LUMINARY LABS - Key Persons
Andrew Wallace is a Senior Editor at Luminary Labs, where he leverages over a decade of experience in the social sector to support research, sensemaking, storytelling, writing, and editing across client engagements and internal projects, including the Lab Report.
Andrew is drawn to crossroads where diverse people and ideas converge to achieve amazing things. Before joining Luminary Labs, he led research and communications at Funders for LGBTQ Issues, using data and field insights to identify funding gaps and drive new philanthropic investments in promising opportunities. He began his career at StoryCorps, where he developed his love of a well-crafted story, helping to record and share thousands of interviews across the United States; those stories are now preserved in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Most recently, he worked as an independent consultant to nonprofit and foundation clients. Andrew values inclusion in all his work and takes care to ensure diverse voices are welcomed and empowered.
Andrew holds a bachelor's degree from Colorado College, where he became fascinated by the rugged beauty and natural wonder of the Rocky Mountain West. When not at work, Andrew is usually exploring greater New York City on foot or bike, often heading toward a body of water.
Anna Pierce is a Senior Designer at Luminary Labs, where she uses design and strategy to express daring ideas. Working across client engagements and Luminary Labs' own thought leadership, she translates goals, aspirations, and emotions into tangible assets, such as visual identity systems, data visualizations, and websites. Through design, she champions intention, design-led research, and accessibility for all.
Anna brings perspective from work across a diversity of industries to Luminary Labs. She has partnered with local impact-driven organizations to design behavioral health campaigns, climate action proposals, and resources for new business owners. As a graphic designer at Lone Mountain Land Company in Big Sky, Montana, she honed her craft and systems thinking by supporting a unique portfolio of luxury residential clubs and real estate development efforts. In all her work, she thinks big and works small, understanding that each touchpoint is a moment to align stakeholders toward desirable futures.
Anna holds an MFA in Transdisciplinary Design from Parsons School of Design and a BFA in Graphic Design from Montana State University. She spends her free time baking, writing a blog on design thinking, and fly fishing.
Bella Li is a Senior Associate at Luminary Labs. With expertise in business strategy and operations within digital health and biotechnology, Bella helps clients bridge the divide between innovation and market realities to drive tangible impact.
Prior to joining Luminary Labs, Bella was an Associate Director of Business Operations and Strategy at Geneseeq Technology. There, she engaged with industry, academic, and public-sector stakeholders, developing market access strategies and spearheading multiple commercial programs for the launch of cutting-edge cancer diagnostic technologies across global markets. In her earlier career at Think Research, Bella oversaw the go-to-market strategy for several digital health platforms; she also led the discovery, integration, and management of a pilot program for the company's acquisition in clinical trial management technology.
Bella holds a bachelor's degree in Biotechnology from the University of Waterloo and earned a certificate in the Business of Healthcare Specialization from the Wharton Business School. She is currently completing her master's degree in Health Analytics at Northwestern University. Bella is fluent in Mandarin.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Future of Health
Benjamin is a Senior Associate at Luminary Labs. He is inspired by initiatives that require trying new things, meeting new people, and venturing into the unknown.
Prior to joining Luminary Labs, Benjamin spent two years in Medellin, Colombia, where he consulted with the city government on open innovation and data strategy. He organized the Medellin Data Council of over 100 private, public, and NGO stakeholders and helped to implement the city's first open data portal.
Benjamin grew up between two worlds: Copenhagen and New York. He embraced the challenges and opportunities, translating the experience into a passion for getting to know people from all walks of life. He loves exploring the world and the kitchen cabinet alike.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Open Innovation Associate
Bernadette Dossett is an Open Innovation Associate at Luminary Labs. With her analytical thinking, curiosity, and creativity, she can break down complex problems and explore innovative solutions for our clients. She is committed to designing and delivering impactful programs to tackle society's most challenging problems.
Before joining Luminary Labs, Bernadette was an Analyst at an early-stage Swiss venture capital firm, where she helped identify the most promising health-tech startups in Switzerland. Before venture capital, Bernadette consulted for a boutique innovation firm and corporate venture builder in Vienna, Austria. There, she led startup corporate innovation challenges and accelerator programs. Bernadette coached a range of management teams, from pre-seed startups to large corporations, on innovation strategy and "lean startup" methods.
Bernadette holds a master's degree in Clinical and Health Psychology from the University of Vienna, and a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Graz in Austria. As a native of Munich, Germany, Bernadette enjoys cooking German and Austrian dishes for her friends. Her other hobbies include reading and exploring New York City by jogging.
Cameron Fox is a Senior Associate at Luminary Labs. He is passionate about building coalitions and bridging gaps between people, ideas, and institutions to address complex, multifaceted problems.
Prior to joining Luminary Labs, Cameron worked to transform his passion into action as an Initiative Lead on the World Economic Forum's Centre for Health and Healthcare. At WEF, he created and led a portfolio of public-private partnerships at the intersection of healthcare and technology to connect Fortune 100 companies, civil society organizations, governments, and leading academic institutions.
Cameron holds a master's degree in Bioethics and Science Policy from Duke University, where he received the Science and Society Leadership Scholarship and studied the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging technologies as a Bass Connections Fellow. He earned his bachelor's degree in Neuroscience and Philosophy from Vanderbilt University. When he is not working, Cameron can be found reading, writing, and exchanging works with friends. He is determined to visit every National Park in his seemingly-immortal 2006 Highlander, logging nearly 300,000 miles and 28 Parks to date.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Workplace Experience Associate
Dalana Kellman is a Workplace Experience Associate at Luminary Labs. She is a high-performing and experienced manager with more than 15 years of administrative experience. Dalana is personable, professional, and enthusiastic about making sure clients and colleagues feel "at home" at Luminary Labs. She believes a simple "good morning" and a smile can change someone's day; she loves being the first person to welcome team members and guests to the office.
Prior to joining the Luminary Labs team, Dalana worked for almost 10 years at a high-end kitchen showroom, where she fine-tuned her management and hospitality skills. She oversaw the reception area and greeted guests, managed the company's New York calendar, maintained Excel databases, and supported IT infrastructure. Dalana worked with vendors, partners, and building managers to manage showroom products and event logistics.
Dalana holds a BA from Hunter College. She had the pleasure of giving back to her alma mater by advising first-year students on academic probation. Some of the students she helped have improved so much that they made the dean's list! Dalana also volunteers at GLWD (God's Love We Deliver). When she's not working, you can find Dalana hanging out with her baby girl at her little gym class or finding new things for her daughter to experience.
Eden Baker is a Director at Luminary Labs. With a background in public policy, she is passionate about how research and cross-sector collaboration can help solve even the most thorny problems.
Before joining Luminary Labs, Eden worked as a consultant in Melbourne with clients such as the Australian Red Cross, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Legal Services Commission. In this role, she led user research to inform the design of an employment program for refugees and oversaw the development of an online dispute resolution tool to help separating couples divide their assets. She has also held various policy roles in state and federal government departments across Australia.
Eden has a Master of Business Administration (Social Impact) with Excellence from the University of New South Wales. She also has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Technology, Sydney, where she was the recipient of the Gareth Ivory Memorial Prize.
When she's not at work, she loves hiking, trips to the beach, and vegetarian food.
Ellie Kiernan is a Senior Associate at Luminary Labs, where she creates actionable, human-centered strategies for clients across sectors. She excels at identifying connective patterns and cultivating shared value among diverse stakeholders. She currently supports the Learning Landscapes Challenge, a $2.2 million effort to design and build future-ready K-12 education environments.
Prior to joining Luminary Labs, Ellie led consulting projects at C Space, tackling the strategy and innovation challenges of Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations. At C Space, she designed and implemented a theory of change to transform Meta's news platform after the 2016 presidential election and developed infrastructural solutions for gig economy workers at Citizens Bank. Most recently, she supported the New Frontiers innovation team at the Rockefeller Foundation, helping to advance high-impact ideas across the foundation's science and technology portfolios. She has additional experience as a researcher for Women's World Banking and as an on-site business consultant for a food system startup in El Salvador.
Ellie holds a Master of Public Administration in Social Innovation and International Development from New York University's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. At NYU, Ellie received the Jo Ivey Bouffard Award for Innovation and the Female Founders Circle Fellowship award for co-developing a blueprint for a NYC food delivery worker mutual aid cooperative. She earned her bachelor's degree in Political Science and Spanish from Hamilton College. Ellie is an avid surfer, a pit bull lover, and a fan of books by Elena Ferrante. She is conversational in Spanish.
Emily is Head of Communications, leading the development of communications strategies on behalf of Luminary Labs' government, nonprofit, and Fortune 500 clients. Emily is focused on results, and will push every project over the finish line with forward thinking and thoughtful consideration of how each detail will have impact. She excels at crafting compelling messaging to make complex concepts accessible to diverse audiences. Emily specializes in executing multichannel campaigns for Luminary Labs' open innovation practice, overseeing press outreach, email marketing, social media activations, and influencer engagement.
In her past roles at business intelligence firm L2 and digital agency KBSD, Emily gained digital marketing and research expertise, writing industry benchmarking reports, supporting digital strategy engagements, and managing social media for global retail brands.
Originally from Seattle, Emily holds a bachelor's degree in Public Policy Studies from Duke University, where she also pursued her Pacific Northwesterner love of the outdoors with a minor in Earth and Ocean Sciences. Outside of work, Emily is skiing obsessed, an unashamed board game geek, and always on the lookout for good eats.
Job Titles:
- Senior Communications Associate
Harrison Diskin is a Senior Communications Associate at Luminary Labs. His background in humanities research, writing, and education has shaped a deep commitment to the power of accessible language and engaging narrative to drive transformation and change across sectors. Through his work, he strives to help clients clearly articulate problems and develop innovative solutions that connect with and engage diverse audiences. At Luminary Labs, he supports communications across the future of work, the future of education, and infrastructure focus areas.
Prior to joining Luminary Labs, Harrison earned his Ph.D. in History and a graduate certificate in Visual Studies from the University of Southern California. His academic research on 17th-century Manhattan has been supported by the New-York Historical Society, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and the USC-Huntington Early Modern Studies Research Institute. His public essays on infrastructure, political participation, equity and inclusion, and the diverse histories of old Manhattan have appeared in the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and Gotham: A Blog for Scholars of New York City History, where he continues to serve as an editor. Harrison has taught American history, global history, and political philosophy to college and high school students, written for award winning podcasts and media studios, and consulted for museums on educational programs.
Outside of business hours, Harrison is a passionate cook and baker, an avid reader, a lover of all things outdoors, and a near-fanatic Mets fan. He has also developed a recent passion for 35 mm film photography. Most evenings, he can be spotted walking Shea, his beagle-coonhound, on the Upper East Side.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Partner
- President
Janna Gilbert is a Partner and President at Luminary Labs. Janna developed the open innovation service line at Luminary Labs, and she is proud to help address some of the world's most complex problems on behalf of her government, nonprofit, and Fortune 500 clients. Janna also guides Luminary Labs recruiting and professional development efforts, and is passionate about building a strong and thriving culture.
Janna designed and developed the program, curriculum, and all content for the inaugural course on business model prototyping for a new Products of Design graduate program at the School of Visual Arts, which she taught for three years as an adjunct professor. Janna has also been involved with the nonprofit Women in Innovation (WIN) since its inception, and she currently serves on the WIN Advisory Council.
Prior to joining Luminary Labs, Janna was an Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company. While at McKinsey, Janna served clients across a variety of focus areas, focusing on innovation, growth strategy, and marketing and sales. While there, she worked with clients to deliver large-scale, multiyear global innovation transformation programs, identified new growth opportunities, and led the development of client and internal innovation training programs. Janna started her career as an analyst for a private equity and corporate development firm, focused on the insurance and risk-related sectors.
She received her MBA from the Columbia Graduate School of Business and a bachelor's degree in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated summa cum laude. Janna delights in her two children, and enjoys skiing, hiking, eating great food, and exploring Brooklyn with her family.
Jess Song is a Senior Associate at Luminary Labs. Her diverse background in mental health, nonprofit programs, instructional design, and content strategy allows her to quickly identify patterns in complex, intersectional challenges and find human-centered solutions. She delights in finding the "why beneath the why," dissolving barriers, and turning vague ideas into reality.
Prior to joining Luminary Labs, Jess developed and scaled programs for vulnerable groups, such as survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, underserved Asian communities, and LGBTQ youth. As a personal project, she created and taught frameworks for emotion-focused journaling. Jess utilized her trauma-informed communication skills to create marketing, growth, and content strategies for emerging startups, nonprofits, therapists, and coaches in the tech industry and entrepreneurship circles.
Jess holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from CUNY Hunter College and has an academic background in fine arts. Born and raised in New York City, Jess lives for the slow moments found in bookstores, cafes, and parks, where she enjoys browsing, reading, and painting. Jess is conversational in Korean.
Job Titles:
- Head of Content & Community
- in 2017 As Managing Editor
Jessica Hibbard is Head of Content & Community at Luminary Labs, where she connects the dots between people and ideas to develop audiences and communities on behalf of our clients. She enjoys working with leaders to tell compelling stories and deliver persuasive messages about complex issues and rapidly changing industries. Jessica is the editor of the Lab Report and leads the company's editorial projects, including reports on the State of Open Innovation, COVID-19 response initiatives, the future of work, and the future of health. She supports client engagements across all of Luminary Labs' focus areas, advising teams on research, sensemaking, positioning, storytelling, and writing.
Jessica joined Luminary Labs in 2017 as Managing Editor of Thought Leadership and developed the Content & Community function area in 2019. Prior to joining Luminary Labs, she led digital content strategy at the National Retail Federation, using multimedia and quantitative storytelling to help retailers, consumers, and policymakers understand evolving industry trends. Jessica pushed the association's brand forward with strategic content experiments designed to engage new audiences on emerging platforms such as Medium and podcast apps.
Jessica holds a bachelor's degree in corporate communication from Ithaca College, where she minored in visual art. Jessica is an avid gardener; when she is not working, she is usually outside and covered in dirt.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Business Operations
Karen Wong is the Vice President of Business Operations at Luminary Labs. Karen leads the team that enables the consultancy to function as a well-oiled machine, and she serves as a thought partner to Luminary Labs' leadership.
Previously, Karen was the Managing Director at Hollwich Kushner Architecture where, over the course of seven years, she helped build the firm's foundation and steered the company through its early to late-stage startup phases.
Not one to shy away from change, Karen is a strong believer in continuous growth. After a career at American Express in global marketing and product development, she took the leap to pursue a graduate degree in architecture, a lifelong interest. This path has led Karen to the intersection of professional practice and innovation. As a multidisciplinary operator, Karen thrives when working alongside visionaries and entrepreneurs.
Karen holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Honors Business Administration from Ivey Business School in Canada.
Mercedes de Guardiola is a Communications Manager at Luminary Labs. She leverages her broad experience leading communications strategy across the firm's education, health, and scientific discovery portfolios to build communities and advance groundbreaking innovations. Mercedes has overseen communications campaigns for Luminary Labs' open innovation programs, including the LymeX Diagnostics Prize, MagQuest, KidneyX, Mission Daybreak, the Rethink Adult Ed Challenge, and Tool Foundry.
Mercedes honed her marketing and communications skills in previous roles at the Accion U.S. Network and Black Duck Software (now Synopsys). Before joining Luminary Labs, she helped companies such as Merck and Google transform their brands and product innovation strategies. She is always excited to work on innovative solutions to community challenges, particularly in her home city of New York. Outside of the office, Mercedes serves on the Management Council of the New York Junior League as City Impact Council Head, overseeing the nonprofit's large-scale restoration and on-demand volunteer programs across the city.
A leading expert on Vermont's eugenics movement, including public policies of sterilization, mental health, child welfare, and family separation, Mercedes has testified before the state legislature and consults with public and private institutions on ongoing responses. Her publications include Vermont for the Vermonters": The History of Eugenics in the Green Mountain State and "‘Segregation or Sterilization': Eugenics in the 1912 Vermont State Legislative Session."
Mercedes earned her B.A. from Dartmouth College with a double major in History and Art History. She loves dogs and enjoys exploring new art exhibits across the city.
Job Titles:
- Senior Communications Associate
Naomi Naik is a Senior Communications Associate at Luminary Labs. With a background in business and public health, she is passionate about helping organizations pursue innovative digital strategies while mitigating risk. She brings a breadth of impact-focused communications and technological expertise to a variety of Luminary Labs projects.
Prior to working at Luminary Labs, Naomi led digital, editorial, and public health strategy for Girl Up at the United Nations Foundation. She led collaborations with sector leaders, government officials, and media partners to achieve program outcomes, including seeding partnerships with Booz Allen Hamilton, Cotton On, Google, H&M, Microsoft, P&G, Theory, and Moncler. She also secured placements for Girl Up in The New York Times, Vogue, CNN, Yahoo, BBC, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, and NPR. In 2021, Naomi received the United Nations Foundation Bravo Award for her work on the Asian and Pacific Islander Committee. She previously gained public health sector experience while working at the United Nations Foundation's Shot@Life initiative, the Pan-American World Health Organization / World Health Organization, and KIND Snacks.
She holds a Master of Business Administration from Quantic School for Business & Technology and a Master of Public Health from George Washington University. She also earned a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in English from George Washington University. When Naomi is not working, she avidly follows the Premier League, perfects her chai-making skills, finds new fitness classes around town, and (attempts to) learn new languages.
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Engagement Manager
Natalia Allen is an Engagement Manager at Luminary Labs. With a background in education and school administration, she can prioritize and solve problems quickly in fast-paced environments. Natalia understands the importance of multiple perspectives, and collaborates closely with clients to create actionable solutions and real impact for a wide range of stakeholders.
Before joining the team at Luminary Labs, Natalia served as the Special Education Department Chair at Uncommon Charter High School in Brooklyn, New York, where she had also held instructional and school operations roles during her nine-year tenure. Natalia's main area of expertise is in special education, particularly navigating the different support services offered to students in a charter school setting. Natalia developed a systematic approach to tracking student growth and achievement for students performing far below grade level, and her work was recognized with a 2019 Uncommon Knowledge Grant. Natalia's work is rooted in the belief that that a supportive and well-rounded education is inclusive and supportive of each student's neurotype, race, gender, gender identity, sexuality, location, social status, immigration status, native language, and income - among all the other things that make each of us unique in our learning needs.
Natalia graduated from Dartmouth College with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Public Policy. She received a Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education in Middle Childhood Education and Students with Disabilities 7-12. She is a lifelong reader, and can often be found visiting independent bookstores all over New York City or browsing the shelves at the Brooklyn Public Library. She loves recommending books to everyone, particularly kids who claim to hate reading. Natalia is a native Spanish speaker.
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Engagement Manager
Rebecca Meyer is an Engagement Manager at Luminary Labs, where she leads projects with clients across sectors and focus areas. She is energized by identifying tangible, resourceful solutions for urgent problems - from preparing the next generation of skilled workers for the energy industry to elevating innovations in health care. She has led strategy in environments ranging from a Fortune 100 company to a seed-stage startup; this experience has made her adept at balancing big-picture thinking with an action-oriented approach.
Prior to joining Luminary Labs, Rebecca worked in the Merchant Services business at American Express, where she evaluated how emerging payment models would affect the company's relationship with businesses around the globe. Earlier in her career, Rebecca managed client engagements at On-Ramps, where she helped best-in-class organizations find and retain exceptional talent. Rebecca also has experience in environmental, social, and governance investing; agriculture technology robotics; and nonprofit program management and evaluation.
Rebecca holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business, where she was a Forté Fellow and a Glenn Okun Faculty Fellow. She earned her bachelor's degree in English from Wesleyan University. Outside of work, you can find Rebecca reading about regenerative agriculture, perfecting her focaccia recipe, and striving for Genius level on the New York Times Spelling Bee. Rebecca is conversational in Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Senior Communications Associate
Samantha Resnik is a Senior Communications Associate at Luminary Labs. She has worked in strategic communications across tech, media, and nonprofit organizations. Sami brings her proven track record of identifying and understanding diverse audiences to Luminary Labs. She is most passionate about making an impact through storytelling and is excited to help clients cut through the noise to tell stories that matter.
Prior to Luminary Labs, Sami worked as a podcast producer for Scott Galloway and as a researcher and fact-checker for Freakonomics Radio. Before her time as a producer, Sami was a strategist on the Audience Development team at TED. In this role, she helped TED grow and engage its digital audience - sharing powerful ideas with an audience of over 60 million. Sami started her career at Wix.com, writing UX and marketing content seen and used by more than 120 million users.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Founding Partner
- Member of the Leadership Team
Sara Holoubek is the founding partner and CEO of Luminary Labs, a strategy and innovation consultancy serving the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She is energized by complex, multistakeholder spaces where the solutions are not obvious and the potential for impact is high. She is also an active investor in early-stage tech companies and a board director.
Sara's advisory roles have included serving on the inaugural RWJF Pioneer Fund Advisory Group, the Aspen Health Innovation Project Planning Committee, the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History 2020 Visiting Scientist Committee, and the 2024 Health Datapalooza Advisory Committee. Sara is also an active writer and public speaker. She is the author of Open Innovation for Impact, a chapter in "Perspectives on Impact: Leading Voices On Making Systemic Change in the Twenty-First Century," and has been recognized by LinkedIn as a Top Voice since 2017, by Mashable as a female founder to watch, and by PepsiCo WIN for her contributions to women in technology.
Sara also brings a global perspective to her work, having lived and worked in Latin America and Europe; she speaks Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Sara holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa and an MBA from HEC Paris.
Winnie Chang is Design Manager at Luminary Labs, overseeing the Design & Insights team. She specializes in defining and shaping desirable futures, working alongside project teams and organizations to align goals and translate visions into reality. Winnie applies and manages design approaches that better inform systems, processes, and experiences across all project portfolios.
Prior to joining Luminary Labs, Winnie was the Design Lead at UNICEF's Office of Innovation. Her work at the intersection of emerging tech and humanitarian challenges supported teams in the development of open-source, scalable solutions that accelerated results for children. Winnie has deep expertise in design research, workshop facilitation, and human-centered design, as well as in startup mentorship across blockchain, data science/AI, drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, and WebXR portfolios. Winnie has also worked as a researcher, educator, and visual designer, focusing on equity-related issues such as building awareness around toxics in the affordable housing industry, as well as on developing methods for democratizing conversations about the future.
Winnie received her master's in Transdisciplinary Design from Parsons' School of Design Strategies, where she has since served as faculty. She also holds a Bachelor of Design from York University and Sheridan College in Canada, as well as a certificate in French from L'Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).
Outside of work, Winnie enjoys ordaining the occasional wedding and embarking on exciting food adventures. She can often be found picnicking in the park.