Carmen Rita Wong is the author of “Why Didn’t You Tell Me?: A Memoir”, (Crown Penguin). She is a writer, producer, and non-profit board leader. Carmen was the co-creator and television host of On the Money on CNBC, a national advice columnist for Glamour, Latina, Essence, Men’s Health, and Good Housekeeping. A member of President Obama’s ‘Business Forward’ initiative to further African-American, Latino and Asian business owners, Carmen was also a faculty professor of behavioral economics at New York University and is the author of two best-selling financial advice books. She invests in and advises women-led and owned businesses, productions and content.

Kimberly Aguilera is a recognized leader in executive search with a focus on marketing, product and communications disciples. She’s been matching strategic talent with innovative companies since 2006, and has placed leaders at consumer brands such as Airbnb, Gap and MoMA. Kimberly is committed to elevating communities of color and making the workforce more equitable. She recently founded Zocalo to focus her impact. She approaches candidates and clients with empathy, trust and humor. Kimberly is based in Manhattan, mother of two children and has been mentoring with the Girls Club since 2013 and has served on the Board since 2018.

David Flores Wilson helps professionals and business owners in New York City achieve financial freedom. Named Investopedia “100 Top Financial Advisors of 2019”, he is a Senior Wealth Manager for Watts Capital and Writer/Editor for Planning to Wealth. His financial guidance has appeared on Yahoo!Finance, MSN News, CNBC and InvestmentNews. A graduate of University of California, Berkeley, he holds the Chartered Financial Analyst, Certified Financial Planner, and Certified Exit Planning Advisor designations. David resides in the East Village and represented Guam in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

De’Ara Balenger is a lawyer and creative strategist. She is the Co-founder of Maestra. She has extensive experience in directing and accelerating mission-driven work. De’Ara works with leadership across industries on designing how to do business with an anti-racist lens. Before co-founding Maestra, De’Ara was the Director of Engagement for Hillary for America and also a National Organizer for the Women’s March on Washington. De’Ara has a BA in Black Studies from Macalester College and JD from Texas Southern University.

Anil Dash is an activist and entrepreneur focused on making technology and the tech industry more humane and ethical. His writing and advocacy primarily focuses on ensuring tech’s effects on the world help those who most need support, though he also tends to take some fun detours into pop culture, policy, urbanism and general geeking out.

Rosario Dawson is an actress, activist, and advocate from Coney Island with deep roots in the Lower East Side.  She co-founded Voto Latino in 2004, received the President’s Volunteer Award in 2011 and is a co-founder and designer of Ghana-based fashion house Studio One Eighty Nine.

Jen Gatien is a producer and writer of narrative and documentary features. Raised in New York, she is committed to working alongside The Lower Eastside Girls Club in providing opportunities for girls to pursue their dreams. She lives in NoHo with her beloved dog Dharma and is a graduate of Columbia University.

Born in Jamaica, West Indies, Keisha was raised in New York by a single mother supported by a community of family. Though her upbringing wasn’t storybook, it was this community that inspired her to dream and ultimately succeed.

A champion for diversity in fashion, Keisha has been a voice for equitable opportunity in roles such as Head of Community Belonging at GAP where she had the honor of leading fashion technology programming for the Girls Club. From her current position as VP of Talent Acquisition, DEI, & Corporate Giving for J.Crew Group, she hopes to continue to advocate for the club built to care for the girls in our backyard.

Camille Joseph-Goldman is a telecommunications executive and political strategist, currently serving as a Group Vice President for Charter Communications. In this role, she oversees government affairs and regulatory strategy in the northeastern United States from Harlem, New York to Bangor, Maine.

Previously, she worked in government for more than a decade, serving as U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s Special Advisor & Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. She was appointed New York City’s youngest Deputy Comptroller for Public Affairs. Camille got her start in politics serving as a field organizer for then-Senator Barack Obama and later went on to become a Deputy Director on President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.

Kimberley Hatchett is an Executive Director within Morgan Stanley’s Private Wealth Management Division where she manages more than $2 billion in assets. Her tenacity and dedication has earned her accolades such as, Barron’s “Top 100 Women Financial Advisors” and “Top 1000 Advisors” lists. Originally from Lawrenceville, NJ, Ms. Hatchett currently resides in New York City with her husband and 12-year-old daughter.

Woozae is a marketing leader with a passion for connecting brands and consumers to larger cultural conversations that generate brand buzz, drive awareness, and fuel business growth. He is a proud Korean immigrant and has successfully built a 30-yr career at iconic brands across fashion, beauty, entertainment and tech.

As the CMO at Inkbox, Woozae launched product collections with 100% of proceeds donated to nonprofits in support of BLM, LGBTQIA, abortion rights, Ukraine, and many more. At Calvin Klein, he launched the brand’s first global holiday charity program in partnership with Save the Children. At Virgin Mobile, he co-founded a division within the company dedicated to bring awareness and support for the homeless youth population.

Julie Lerner is an Angel Investor with 37 Angels and is the Founder of The Failure Report, a blog dedicated to discovering what not to do through interviews with successful entrepreneurs and investors. She has been a long-time supporter of The Lower Eastside Girls Club as a mentor and fundraiser and is committed to helping girls achieve their dreams. Julie earned an MBA from Kedge Business School in Bordeaux, France and a degree in Radio, Television, and Film from Northwestern University.

Nexus Sea is a litigator and trial lawyer who’s been annually recognized as a “Super Lawyers’ New York Metro Rising Star”. A recipient of the National Bar Association’s “40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates Award,” Nexus focuses his practice on commercial litigation and contract disputes, product liability defense, and internal investigations.

Nexus is the father of two beautiful daughters and is committed to working with the Lower Eastside Girls Club in advancing opportunities for young girls and helping them pursue their dreams and aspirations.

Gael Towey spent 22 years at the creative helm of Martha Stewart Living and is currently a Producer and Director of “Portraits in Creativity,” a series of short-form documentary videos that captures the Creative process and the bravery of artists and artisans. She is the mother of two children in their 20’s.

Cleo Wade is a poet, artist, and the author of the best-selling book, Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life.
As seen in her 2018 TED Talk, “Want to change the world? Start by being brave enough to care”, her work speaks to our collective power to create change through self-care, beloved community building, and social justice.
She has been named one of America’s 50 Most Influential Women by Marie Claire, 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company, and “The Millennial Oprah” by New York Magazine.
Cleo lives in New York City where she sits on the board of The Lower East Side Girls Club, The National Black Theatre in Harlem, as well as the advisory board of Gucci’s Chime for Change.