J. Lawrence Aber, Ph.D., is professor of applied psychology and public policy at New York University’s Steinhardt School and Board Chair of the school’s new Institute for Human Development and Social Change. In 2006, he was appointed by the Mayor of New York City to the Commission for Economic Opportunity. Dr. Aber received his Ph.D. from Yale University.
Olivia Golden, Ph.D., is an institute fellow at the Urban Institute, where she focuses on child and family programs, specifically service providers. In 2007, she worked with then-Governor Spitzer as director of state operations for New York. Previously, she served as director of the Child and Family Services Agency of the District of Columbia. She earned her Ph.D. in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Henry E. Gooss (Chair) is senior adviser to Investor Growth Capital, Inc., the venture capital arm of Investor AB, a Swedish industrial holding company, where he also served as president from 2005 through 2008. Prior to joining Investor AB in 1998, he had been chief investment officer of Chase Manhattan Bank and its predecessors since 1986. He began his career at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., and received his M.B.A. from New York University.
Robert C. Granger, Ed.D. (President) has been president of the William T. Grant Foundation since 2003. He joined the Foundation in 2000 as senior vice president for program. His previous positions include senior vice president of MDRC and executive vice president at Bank Street College of Education. He received his Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts.
Lisa Hess was the chief investment officer for the Loews Corporation from 2002 though 2008. She is also a regular contributor to Forbes magazine. She previously held positions at Goldman Sachs, Odyssey Partners, and First Boston. She was a founding partner of Zesiger Capital Group, and was a member of the U.S. Treasury Debt Management Advisory Committee. She received her M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.
Christine James-Brown became president and CEO of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) in April 2007. She previously served as president of United Way International since 2004, and before that she spent 10 years as president and CEO of United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Ph.D., is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, and director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. An expert on political campaigns, Dr. Jamieson has authored or co-authored 15 books to date. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Bridget A. Macaskill was named president and COO of Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder Advisers, LLC, in early 2009. For several years prior, she served as principal of BAM Consulting LLC, an independent financial services consulting firm, which she founded. Ms. Macaskill was formerly the President, COO, CEO, and Chairman of Oppenheimer Funds, Inc. Currently, she is a member of the board of directors of Prudential plc, and is a Trustee for the TIAA-CREF funds and the CREF accounts.
Sara McLanahan, Ph.D., is the William S. Tod Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University, where she also founded the Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing. She is editor-in-chief of the journal The Future of Children. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin.
Melvin Oliver, Ph.D., is the SAGE Sara Miller McCune Dean of Social Sciences and a professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is an expert on racial and urban inequality and poverty. Prior to his tenure at UCSB, Dr. Oliver was vice president of the Asset Building and Community Development Program at the Ford Foundation. He earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Washington University in St. Louis. .
Russell Pennoyer (Secretary, Treasurer) is president of Benedetto, Gartland & Company, Inc. He was formerly an executive of American Exploration Company and also served as an associate with Davis Polk & Wardwell. He received his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.
Andrew C. Porter, Ph.D., is dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, where he also serves on the faculty as the George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education. Dr. Porter has also taught at Michigan State, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Vanderbilt University. He received his Ph.D. from UW-Madison.
Gary Walker (Vice Chair) is president emeritus at Private/Public Ventures. He joined the organization in 1986 and served as president from 1995 to 2006. Previously, Mr. Walker was senior vice president of MDRC and worked with the Vera Institute of Justice. His work on demonstration projects that hired the hard-to-employ has helped shape current welfare and social service policy.