Jessamyn is a Greenhouse Alumni, Class of 2017.

Bruno is a Greenhouse Alumni, Class of 2020.

Lamar is a Greenhouse Alumni, Class of 2023.

Isaiah is a Greenhouse Alumni, Class of 2024.

Jamie Van Leeuwen, PhD, MA, MPH, is a distinguished leader and advocate in public policy, community development, and social justice. He is the Managing Director of the BuildStrong Foundation focusing on affordable housing and workforce development. He is the principle and founder of Bucephalus, a best practices community development and social impact firm and is the Chief of Philanthropic Partnerships at Fathom working to convene the voices of society to ensure a successful transition to a world with AI. He is also the founder and former CEO of the Global Livingston Institute (GLI), a non-governmental organization in East Africa that engages students and community leaders in poverty alleviation through innovative solutions. He most recently served as the Senior Director of Youth & Community Engagement at the Emerson Collective, where he focused on cultivating and leveraging cross-sector relationships to engage young leaders in critical social issues in education, conservation, immigration, healthcare, and youth development.

David started his career as a planning analyst and wealth advisor at Kanaly Trust Company, a firm known for financial planning in the early 1980s. Armed with wealth experience and his CFP he joined EFHutton serving as a financial advisor, management training associate, sales manager, and later, Head of Advanced FA Training and Development. David next took on branch, district, and regional management assignments in brokerage firms then, back to NYC with Prudential Securities as Head of FA Development. 

One of his mentors reached out and David became chief of staff to the president of the Los Angeles bank for Wells Fargo and later moved to the same role for the Los Angeles Private Bank. Armed with a breadth of experience, Wells moved him to National Sales Director for the Private Bank where he had national responsibility for the licensed banker and regional private banker programs and included sales for Wells Fargo’s brokerage business. David then opened a private banking office and, after the merger with Wachovia, ran the investment business for the Beverly Hills and Brentwood offices. 

His next opportunity found him moving to Raleigh to become President and CEO of First Citizens broker-dealer, and then finished his corporate career as Head of Wealth Management for Atlantic Union Bank. In 2022, David founded his consulting firm AMAXXA LLC and in 2023 co-founded The Adaptus Group with Scott Stathis – both firms specializing in consulting and coaching to the financial services industry.

Blog Article: Stop Shrinking Yourself Into Places You’ve Already Outgrown

Blog Article: Stuck or Soaring

Gail Wong is a passionate talent, culture, and change management leader with deep experience in talent and culture transformation across leading global professional services and financial services firms. Prior to her career in talent development, she practiced corporate law in the UK and Canada. Currently, Gail leads Talent and Culture at Antares Capital LP and is responsible for the design, development, and delivery of enterprise-wide talent and culture strategies that build the organizational capabilities necessary for Antares to achieve its business goals. The scope of her work includes designing and embedding talent best practices across the employee talent journey. Some of these areas include performance management, learning & development, inclusion, team effectiveness, employee engagement, succession planning and transformational change management. 

Prior to Antares, Gail served as a Professional Development Manager at the management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company. She managed and coached high-performing consultants on the path to Partnership and co-led Asians at McKinsey (AAM Canada). In response to the evolving work demands emerging from COVID, she also co-led the Way We Work (ExperienceCanada) initiative to bring best practices to client service teams. Additionally, Gail led the staffing of financial services teams, acting as a thought partner to leaders on talent and team composition to deliver impact. At McKinsey & Company, she was awarded the 2023 Inspirational Leadership Award, for which she was nominated by her colleagues. 

Gail holds a JD in Law from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Toronto. In her free time, she loves playing the piano, gardening, snowboarding and staying active with her 16 and 10 year old children.

Michelle is a passionate voice for fair housing and antiracism in the real estate industry. Under her leadership, in 2018, the Chicago Association of REALTORS® issued an apology for past actions in promoting inequality and segregation in Chicago. 

She has been a vocal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, penning an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune on the importance of ending segregation in real estate and issuing an Industry Call for Action seeking more equity for Black REALTORS® and fair and equal treatment for Black and minority property owners. 

She has won many honors and awards, including Crain’s Chicago Business’s “40 Under 40” (2019), three-time Chicago Agent Magazine’s “Association CEO of the Year” (2021, 2020 and 2019), Connect CRE’s “2020 Women in Real Estate” award, twice Bisnow Chicago’s Commercial Real Estate “Power Woman & Rising Star,” (2020 and 2021), Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate’s Changemaker Award (2021) and was named to the prestigious Swanepoel Power 200 List of most powerful and influential executives and leaders in the residential real estate brokerage industry (2020), amongst others. She was also honored with the American Society of Association Executive’s Key Award, which is the highest honor for an association CEO. She was the first Black recipient of this award in its 60+ year history. 

Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Bradley University and a master’s degree in nonprofit management from DePaul University. She has a certificate in commercial real estate from the University of Washington and has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) certification from ASAE and the REALTOR® Certified Executive (RCE) certification from the National Association of REALTORS®. Michelle lives in the Humboldt Park neighborhood in Chicago with her husband Brace, and seven-year-old son, Broyce.

Chymeka Olfonse has over 25 years of nonprofit experience focused on empowering individuals through education and economic opportunities. She is the Managing Director of Adults and Household Supports at Robin Hood, overseeing a $23 million portfolio to stabilize and boost income for working-age New Yorkers facing economic challenges.

Previously, Chymeka served as the Founding Regional Executive Director of BUILD NYC, an entrepreneurship education nonprofit, leading strategy, establishing stakeholder relationships, fundraising, and launching programming. She has held various roles at nonprofit and government agencies, including the NYC Department of Education, leading efforts to integrate private-sector philanthropy into public schools and advance workforce initiatives. 

She holds a bachelor's degree from Yale University, a master’s degree from New York University, and executive certificates from Harvard Business School and the Advanced Leadership Institute at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business.

Bhavna Chhabra grew up in India and Dubai before moving to the US to graduate with a Computer Science degree from University of Colorado, Boulder. After graduation, Bhavna worked as a software engineer, spending 17 years at Qualcomm and eventually becoming a Senior Director of engineering. 

She joined Google in early 2016 as an engineering manager on the Payments Platform team, and today is a Senior Director leading Drive’s Engineering organization. Bhavna is also the Google Boulder site lead, overseeing operations and employee satisfaction for the Boulder site. Outside of work, Bhavna enjoys spending time with her husband and children, hiking, biking, knitting, and volunteering in her community.

2022 Women Who Light The Community Honoree

Pete is the founder of Greenhouse and its sister companies, Greenhouse Partners and The18.com. Greenhouse Partners is a professional services firm that applies a “whole brand” approach to building and growing leading brands. The18.com is an online hub for soccer enthusiasts. Pete previously served as a Senior Vice President and an officer at The Integer Group. Integer is a global powerhouse in promotional, retail, and shopper marketing. He was also a director of Wunderman Cato Johnson, a division of Young and Rubicam, and has an investment background, having spent four years as a Treasury Bond Trader at the Chicago Board of Trade. 

An entrepreneur his entire career, he has been a part of starting seven companies. Pete founded Greenhouse in order to create a Whole Person program that makes a broad and lasting impact by helping students to become community leaders that create change that will last through the generations. He believes that each of us is accountable to give back to the community. 

Pete lives in Boulder with his amazing wife and four equally amazing daughters. He spends most of his free time watching his girls compete in soccer and basketball across the state and country. Occasionally, he can be found fly fishing, snowboarding, and running and biking the mountain trails around Boulder.

Nardeep is a first-gen South Asian American filmmaker hailing from the suburbs of Philly by way of Switzerland. His debut feature, Land of Gold, which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in, had its world premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Festival. It went on to win 13 awards at international film festivals and was acquired by HBO. Land of Gold can be streamed on HBOMax.

A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and the FAMU International in Prague, Czech Republic, he is the recipient of the 2021 AT&T Untold Stories program, the ScreenCraft Film Fund, is an alumnus of the Salon, and is a PAGE Screenplay winner. His work spotlights underrepresented communities, generational trauma, and the binding forces of human connection.

Nardeep is also an accomplished actor, with recent credits including Chicago Fire, Rebel, SWAT, Why Women Kill, Jane the Virgin, Orbital Redux, and Mira, Royal Detective, where he voices over 35 characters. He's currently starring in indie comedy The Toast (set to premiere later this year), Dance Dads, which had its world premiere at the 2022 Austin Film Festival, and Safe Space, which had its world premiere at the 2022 edition of Cinequest.

Land of Gold Trailer

Website

Music Video

PAGG Short Film

Award List

At just 30 years old, Carson Clough has transformed unimaginable adversity into a story of global impact, athletic excellence, and entrepreneurial success. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Carson’s life changed forever in 2019 when a boating accident resulted in the amputation of his right leg below the knee. But what could have been a tragic ending became the beginning of something extraordinary.

Just five years after the accident, Carson stood on the world’s biggest stage as a member of Team USA, earning a silver medal in the triathlon at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. His path to the podium wasn’t easy—but it was relentless. Carson competed in his first triathlon in 2022, just two years after relearning how to walk. He had no running blade, minimal formal training, and raced using his everyday walking prosthetic. Still, he finished—and something inside him lit up. Over the next three seasons, he would compete in over 15 international races across eight countries, including three World Championships, becoming what Triathlete.com called "the newest emerging star of the U.S. paratriathlon scene."

Before the accident, Carson was already a high-level athlete—playing Division I lacrosse at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before earning degrees in biology, chemistry, and business entrepreneurship. He later completed his MBA in entrepreneurship and finance from Florida Tech, where he also continued his lacrosse career.

As much as Carson thrives in sport, he’s equally driven in business. In 2020, he co-founded The Giddy Goat Coffee Roasters, which has grown into one of Charlotte’s most beloved local coffee brands with two thriving locations, 40+ employees, and plans to expand to four locations by mid-2025. His passion for entrepreneurship and public speaking reflects a mission bigger than success—to help others unlock their potential no matter the obstacles.

Carson now travels the country speaking to schools, sports teams, and organizations, sharing his story to ignite purpose and resilience in the next generation. A documentary chronicling his journey is currently in production, aimed at inspiring young people to reframe setbacks, reject victimhood, and rise to meet life’s challenges.

Outside of racing and business, Carson finds joy in surfing, karaoke across the globe, and making memories with Calder, his loyal mobility-assistance dog gifted by the Charlotte Checkers hockey team—now his full-time co-pilot.

Carson Clough: @carsonclough_

The Giddy Goat Coffee Roasters: @GiddyCoffee

Visit: www.carsonclough.com

Charlotte Magazine Article

David Fortune is a writer and director from Atlanta, Georgia. He was named Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch in 2025 and received the AT&T Untold Stories Award, which provided a $1 million grant to direct his feature film, Color Book. In addition to these recognitions, David was also nominated for the 2025 NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Breakthrough Creative.

His short film Us was selected as a winner of the Netflix Content Creators Program, while his film Shoebox, produced through the Indeed-Hillman Grad’s Rising Voices Program, was acquired and distributed by HULU. David has participated in multiple directing fellowships, such as the Paramount ViewFinders Directors Program, Netflix - Film Independent Amplifier Fellowship, and the Village Roadshow Emerging Talent Program.  

David is a proud alumnus of Morehouse College and Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television. As a writer and director, he seeks to capture character-driven stories that live inside cinematic worlds, bringing depth and humanity to narratives on a larger scale.

IMDb Awards List

Story time! Friday's evening activity is a creative collaboration that will feature live storytelling from you, the Alumni, facilitated by Tim.

Tim is a veteran creator, director, and producer with experience founding and running a studio, working with Presidents and pop stars, leading large complex projects and teaching all over the world. He co-created "StoryCorps: The Animated Series" (PBS), which tells the extraordinary stories of ordinary Americans. Over the course of five seasons and a primetime Thanksgiving special, the show earned a Peabody, duPont-Columbia Silver Baton, 4 Emmy & 2 Annie noms.

Success as an indie creator landed him at Netflix as Supervising Director on musical anthology series "We The People", earning an Emmy, NAACP Image Award, and GLAAD nom while working with President Barack Obama & First Lady Michelle Obama, H.E.R., Janelle Monae, Lin Manuel Miranda, Brandi Carlile and more. Tim has done development for Netflix, Hello Sunshine, Invisible Universe, Stoopid Buddy, HBOMax & Atomic, directed on BoJack Horseman, created commissioned shorts for Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, CONACO, and more.

An experienced educator, Tim has run workshops at The School of Visual Arts, Pratt & Jilin Animation Institute (China), taught classes at University of the Arts (Philadelphia), worked as a cultural ambassador on behalf of the State Department in Venezuela, and currently runs a Film Workshop class at the world-renowned California Institute of the Arts in Valencia.

He lives in Pasadena with his wife and two smiley boys.

View his website here!

See his full list of work here!

Full list of awards here!

Benjamin Irons (CHt, CMI) is a sound practitioner, author, and educator, and an Artist-Collaborator for Dragonfly Percussion. He founded Zen with Ben to promote holistic wellness through sound healing, meditation, and hypnotic techniques. As an Integrative Percussion Specialist, he has created mallets, books, and courses for future sound practitioners and served on the inaugural faculty of the Ohm Store Sound School (2024).

Outside of wellness, Irons is an accomplished orchestral percussionist and timpanist, performing with major orchestras including the LA Philharmonic and the Colorado Symphony. He has shared the stage with artists like Andrea Bocelli, Bela Fleck, Lang Lang, and The Who.

Irons is a member of the International Association of Meditation Instructors and the Author’s Guild, and he is endorsed by Dragonfly Percussion and Sabian Cymbals.

At Ignite, Ben will lead a sound bath meditation focused on Courage in Celebrating Professional and Personal Successes

Christy is a certified Pilates, Barre, and Yoga instructor, and a Health Coach with over 10 years of experience helping clients achieve a balanced, healthy lifestyle. With a passion for holistic well-being, Christy combines the principles of Pilates, Barre, Yoga, and health coaching techniques to create personalized classes and sessions that enhance physical fitness, mindfulness, and overall health. Her athlete’s mindset comes from growing up as a competitive tennis player, competing at the Division I level in college. Pilates has greatly helped her body recover and thrive after years of athletics and competition. Whether in private sessions or group classes, Christy creates a supportive environment where clients can thrive in body, mind, and spirit.

Christy loves to be outside golfing with her husband and daughter and hiking with their three pups. She also loves to travel, garden, and cook. As a dedicated animal rescue advocate, Christy fosters dogs and cats.

I’m Shambu Collins, and my life is shaped by a deep love for connection — to people, to the land, and to the rhythms of the natural world. My background blends ecology, environmental education, and outdoor leadership, and I’ve spent years guiding people through transformative experiences in nature. Whether teaching kids how to rock climb or kayak, leading hikes in the mountains, or sharing the principles of Leave No Trace, I’ve seen how time outside fosters confidence, curiosity, and a sense of belonging that stays with people long after the adventure ends.

My path has taken me from habitat restoration projects and organic farming to wilderness therapy and global volunteer work in places like Peru, India, and Argentina. Each experience has deepened my belief in service, resilience, and community as the foundations of a meaningful life. I’m passionate about creating spaces where people can slow down, reconnect with themselves, and find inspiration in the natural world—just as I have throughout my own journey.

Amy Fobes is a Senior Vice President in the Global Occupier Services at Savills. She brings over 27 years in professional services, communications, and crafting data-driven solutions through global location intelligence, workforce analysis, and location economics. She is responsible for business development of location economics and labor analytics.

She has worked at global leading technology providers, such as ESRI and Sun Microsystems, as well as for innovative data processing and labor analytics firms. Prior to Savills, Amy ran a sole proprietor consultancy to advise labor economists, CREtech startups, and the largest commercial real estate firms on location intelligence. She has extensive global corporate experience in the design, distribution, and use of enterprise location intelligence platforms.

Amy is a guest lecturer at the University of Texas at Dallas on location intelligence for business and was recently published in the Area Development Journal on people analytics.

She lives in Boulder, Colorado, and has volunteered for COFIRST, the Colorado chapter of a global robotics competition to teach K-12 students about technology, innovation, and teamwork.

Terrence Cummings is pioneering the future of workforce development as Guild’s Chief Opportunity Officer. In this groundbreaking role, he is committed to transforming economic mobility for America’s workforce. With over seven years of leadership at Guild, Terrence brings a deep understanding of workforce strategy and the economic aspirations of diverse communities.

With extensive knowledge across various industries—including education, gaming, medical devices, recruiting, consulting, general

consumer, and insurance—Terrence has touched nearly every operational part of organizations and has even founded one. This breadth of experience allows him to work effectively with a broad set of stakeholders. Terrence's personal journey exemplifies the power of sponsorship and coaching. He leverages his experiences to create tangible opportunities for career advancement and economic mobility. His vision is to turn serendipity into a systematic approach to career mobility through accessible education, skilling, career services, and community support; enabling everyone, especially those from marginalized communities, to unlock their full potential.

He holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado. After stints in Boston and San Francisco, he now lives in Denver with his wife and son.

Jay Curran is the President of Multifamily for Crescent Communities, leading the firm’s investment, development and operations of apartment communities and build-for-rent single-family homes in many of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas. Jay has two decades of experience in residential development and has been with Crescent Communities since 2013. The company was recognized as the Development Firm of the Year in 2019 by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top developers.

Prior to Crescent Communities, Jay served as Vice President of Development for Archstone, leading development of luxury multifamily communities throughout Texas and Florida. Jay’s real estate experience began with Novare Group, where he managed the development of high-rise residential and hospitality properties. Prior to Novare, he served as a corporate strategy consultant with The Boston Consulting Group.

Jay serves on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of Georgia, Greenhouse, the National Multifamily Housing Council and the Multifamily Leadership for the National Association of Home Builders and is an active member of the Urban Land Institute.

Jay earned a Master of Business Administration, as a Fuqua Scholar, from Duke University and a Bachelor of Business Administration, Summerfield Scholar, from Kansas University.

A self-professed “public health nerd,” Carmen Ashley is a branch chief in the Division of Adolescent and School Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)*. She has over 30 years of experience working in adolescent health for CDC and other entities such as the American Cancer Society, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, and Emory University.

Carmen is an active member of the American Public Health Association, the American Society for Public Administration, and the American School Health Association. She served on both the Global Mission Board and the Georgia Community Board of Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF). Her most favorite volunteer role is with Greenhouse – she mentors the amazing and all-around super awesome Scholar, Yawa Eklou! She also helps review application packages from potential Scholars and regularly connects with other Greenhouse Scholars.

Carmen holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Furman University and a Master of Public Health degree from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, and she is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at Valdosta State University. Carmen is the 2024 recipient of Furman University’s Wayne and Rubye Reid Award, which recognizes alumni who have made significant contributions to the career development of Furman students. Her favorite roles in life are the mama ones: step-mama, dog-mama, and grandmama.

*Carmen is serving in her personal capacity in this activity.

A graduate from the University of California, Berkeley, and former professional baseball player, in 1981, Dan started his employment of 14 years at Quiksilver, Inc., the surf industry’s first billion-dollar company. He was one of the original members, pioneering sales in the western US. Dan served on the company’s long-range planning committee, helped direct sales and marketing strategies domestically and in Europe, and served as Director of Quiksilver Edition, the company’s Men’s division, where he led sales, marketing, product development, and brand strategy initiatives for the company.

In 1994, Mr. McInerny was the Co-Founder of Surfers, cie, a privately owned distribution company in Europe, where the company obtained the licensing rights to market and sell Arnette Eyewear. The company was based in Hossegor, France, and distributed products to 12 European countries before selling the company to Bausch and Lomb. In 1997, Dan served as Vice President of Sales for No Fear Inc., where he revitalized the company's sales, marketing, and product development strategies and redirected the company into a new phase of growth. Mr. McInerny managed 75 sales associates, 5000 retail doors, and $150 million in annual sales.

In early 2001, with 20 years of experience in the action sports, outdoor, and apparel industries, Dan founded Hub360, Inc., a web-based sales automation business that connected brands with retailers. He directed the company’s business development, brand sales, and retail outreach strategies. Dan served as President and Chairman of the Board for the company.

In 2005, Mr. McInerny was a Founding Partner of OluKai, LLC. The company sells premium footwear to 2,500 retail locations throughout the country and in 15 international markets. Included in the company portfolio called the Archipelago Group are the Melin, Roark, and Kaenon brands. Mr. McInerny is currently serving as the Executive Director of the company’s foundation, Ama Olukai Foundation, and serves on its Board of Directors.

Mr. McInerny has been well-connected with the leadership of WAM (Weather Applied Metrics) and in 2022 joined the company as its Chairman of the Board. Dan is married to Suzy McInerny (who serves on the board of UCI Health, Research Associates, and is a California Greenhouse Board Member). They have two sons, Robbie and Will, who started their own brand called Willbo, and their family lives in Laguna Beach, CA.

Gunil is committed to creating a more connected world by helping others rediscover a sense of shared humanity and collective possibility. His book, The Super Connector Manifesto, features people that are “exceptional at building, maintaining, and deepening trusted, meaningful relationships across social boundaries and at scale”.  He builds various executive communities of purpose where leaders are brought together to collectively tackle complex challenges and to help make the world a better place for all. There is no typical day for Gunil, but he loves to spend early mornings writing; focus on his strategy job at Box during the day; and help his three daughters with their homework in the evenings.  Partner dancing in West Coast Swing is his jam and makes him feel deeply alive