Leadership

Karen Schub Epstein spent 12 years in the private sector, starting her career in public accounting at Ernst and Young. She then joined Interpublic where she focused on mergers and acquisitions, investor relations, financial analysis, human resources, systems implementations, business development and strategy.

In 2005, Karen transitioned to the nonprofit world. She spent the next 10 years at the Growth Philanthropy Network, an organization focused on building a capital marketplace for high performing organizations that serve at-risk populations. Her work there focused on evaluation, program design, strategy and operations. Since 2015, she has been consulting with a broad range of clients and was the Interim Executive Director at Change for Kids in 2018. Currently, she serves on the Boards of Change for Kids and Youth Action YouthBuild.

Karen graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in accounting and psychology, and graduated from the Executive MBA program at Columbia University with honors.

David has more than 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience. He founded and scaled Pitch In For Baseball and Softball (PIFBS) where he drove the organization’s strategic planning, fundraising, and Board development. Prior to joining the nonprofit sector, David worked in consumer packaged goods marketing with Procter and Gamble and H.J. Heinz.

He currently works as a nonprofit consultant and is an adjunct professor for the Nonprofit Leadership Development Program at Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice.

David studied undergraduate business and graduated Magma Cum Laude from Georgetown University. He furthered his education studying International Marketing at Brasenose College in Oxford and non-profit fundraising at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated with Honors with an MBA from The Wharton School.

Cynthia has more than a decade of experience working in New York City’s nonprofit sector. Most recently she worked at Candid (previously Foundation Center), and before that was the Director of Administrative Services at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center.

Cynthia is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Guatemala from 2007-2009. She has a Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) from Binghamton University.

Ellen has had a 20 year career in Investment Finance, working in NY and London before moving to San Francisco 22 years ago. Her last private sector role was as SEVP, Director of Corporate Investments at Wells Fargo, where she managed a securities portfolio of over $250 Billion. After leaving finance, Ellen began doing pro-bono non-profit work with a focus on youth development and career coaching. She is on the board of Year Up Bay Area where she is also an Academic Coach, Mentor and Strategic Advisor. In addition, Ellen provides career coaching to veterans and their spouses through American Corporate Partners, and she was a Court Appointed Special Advocate for foster youth (CASA) for four years. She has worked with Girls Inc., and tutored within SFUSD through The San Francisco Education Fund.

Melinda is an active community volunteer with experience at many Bay Area organizations including San Francisco University High School, The Nueva School, SF Education Fund, SF Achievers and 10,000 Degrees. She previously worked as a management consultant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and in the financial services industry for SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. She has been involved with PennPAC since 2019, when she served as a Volunteer Consultant and subsequently joined the Volunteer Relations Team. Melinda studied History and French at Penn, and she holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Julie Nogueda is a Higher Education Scholar – Practitioner based in the Midwest. Originally from East Side San José, Julie obtained her BA in Political Science/International Affairs and History with a concentration in Latin America at the University of California, Riverside. Julie acquired her MSEd in Higher Education from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.

Julie is currently pursuing a Project Management Certificate at Northwestern University where she currently works as an Undergraduate Academic Advisor for Medill – School of Journalism. During the summertime, Julie volunteers her weekends kayaking alongside inner-city youth with Chicago Adventure Therapy.

Stef has four decades of experience working in various industries, with the common theme of process improvement through team learning. For over 14 years her consulting company has provided services to companies around the world addressing complex challenges by building team capacity.

Cristina is a communications specialist with robust client-facing experience in immigration law, digital marketing, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). She has volunteered with PennPAC since 2020 as a volunteer consultant, Team Lead, and most recently as the Leadership Coach of the Philadelphia Chapter of PennPAC. Outside of work, Cristina is spending quality time with family overseas, dancing salsa, and snacking her way across the countries on her bucket list.

Rachael has over twenty years of experience in the commercial real estate finance and banking industry and has worked for banks and financial institutions in Philadelphia and New York City. She started volunteering for PennPAC in 2021 as a Deputy Team Leader and is the current Director of Nonprofit Relations for the PennPAC Philadelphia chapter.

Jackie is PennPAC’s founder and served as the organization’s Executive Director for its first dozen years. Jackie has 30 years of broad-based strategic planning, new program development, board leadership and mentorship, and project management experience in the nonprofit and healthcare fields.  She is currently creating a new social impact entity in the venture philanthropy space.

Anne is a strategic management consultant and nonprofit manager with over 25 years of public and private sector experience, including stints at American Express and Price Waterhouse’s Strategic Consulting Group. Anne is a founding member of PennPAC and oversaw all client recruitment and consulting services for PennPAC’s first 8 years. She currently chairs the Board’s Governance Committee. Anne is the Principal of Anne Turner Consulting, a capacity building consultancy that serves nonprofits.

CJ is a seasoned financial and operations executive for start-ups and growing companies; he is currently the Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer for Gorilla Commerce. Previously, he served as CFO for D1 Brands, Nourish Snacks and PINCHme. In addition to his PennPAC activities, CJ is an active volunteer, having served as a mentor for Pace University, Pleasantville Cottage School and Good Shepherd Services.

Kelsey is a Senior Product Manager at NVIDIA.  Previously, she was a Senior Strategist at Indeed with strengths in strategy and data analysis. She has served as a Consultant, Deputy Team Leader, Team Leader, as well as Liaison for various PennPAC projects. Kelsey holds a MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Ivie is an accomplished product leader with over 15 years of experience in technology, specializing in creating innovative products from the ground up and scaling existing offerings across various industries. She has key roles at Accenture, Realtor.com, and Nova Credit. For several years, Ivie has been an active contributor to PennPAC, volunteering as a Consultant, Team Lead, and a key member of the Nonprofit Selection Team. In addition, she advises startups and offers support to underserved communities in job search and financial literacy.

Elaine, after spending over 20 years in investment management as an equity portfolio manager and analyst, has focused her attention on charitable causes, both local and global. Most recently, she spent 7 years as Board President for a Fairfield County nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support and services to children in the custody of the state. Elaine has also been involved in multiple roles with PennPAC as Deputy Team Leader, Consultant, ImPACt volunteer and currently sits on the DEIA Task Force and New York Nonprofit Selection Team.

Stef has four decades of experience working in various industries, with the common theme of process improvement through team learning. For over 14 years her consulting company has provided services to companies around the world addressing complex challenges by building team capacity. Stef is the Director of the PennPAC Philadelphia chapter.

Arun has over a decade in the financial services industry and over 20 years as a national security professional. In addition to PennPAC, he serves on the Vestry of Old Donation Episcopal Church, as well as its People’s Warden, and on the boards of Outthinker and Sound-Off, Inc. Arun also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center of Strategy and Security and leads its project on Hybrid Warfare. He is also a volunteer leader with Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization.

Ajay is a management consultant providing expertise to mid-market clients in technology, healthcare, and manufacturing verticals. He brings 20+ years in senior commercial and operations leadership roles at FTSE100 and Fortune 50 firms. Ajay joined as a volunteer in 2019 and has since then led efforts to restart and grow PennPAC’s Philadelphia chapter to a thriving organization today, and has served in various roles including team leader, client liaison, volunteer engagement and client recruiting.

Lydia is a seasoned marketer and manager with over 25 years of experience in business. She began her career as a management consultant before moving to consumer products brand management and then small business ownership. She first became involved with PennPAC in 2019 and has since acted as Deputy Team Leader, Team Leader, and Liaison on various projects. She now serves as the Co-Chair of the PennPAC Development Committee.

Craig is the Senior Manager, External Affairs at Uncommon Schools. Previously he was an adjunct professor at New York University. He has served as a committee member for the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York, which promotes management excellence in New York City nonprofits. Craig has volunteered in many PennPAC capacities, including serving several times as a project Team Leader, Liaison, and as an ImPACt facilitator and interviewer.

Shraddha is a management consultant with nearly 20 years of experience in project management, marketing, and strategy development. She has worked at McKinsey, A.T. Kearny, and American Express, and is currently an independent professional servicing clients across industries spanning health care, financial services, technology, and nonprofits. Shraddha has volunteered as a team leader and liaison for numerous PennPAC clients and has been a member of PennPAC’s Development Committee. She also volunteers for the Girl Scouts and Share and Care Foundation.

Kevin is the Vice President, Product at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Previously, he was the Director of Product Strategy and Data at Octane Lending, where he led the company’s data modernization journey and oversaw product growth via third-party partnerships. Kevin has taken on multiple roles in PennPAC, starting as a volunteer consultant before serving as deputy team lead and team lead on subsequent projects. For several years, he was the Co-Chair of the New York Volunteer Relations Team, and is now PennPAC’s Technology Chair. Outside of PennPAC, Kevin has volunteered as a mentor to NYC high school students.

Paula-Kaye is an experienced marketing professional with 15 years of experience in brand strategy, product development/marketing and digital marketing. She is currently the Head of Marketing and Communications for Space Capital, an early-stage space tech venture capital fund & investment platform. She has worked with PennPAC since 2013 in various ways from Consultant to Team Leader to current co-chair of the New York Nonprofit Selection Team.

Howard is a marketing strategy and digital marketing consultant, helping clients in financial services, fintech, technology and business services with their customer acquisition, retention, lead generation, and sales enablement issues. He previously served on several PennPAC projects as a Team Leader and Liaison.

Harriet has worked as a Health Care Consultant, focusing on marketing and strategy in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. She also has extensive nonprofit lay-leadership experience. In her involvement with PennPAC, Harriet has worked as a Team Leader, Volunteer Consultant, and Liaison on various projects, and served on the New York Nonprofit Relations Team and participated in ImPACt events.

Vighnesh is a Senior Product Manager at Bluecore. He has previously worked at IBM, Denali Therapeutics and Cornerstone Research. Vighnesh has been a Team Leader and Deputy Team Leader on PennPAC client engagements, and a member of the New York Volunteer Relations Team and New York Nonprofit Relations Team. He is also the Chair of PennPAC’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEIA) Task Force.