Introducing ARC’s Advisory Board
In addition to our Board of Directors, ARC is supported by a noteworthy list of individuals that are passionate about Diversity & Inclusion. With the guidance of these Advisory Board members, we are confident that we’ll be able to help create a more inclusive and equitable world.
You can learn a bit about each of our Advisory Board members below:
Banu Ozkazanc-Pan
Associate Professor of Management, University of Massachusetts, Boston and Faculty, The Jonathan M. Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship, Brown University
Banu Ozkazanc-Pan, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Management and member of the Organizations and Social Change faculty at the College of Management, University of Massachusetts, Boston. She is also currently Visiting Associate Professor of Sociology and Faculty at The Jonathan M. Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship, Brown University. Her research interests include leading for diversity and inclusion in organizations and entrepreneurial ecosystems, examining the Future of Work and its impact on different people, organizations and societies and studying the intersections of culture, postcoloniality and transnationalism as they relate to changing nature of work and societies. She has brought together diverse stakeholders from policy, private, non-profit and government sectors in regards to diversity, inclusion and entrepreneurship in order to remediate economic inequalities.
Rayda Marquez
Former Director International & U.N. Relations, YMCA
Rayda is an International Relations Consultant impassioned about connecting people. As a bicultural New Yorker, she is committed to being a catalyst for systemic change and active citizenry. She previously oversaw the global initiatives for the YMCA of Greater New York as Director of International Services for eighteen years, which included global education/inclusion programming, international collaborations, cultural exchanges and representing the World Y at the United Nations. She has lived abroad for eight years, traveled extensively to more than thirty countries and is currently completing an Executive Master of Public Administration at the Marxe School of International and Public Affairs, Baruch College.
Aubrey Blanche
Global Head of Diversity & Belonging, Atlassian
Aubrey is currently the Global Head of Diversity & Belonging at Atlassian. She’d describe herself as an empath, data nerd, and highly impatient with white feminism. She’s helped Atlassian increase the representation of marginalized people, developed a new paradigm for workforce diversity reporting, and designed and fielded the only internationally representative survey on attitudes and behaviors toward diversity & inclusion in the tech industry.
Jessica Williams
Founder, Tech Biz Gurl
Jessica most recently worked as a Career Coach at General Assembly Chicago. In this role, she supported students as they thought about their next professional steps and partnered with graduates so they were more prepared and confident in their job search. Prior to her role at GA, Jessica co-facilitated 1871’s WiSTEM — a 12-week program for women entrepreneurs designed to provide access to capital, community and technology resources. Jessica also led infrastructure services at McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America, to deliver wired and wireless internet services for large tradeshows and events. She is the founder of Tech Biz Gurl — a side hustle empowering women to use technology to pursue their passions on the side.
Jill Felska
Founder, Want to Work There
Jill is a serial entrepreneur on a mission to help create a happier, more engaged workforce. Over the last decade, she’s been on the founding team of multiple companies, each focused on new ways to improve the employee experience. Given her years of experience, Jill specializes in helping startups and small businesses predict and navigate the hurdles and roadblocks that most encounter as their team grows. She also frequently gives talks on employee experience, the changing workforce, and creating intentional company culture.
Preston James
Co-Founder & CEO, DivInc
As the Co-Founder and CEO of DivInc, Preston aims to increase the number of diverse founders and investors participating in the startup ecosystems nationwide. He seeks to genuinely help innovative entrepreneurs successfully navigate the challenging journey of building a successful business by providing a true partnership, engaging leadership, industry experience and access to key resources.
Kate Brodock
CEO, Women 2.0
Kate has long been involved in the startup space, as employee, founder, judge, mentor and investor. As the CEO and Co-Founder at Women 2.0, Kate is very heavily involved in issues and projects around women in tech and D&I in the tech industry. Her expertise is in business and marketing strategy, digital marketing, and content production and she has had the pleasure of speaking at numerous events such as SXSW, BlogWorld (NWX), and TEDx.
Megan McCann
CEO & Founder, McCann Partners
Megan is an established IT recruitment and technology services leader known for building and leading highly successful IT services firms, and for her work in advancing diversity and cultivating talent across the technology industry. As CEO of leading IT recruitment firm McCann Partners, which she founded in 2011, Megan creates meaningful connections and mindful solutions. Passionate about attracting, retaining and advancing women in technology, she is also a proud co-founder of ARA, a national organization that seeks to promote women in technology and leadership through mentorship, networking, and open discussion.
Geri Stengel
President & Founder, Ventureneer
Geri is a questioner and a builder, and is passionate about eliminating barriers to entrepreneurial aspirations. For the last few years, she has researched and written about the challenges women face in the entrepreneurial world and the success factors that help them break through barriers, whether they are starting a business or scaling to a multi-million dollar enterprise.
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