Non Profit

United Nations Foundation

Leslie Edmond serves as the Chief People Officer of [People and Culture](/org/people-and-culture) and is responsible for connecting talent strategy to organizational strategy. In this role, she leads the United Nations Foundation’s work on organizational culture, workforce equity, diversity and inclusion, talent acquisition and development, benefits administration, operations, and administrative management.

Leslie brings over 25 years of human resource and administrative experience in building and enhancing corporate, environmental, and social justice organizations. Most recently she worked at Service Employees International Union (SEIU) as part of the Human Resources team responsible for supporting executives with organizational design, workforce planning, equity and diversity initiatives, training, and talent management programs. Prior to joining SEIU, Leslie was at [Natural Resources Defense Council](/org/natural-resources-defense-council) (NRDC) where she was responsible for all facets of Human Resources, Facilities, and Administration Management.

Leslie Edmond

Megan Roberts is the Director of Policy Planning at the United Nations Foundation (UNF), where she manages the foundation’s policy work, with a particular focus on major trends and forces shaping the future of multilateral cooperation. She is the foundation’s policy lead on digital and emerging technologies and also has extensive experience on international peace and security and peace operations.

Prior to joining UNF, she served as the Associate Director for the International Institutions and Global Governance program at the Council on Foreign Relations and held positions at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems and the Center on International Cooperation at New York University. She was an associate tech policy fellow with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change in 2021-2022.

Megan Roberts

Sueann Tannis is Senior Communications Director at the United Nations Foundation.

Most recently, Sueann was Head of Corporate Communications at the Caribbean Development Bank and Consultant at the World Bank, where she advised on digital communications for a $530 million Trust Fund focusing on women’s and children’s health.

Prior, Sueann held marketing communications roles in the financial services, luxury real estate and retail, and tourism sectors.

Sueann holds a Master’s degree in Public Relations with a focus on Digital Strategy from Georgetown University, and an undergraduate degree in Communication and Culture from Howard University.

Sueann Tannis

Chrysula Winegar is Senior Communications Director at the United Nations Foundation and leads the New York office communications team as well as special initiatives including the Global Moms Challenge, Global Goals week, and Social Good Summit. Previously she founded Wake Up World Communications, a digital communications agency focused on social action campaigns. Chrysula has developed campaigns and digital strategies for the United Nations Foundation, Fox Searchlight, EngenderHealth, Family Planning 2020, and many others. Prior she worked in a variety of communications roles with organizations like Ernst & Young (London); Estee Lauder Companies (New York) and the Australian Export & Finance Corporation (Sydney). She holds a B. in Economics from the University of Queensland and an M.Sc. in Organizational Behavior from the University of London (Birkbeck).

Chrysula Winegar

Jill Isenbarger joined the United Nations Foundation as Chief of Staff where she advises the President and CEO on strategy, direction, and impact.

Prior to joining UNF, Jill was the CEO of [Stone Barns Center](/org/stone-barns-center) for Food and Agriculture, an organization advancing sustainable agriculture and a culture of eating that can support it.  Jill catalyzed [Stone Barns Center](/org/stone-barns-center) from a local, New York-centric start-up to a formidable and highly regarded institution with national and international reach and influence. While there, she increased philanthropic support, expanded and honed educational programming, built staff and leadership capacity, strengthened the board of directors, and cultivated an ethic of collaborative professionalism throughout the organization.  Under her leadership, [Stone Barns Center](/org/stone-barns-center) launched an innovative Farm Lab; co-hosted the annual New York Times’ “Food for Tomorrow” conference; published an acclaimed book of essays, Letters to a Young Farmer (Princeton Architectural Press).

Prior to [Stone Barns Center](/org/stone-barns-center), Jill served as Chief of Staff for [The Nature Conservancy](/org/the-nature-conservancy), a leading conservation organization. Jill worked to advance climate change initiatives, bring the Conservancy’s Last Great Places to urban dwellers through an international traveling photography exhibition and book, In Response to Place, and developed a National Public Radio series, Stories from the Heart of the Land.  She has been a critical advocate in support of ecosystem services and helped to develop the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility with the [World Bank](/org/world-bank-group), an initiative to create financial mechanisms valuing carbon and applying high-quality standards to help developing countries protect threatened forests and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Previously, Jill worked for the Harvard Negotiation Research Project and U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI).

Jill Isenbarger

Mark Malloch‐Brown is the president of the Open Society Foundations.

He previously Co-Chaired the UN Foundation Board. Malloch-Brown has worked to advance human rights and justice through working in international affairs for more than four decades. He was UN deputy secretary‐general and chief of staff under Kofi Annan. Before this, he was the administrator of the UNDP, where he led global development efforts. He covered Africa and Asia as minister of state in the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office. Other positions have included World Bank vice president, a lead international partner in a political consulting firm, vice chair of the World Economic Forum, and senior advisor at Eurasia Group. He began his career as a journalist at the Economist and as an international refugee worker.

He co-chairs the Board of Trustees at Crisis Group, an international NGO committed to preventing and resolving deadly conflict, which he also helped found in 1995. And he formerly chaired Best for Britain, a group that makes the case for Britain’s engagement with the European Union and the World, and has led the boards of both the Royal Africa Society.

Mark Malloch-Brown

Dr. Frannie Léautier is a globally respected development expert with over 25 years of professional experience. She has extensive African and global working knowledge from both public and private sectors, including strong managerial experience in complex multilateral institutions. She is currently a Senior Partner at SouthBridge Group. Previously, she was Executive Director of Asset Management & Special Advisor at the Trade and Development Bank. She has also served as Senior Vice President at the African Development Bank since May 9, 2016. Dr. Léautier is also the Chairperson, Chief Executive Officer, and Co-Founding Partner at Mkoba Private Equity Fund and the Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer at Mkoba LLC.

Dr. Léautier has been recognized for her innovative projects in the water and energy sectors and her consolidation of World Bank investments in the transport sector. She serves as a Co-Chair for WEF Africa and is the Director of the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank. She serves on the MIT OpenCourseWare Advisory Board, as a Non-Executive Director at the PTA Bank, and as a member of the Word Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the New Economic Agenda. She is a Founding Board Member of the Nelson Mandela Institute for Science & Technology and the Journal of Infrastructure Systems, a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of African Trade, and a member of the Board at UONGOZI Institute.

Frannie Léautier

Narayana Murthy is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Infosys Limited, a global software consulting company headquartered in Bangalore, India. Mr. Murthy founded Infosys in 1981 and served as CEO from 1981 to 2002, Chairman and Chief Mentor from 1981 to 2011. Under his leadership, Infosys was listed on NASDAQ in 1999.

Mr. Murthy articulated, designed, and implemented the Global Delivery Model, which has become the foundation for the huge success in IT services outsourcing from India. He led key corporate governance initiatives in India and is an IT advisor to several Asian countries.

He serves on the boards of the Ford Foundation, Rhodes Trust, and the UN Foundation. He has served as a member of the board of HSBC, Unilever, Cornell University, Wharton School, and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. He has also served as the Chairman of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

N. R. Narayana Murthy

Dr. Naoko Ishii is a professor and executive vice president at the University of Tokyo, where she is also the inaugural director for the Center for Global Commons, whose mission is to catalyze systems change so that humans can achieve sustainable development within planetary boundaries. She believes academia can and should play an active role in mobilizing movements toward shared goals of nurturing stewardship of the global commons. Before joining the university, Dr. Ishii was CEO and chairperson of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) from 2012-2020. She formed GEF’s first mid-term strategy, GEF 2020, focusing on the transformation of key economic systems. 

Before joining the GEF, Ms. Ishii was the Deputy Vice Minister of Finance of Japan and represented the Japanese Government during the design of the Green Climate Fund. Dr. Ishii’s career at the Ministry of Finance began in 1981 with a focus on the international sphere, particularly development issues. Later in her career, she was Japan’s Director for Bilateral Development Finance (2004-2006) and for coordination with Multilateral Development Banks (2002-04).

Naoko Ishii

Charles (Chad) O. Holliday Jr. is the former Chairman of Royal Dutch Shell. He previously served as Chairman of the Board of Bank of America and as Chairman and CEO of DuPont, the company he retired from after 37 years of service. He is currently the Lead Director for John Deere & Company and a director for HCA (Hospital Corporation of America). He is a licensed Professional Engineer and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the UK Royal Society of Engineering.

Chad currently chairs the Global Federation of Councils on Competitiveness and co-chairs the Mission Possible Partnership, a multi-organization effort to support seven critical sectors in their transition to a new low-carbon energy system. He previously served as Chairman of the following organizations: U.S. Council on Competitiveness, United Nations Sustainable Energy for All, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Catalyst, U.S. Business Council, and the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. Chad has had close involvement with UNF, especially around the creation of Sustainable Energy for All as well as through the Energy Transition Commission.

Chad Holliday

Senator Wirth began his political career as a White House Fellow under President Lyndon Johnson and served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Education in the Nixon Administration. In 1970, he returned to his home state of Colorado and successfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974. He represented the Denver suburbs from 1975-1987. As a first-term Congressman, he organized the “Freshman Revolt” in 1975, and with colleagues Norman Mineta, Leon Panetta, and Dick Gephardt, he was part of “The Gang of Four” challenging the budget process and developing high technology and alternative budget in 1982. As Chair of the Communications Subcommittee, he led Congressional initiatives to deregulate the communications industry in America; his legislation became the template for the court-ordered break-up of the AT&T monopoly, and Senator Wirth’s Cable Television Bill of 1984 restructured the television industry. He also authored the Indian Peaks Wilderness Act of 1978, served on the Speaker’s Steering and Policy Committee, and was one of the founders of The Democratic Leadership Council. For eight consecutive years was selected as one of the 25 most effective Members of Congress.

Timothy E. Wirth

Hans Vestberg is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Verizon Communications, a leading provider of wireless, fiber-optic and global Internet networks, and services. Prior to assuming the role of CEO in August 2018 and the role of Chairman in March 2019, Mr. Vestberg served as Verizon’s Chief Technology Officer and President of Global Networks from 2017, with responsibility for further developing the architecture for Verizon’s fiber-centric networks. At Verizon, he has focused on delivering seamless experiences for customers over network assets consisting of the country’s leading 4G LTE network, the largest 5G test-bed in the U.S., the nation’s biggest residential fiber network, a global internet backbone, and undersea cable network carrying much of the world’s internet traffic, and fiber assets in 45 of the top 50 markets in the U.S.

Before joining Verizon in April 2017, Mr. Vestberg served for six years as president and CEO of Ericsson, a multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company headquartered in Sweden that provides 35 percent of the world’s 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network infrastructures.

Hans Vestberg

Kathy Calvin is a UN Foundation Board member and the Foundation’s former President and Chief Executive Officer. Her career has spanned work in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. She is a passionate advocate for multi-sector problem-solving, U.S. leadership on global issues, and the inclusion of women at all levels and in all sectors.

In 2011, Kathy was named one of Newsweek’s “150 Women Who Rock the World,” and in 2012, she was listed in Fast Company’s “League of Extraordinary Women.” Her innovative work in the philanthropy and international NGO sector was featured in the New York Times in 2011. She has received numerous other awards for philanthropy and leadership.

Prior to joining the UN Foundation as Chief Operating Officer in 2003, Kathy served as President of the AOL Time Warner Foundation where she guided AOL Time Warner’s philanthropic activities and was the chief architect of the company’s corporate responsibility initiatives. She joined America Online in 1997 as Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer and was responsible for the company’s brand, social responsibility, and external relations.

Kathy Calvin

Laura Turner Seydel works with and supports organizations that address urgent challenges affecting the health, functionality, and vitality of the life support system: the air, water, land, food, biodiversity, and climate.

As chair of the Captain Planet Foundation, Laura guides the organization in its mission to empower and engage youth to become environmental stewards through hands-on experiential projects. She is a passionate board member of the Children & Nature Network, which helps children grow up realizing the many benefits that exposure to nature provides.

She fights for the health of the children as co-founder and chair of Mothers and Others for Clean Air, working to improve air quality for at-risk populations. She is a director of Environmental Working Group, a consumer advocacy organization that works to keep toxins out of food, products, water, and air.

Laura Turner Seydel

As President of the Better World Campaign and Senior Vice President at the [United Nations](/org/united-nations) Foundation, Peter Yeo leads the Foundation’s strategic engagement with the U.S. Congress and Administrations to advance policy changes that support the UN’s work for global progress.

Peter joined the [United Nations](/org/united-nations) Foundation and the Better World Campaign in 2009 with over twenty years of legislative, analytical, and management experience, including senior roles on Capitol Hill and in the State Department. Prior to arriving at UNF, Peter served for ten years as the Deputy Staff Director at the House Foreign Affairs Committee chaired by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA). He has worked on a broad range of foreign policy and foreign aid issues. On behalf of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats, he led the successful negotiations for the landmark HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003, commonly known as PEPFAR, as well as the successful $50 billion reauthorization of the law in 2008.

He also shepherded into law several measures dealing with China, Tibet, Burma, and East Timor. Prior to his work with the Committee, he served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. State Department during the second Clinton Administration, where he led the negotiations around repayment of the U.S. arrears to the [United Nations](/org/united-nations) and was part of the U.S. delegation to the climate negotiations in Kyoto. Peter holds a BA in East Asian Studies from [Wesleyan University](/org/wesleyan-university) as well as a MA in East Asian Studies from [Harvard University](/org/harvard). He is also a member of the [Council on Foreign Relations](/org/council-on-foreign-relations), a leading independent nonpartisan foreign policy think tank, and a Board Member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.

Peter Yeo

Sofia Borges is the United Nations Foundation’s Senior Vice President and leads the Foundation’s office in New York. Before joining the UN Foundation, Sofia was the Deputy Chef de Cabinet to the President of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly (2017-2018) and served in the Cabinet of the President of the 71st Session (2016-2017) of the UN General Assembly as his Special Adviser on Strategic Engagement and Transparency.

Prior to joining the Office of the President of the UN General Assembly, Sofia worked as Special Adviser on the 2030 Agenda to the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA).

Previously, she was Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Timor-Leste to the UN from 2010-2016. She was the Chief Negotiator for her country during the Open Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals (2013-2014) and Chief Negotiator for Timor-Leste on the Post-2015 Inter-Governmental Negotiations on the SDGs (2014-2015). She was Chair of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (2014-2016). Sofia also served as Chair of the g7+ (2010-2014), a role that was critical in the negotiations on the 2030 Agenda. Sofia was also a member of the Advisory Board UN Democracy Fund (2012-2013) as well as a Member of the Executive Board of [UN Women](/org/un-women) (2012-2013). Before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sofia worked as a Women’s Anthropologist at the [Central Land Council](/org/central-land-council) in Australia.

Sofia holds degrees in Anthropology, Political Science, and Law from the Australian National University, Canberra, and Northern University, Darwin. She speaks Tetum, English, and Portuguese.

Sofia Borges

Throughout his career, Ted Turner has won recognition for his entrepreneurial acumen, sharp business skills, a vision that transformed television, leadership qualities that won sports championships, and unprecedented philanthropy.

Turner began his career as an account executive with Turner Advertising Company and entered the television business in 1970 when he acquired Atlanta independent station channel 17. In 1976, Turner purchased Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves and launched TBS Superstation, originating the “Superstation” concept. The following year, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. acquired the National Basketball Association’s Atlanta Hawks, and in 1980, Turner launched CNN, the world’s first live, 24-hour global news network.

Turner has also made his mark as one of the most influential philanthropists in the U.S.

Ted Turner

Kate Dodson is the Vice President for Global Health at the United Nations Foundation. In this role, she works to ensure that the UN Foundation delivers on its commitments to address the health-related Sustainable Development Goals and builds synergies with UN agencies and other key multilateral partners. In its global health work, the UN Foundation supports UN agencies and partners that deliver vital health services to people around the world, including campaigns to vaccinate children against measles, polio, and other diseases, family planning services, and millions of anti-malaria bed nets. Increasingly, we focus on supporting the work of the [World Health Organization](/org/world-health-organization) and others to prepare for pandemics, tackle antimicrobial resistance, and strengthen global systems to provide Universal Health Coverage, to ensure we reach the most vulnerable.

Previously, Kate spent several years as the UN Foundation’s Director of Global Health and has also served as Executive Director of Program Integration, focused on cross-department and cross-issue collaboration. Kate joined the UN Foundation in 2004 and spent her first five years in the sustainable development program in various positions, focused at the intersection of poverty reduction and environmental stewardship.

Kate has served on numerous advisory bodies for UN-related multi-partner initiatives.  She is currently vice-chair of the board of the Global Health Council, co-facilitator of the [World Health Organization](/org/world-health-organization)-Civil Society Task Team, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Forum on Public-Private Partnerships in Global Health. She has a master’s degree with distinction from [Georgetown University](/org/georgetown-university)’s School of Foreign Service and a bachelor’s degree with departmental honors from [Bates College](/org/bates-college) in Maine.

Kate Dodson

Pete Ogden is Vice President for Energy, Climate, and the Environment at the United Nations Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, he was Senior Fellow for International Energy and Climate Policy at the [Center for American Progress](/org/center-for-american-progress), Senior Advisor and Fellow at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, and Senior Advisor at the [Rhodium Group](/org/rhodium-group).

During the Obama administration, he served in the White House as Senior Director for Energy and Climate Change on the Domestic Policy Council and Director for International Climate Change and Environmental Policy on the National Security Council, as well as at the State Department as Chief of Staff to the Special Envoy for Climate Change. Before his government roles, he was the Chief of Staff at the [Center for American Progress](/org/center-for-american-progress). His writing on energy and climate issues has appeared in Foreign Affairs, the [Financial Times](/org/financial-times), the Washington Post, and a variety of other outlets.

Pete Ogden

Michelle Milford Morse is the [United Nations](/org/united-nations) Foundation’s Vice President for Girls and Women Strategy. She leads the Foundation’s organization-wide efforts to promote gender equality and the rights and agency of all girls and women, working in collaboration with the [United Nations](/org/united-nations) and its partners.

Michelle has worked on global health and development issues with a range of UN, private sector, and civil society partners, including the [Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation](/org/bill-melinda-gates-foundation), LIVESTRONG, UNICEF USA, [Sesame Workshop](/org/sesame-workshop), the UBS Optimus Foundation, [Johnson & Johnson](/org/johnson-johnson), mothers2mothers, amFAR, ICRW, and the University of Texas. Through her work she has helped organizations define strategic paths and advance specific global development causes – including on child development, regulatory action on HIV treatment, maternal mortality, mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and violence against children. She previously advised the UN Foundation and led a range of projects related to gender equality, including serving as the Foundation’s co-convener on the Girl Declaration. Michelle was also the press secretary and communications director for U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett.

Michelle earned a Master of International Affairs and a Master of Public Health at [Columbia University](/org/columbia-university), and pursued her graduate research at the Rakai Health Sciences Program in Kalisizo, Uganda. She is a proud graduate of the University of Texas (Hook ’em!). Michelle lives in Austin, Texas, where she is the past chair of the board of directors of the Ann Richards School Foundation, and serves on the board of directors for the LIVESTRONG Foundation and the Global Advisory Council of the Miracle Foundation.

Michelle Milford Morse

Sia Nowrojee is the Senior Director, of Girls & Women Strategy at the United Nations Foundation. She has more than 30 years of experience in international and community development, including strategic leadership, program management, advocacy, institutional strengthening and capacity building, training, movement building, and strategic communications. Sia’s experience spans a range of issues, including gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, HIV/AIDS, education, pluralism, good governance, and localization. Prior to joining the Girls & Women team, Sia served as Senior Director, Global Community at Girl Up, a global leadership development initiative transforming a generation of girls to be a force for gender equality and social justice. Earlier, Sia served as the Executive Director of the 3D Program for Girls and Women, as a Senior Gender Consultant with UNICEF, and as Senior Technical Writer and Editor with the Aga Khan Development Network. Sia served as the co-chair of the Learning Working Group of the Movement for Community-Led Development and is a 2020 Fellow with WomenLift Health, a women’s leadership program. A dual citizen of Kenya and the U.S., Sia has a Master of Social Services (Clinical) and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (Honors) from Bryn Mawr College.

Sia Nowrojee

Kathryn develops communications strategies for the Better World Campaign and other advocacy teams throughout the United Nations Foundation. Prior to joining BWC, she was a strategic communications consultant for non-profits, NGOs, and corporations.

Kathryn began her career as a journalist. As a producer for ABC News Nightline, she traveled widely throughout the US and the world, covering domestic politics and international affairs. She was awarded five Emmys for her work during this time. She later became CNN’s first female Bureau Chief in Washington, DC, and managed a staff of 300 in the aftermath of 9/11. In 2006, she joined Bloomberg Television in Washington as Bureau Chief, tasked with developing new programming and building the company’s TV presence in the nation’s capital.

Kathryn received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Hampshire. She was awarded a Nieman Fellowship from Harvard during the 1994-95 academic year.

Kathryn Kross

Elizabeth Cousens became the [United Nations](/org/united-nations) Foundation’s third President and Chief Executive Officer in 2020, leading the Foundation’s next generation of work to support the [United Nations](/org/united-nations).

Elizabeth has been at the forefront of global policymaking and innovation for over 20 years. She is a diplomat and thought leader who has worked on the frontlines of peace processes, played an influential role in UN policy innovations from peacebuilding to the Sustainable Development Goals, and helped build public-private partnerships to solve global challenges at scale.

Before joining the Foundation, Elizabeth served for several years at the U.S. Mission to the UN in New York. She was Principal Policy Advisor and Counselor to the Permanent Representative of the United States to the [United Nations](/org/united-nations) and later served as the U.S. Ambassador to the UN Economic and Social Council and Alternate Representative to the UN General Assembly where she led U.S. negotiations on the SDGs; served on the boards of UN agencies, funds, and programmes; and was U.S. representative to the UN Peacebuilding Commission.

Elizabeth has lived around the world, serving with UN missions in Nepal and the Middle East, and working as an analyst in conflict zones, including Bosnia and Haiti. She was previously Director of Strategy for the HD Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue which promotes and conducts mediation of armed conflict; Vice President of the International Peace Institute, where she led initiatives on global crisis management and UN reform; and Director of the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum, a research group that provides country and regional expertise to the UN on conflict and crisis situations.

Prior to becoming President and CEO, Elizabeth served as Deputy CEO where she oversaw the Foundation’s policy, advocacy, and communications work.

Elizabeth has a D.Phil. in International Relations from the [University of Oxford](/org/university-of-oxford), where she was a Rhodes Scholar, as well as a B.A. in history and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Puget Sound. She has written widely on conflict management, peace processes, state-building, and the [United Nations](/org/united-nations).

She and her husband have one child.

Elizabeth Cousens

Ryan Hobert is the UN Foundation’s Managing Director for Energy, Climate, and the Environment. Since joining the UN Foundation in 2004, Ryan has helped lead the Foundation’s efforts to combat the global climate crisis, transition the world to low-carbon energy, and tackle the most pressing environmental challenges – from the loss of biodiversity to unsustainable agricultural practices. He is particularly focused on working to promote and protect the Paris Climate Agreement, the world’s first global deal on climate change, which was universally adopted by 195 countries in 2015, after two decades of negotiations.

Ryan works closely with UN partners to build strategic partnerships on climate and the environment with national governments, the private sector, and civil society. During his 15+ years at the UN Foundation, Ryan has collaborated with UN partners to develop innovative sustainable energy projects in Africa, helped incubate and launch the Sustainable Energy for All initiative, facilitated diplomatic outreach on climate change and environmental issues, supported two UN Secretary-Generals and their teams to organize climate summits in 2015 and 2019, worked with the state of California in 2018 to organize the Global Climate Action Summit (a first-of-its-kind moment to accelerate and promote non-state climate action), and led the Foundation’s efforts to be a sustainability leader in its own operations.

Ryan Hobert

Fábio C. Barbosa served as the CEO of the Abril Group – one of the largest and most influential communications groups in Latin America – from 2011 to 2015. He now serves as the Chairman of the Board of Endeavor Brazil and the São Paulo Orchestra, Osesp. He is also the Vice Chairman of two education NGOs, Itaú Social, and Ayrton Senna Institute, as well as the Center for Public Leadership. Mr. Barbosa is a Board member of Banco Itaú-Unibanco; Gávea Investments; CBMM, a mining company; and Insper, a non-profit educational and research institute.

Mr. Barbosa was previously the CEO of Santander Brazil from 2008 to 2011, the President of Febraban from 2007 to 2011, and the President of Banco Real/ABN Amro from 1996 to 2008. In 2011, Mr. Barbosa was recognized as Person of the Year by the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce in New York, and in 2012, he received the United Nations’ Champions of the Earth award for his entrepreneurial vision.

Fábio C. Barbosa

Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah is an international human rights advocate whose work focuses on education, cross-cultural dialogue, and finding innovative solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. In addition to her role as the wife of His Majesty King Abdullah II and a mother of four, Queen Rania works hard to improve the lives of Jordanians by supporting efforts to create opportunities for their advancement.

Locally, she is committed to enhancing the public education system; empowering women and their communities; improving child and family protection services; and driving innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship through society, especially amongst youth.

Internationally, Queen Rania is an advocate for tolerance, compassion, and promoting empathy between people of all cultures. Her efforts to challenge stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims, and promote greater understanding and acceptance between people of all faiths and cultures, have won her global recognition.

Rania Al Abdullah

Baroness Valerie Amos is the Master of University College Oxford. She previously served as Director of the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London from 2015-2020. From 2010, Valerie served as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the UN. She served in a number of roles in the public sector including in local government and as Chief Executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission. Baroness Amos was an adviser to the Mandela Government on leadership and change management issues and was appointed a Labour Life Peer in 1997. She became the first black woman to sit in the British Cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development. Baroness Amos became Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council in October 2003 and served as UK High Commissioner to Australia before joining the UN.

Baroness Valerie Amos

Ilze Melngailis’ career has focused on applying business approaches to international development – accelerating gains in health, gender equality, and poverty alleviation. She designs and develops innovative corporate partnerships at the United Nations Foundation, where she is Senior Director, Business Council for the UN, and Private Sector Engagement. She also leads private sector engagement with the UN and companies’ participation in the UN’s historic Sustainable Development Goals. She has contributed to thought leadership and created impactful initiatives and programs in over 30 countries through leadership positions at GBC Health where she was Vice President, Partnerships and Impact Initiatives, and prior roles at the USAID-funded ACQUIRE Project at EngenderHealth, International Planned Parenthood Federation, and consulting roles. She has expertise in corporate ‘shared value’ strategies, women’s and girls’ empowerment, reproductive health and family planning, social marketing, and partnering effectively with the private sector to reach global development goals.

She earned her Bachelor’s degree at McGill University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Yale University School of Management. She is a founding board member of Operation Fistula, and at the start of her career, founded and ran Latvia’s national Association for Family Planning and Sexual Health.

Ilze Melngailis

Danielle Zapotoczny is Senior Director of Partnerships & Communications and a Strategic Advisor to the United Nations Creative Community Outreach Initiative. In these roles, she works with content creators, influencers, corporations, and foundations to strategically leverage their platforms to create impact across the Sustainable Development Goals.

She has also served as a Strategic Advisor to Lucasfilm on the Star Wars Force for Change social action campaign and to the UCLA Burkle Global Impact Initiative.

She has a B.A. in Public Policy Studies from Duke University. And, after 18 years in Los Angeles, recently moved back to Durham where she is a Visiting Professor of the Practice of Public Policy at Duke and a Strategic Advisor to the Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative.

Danielle Zapotoczny

Valencia Bembry serves as Vice President of Philanthropy for the [United Nations](/org/united-nations) Foundation where she leads the Foundation’s fundraising and development efforts to grow revenue and capacity for the Foundation to advance the mission of the [United Nations](/org/united-nations).

Prior to joining UNF, she held several senior leadership roles with [United Way](/org/united-way) Worldwide. Most recently, she served as the Chief of Staff for the Chief Experience Officer (CXO) where she was responsible for building effective cross-functional integration for all donor-facing functions to deliver best-in-class donor experiences for individual, corporate, and institutional donors. She was instrumental in the creation of the organization’s first enterprise-wide revenue strategy and advancing its fundraising infrastructure. 

Of her many accomplishments at [United Way](/org/united-way), Valencia most recently led the development and execution of a star-studded, televised fundraising event that raised more than $20 million from individual and corporate donors to support [United Way](/org/united-way)’s COVID relief efforts. 

Valencia also served as the Executive Director of the Destination & Travel Foundation and SVP, Strategic Initiatives for the Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI), a trade association for tourism organizations. Under her leadership, she transitioned the Foundation’s fundraising model and increased annual giving by 300 percent within the first year. 

Among her accomplishments within the travel and tourism industry, Valencia created programs that significantly increased minority and women ownership of hotels across Intercontinental Hotels Group and [Choice Hotels](/org/choice-hotels) family of brands. 

Valencia believes that the road to solving society’s most challenging problems is by harnessing the caring power and generosity of individuals, institutions, and corporations to drive meaningful impact in the lives of the most vulnerable among us. 

Valencia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Global Business & Public Policy, a Master’s degree in International Marketing and Management, and an MBA, all from the [University of Maryland](/org/university-of-maryland) Global Campus. 

Valencia Bembry

Dr. Julio Frenk, a leader in global health and scholar, is the sixth President of the University of Miami. From 2009 to 2015, he was Dean of the Faculty at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and T & G Angelopoulos Professor of Public Health and International Development.

Julio Frenk, a leader in global health and scholar, became the sixth President of the University of Miami on August 16, 2015. From 2009 to 2015, he was Dean of the Faculty at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and T & G Angelopoulos Professor of Public Health and International Development, a joint appointment with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Dr. Frenk served as Minister of Health of Mexico from 2000 to 2006, where he pursued an ambitious agenda to reform the nation’s health system. He was the founding Director-General of the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico and has held leadership positions at the Mexican Health Foundation, the World Health Organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Carso Health Institute.

Julio Frenk

Marti G. Subrahmanyam is the Charles E. Merrill Professor of Finance and Economics in the Stern School of Business at New York University, and Global Network Professor of Finance at NYU Shanghai. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and a post-graduate diploma in business administration from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Both institutions conferred on him their Distinguished Alumnus Award. He earned a doctorate in finance and economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Subrahmanyam has published over two hundred articles in leading academic journals in economics and finance, and several books in the areas of corporate finance, asset pricing including derivatives, and international finance. He has served on about eighty doctoral dissertation committees and has chaired over thirty-five of them. He has been a visiting professor at leading academic institutions around the world, including Cambridge University, London Business School, Manchester Business School, the University of Melbourne, ESSEC, INSEAD, LUISS, and the University of Venice Ca’ Foscari.

Marti G. Subrahmanyam

Edward (Eddie) Ndopu is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed South African disabled humanitarian and activist who wasn’t expected to live past the age of 5 due to his diagnosis of Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Ndopu has gone on to become a beacon of hope and possibility for the 1 billion people living with disabilities around the world.

Mr. Ndopu is the Founder and CEO of Beyond Zero, a new platform for creating global change and seeing the possibilities that come from reduced inequalities and sustainable development. He is currently raising money for a billion-dollar Global Assistive Technology and Accessibility Fund. He currently serves as the Founder and Chair of A BILLION REASONS, a groundbreaking incubator envisioned to tackle the Sustainable Development Goals through the lens of universal design and disability innovation.

Eddie Ndopu

Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland is a physician and politician. She is the former Prime Minister of Norway and served as Director-General of the World Health Organization from 1998 to 2003.

A medical doctor and Master of Public Health (MPH), Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland spent 10 years as a physician and scientist in the Norwegian public health system. She served in public office for more than 20 years – 10 of them as prime minister. In the 1980s, she gained international recognition, championing the principle of sustainable development as the chair of the World Commission of Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission).

Dr. Brundtland’s first choice of career was not to become an environmentalist or a politician but to become a doctor like her father. He was a specialist in rehabilitation medicine, a skill much in demand following World War II. When Dr. Brundtland was 10 years old, the family moved to the United States where her father had been awarded a Rockefeller scholarship.

Gro Harlem Brundtland

Lara Sonti is the Senior Director for Business Services and Contracts for the United Nations Foundation and the Better World Fund. In this role, Lara oversees and manages the contracts team regarding a variety of general contractual and risk-management matters and provides guidance and solutions to support the achievement of the organization’s objectives.

Lara has over 20 years of experience in nonprofits and small businesses. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2009, Lara worked in operational roles at Ecoagriculture Partners, the Center for National Policy in Washington, D.C., and the Cara Program in Chicago. Lara holds a JD from New York Law School and a BA in English Literature from the University of South Florida.

Lara Sonti

Farah is Senior Director, UNA-USA, and within this role, she oversees UNA-USA’s national programs, chapter support, communications strategy, and member engagement. Farah brings with her 7+ years of experience as a UNA-USA volunteer, serving as a Chapter President (UNA-Chicago) and Board Member, and as UNA-USA National Council Member for the Great Lakes Region!

Farah’s background is in fundraising, organizational capacity building, communications, and stakeholder engagement. Prior to her current position at the UN Foundation, Farah oversaw the global Membership Division for Lions Clubs International (LCI), the world’s largest organization dedicated to improving communities through volunteer service. Before LCI, Farah served as the Alumni and Volunteer Relations Director of the Young African Leadership Initiative Regional Leadership Center East Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.

Farah Eck

Lori Sloate is the Senior Director for Global Health at the United Nations Foundation. Prior to her work at the Foundation, Lori was the Deputy Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance for four years. She also worked with the World Health Organization for nearly 10 years, working with ministries and partners and advocating for global campaigns around various health issues. She has worked with other UN agencies, such as UNESCAP in Bangkok and UNOPS in Vietnam, promoting the work of pro-poor, public-private partnerships and capacity-building initiatives. Earlier in her career, Lori worked in Mozambique with an NGO on a health and sanitation program through a social mobilization effort with rural communities. Lori has a Master’s Degree in intercultural and international management from the School for International Training in the United States and has studied economics and development at the University of Nice, France.

Lori Sloate

Sasha Alleyne is the Senior Director, People & Culture at the United Nations Foundation. In her role, in conjunction with the Vice President, People & Culture, she oversees the full cycle of People & Culture to include guidance and counseling on any human resources issues, including but not limited to employee relations matters, compensation, and training.

Sasha has over 10 years of experience in Human Resources and Administration Management and has managed organizations with multiple locations locally and internationally supporting over 500 employees. Sasha previously worked at America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), a national association whose members provide coverage and health services that improve and protect the health and financial security of consumers, families, businesses, and the nation. There, Sasha was responsible for aligning the workforce with AHIP’s objectives and serving as an employee champion and change agent by assessing and anticipating HR needs.

Sasha holds an M.S. in Human Resources Development from Villanova University, PA, and a B.A. in Business Administration from Marymount University, VA.

Sasha Alleyne

Mr. Troy G. Wolfe is the Senior Director, Partnerships & Special Initiatives at the United Nations Foundation. In this role, he creates partnerships that raise awareness about the Sustainable Development Goals while engaging civil society in calls for advocacy.

His service to the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) spans nine years and includes the management of grants, K-12 programming, partnerships, and philanthropic initiatives that leverage the vast resources of the United Nations Foundation to bring about innovative public programs and events.

Mr. Wolfe holds an M.A. in Instructional Technology and Media from Teachers College, Columbia University, NY, and a B.A. in English with a minor in Education from Lincoln University, PA. He is a member of Pi Lambda Theta International Honor Society and Professional Association in Education and the New Jersey Chapter of the United Nations Association of the United States of America.

Troy G. Wolfe

Ikoie Norman is Senior Director, Fundraising Strategy and Engagement at the United Nations Foundation. She joins the team with more than 20 years of business strategy and development experience.

Ikoie has built a solid track record of establishing strong relationships to generate and develop new business partnerships and executing process improvement endeavors. In her role, she also develops effective stewardship strategies for all donor groups and is responsible for enhancing, establishing, and administering initiatives designed to achieve short and long-range advancements in middle and major donor fundraising.

Ikoie earned her MBA in Performance Management from Dallas Baptist University and her BA in Marketing from Clark Atlanta University.

Teams at United Nations Foundation

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