Nick Ehrmann
Founder and CEO, Blue Engine

Nick has served as CEO & Founder of Blue Engine since 2009. Ehrmann began his career in education as a Teach for America corps member in Washington D.C., joining forces with local philanthropists in 2002 to launch the nonprofit “I Have a Dream”—Project 312http://www.echoinggreen.org/. The partnership secured over $1M in commitments for a ten year, comprehensive youth development program for his fourth-grade students, many of whom are struggling to make it in the world of higher education. In 2003 he began graduate work at Princeton University as a William G. Bowen fellow and completed his PhD in sociology in 2010. His dissertation—Yellow Brick Road—explored the negative effects of academic underperformance on the transition from high school to college. Nick was selected as a finalist for the Washington D.C. First-Year Teacher of the Year award and the national Teach For America Sue Lehmann Award and was named an Echoing Green Fellow in 2010 and a Draper Richards Kaplan Fellow in 2011. He currently lives in New York City and can be reached at nick@blueengine.org.

Bob Filbin
Chief Data Scientist, Crisis Text Line

Bob Filbin is Chief Data Scientist at Crisis Text Line, the first large-scale 24/7 national crisis line for teens on the medium they use and trust most: texting. The service will launch August 1st. Bob specializes in the application of behavioral psychology to questions of data collection, analysis, and reporting, to make sure data leads to good behavioral change. Bob has given lectures on using data to drive behavioral change at places including MIT, the University of Pennsylvania and the North American International Auto Show, and has published articles in the Harvard Business Review and Ypulse. He runs in Prospect Park.

Linda Kay Klein
2006 Reynolds Fellow Alumnus
Director, Echoing Green's Work on Purpose Program

Linda Kay Klein is a writer, speaker, expert on women’s religious and spiritual lives, and Director of Echoing Green's Work on Purpose program. Work on Purpose leverages the best practices of some of the world’s most successful social entrepreneurs to equip and inspire emerging professionals to create careers that are right for them and good for the world. Linda also sits on the advisory board of Feminist.com's religion and spirituality microsite, Our Inner Lives, and writes a column for the site, entitled Fierce, Faithful, and Free.

Michael marantz
Principal / Founder, Already Alive

The most important thing to know about Michal Marantz is that he named his company Already Alive. This is not a mistake or a sloughed-off attempt at naming something to sound catchy. It is the embodiment of who he is. Michael is a multidisciplinary storyteller with the emphasis here, on Story. As a Filmmaker, Composer, Digital Artist, and Experiential Designer, pushing the bounds of traditional media in innovative ways is his day job. As a human, creator of content, and fast-walking Brooklynite, he is constantly in pursuit of stirring his viewers to feel the same way he does: Already Alive.

Richard Marker
Co-Principal, Wise Philanthropy
Founder, NYU Academy for Grantmaking & Funder Education

Richard Marker is an internationally recognized speaker, educator, and advisor on philanthropy. He is the founder of 2 educational initiatives for funders: the NYU Academy for Grantmaking and Funder Education and the Wise Philanthropy Institute. The NYU Academy for Grantmaking and Funder Education, now entering its 11th year, is the worlds oldest and most comprehensive university program exclusively teaching philanthropists and foundation professionals.

Marker has lectured in 39 countries on 5 continents and in 40 of the United States, writes a popular blog Wise Philanthropy and is the author of Saying Yes Wisely: Insights for the Thoughtful Philanthropist. (Blooming Twig Books, 2009, 2011). In addition to the Institute, Wise Philanthropy includes Marker Goldsmith Philanthropy Advisors and Green Strides Consulting. Over his career Marker has been CEO of a major foundation (Bronfman-Seagram Foundation), a trustee of several others, a professor (Brown, Hofstra, Loyola, and New York Universities), a management consultant (The Solutions Group), a senior executive in the non-profit world (Hillel Foundation), and a university chaplain (Brown University).

Marker has received an Excellence in Teaching award from NYU, his career has been the subject of a feature length article in Lifestyles, and Forbes recently published an extended interview with him (March 2012). He is a professional member of the Global Speakers Federation/National Speakers Association. In addition to his professional work, Marker has served in leadership roles on a wide variety of volunteer and foundation boards and served as chair of two international boards. He is married to Mirele Goldsmith, PhD., who is also on the faculty of the NYU Academy and is his partner in Wise Philanthropy. They are the parents of Adam, a public interest attorney in Washington, DC.

Michael Mossoba
CEO, Design Observer

Michael Mossoba is CEO of Design Observer, a leading media platform dedicated to design, culture, and social innovation. He previously founded Goodness500, a social enterprise that ranks companies based on corporate social responsibility. Michael holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and is passionate about design, technology, and social impact.

Kate Otto
2006 Reynolds Scholar Alumnus
Founder, Everyday Ambassador
Mobile Technology Consultant, World Bank

Kate Otto is a consultant to the World Bank, USAID, and other international development partners, in the field of mobile health technologies. She is also the founder of Everyday Ambassador, a movement to ensure technology helps, not hinders, our ability to connect with others in service efforts. Kate is a 2006 Reynolds scholar, and graduated NYU with her BA in International Relations and MA in Health Policy & Management.

Zack Rosenberg
Founder and CEO, DoGoodBuyUs

Zack Rosenberg is the Founder and CEO of DoGoodBuyUs, the marketplace for social good/s. One of the first online resources of its kind, DoGoodBuyUs offers a unique fundraising platform for non-profit groups and charity partners. On this site, consumers shop for beautiful items while giving generously at the same time. Zack has always dedicated himself to giving back, serving on the boards of non-profits and also working tirelessly to help colleagues find work. In 2009, he created SixDegreesofZack Rosenberg (SDZR), a monthly e-newsletter bringing great people together with great job opportunities in digital media. With over a thousand subscribers, each issue gets results. He recently posted his twenty-first edition, which now offers expanded content including timely interviews with industry leaders.

Raj Thakkar
Founder and CEO, Charter School Business Management (CSBM)
John Wood - NYU Reynolds Fellow in Scalability

A social entrepreneur committed to the financial solvency of charter schools, Raj Thakkar is considered a national expert on charter school finance. He founded Charter School Business Management (CSBM) in 2006 after serving as Chief Financial Officer of Explore Charter School for four years. Currently managing budgets totaling over $400 million for their 100+ clients, CSBM provides a wide range of business services for charter schools, including full service management of schools’ financial responsibilities and training for school leaders, finance/operations staff and Board members. Recognizing that 80% of charter school closures are due to financial mismanagement, CSBM is dedicated to providing school leaders with the financial “peace of mind” they need so that they can focus on their crucial work of educating their students. Raj has been featured in numerous publications and conferences as a result of CSBM’s work towards eliminating charter school closure due to finances. He was named Small Business Person of the Year for the NY district by the U.S. Small Business Administration in 2011. CSBM was also awarded Small Business of the Year for Eastern Region of the U.S. by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 2009. In October 2012, CSBM was selected to participate in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, an initiative to help small businesses growth and create more jobs. In November 2012, CSBM was named #14 out of the 50 Best Places to Work in New York City by Crain’s NY Business. Raj received his Bachelors in Engineering Science from Hofstra University and MBA in Finance from NYU’s Stern School of Business.