Leslie Falconer is co-founder and trustee of the Alabaster Fund, a private family foundation through which she and her husband research and invest in international programs that support increased access to education and opportunities for entrepreneurs. She serves as co-chair of the Nexus Education and Entrepreneurship Lab and is on the board of ISSA (the International Step by Step Association) and the International Child Resource Institute (ICRI). Leslie, holds a B.A. in Literature and International Studies and an M.S in Early Childhood Education from Erikson Institute. Dedicated to strengthening the ecosystem around education and family systems, she and her husband have built an impact investment portfolio that intersects education, economic development and environmental sustainability through investments in microfinance, reforestation, sustainable real-estate development, edtech, as well as education publishing.

In 2007, through an acquisition, she took over the leadership and redesign of the Experience Early Learning publishing company that produces early childhood resources, including the Mother Goose Time curriculum. In the last 10 years, she scaled the company to be an international brand with a mission for increasing quality and access to early education. Falconer has authored numerous children’s books, co-produced over 200 children’s songs, and written articles appearing in both early childhood education and philanthropy journals. As an international speaker and trainer, she has presented on topics related to education, innovation and next generation philanthropy. On her downtime, Leslie loves to be outside hiking and enjoying beautiful Traverse City, Michigan with her husband three active daughters.

Sheldon Glass holds an M.Ed. from Johns Hopkins University and taught in the Department of Education for 12 years, introducing five courses. He is a founding and current member of the National Advisory Council. He has been on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry since 1968, is on the board of directors for Friends Research Institute and is president of the American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry. He is the national medical director of MedMark. Sheldon has been board-certified in pediatrics, adult psychiatry, adolescent psychiatry and addiction medicine.

Allyson Handley is a Johns Hopkins University ex-officio trustee and a past President and current member of the Johns Hopkins Alumni Council. Dr. Handley served as the president of the University of Maine at Augusta from 2008 until late 2014. During her tenure, the university launched several new degree programs and created institutional research/planning and university advancement offices. She also chaired various task forces and committees that provided recommendations and implementation strategies with respect to technology enhanced teaching and learning, and online and distance education. Previously, Dr. Handley served as president of Midway College (now University) in Kentucky and Cogswell Polytechnical College in Northern California. She has also held faculty appointments at Johns Hopkins University, McGill University in Montreal, the University of San Diego, and Spaulding University. Dr. Handley is currently the Interim Dean, of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at the Community College of Rhode Island.

Handley earned her BA from the University of Western Ontario, and her MEd and EdD from The Johns Hopkins University. In 2010, Handley was honored by the Johns Hopkins School of Education with a distinguished alumna award.

Matthew Joseph is a Senior Policy Advisor at ExcelinEd, a national education policy nonprofit. Matthew previously worked as a senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, spearheading a national initiative to improve strategic use of resources in public education. He also served as Executive Director of Advocates for Children and Youth, where he led successful efforts to improve education and other services in Maryland. He also previously worked as a senior associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Matthew received his bachelor’s from Harvard University and a JD from the University of Maryland School of Law.

David is a talented and seasoned executive with more than 30 years of experience in marketing, public relations, and community and government relations. He utilizes his vast expertise to provide strategic guidance and recommendations for all the firm’s clients.

Prior to founding Nevins & Associates in 1983, David served as the Director of Marketing for both Towson University and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In 2001, he was tapped by the CEO of Comcast to employ his marketing expertise as President of the company’s regional sports network, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Over a two-year period, David transformed the operation into a nationally recognized regional network with extensive local news and programming that garnered an unprecedented seven Emmy Awards.

Social entrepreneur Rudy Ruiz, EdD brings over 20 years of experience to bear, advancing education equity efforts with communities nationally and abroad. Rudy grew up in a low-income household in Milwaukee and went on to graduate from Stanford University as a first-generation scholar-athlete. After eight years as a successful public high school teacher in his hometown and subsequent school leadership roles, he successfully led district-level college and career readiness efforts in the Milwaukee and Baltimore City public school systems, developing collective impact networks that substantially increased postsecondary access and success for students of color and students from economic disadvantage.

Rudy is also the Founder and CEO of Edifying Teachers, now the fastest growing community of educators of color in the country, which he created to better support and retain teachers of color. With a focus on mentorship and coaching, Edifying Teachers utilizes an innovative platform to provide timely, personalized encouragement and support, including high-quality, ongoing coaching from experienced educators of color.

Natasha Yamaoka serves in the Global Distribution & Digital Strategy Division as Director, GDDS International and Enterprise Payments for Delta Air Lines. Natasha started with Delta in 2009 and has held positions in Ancillary Revenue and Omnichannel PMO, where she managed Delta’s Digital Transformation, cross-divisional delivery of commercial Ancillary Revenue initiatives, and the Omnichannel Strategy; in Partner Development focused on work with Delta’s equity partners; in Distribution Strategy, worked on the strategy for merchant fees, third party online channels and the systems that allow travel professionals to access Delta products; Corporate Strategy; and Finance. Prior to Delta, Natasha worked in the steel industry for 13 years. She started her steel career right after graduating from JHU at Mitsui & Co. (USA), Inc. in New York City. After eight years, she moved to the Cleveland, Ohio area to join the Sales and Marketing management team of The International Steel Group (ISG). She worked on commercial contracts and multiple M&A integrations with ISG, Mittal Steel and finally Arcelor Mittal. Natasha has a BA in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.