Advisory Board Member Bios
Erika Gabriela López Arteaga, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México
Erika is a Gender and Development Specialist, originally from Monterrey, México, who has studied and worked in Mexico, the United States and Switzerland. Her professional experience has been in diverse topics such as labor issues, communications for development, gender-based violence (such as sexual violence and discrimination and harassment at the workplace), non-profit organizations management and professionalization, community-driven development, youth participation, and gender sensitive public policies and programs. She has worked at the Organization of American States, The World Bank, in international and local non-profit and civil society organizations, and in academic and teaching institutions. She is currently serving at the Nuevo León State Government as Planning and Research Coordinator for the Women State Institute. She holds a B.A. in International Relations from Tec de Monterrey, a Master in Development Studies from The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, and a post-graduate Diploma in Gender and Public Policies from FLACSO Argentina. She has additional training in peer-coaching by Conspire, and as sex education promoter by Xochiquétzal. She currently volunteers in both organizations. LinkedIn
Erika is a Gender and Development Specialist, originally from Monterrey, México, who has studied and worked in Mexico, the United States and Switzerland. Her professional experience has been in diverse topics such as labor issues, communications for development, gender-based violence (such as sexual violence and discrimination and harassment at the workplace), non-profit organizations management and professionalization, community-driven development, youth participation, and gender sensitive public policies and programs. She has worked at the Organization of American States, The World Bank, in international and local non-profit and civil society organizations, and in academic and teaching institutions. She is currently serving at the Nuevo León State Government as Planning and Research Coordinator for the Women State Institute. She holds a B.A. in International Relations from Tec de Monterrey, a Master in Development Studies from The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, and a post-graduate Diploma in Gender and Public Policies from FLACSO Argentina. She has additional training in peer-coaching by Conspire, and as sex education promoter by Xochiquétzal. She currently volunteers in both organizations. LinkedIn
Karem Coronel, Greater New York, NY, USA
Karem is a Consultant at cg42, with nine years of experience on the client side in insurance, healthcare, and media, focused on addressing disruption of legacy businesses through strategy, innovation, research and communications. Prior to joining CG42, she advised small businesses on their brand launches, value proposition, and content strategies and was also a medical writer. In her spare time, you’ll find Karem with her rescue puggle Java, taking a dance class, tutoring children to develop a passion for learning, or meditating. She is convinced that empathy, kindness, awareness, and education can play a huge role in solving many of the world’s pressing challenges. Karem holds a MA in International Development from Erasmus Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands and a BA in Anthropology and Sociology from Dartmouth College. LinkedIn
Karem is a Consultant at cg42, with nine years of experience on the client side in insurance, healthcare, and media, focused on addressing disruption of legacy businesses through strategy, innovation, research and communications. Prior to joining CG42, she advised small businesses on their brand launches, value proposition, and content strategies and was also a medical writer. In her spare time, you’ll find Karem with her rescue puggle Java, taking a dance class, tutoring children to develop a passion for learning, or meditating. She is convinced that empathy, kindness, awareness, and education can play a huge role in solving many of the world’s pressing challenges. Karem holds a MA in International Development from Erasmus Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands and a BA in Anthropology and Sociology from Dartmouth College. LinkedIn
Andrea Lindemann Gilliam, Washington, DC
Andrea Lindemann Gilliam is a change-maker, an innovator, a policy expert, an attorney, and a mom. She currently serves as the CEO of Unwanted, a company that empowers employees using coaching and a confidential technology platform to address workplace concerns. She also serves as the Interim Executive Director of a local community center in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood in Washington, D.C. Previously, she served as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Labor. She has worked to advance policies to improve the labor market success of low-income individuals at the Center for Law and Social Policy and served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Mary’s Center, a nonprofit with the mission to build better futures through the delivery of health care, education, and social services. Before coming to D.C. in 2009, Gilliam was an attorney in San Francisco at Paul Hastings LLP, advising Fortune 500 companies on a wide range of employment law issues. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She is also a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) and teaches prenatal yoga to support moms-to-be. LinkedIn
Andrea Lindemann Gilliam is a change-maker, an innovator, a policy expert, an attorney, and a mom. She currently serves as the CEO of Unwanted, a company that empowers employees using coaching and a confidential technology platform to address workplace concerns. She also serves as the Interim Executive Director of a local community center in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood in Washington, D.C. Previously, she served as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Labor. She has worked to advance policies to improve the labor market success of low-income individuals at the Center for Law and Social Policy and served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Mary’s Center, a nonprofit with the mission to build better futures through the delivery of health care, education, and social services. Before coming to D.C. in 2009, Gilliam was an attorney in San Francisco at Paul Hastings LLP, advising Fortune 500 companies on a wide range of employment law issues. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She is also a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) and teaches prenatal yoga to support moms-to-be. LinkedIn
Tricia Homer, College Park, MD, USA
Tricia is Director of Business Communication, Master’s Programs and full-time Lecturer at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland where she teaches Business Communication. At HGVenture, a leadership and management consulting firm she co-founded, Tricia draws from a multifaceted background in marketing, the performing arts, and community engagement to enhance the skills of individuals and teams. She designs and facilitates workshops and dialogues on gender, race, immigration, and LGBT inclusion for corporate and nonprofit audiences and provides targeted communication and leadership coaching for women and minorities. She earned her undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University and holds an M.A. in Education from University of Maryland Baltimore County. LinkedIn
Tricia is Director of Business Communication, Master’s Programs and full-time Lecturer at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland where she teaches Business Communication. At HGVenture, a leadership and management consulting firm she co-founded, Tricia draws from a multifaceted background in marketing, the performing arts, and community engagement to enhance the skills of individuals and teams. She designs and facilitates workshops and dialogues on gender, race, immigration, and LGBT inclusion for corporate and nonprofit audiences and provides targeted communication and leadership coaching for women and minorities. She earned her undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University and holds an M.A. in Education from University of Maryland Baltimore County. LinkedIn
Viki Lazar, Geneva, Switzerland
Viki Lazar is a performer, teacher, and facilitator and has been passionate about improv and theater for over 20 years. She brings her performance expertise into the corporate and NGO world to help teams connect in new ways. Viki attended Rutgers University, where she graduated summa cum laude with majors in French Literature and Classics, and minors in Mathematics and Hungarian. Viki was also involved with the College Avenue Players, the campus theater group. After university, Viki worked in Nice, France as an English teaching assistant before spending a year as a case manager in New York for Project Renewal’s Next Step program to help the formerly homeless find jobs. She returned to Europe to begin an MA in Translation at Queens University, Belfast, before accepting a position at the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation in Geneva in 2010, where she works as a Program Officer. Viki began practicing improvised comedy in 1998 and now performs and teaches improv with the Renegade Saints, Geneva's premier English-language improv troupe, as well as organizing festivals, workshops, and summer camps for the larger improv and theater community of Geneva. LinkedIn
Viki Lazar is a performer, teacher, and facilitator and has been passionate about improv and theater for over 20 years. She brings her performance expertise into the corporate and NGO world to help teams connect in new ways. Viki attended Rutgers University, where she graduated summa cum laude with majors in French Literature and Classics, and minors in Mathematics and Hungarian. Viki was also involved with the College Avenue Players, the campus theater group. After university, Viki worked in Nice, France as an English teaching assistant before spending a year as a case manager in New York for Project Renewal’s Next Step program to help the formerly homeless find jobs. She returned to Europe to begin an MA in Translation at Queens University, Belfast, before accepting a position at the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation in Geneva in 2010, where she works as a Program Officer. Viki began practicing improvised comedy in 1998 and now performs and teaches improv with the Renegade Saints, Geneva's premier English-language improv troupe, as well as organizing festivals, workshops, and summer camps for the larger improv and theater community of Geneva. LinkedIn
Akua Nyame-Mensah, Lagos, Nigeria
Akua Nyame-Mensah is a professional International Coach Federation coach and consultant. She consults with companies to help them scale and coaches individuals to help them gain clarity so they can confidently accomplish their professional and business goals. Akua is certified to administer and interpret the personality type MBTI® instrument (She is an INTJ) and cognitive ability ProfileXT assessment. She leverages her unique leadership experience (most recently, 4 years as a regional manager at the first African based tech unicorn Jumia), coaching training and knowledge of psychometric assessments to deliver insightful presentations and facilitate conversations to move people to move forward and take action.
Akua Nyame-Mensah is a professional International Coach Federation coach and consultant. She consults with companies to help them scale and coaches individuals to help them gain clarity so they can confidently accomplish their professional and business goals. Akua is certified to administer and interpret the personality type MBTI® instrument (She is an INTJ) and cognitive ability ProfileXT assessment. She leverages her unique leadership experience (most recently, 4 years as a regional manager at the first African based tech unicorn Jumia), coaching training and knowledge of psychometric assessments to deliver insightful presentations and facilitate conversations to move people to move forward and take action.
Archana Patel, Las Angeles, CA USA
Archana Patel believes that school systems are, at their core, fundamental vehicles for equity and justice. She also believes that to enable school communities to thrive, the leaders behind them must be unequivocally focused on excellence for all students. Her career has led her from the classroom to the school house to the central office and now to supporting leaders across the country. At the core, she is an educator and a leader, committed to enabling all of the people in the school community to unlock their potential to transform the lives of students. Her middle school teaching career took her from the Bronx to Newark, NJ and eventually to Los Angeles. She made a pit stop in India along the way, serving as the co-founder and project manager of what became Teach For India. This experience combined with her time as a turnaround school principal at KIPP Academy of Opportunity in Los Angeles gave her a unique perspective the value of developing leaders throughout the system in service of all kids. She now serves as the Senior Director for the Broad Academy program, designing and excuting a highly selective Fellowship for current and aspiring superintendents and state chiefs in our nation's largest urban school systems. She serves as a program manager, team lead and coach to cohorts of leaders from across the country, designing experiences that allow them to deepen their knowledge, reflect on and grow their leadership, and accelerate the impact of their systems' work on the most vulnerable student populations in the country.
She has had a range of interim stops along the way, including serving as the associate director of talent at KIPP LA, a research assistant at the USC Center on Educational Governance and a human capital summer associate at Deloitte. She earned bachelor’s degrees in English and philosophy from Boston College, a master’s degree in teaching from Fordham University and a master of public policy from the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. LinkedIn
Archana Patel believes that school systems are, at their core, fundamental vehicles for equity and justice. She also believes that to enable school communities to thrive, the leaders behind them must be unequivocally focused on excellence for all students. Her career has led her from the classroom to the school house to the central office and now to supporting leaders across the country. At the core, she is an educator and a leader, committed to enabling all of the people in the school community to unlock their potential to transform the lives of students. Her middle school teaching career took her from the Bronx to Newark, NJ and eventually to Los Angeles. She made a pit stop in India along the way, serving as the co-founder and project manager of what became Teach For India. This experience combined with her time as a turnaround school principal at KIPP Academy of Opportunity in Los Angeles gave her a unique perspective the value of developing leaders throughout the system in service of all kids. She now serves as the Senior Director for the Broad Academy program, designing and excuting a highly selective Fellowship for current and aspiring superintendents and state chiefs in our nation's largest urban school systems. She serves as a program manager, team lead and coach to cohorts of leaders from across the country, designing experiences that allow them to deepen their knowledge, reflect on and grow their leadership, and accelerate the impact of their systems' work on the most vulnerable student populations in the country.
She has had a range of interim stops along the way, including serving as the associate director of talent at KIPP LA, a research assistant at the USC Center on Educational Governance and a human capital summer associate at Deloitte. She earned bachelor’s degrees in English and philosophy from Boston College, a master’s degree in teaching from Fordham University and a master of public policy from the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. LinkedIn
Lilach Shafir, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Lilach Shafir has over 15 years of experience as an international facilitator, manager and educator. She thinks deeply and consistently about the role of women in the workplace, how to best assert her power as a woman, while also lifting up women around her. She works at a leading international human rights organizations where she connects grasstops U.S. based leaders with opportunities for advocacy, as it relates to and impacts marginalized groups in the developing world. Outside of work, she has conducted leadership trainings and facilitation with a multitude of international NGOs and social justice organizations, including CARE International, The Shalom Hartman Institute and The Conversation.
While currently based in New York, Lilach has spent more than five years living overseas, including three consecutive years in East Timor, as a leadership trainer in the (then) world’s youngest democracy. She also spent one year in Israel as a Dorot fellow. Lilach has led groups of North Americans on international travel programs in more than ten countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa with AJWS, National Geographic and Putney Travel. Lilach holds a master’s in international education from Stanford and a bachelor’s in international studies and Latin America. Lilach is an advanced speaker of Spanish, Portuguese, Tetun and Hebrew. LinkedIn
Lilach Shafir has over 15 years of experience as an international facilitator, manager and educator. She thinks deeply and consistently about the role of women in the workplace, how to best assert her power as a woman, while also lifting up women around her. She works at a leading international human rights organizations where she connects grasstops U.S. based leaders with opportunities for advocacy, as it relates to and impacts marginalized groups in the developing world. Outside of work, she has conducted leadership trainings and facilitation with a multitude of international NGOs and social justice organizations, including CARE International, The Shalom Hartman Institute and The Conversation.
While currently based in New York, Lilach has spent more than five years living overseas, including three consecutive years in East Timor, as a leadership trainer in the (then) world’s youngest democracy. She also spent one year in Israel as a Dorot fellow. Lilach has led groups of North Americans on international travel programs in more than ten countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa with AJWS, National Geographic and Putney Travel. Lilach holds a master’s in international education from Stanford and a bachelor’s in international studies and Latin America. Lilach is an advanced speaker of Spanish, Portuguese, Tetun and Hebrew. LinkedIn
Sara Weeks, Brookly, NY, USA
Sara Weeks is a fierce advocate for empowering individuals to live authentic and intentional lives. Her work includes coaching smart, hard-working women on how to coach themselves. Through a case study method, her clients learn how to identify tangible outcomes and choose deliberate thoughts and actions to achieve them. A former Executive Director and Chief of Staff, Sara managed operations, communication, and special projects for influential organizations and individuals. She holds a BS and MA, and is certified in coaching, contemplative care, project management, and yoga. She has studied coaching with the Co-Active Training Institute, Martha Beck, and the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, and will begin studying with The Life Coach School In summer 2019. Fun fact: Sara can be found in the IMDB. LinkedIn
Sara Weeks is a fierce advocate for empowering individuals to live authentic and intentional lives. Her work includes coaching smart, hard-working women on how to coach themselves. Through a case study method, her clients learn how to identify tangible outcomes and choose deliberate thoughts and actions to achieve them. A former Executive Director and Chief of Staff, Sara managed operations, communication, and special projects for influential organizations and individuals. She holds a BS and MA, and is certified in coaching, contemplative care, project management, and yoga. She has studied coaching with the Co-Active Training Institute, Martha Beck, and the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, and will begin studying with The Life Coach School In summer 2019. Fun fact: Sara can be found in the IMDB. LinkedIn
Conspire
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Mission
Through coaching, facilitation, and peer coaching and networking programs, we hold a spaces for our clients and members that enable them to connect with, live from, and lead with their full humanity.
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