(In alphabetical order)

Brian Dever works as the Director of Development for Let’s Get Ready, a nonprofit that helps more than 2,000 underserved high school students reach college each year with the support of college student tutors and mentors. Brian has worked in nonprofits and education for almost ten years. He served as the Executive Director of a youth organization in Minnesota, where he also participated in a local giving circle and led a youth in philanthropy program. As an undergraduate at Carleton College, Brian was the co-director of the school’s service-learning activities.

Founder and Chair
Heather Rees has over eight years of experience designing and implementing development projects and programs, establishing community and campus organizations and working on socio-economic issues worldwide. She has previously worked as a consultant and volunteer with organizations such as the Fair Trade Foundation, Artisans United for the Development of Atitlan (Guatemala) and Business Council for Peace. Currently, Heather is the Regional Leader for What’s Your Tree – NYC and Chairs the Board of the NYC Venture Philanthropy Fund. Heather holds an MSc of Gender and Development from the LSE, and an undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in Political Science.

Jason Solle has over six years of experience designing and implementing social impact programs for both the non-profit and private sectors. Most recently, Jason has consulted for a number of Fortune 50 and Fortune 500 companies on their CSR, philanthropic giving, and employee volunteer programs, spanning the pharmaceutical, bio-tech, and manufacturing industries. Previously, Jason spent three years in the Philippines, with the U.S. Peace Corps, launching and expanding social ventures with the rural poor. He holds an M.P.A. in Policy and Management from NYU’s Wagner School and a B.A., with honors, from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

J. Maya Iwata currently is a consultant to nonprofit organizations in the area of capacity building and fundraising. She has worked for more than 12 years in senior and executive management at grassroots leading edge community based organizations in the areas of health, mental health, youth development and social justice. Her undergraduate degree is in psychology from Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences and her masters in social work from Columbia University’s School of Social Work. In addition to her work in VPF, she is also an associate member of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) and active in Go Left, an organization whose goal is to leverage popular culture to make progressive politics popular.




Sarah DeFeo is the Program Director of the Physician Advocacy Fellowship at Columbia University a program which involves doctors in social justice work. Previously, Sarah was the Project Officer at the Center to Advance Palliative Care at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She also worked at the Social Science Research Council on a pre-dissertation fellowship program for graduate students studying in the developing world. Sarah graduated with honors from Vassar College with a degree in American History, and is currently working toward her Master of Public Policy and Administration at Columbia University.

.