OUR EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
NOAH MCMAHON
CEO
Noah McMahon has spent his life preparing for exactly what he’s doing now: Bringing people together to make the world a better place.
Noah’s greatest asset is his global network of friends.
He makes few distinctions between friends and business colleagues since the people really worth working with are those you ultimately call friends.
Forging connections based on trust and shared values in order to create, improve, help, collaborate, and innovate is Noah’s passion and life’s work.
MELISSA BECK
President
Seasoned creator of culture, inspirer of people, MBA, entrepreneur of the year, university trustee, and former major charity CEO.
Melissa grew up in Marin County surrounded by a magical family with deep connections to Bay Area rock and roll. Her youngest memories take her backstage with the Grateful Dead; dancing on stage with Jefferson Airplane; and sitting adorably on a sofa beside Grace Slick.
Melissa oversees a diverse and massively talented team, ensuring that every person has the resources and tools to operate at the highest levels.
DAVE SWARTZ
Chief Vision Officer
Dave grew up at a dinner table where his entrepreneur dad and elementary school teacher mom would turn art supplies into business ideas.
He was inspired to pursue a career that brings together his dual passion for creativity and strategy. First in advertising and marketing where Dave earned shelves full of advertising creative awards. Then later when he founded a mobile technology agency that built three number one iPhone apps and launched hundreds more.
Today, Dave brings together the lessons and insights of a diverse career in problem solving to help address the challenges our clients care most about.
His favorite place is in front of a blank whiteboard.
JOSH STAMER
Chief Strategy Officer
Educator and student of philanthropy. Charitable vehicle specialist, featured speaker, presenter, and collaborator. Active listener and cause-focused strategist.
Josh is most passionate about helping successful individuals, families, and their trusted advisors to develop their passion for philanthropy and achieve levels of impact and fulfillment previously thought unattainable.
Based on his significant experience, network, and track record, Josh can confidently say that he has helped to strategize and build more philanthropic foundations than anyone in the country.
Josh loves to discuss the data-driven, detail-precise nuances of philanthropic deployment strategies.
OUR NETWORK OF EXPERTS
We are proud of our extensive network of scientists, doctors, icons, CEOs, deans, journalists, change-makers, and leaders. And we seek to understand any subject by first connecting with those who know it best. Here are just a few of the experts who have helped to drive our solutions.
LINDA PERRY
Advisor, EqualizeHer and Women in Music
Linda Perry is one of the most accomplished women in music. She began her career as the lead singer/songwriter of the 1990s alt-rock band, 4 Non Blondes, which skyrocketed to fame with the ubiquitous hit, “What’s Up?” However, her singular talent really flourished when she shifted gears and started writing and producing songs for other artists. Linda wrote Christina Aguilera’s iconic power ballad “Beautiful,” Pink’s “Get the Party Started,” and Gwen Stefani’s “What You Waiting For?” She has also worked with Adele, Alicia Keys, Jewel, Britney Spears, Dolly Parton, John Legend, and more. She is a five-time Grammy nominee and member of the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
GENEVIEVE MARTIN
Advisor, Second Chance Employment
Genevieve Martin is the former Executive Director of Dave’s Killer Bread Foundation (DKBF), and one of the pioneers of the Second Chance Employment movement. While at DKFB, she led the foundation’s efforts to increase employment opportunities for justice-impacted individuals by educating employers on the benefits and best practices of Second Chance Employment. Under her leadership, the foundation produced events around the country, and provided training, tools, and resources that ultimately helped hundreds of employers hire people with records. In 2019, she was named Executive of the Year by HR Dive, a top trade publication for the human resources industry.
DR. ADAM KATCHMARCHI
Advisor, Childhood Drowning Prevention
Dr. Adam Katchmarchi is the Vice President of Educational Development at the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance and former Executive Director of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA). An expert in water safety, Adam helped lead the development of the first U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan and has worked to elevate drowning prevention education among pediatricians and communities nationwide. He received a National Swimming Pool Foundation Fellowship Award in 2014 and has been recognized twice by Aquatic International as a Power Award recipient, first in 2012 as a “Next Generation Leader in the Field of Aquatics” and again in 2017 as one of the “Most Influential People in the Aquatic Industry.”
DR. BEN HOFFMAN
Advisor, Childhood Drowning Prevention
Dr. Hoffman is a pediatrician and nationally recognized expert in child injury prevention and education. Dr. Hoffman began advocating for safer car seat policies and practices in the 1990s, and led a push to change laws in New Mexico and Oregon. Those efforts were rewarded with his 2019 induction into the National Child Passenger Safety Hall of Fame. Most recently, his research and work on SIDS prevention led to a new federal rule banning all products marketed for infant sleep that have more than a 10 degree incline (ie. rockers and bouncers). Ben is a professor of pediatrics at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) School of Medicine, and very active in the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is the former chair of the AAP’s Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention Council, and is the incoming president of the AAP.
TY PENNINGTON
Advisor, Skilled Careers
Beloved TV host and home construction expert, Ty champions our entertainment series “Skills Jam” to build passion for the skilled trades in order to close the growing gap that threatens our nation. From working directly with our team of Skilled Trades Ambassadors — to telling the world about our work on Good Morning America, Ty rolls up his sleeves and is committed to empowering the next generation of builders and fixers.
DR. NADINE BURKE HARRIS
Advisor, Childhood Adversity
Renowned physician and California’s first Surgeon General, Dr. Burke Harris delivered a landmark TED Talk on childhood trauma’s impact, transforming pediatric health nationwide. Dr. Burke Harris helped steer our transformational work to build national awareness around ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). She also served as an advisor in our work to address the epidemic of Toxic Stress we faced as a nation during the first years of COVID.