Board of Directors

Joseph V. Amato is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Equities for Neuberger. In his role, Joe oversees the firm’s Equities, Fixed Income and Hedge Fund businesses, as well as its Trading, Research and Sustainability and Stewardship operations. He is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors and its Partnership, Operating, and Asset Allocation Committees. Joe also serves on the board of the Neuberger Foundation.

Prior to Neuberger, Joe was Lehman Brothers’ Global Head of Asset Management and Head of its Neuberger subsidiary, a role he assumed in April 2006. From 1996 to 2006, he held senior positions within Lehman Brothers’ Capital Markets business, including as Global Head of Equity Research. He joined Lehman Brothers in 1994 as Head of High Yield Research, having spent the preceding decade at Kidder Peabody, where he ultimately led its High Yield Research group.

Joe currently sits on the Executive Committee of Georgetown’s Board of Directors and on the National Boards of Teach For America and KIPP. Joe earned a B.S. in Finance from Georgetown University.

“KIPP’s outcomes are critical for the world to see. They instill confidence and promote a culture of success. They have a structured approach that is really caring in addition to giving students personalized attention—all in a public school setting.”

Maria Anguiano is a board director and strategist recognized for leading complex organizations through transformation and growth. She serves as Chair of the University of California Board of Regents, helping to oversee one of the world’s largest public enterprises, with a $60 billion annual budget and over $180 billion in assets under management. She is also Chair of the Board of the James Irvine Foundation and serves on the KIPP Foundation board, advising on organizational effectiveness, program and investment strategy, and executive governance.

Previously, Maria served as Executive Vice President at Arizona State University, where she built and scaled a global digital learning business reaching millions of learners. Earlier, she held the CFO roles at UC Riverside and at the Minerva Project, a venture-backed education technology start-up. Maria has raised and managed billions in capital across the public, private, and philanthropic sectors. A former investment banker at Barclay Capital and Lehman Brothers, CPA and auditor at Deloitte, she brings extensive experience in large-scale finance, strategic planning, and organizational transformation.

Fluent in Spanish and deeply influenced by her family’s immigrant journey, she brings a unique blend of financial acumen, systems thinking, and purpose-driven leadership to every boardroom.

“In the early days of KIPP, there was a perspective that valued some level of entrepreneurship in the classroom. That included a willingness to admit if something was not working, and a willingness to try something different. These early lessons got us to scale, and were hugely beneficial. Now we realize that more standardization is necessary for quality, but you need a bit of both to continue to grow.”

Emma Bloomberg is the founder and CEO of Murmuration, a non-profit that organizes a network of partners and equips them with the insights, tools, and services to help communities build and activate the power to transform America. She is one of USA TODAY’s 2026 Women of the Year, an honor recognizing women who have made a significant impact in their communities and beyond. Previously, Bloomberg was chief of staff at the Robin Hood Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting poverty in New York City. She is a board member of Bloomberg Philanthropies, KIPP Foundation, Leadership for Educational Equity, Undaunted K-12, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. She also runs, with her sister, the Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation, a private charitable foundation supporting education and animal rights groups. Bloomberg has been an advisor to the Mayoral Leadership in Education Network at Harvard Kennedy School and chair of the Stand for Children Leadership Center. Emma holds a BA from Princeton University, an MPA from The Harvard Kennedy School, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

“When you walk into a KIPP school, you see educators consistently giving their very best. The learning is rigorous and student centered, and the joy is palpable. KIPP is constantly learning and growing—getting better every year, especially through intentionally recruiting and investing in best-in-class talent. Our model creates a really great school experience, one that achieves learning goals and fully develops student identity and potential.”

“KIPP consistently raises the standards for an exceptional education that provides lifelong skills for its students, with a commitment to excellence and equity in education. Recognizing it is never enough to just focus on academics, KIPP creates self-aware, confident, and community-minded graduates, effectively elevating historical norms and outcomes.”

Roz Brewer is a renowned corporate executive celebrated for her visionary leadership, transformative impact, and unwavering dedication to advancing positive change in global business. As one of the few Black women to reach the C-suite in a Fortune 100 company, her groundbreaking career has cemented her status as one of today’s most influential figures. Recognized among Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women in Business” for her strategic acumen and commitment to excellence and equity, Brewer drives powerful results across corporate, educational, and cultural initiatives.

In a homecoming that bridges corporate leadership with academic stewardship, Brewer recently returned to her alma mater as Interim President of Spelman College. Drawing on her proven executive experience, she now leads this prestigious historically Black women’s college through a pivotal transition with a vision that builds on the college’s legacy of excellence to prepare students for an evolving global landscape.

Throughout her career, Brewer has driven innovation and digital transformation across healthcare, retail, and hospitality. As President and CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, she redefined the company’s strategic direction, guiding it through the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic and expanding access to essential healthcare services. During her tenure as COO of Starbucks, she led operational excellence initiatives and spearheaded technological innovations that elevated customer engagement globally. At Sam’s Club, she served as President and CEO, implementing digital solutions that transformed the customer experience and strengthened the brand’s market position. Her experience overseeing multi-site retail operations will inform and strengthen KIPP’s efforts to ensure that students across 28 regions consistently receive a joyful, academically rigorous education that prepares them for college and thriving, secure futures. In addition to her role with the KIPP Foundation, Brewer’s influence extends through board positions with United Airlines and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Her past corporate board experience includes Amazon, Starbucks, Lockheed Martin, and Molson Coors. As a limited partner in her hometown team, the Atlanta Falcons, Brewer is one of only three Black women with an ownership stake in an NFL team, reflecting her far reaching impact across corporate and community arenas.

Born in Detroit, Brewer was a first-generation college student, earning a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Spelman, where she later served on the board and earned the title of Chair Emerita before returning as Interim President. Brewer’s dedication to Spelman reflects her enduring commitment to educational advancement, equity, and leadership development. KIPP has a national partnership with Spelman and more than 75 KIPP alumni have attended the college. Spelman students have also volunteered with KIPP public schools in Atlanta and other regions around the country.

Randy Dowell is the Founder and Executive Director of KIPP Nashville, which operates a network of 10 high-performing college-preparatory public charter schools in Nashville, TN. KIPP Nashville’s mission is to prepare students with the character and academic skills needed for success in college and life beyond, and currently educates over 4,000 students in grades K-12.

Prior to founding KIPP Nashville, Randy was selected to the KIPP Fisher Fellowship, which included leadership training at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Before joining KIPP, Randy taught middle school Math and coached football and baseball in Charlotte, NC and Weymouth, MA. Prior to a career in education, Randy worked as a consultant in Charlotte, NC. He began considering public education after a mentor recommended it during Randy’s volunteer work in Christian ministry with Young Life.

Originally from Fairfax, VA, Randy received his B.A. in Biology from the University of Virginia. Randy and his family live in East Nashville and have a passion for athletics, the outdoors, and live music.

“KIPP’s teachers demonstrate everyday that all children can succeed, proving that demography does not define destiny.”

John Fisher is the Executive Vice Chairman of Pisces Inc. and Co-Founder of Sansome Partners, which are the family office and investment group, respectively, for the Fisher Family, founders of The Gap.

In addition to serving on a number of corporate boards, John helped found and continues to serve on the board of Charter School Growth Fund and Silicon Schools Fund, and is a Special Advisor to the Doris & Donald Fisher Fund. He holds an A.B. in Politics from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

“When you invest in KIPP, you are investing in a learning organization to pioneer the public schools we need. KIPP is doing great work, achieving great results, and they are respected as the leading network of nonprofit schools. The case for KIPP is that it is delivering on the American dream of opportunity. Our challenge is, how do we grow to a more substantial scale so that more kids benefit?”

Reed Hastings is the Co-founder of Netflix and CEO of Powder in Utah. He co-founded Netflix in 1997 and served as CEO for 25 years. Prior to Netflix, Reed founded Pure Software, which he took public and sold in 1997. He is a board member of Bloomberg and Anthropic, both private companies. As a passion, Reed purchased Powder Mountain in 2023 and is leading the expansion of the private real estate development and ski club as CEO. He is an active educational philanthropist and was President of the California State Board of Education. Reed is currently on the board of several educational non-profits, including KIPP, City Fund, and the Charter School Growth Fund. He received a B.A. in math from Bowdoin College in 1983 and an M.S.C.S. in artificial intelligence from Stanford University in 1988. Between Bowdoin and Stanford, Reed served in the Peace Corps as a high school math teacher.

“What is the so-what of our work? That we will have thousands of young leaders of color who want to run the country, who will run the world and, in the process, change it. Leaders who are smart, prepared, as well as able to teach character as a core value. We will be able to rest easy because the country will be in good hands.”

Shavar Jeffries has been an advocate for social justice and educational equity for more than two decades. He joined the KIPP Foundation as CEO in January 2023, a culmination of his many years as a champion for KIPP schools. Shavar was founding board chair of KIPP Newark in 2001; joined the KIPP Foundation Board in 2019; and is a proud KIPP parent, as his two children graduated from KIPP Spark Academy and KIPP Team Academy in Newark. His commitment to improving education stems directly from personal experience. As a first-generation college graduate, he understands implicitly the life-changing power of a high-quality education.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Shavar was President of Education Reform Now, where he led the organization in passing well over 100 policies at the federal and state level that expanded educational opportunities for low-income students of color. Throughout his career, Shavar has practiced law, worked as an assistant attorney general in New Jersey, and served as the elected president of the Newark school board. Among many career highlights, Shavar, as school-board president, led Newark Public Schools in implementing systemic changes that produced historic gains in student outcomes; as state assistant attorney general, executed a strategy shifting juveniles from detention centers to community-based programs that produced nation-leading reductions in recidivism; and, as a civil-rights lawyer, litigated numerous class-action cases that released hundreds of millions in education funding, rescinded racially discriminatory tracking of students of color to remedial classes, and provided special-education services to tens of thousands of children.

Shavar graduated from Duke University and Columbia Law School, where he concentrated on civil rights law and policy. He has been recognized broadly for his work—by the NAACP, the National Bar Association, and the Congressional Black Caucus, among others.

“As a philanthropist, KIPP has provided a tremendous ‘return on investment’—fostering meaningful access to quality education and all the positive outcomes that follow therefrom. I have been involved personally with KIPP long enough to see the entire arc of success, from kindergarten through college graduation and beyond, watching students launch meaningful careers, many becoming advocates themselves and, at the same time, empowering their families and communities."

Martha Karsh, a University of Virginia and Virginia Law School graduate, has practiced law, co-founded an architectural and design firm, and devoted over 25 years to philanthropy after launching the Karsh Family Foundation with her husband Bruce in 1998. To date, the Karshes have committed over $500 million to support their three priorities: education, community and democracy.

Martha has served since 2012 on the national KIPP Foundation Board; co-chaired UVA’s bicentennial “Honor the Future Campaign”; is a Trustee Emerita of Virginia Law School Foundation; and sits on the advisory Board for the Institute of Democracy at UVA.

At higher education, the Karshes have supported financial aid, professorships, and student and alumni life. They have established major scholarship programs at Duke, Virginia Law School, University of Pennsylvania, Howard, Spelman, and Brown; two programs—at Howard and Virginia Law School—are top merit scholarships. They are major supporters of UNCF and, at K-12, of KIPP, Teach for America, and Charter School Growth Fund. The Karshes led KIPP’s growth in Southern California from 2 to 20 schools.

In 2023, both Bruce and Martha were awarded Honorary Doctorates at Howard University’s 155th commencement. In 2024, UNCF honored them with the President’s Award at its 80th Anniversary Gala.

To support their community, they founded the Karsh Social Service Center at Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles in 2016, providing essential services and a food pantry to those in need. They are also major supporters of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Painted Turtle Camp, Jewish Federation, Skirball Cultural Center, among others.

Determined to promote and strengthen American democracy, the Karshes founded the Center for Law and Democracy at Virginia Law School in 2018, and the University-wide Institute of Democracy at UVA in 2021. To date, their commitments to UVA for education and democracy are approximately $100 million.

KIPP has the ability to speak to policy makers, to community members, to union leaders across the political spectrum. We like to share what we learn with other educators, and learn from their experiences, to bring about a deep collaborative understanding of what it takes for students who frequently face economic hardship and those that are first generation to flourish.”

After graduating from Yale University in 1992, Dave Levin joined Teach For America and taught fifth grade in Houston, Texas. In 1994, he co-founded KIPP — the Knowledge Is Power Program — as a single college-prep classroom of 47 fifth graders. KIPP has since grown into a national network of 283 PreK–12 public charter schools serving more than 210,000 students and alumni.

Dave currently splits his time between KIPP and Array Education, an education innovation studio he co-founded and where he serves as a partner. He has also co-founded four additional organizations: Relay Graduate School of Education, Zearn, Character Lab, and nXu. He serves on the boards of KIPP Foundation, KIPP NYC, Relay + Teaching Lab, Playlab AI, Zearn, the Calhoun School, and the Robin Hood Foundation.
Dave’s honors include the Presidential Citizens Medal — the nation’s second-highest presidential honor for a private citizen — the Charles Bronfman Prize, the National Jefferson Award for Distinguished Public Service, the McGraw Prize in Education, an Ashoka Fellowship, multiple Teacher of the Year awards, and the National Community Service Award from Spelman College. He holds an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from both Yale University and Duke University.

Dave lives in New York City with his wife, two sons, and two dogs.

“There are different ways to live a meaningful and rewarding life, and not all involve going to an elite college. KIPP supports all of our students and gives them the space to find out who they are and their place in the world. We strive to tell the stories of students who take another path to excellence—of students who go into the military, or who decide that they’re going to become frontline workers in a crisis.”

As President and Chief Executive Officer of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), Dr. Michael Lomax heads the nation’s largest and most successful minority higher-education assistance organization. Immediately before joining UNCF, he served seven years as president of Dillard University in New Orleans.

Michael came to Dillard after 30 years in Atlanta, where he pursued simultaneous full-time careers as a university professor and public servant. He was a member of the founding Council of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. He serves on the boards of directors of Teach for America, the Studio Museum in Harlem, Cengage Group, and Handshake. He is a former trustee of Emory University and the High Museum of Art and was the founding chair of the National Black Arts Festival.

“I’d say our strongest asset is the incredible group of people who work for KIPP. Any one of the foundation’s leaders or the regional executive directors could have chosen different paths and would have been successful. You just can’t believe how extraordinary they are. We need to be attentive moving forward, making sure that our people get what they need.”

Mark Nunnelly is Chairman of Toolbox Holdings & Foundation, a family office in Boston with both investment and philanthropic efforts. With a focus on empowering great leaders and seeding innovation, Toolbox invests globally in hospitality, business services, and AI. Toolbox takes the same lens towards supporting social entrepreneurs with philanthropic efforts focused upon education, workforce development, medical advances, climate change, and strengthening democracy.

From 1989–2014, he was a managing director at Bain Capital, a leading global private investment firm which today manages $180 billion of assets. Mark led the firm’s private equity business and served in multiple leadership roles. He also provided strategic leadership, charting the firm’s expansion into multiple alternative asset classes and geographies. Prior to Bain Capital, Mark was a partner at Bain & Company. He also worked at Procter & Gamble in product management and he has been a serial entrepreneur.

Reflecting his commitment to public service, he was the Secretary of the Office of Technology Services and Security for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Commissioner of the Department of Revenue and Special Advisor to Governor Charlie Baker for technology and innovation competitiveness. During his tenure, he led a significant modernization effort across the Commonwealth’s diverse digital and technology services platform.

Mark is an active supporter of numerous charitable organizations. He has served on the KIPP Foundation Board for nearly two decades, and has chaired the boards of Boston Medical Center, New Profit, Centre College, and Harvard Business School, while also serving on the boards of Jumpstart, Bridgespan, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Broad Institute.

Mark earned an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Centre College in government and history. He is married to Denise Dupré and they have four children.

"Everyday, KIPP touches many youth and their families inspiring hope through education, discipline, and common values. Equipping our future leaders and everyday citizens to be excellent and productive."

Solomon Seaborn is a senior leader in the commercial insurance and financial services industry. He currently serves as a Senior Broking Director at AON, where he helps businesses navigate risk through tailored insurance and reinsurance solutions. In addition, Mr. Seaborn mentors junior brokers and supports strategic growth across the Southeast.

Before joining AON, Solomon held leadership roles at General Reinsurance, a Berkshire Hathaway company, and at American International Group (AIG).

Mr. Seaborn is a proud KIPP alumnus of KIPP WAYS Academy, who has remained actively involved in the KIPP network, including serving as Southeast Regional Director for the KIPP Alumni Network and helping to establish scholarships for KIPP students. Outside of work, he serves on the board of the Bike Ride Across Georgia Dream Team, is a fellow with Hands On Atlanta and was honored with The Daily Point of Light Award for his service leadership.

Mr. Seaborn earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of West Georgia.

“KIPP really believes in the student, and that belief has a transformative effect. All children have unbelievable potential, and, at KIPP, we support students to see that in themselves. It is not simply changing the external circumstance. It is changing the internal narrative.”

Carrie Walton Penner is an education and youth mental health advocate and owner of the Denver Broncos.

With an extensive background in education research, evaluation and philanthropy, Carrie has advised many non-profit organizations on high-impact strategies to achieve positive social change.

Through Fiore Ventures, she invests in founder-led, early-stage companies, non-profit organizations and policy initiatives focused on mental health access. Her work producing documentary films, including COVID Diaries NYC and Nuclear Fallout, has elevated voices often unheard in media.

In her role as Owner of the Broncos, Carrie is involved in all matters related to the National Football League franchise on both a team and ownership level. The Board Chair of the Denver Broncos Foundation, Carrie is actively engaged with the Broncos’ community impact, alumni relations, player wellness and organizational culture initiatives. She also serves on the NFL Foundation Board and DEI committee.

Carrie is the former Chair and current member of the Walton Family Foundation board, where she leads the K-12 Education Program Committee. Additionally, she serves on the boards of The Aspen Institute and KIPP Foundation and is a member of the Stanford University Board of Trustees.

Carrie holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and history from Georgetown University and dual master’s degrees in program evaluation and administration & policy analysis from Stanford’s Graduate School of Education.

“I serve on the board of KIPP Columbus as well as the Foundation. In Columbus, we work hard to gain the trust of families, because having families participate in their children’s school leads to greater success for everyone. We are thrilled, for example, when we host a kindergarten pancake breakfast and several hundred family members show up. That’s a sign we are creating community. For me, it is about always asking ‘how do we serve families better?’”

Abigail S. Wexner, lawyer and community volunteer, is involved in philanthropic work nationally and locally, with a particular focus on children’s issues.

Mrs. Wexner is the CEO of Whitebarn Associates, a private investment company. She serves on the boards of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Wexner Foundation, The Journey Foundation, and the United States Equestrian Team Foundation. She is a founding board member of KIPP Columbus, founder and chair of the board for The Center for Family Safety and Healing, and a past chair of the Governing Committee of the Columbus Foundation and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Mrs. Wexner also held a presidential appointment to The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Prior to moving to Columbus, she practiced law from 1987 to 1992 with the London and New York offices of Davis Polk & Wardwell. She is a graduate of the Dwight School, New York City; Barnard College at Columbia University, Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa; and New York University School of Law.

Mrs. Wexner is married to Leslie H. Wexner. They are the parents of four children.