously, George was the Director of Communications at the National Center on Time & Learning and the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. George also served as National Political Coordinator at Progressive Majority. He has degrees from George Washington University and Stonehill College. George was honored to work in John Lewis’s office organizing a congressional delegation to Selma to remember Bloody Sunday.

Hazem Mahmoud

Data Solutions Architect

Hazem provides direct technical assistance around Data Analytics, Engineering and Operations to Foundation grantees and partner organizations.

Before focusing on nonprofits, Hazem worked with Cloudera Inc.’s leading clients in designing, architecting and deploying the Cloudera platform. Hazem spent over 15 years in systems engineering and DevOps roles, in the banking, advertising, and mobile industries. Hazem has a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Michigan and an MS Information Systems from Metropolitan State University.

Patrick McGovern

Trustee

Patrick is the current Chair of the Board of Trustees and a longtime technology executive.

For 25 years, Patrick has been committed to emerging tech solutions. He previously ran SourceForge, was VP of Marketing at Splunk, CMO at Skout, and VP of Marketing at Risk I/O. Patrick also launched WhereApps, and consults for Silicon Valley-based and global tech companies. A Trustee at The People’s Portfolio and The Tech for Global Good Executive Council, Pat holds a BS from the University of San Francisco.

Deborah O’Neil

Director of Communications

Deborah leads the Foundation’s communication team and oversees branding, storytelling, social media, external communications, and media.

Deborah was previously the Director of Communications at Ariadne Labs at the Harvard School of Public Health and Associate Director of News & Communications and speechwriter to the president at Florida International University. Her early career was as a daily newspaper reporter. She has a BA in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida and MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from FIU.

Alisa Orlowsky

Team Coordinator, Data and Society

Alisa oversees the administrative functions for the Data and Society team, including coordinating and logistics. Alisa also provides support to Data and Society programming operations.

Alisa graduated from Santa Clara University with a philosophy degree and a minor in chemistry. She also completed a certificate in Values in Science and Technology. Previously, Alisa supported Santa Clara University’s Wellness Center as the Social Media and Marketing Coordinator. Outside of work, Alisa is interested in reading, cooking, and health & wellness.

Frank Ortiz

Program Associate, Rising Leaders for Equity

Frank supports grant management with various methods such as drafting presentations and conducting research.

Since 2015, Frank has worked in basic needs interventions to support and understand the access of food, housing, and transportation. That led them to pursue an MSPH in preventative health. Through this, they have worked to evaluate programming, provide and manage direct pragmatic and policy shifts within academic settings, lead college system-wide advocacy initiatives, and support operations of basic needs services.

Ananthan (A.B.) Srinivasan

Data Technologist

As the Data Technologist in the Data and Society team, A.B. assists nonprofits with their data management, engineering and analysis practices to enhance the effectiveness of their solution(s) and the impact of their mission.

A.B has worked on operating & distributed systems and data & management platforms in roles spanning software & solutions development, data engineering, application & API design and continuous build, testing & deployment automation over stints at Cloudera, VMware, BEA Systems, Geoworks and Apple as well as attempting to establish a nonprofit providing information and financial services to low income communities in India.

Leah C. Taylor

Manager, Rising Leaders for Equity

Leah directs administration of the Rising Leaders for Equity initiative, including overall program design and management, supervision and operations.

Leah has led, designed, and executed mission-driven programs and initiatives for leading social impact organizations throughout the country. Prior to joining PJMF, Leah was a Senior Consultant with Converge, a New Orleans based social justice consultancy. Leah received a BBA from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and studied International Education at The George Washington University.

Linda Tsai

Senior Manager, Operations

Linda helps drive ongoing operational excellence guided by outcomes and a commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) to support the Foundation’s impact.

Linda was special assistant to the Cloudera Foundation CEO, executing on chief-of-staff functions. She also has served as Vice President for Strategy at The Tech Interactive and Senior Communications Director at American Heart Association. Her first love was newspapers; she wrote, edited and managed at publications including the Mercury News and Miami Herald. She holds dual degrees in Journalism and Business from Mizzou.

Danny Thomas Vang

Program Associate, Rising Leaders for Equity

Danny conducts research relevant to the team, coordinates action items for meetings with grantees/partners, and helps manage a portfolio of grants.

Danny has spent time in government departments, non-profit organizations, private corporations, and a legislative office. Most recently, he was a communications fellow with the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management and a content strategy intern at PayPal. As a blind student, Danny completed a MA in Public Administration at SF State. You can find him watching anime and indoor rock climbing in his spare time.

Monica Wright

Operations Manager

Monica supports operations, systems management, and technology solutions for the Foundation.

Monica graduated from Boston College with a bachelor’s degree in history and communications. She spent eight years managing Trademark Tours, a tourism start-up in Cambridge, MA. During COVID-19, Monica joined Neighborhood Villages to advocate for early education and policy reform and facilitate the reopening of Boston childcare centers. In her spare time, she listens to podcasts and teaches cardio dance and cardio boxing.

Patrick J. McGovern Foundation

Our Team

Hanako Brais

Suzanne DiBianca

Rebecca Distler

Meaghan English

Zeia Fawaz

Annette Florczak

Clara Gamboa de Levin

Sarah Grady

Nikita Japra

Diamond Jones

Mike Kohn

Eloy Leibas

Ben Mann

George Mastoras

Hazem Mahmoud

Patrick McGovern

Deborah O’Neil

Alisa Orlowsky

Frank Ortiz

Ananthan (A.B.) Srinivasan

Leah C. Taylor

Linda Tsai

Danny Thomas Vang

Monica Wright

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