HOPELAB - Key Persons

Aekta Shah

Job Titles:

Data Science for Good Fellow
Data Science for Good Fellow / Fellow

Aekta is a Participatory Data Science, Human-Centered Design, and Technology Design Specialist. She is the Co-Founder of the participatory technology tool Streetwyze, and has studied, taught, and worked to engage diverse communities in authentic ways for over 15 years. She is an experienced technology and data leader-with expertise in data science approaches including GIS, Big Data, Real-time data, Crowd-sourced data, NLP, etc., who strives to advance innovative methods and tools to understand diverse communities' needs, behaviors, and emotions, and gather new insights that can inform the design of research, tools, programs and policy. She has led multi-disciplinary teams on community-driven design projects with partners including: Google Street View, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Oakland Unified School District, UCSF's Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, Maori youth in New Zealand, and beyond. Aekta recently completed her Ph.D. at Stanford University where she was the recipient of the prestigious Stanford Graduate Fellowship. She has been recognized for her leadership by President Obama, Knight Foundation, Rockefeller, the Atlantic's CityLab, The Root, Aspen Institute and has presented for the UN internationally. Aekta holds Masters from Harvard and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Akos Antwi

Job Titles:

Co - Founder of Revive Therapeutic Services
Entrepreneurship Category

Amy Green

Job Titles:

Clinical Psychologist
Head of Research

Dr. Green is a clinical psychologist with two decades of experience leading research related to youth mental health and mental health services. As Hopelab's Head of Research, Dr. Green brings scientific and methodological expertise in adolescent and young adult mental health and well-being to Hopelab's collaborative work. With Hopelab's nonprofit, academic, and industry partners, Dr. Green leads a team focused on advancing measurement, widening impact, and conducting innovative research to promote thriving and health equity for young people. Prior to joining Hopelap, Dr. Green held academic appointments at UC San Diego in the Departments of Psychiatry and the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center. At UC San Diego her research focused on the use of implementation science to increase the positive impact of programs, policies, and practices aimed to support youth well-being. Most recently she served as the Vice President of Research at The Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people. At The Trevor Project, she supported the organization's life-saving work by using internal and external data and research findings to advance Trevor's crisis services and peer support programs, as well as advocacy and education initiatives. Under Green's leadership, the research team produced innovative research that brought new clinical implications to the field of suicidology and LGBTQ+ mental health, and which enabled the organization to better understand the lives of LGBTQ+ young people and promote their well-being. Hopelab's Head of Research, Amy Green,advises on the biggest mental health challenges of 2022 for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth

Arianna Taboada

Job Titles:

Director
Director, Learning & Impact

Billie Castle

Job Titles:

HBCU Translational Science Fellow

Breonte Guy

Job Titles:

HBCU Translational Science Fellow

Brian Rodriguez

Job Titles:

Head
Head of People & Culture

Courtney Chang

Job Titles:

Chief of Staff

Danielle Hairston

Job Titles:

HBCU Translational Science Fellow

Danielle Hairston, M.D. is a double board certified, Adult/Consultation-Liaison psychiatrist, medical educator, author, speaker, and promoter of mental wellness. She is the Psychiatry Residency Program Director at Howard University College of Medicine and Hospital. She is a contributing author to the recently published book, Racism and Psychiatry: Contemporary Issues and Interventions. Dr. Hairston is a Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Health Leader. She is the content creator for the mixed media platform Black Psychiatry and podcast co-host for the new podcast The Next 72 Hours.

Darren Bernal

Job Titles:

Associate Professor
HBCU Translational Science Fellow

Darren Bernal is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Howard University. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Miami and master's degree from the Catholic University of America. A recipient of four teaching awards, Dr. Bernal teaches courses focusing on sociocultural factors that affect psychological and social functioning. His research focuses on the measurement and function of socioeconomic status in mental health disparities, social inequity, and psychological well-being.

Dr. Charity Brown Griffin

Job Titles:

Researcher
Translational Science Fellow

Dr. Charity Brown Griffin is an Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences at Winston-Salem State University. Her research program examines cultural and contextual factors that contribute to positive youth development, with a specific focus on Black adolescents. Her work spans multiple areas and includes racial identity, racial socialization, school racial climate, school engagement, social-emotional learning, and youth participatory action research. Dr. Griffin is also committed to the translation of her research into practice, including the development of culturally specific intervention and prevention programming and media content. She maintains credentials as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) and is Licensed as a Psychologist by the North Carolina Psychology Board.

Elisa Sims

Job Titles:

Accounting Manager

Elisa Sims has been providing accounting services for variety of industries and holds a graduate degree. She is excited about being a part of the Hopelab team and contributing to the daily accounting needs of the organization. In her spare time she loves to mountain bike, weight lift, practice yoga, meditate and

Emma Bruehlman-Senecal

Job Titles:

Principal Researcher

Prior to joining Hopelab, Emma received her doctorate in Psychology from UC Berkeley, where her research focused on stress management, mental health, and well-being. Emma subsequently completed a NIMH-funded postdoc in the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare, where she tested and refined mobile tools for improving depression treatment within safety-net settings. In her free time, you'll likely find Emma exploring the Golden State's great outdoors with friends and family.

Eric Langshur

Job Titles:

Member of the Board

Erin Sietstra

Job Titles:

Head of Investments

George Aye

Job Titles:

Co - Founder, Greater Good Studio
Co - Founder, Greater Good Studio / Advisors

George co-founded Greater Good Studio to use design to heal, to be just, to be restorative. Previously, he spent seven years at global innovation firm IDEO before being hired as the first human-centered designer at the Chicago Transit Authority. Since founding Greater Good he guides clients and teams through complex projects that honor reality, creates ownership and builds power. He speaks frequently across the US and internationally. George holds the position of Full Professor (Adj) at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and visiting lecturer at Northwestern University.

Hamet Watt

Job Titles:

Fellow
Founder and Managing Partner of Share Ventures

Hamet Watt is the founder and managing partner of Share Ventures, a venture studio and venture fund that invents + invests in companies focused on human performance. Hamet was previously a Partner at Upfront Ventures (LA's leading VC Fund), Sr Advisor at BCG, and co-founder and Chairman of MoviePass, and co-founder and Chairman of bLife, a wellness innovation company acquired by Canary Health.

Jana Haritatos

Job Titles:

Chief Science Officer

Jaspal Sandhu - EVP

Job Titles:

Executive Vice President
Distinguished Leader

Jaspal Sandhu is a distinguished leader in design, social entrepreneurship, and health equity. As Hopelab's Executive Vice President, he provides strategic direction across the organization, leading a multidisciplinary team with expertise in venture investment, translational research, design strategy, and youth co-creation. Jaspal teaches courses bridging public health, engineering, and business at UC Berkeley, where he served as the Fung Fellowship's faculty lead from 2016-2021 and created the first-ever human-centered design course in a school of public health. For 12 years before joining Hopelab, Jaspal was managing partner at Gobee, a global design consultancy that he co-founded to spark social innovation. Gobee's work in 25 countries included developing next-generation medical devices for newborns and infants in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, launching an incubator for domestic violence prevention, and building human-centered design capacity in 20 health care safety net clinics and hospitals in the U.S. In his early career, he worked in product engineering roles for Nokia and Intel, and conducted research on rural health care technology as a Fulbright scholar to Mongolia. He holds a Ph.D. in design from UC Berkeley and master's and bachelor's degrees in engineering from M.I.T. He is currently exploring the role of art in advocacy and community building. Learn more about Jaspal and his work in technology and well-being here.

Jayla Stokesberry

Job Titles:

Research Assistant

Jeff Alvord - Chairman

Job Titles:

Chairman of the Board
Board Chair / Board
Managing Director of Comprehensive Financial Management
Managing Director of the Omidyar Group

Jeff Alvord is Managing Director of The Omidyar Group (TOG), a diverse collection of companies, organizations and initiatives all united by a common desire to catalyze social impact. Jeff oversees financial management, ensuring a predictable flow of resources to TOG entities. He serves on several boards across TOG where he brings global business and general management experience rooted in design, product development and systems engineering. Jeff is also the Managing Director of Comprehensive Financial Management (CFM), one of the nation's premier multi-family offices. He is an advisor and agent for the Omidyar family. Prior to joining CFM in 2007, he held executive-level and technical positions at Apple, Loral, REMEC, and Westinghouse Electric. With an entrepreneurial spirit and interest in finding new solutions for old problems, Jeff co-founded Fireclay Tile, a custom design and manufacturing company, in 1986. He was also one of the founding parents of the Discovery Charter School, which launched in 2006. Jeff has a bachelor of science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California. His dedicated approach, combined with a passion for collaboration and iteration, supports The Omidyar Group's work to contribute to positive outcomes for complex issues facing our world.

Joshua Lavra

Job Titles:

Principal
Principal, Youth - Led Innovation

Josh Lavra is a Creative Lead at Hopelab, where he works with partners and young leaders to design, develop, and distribute tools to support the mental health and well-being of youth and young adults. He was previously at IDEO, helping leaders build creative teams and organizations, and has a background in chemical engineering. In his spare time, you can find Josh sewing, cycling, arguing with AI, and working on his brand, faguette.net.

Juan Martinez - VP

Job Titles:

Vice President
Advocacy Officer
GLSEN 's Chief Communications
Vice President, Strategic Communications & Policy

Julie Tinker

Job Titles:

Principal
Principal, Equity Innovation

Julie Tinker has spent her career working in social impact as a design thinker, strategist, and creator of health solutions, from health care products to educational app development to national and international print and video campaigns. Working with large foundations like the Kaiser Family Foundation to nonprofit organizations like International Planned Parenthood, to mission-driven corporations like Seventh Generation, she's now excited to lead equity, innovation, and design initiatives at Hopelab. She'll use her skills and interests in community health, health equity, behavioral science, and design to consider how we can build more equitable health outcomes for young people. Julie holds a BA in Communication and MA in Sociology from Stanford University and an MFA in Design from The School of Visual Arts in New York. A former professional athlete, Julie has made health and wellness the center of her family's life through exercise, time outdoors, music, and dancing like nobody's watching.

Kim Bright

Job Titles:

Vice President, Finance and Operations

Kim guides Hopelab's operations and finance functions to support Hopelab's staff with the appropriate infrastructure, systems, and organizational capabilities to successfully carry out their work and advance the mission. Kim has extensive experience leading and scaling effective policies and operational solutions in the non-profit and private sectors. Prior to joining Hopelab, Kim led the finance, human resources, and operations functions for the Campaign Legal Center, Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program, and National Policing Institute. During her tenure with Booz Allen Hamilton, Kim managed a multimillion-dollar technology solutions contract with the U.S. Department of Justice, including providing contract oversight and subject matter expertise for the support of national policies to improve information-sharing capacity. Kim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Georgetown University, a Master of Public Policy from American University, and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute.

Lee Shapiro

Job Titles:

Managing Partner at 7wire Ventures
Managing Partner, 7wire Ventures / Advisors
Officer and Director of the Gastro - Intestinal Research Foundation

Lee Shapiro is Managing Partner at 7wire Ventures, an investment firm he co-founded over a decade ago. He is a member of the National board of Directors of The American Heart Association, serves on the boards of Medidata Solutions [NASDAQ:MDSO], Tivity Health [NASDAQ:TVTY], and Aptus Health (a Merck subsidiary [NYSE:MRK]). He is also active with the 7wire portfolio and serves on the boards of Livongo Health, Ayogo Health, Carebox, ConsejoSano, Zest Health (Chairman), Modern Teacher (past Chairman) and Education Funding Partners. As President of Allscripts [NASDAQ:MDRX] from 2001 through 2012, his leadership was central to over $4B in mergers, acquisitions and financings. He oversaw the company's strategy, international operations, business development and partnerships, health plan initiatives and entrepreneurial business investments. He is a member of the Northwestern's Kellogg Innovation Network Advisory board, the University of Chicago Innovation Fund Advisory Committee, The Qualcomm Life Advisory Council and is on the advisory board for the Center of Digital Innovation in Health in Beer-Sheva, Israel. Lee has served as an officer and director of the Gastro-Intestinal Research Foundation (GIRF), where he is now on the advisory board. Lee earned his JD degree from The University of Chicago Law School and a BS in Accounting from The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.