AMERICA NEEDS YOU
VIRTUAL BENEFIT
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2020
HONORING
SEKOU KAALUND
CONNECTING AMBITION WITH OPPORTUNITY
Edwin Gould Foundation proudly supports
ANY’s 10th Anniversary Gala
LETTER TO GUESTS Dear Friends, Welcome to ANY’s 10th Anniversary Celebration! Tonight, we celebrate the successes of our ambitious, first-generation college students and the transformative impact of our generous volunteers and supporters. This evening’s honoree, Sekou Kaalund, exemplifies professional excellence and community service. Join us in recognizing Sekou for his commitment to mentorship, opportunity, and philanthropy. When we dreamed about ANY’s future a decade ago, we never could have imagined our current circumstances. The COVID crisis is widening the already existing degree attainment gap in the US, especially for first-generation college students and students of color. This spring, we immediately pivoted to virtual workshops and mentorship and issued over $50,000 in emergency grants to students to cover immediate needs – healthcare, groceries, housing, etc. We also increased our holistic support as the challenges in navigating higher education increased and 30% of internships were cancelled. Yet even in these difficult moments, we saw the incredible resilience and talent of our students shine through. Hundreds of Fellows graduated this spring. Those still in school found virtual internships. Partners and alumni hosted students with canceled internships for project-based industry learning. We saw the highest number of applications to join our program we have seen in the past five years – a testament to the need for mentorship and the incredible drive of our students. We also saw a surge of interest in virtual volunteering. We are proud to share the stories of ANY Fellows with you. Their resilience and achievements demonstrate the significance of your support in the lives of hundreds of students each year. And when our Fellows succeed, the ripple impact is tremendous. This is one of the many reasons our mission is economic mobility; with a pathway to a career, our Fellows create new possibilities for their families and within their communities. On behalf of our board, staff and students, we thank you for joining us this evening. We are grateful for the community of individuals who make our work possible. Your investment in first-generation college students helps us ensure a more equitable future for all of us. We hope you have a wonderful evening!
Marianna Tu Chief Executive Officer America Needs You
EVENING PROGRAM
WELCOME Marianna Tu FELLOW ALUMNUS SPOKEN WORD Digno Melo FOUNDER REMARKS Robert Reffkin FELLOW SPOTLIGHT FIRESIDE CHAT Sekou Kaalund and Wes Moore Moderated by Linsey Davis FELLOW SPOTLIGHT LIVE AUCTION Lydia Fenet CLOSING REMARKS Marianna Tu
We would like to specially thank all of our dedicated board members, volunteers and staff. You made tonight a success, and you make our work possible. We are grateful for your support.
ABOUT AMERICA NEEDS YOU MISSION America Needs You (ANY) fights for economic mobility for ambitious, first-generation college students. We do this by providing transformative mentorship and intensive career development. THE NEED Nearly one third of all students enrolled in U.S. institutions of higher education are the first in their families to pursue a degree. Despite this growth in college access, there is still a disparity in graduation rates between first-generation college students and their peers. Today, just 11% of low-income, first-generation college students receive bachelor’s degrees within six years of enrolling in college, a reality that has serious implications for these students and the community. With economic empowerment and mobility tied closely to one’s education level—and 65% of jobs requiring a postsecondary credential by 2020—supporting these students through college and first-time careers is now more critical than ever. THE PROGRAM One-on-one mentorship, robust professional networks, internship support and a structured career development curriculum are the key components of the two-year Fellows Program. Designed to address the unique needs of first-generation college students, the Fellows Program helps students obtain a four-year degree and meaningful employment after graduation to ultimately achieve economic mobility. THE OUTCOMES Year over year, over 90% of ANY’s Fellows complete internships, graduate with bachelor’s degrees, and secure full-time employment or enroll in graduate programs.
HOW YOU CAN HELP VOLUNTEER Leverage your talent, networks and expertise to help first-generation college students realize their professional ambitions. ANY offers long-term or one-time opportunities for volunteers to help students cultivate their strengths, interests and passions into successful careers. INVEST A generous donation to ANY supports key elements of the Fellows Program that are necessary for student success. Your gift can help provide: • $10,000: Sponsor one Fellow for two years in the ANY Fellows Program • $5,000: Sponsor one workshop for 100 Fellows and 100 Mentor Coaches • $2,500: Sponsor career guides and curriculum updates for ten workshops • $1,000: Sponsor a professional development grant for one Fellow for a year • $500: Sponsor access to technology for our current digital program • $100: Sponsor individualized case management support for Fellows ENGAGE YOUR EMPLOYER ANY partners with leading companies to build mutually beneficial relationships. Through internship opportunities, Fellows gain real world experience, practicing and improving their newly honed skills. By partnering with ANY, companies gain access to a highly motivated and diverse talent pool while also providing valuable volunteer and corporate social responsibility experiences to their employees. If you are interested in partnering with ANY, please contact Emily Daniels, Chief External Affairs Officer, at emily.daniels@americaneedsyou.org.
We are proud to support ANY on its 10 year anniversary and congratulate this year’s distinguished honoree, Sekou Kaalund! Kristal & Yusef Kassim
HONOREE SEKOU KAALUND Sekou Kaalund is the Head of Chase Consumer Banking, Northeast Division at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and former Head of Advancing Black Pathways, a JPMorgan Chase program created to help Black individuals, families, and businesses achieve sustained economic success. Prior to this role, Kaalund served 11 years in numerous leadership positions within J.P. Morgan’s Corporate and Investment Bank —including as Head of U.S. Pension Fund Coverage and as a senior relationship manager for some of the firm’s largest clients. He joined J.P. Morgan in 2007 as Managing Director and Global Head of Sales for Private Equity and Real Estate Fund Services. Kaalund previously held leadership roles at Citi and served as a Commission Bank Examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Kaalund currently serves on the board of INROADS and the Public Policy and International Affairs Program and has previously served as a trustee for Duke University’s School of Public Policy, New York City Parks Foundation, and the Council of Urban Professionals. His civic contribution and corporate success have been recognized in several organizations – including in Ebony Magazine’s 2020 Power 100 list for the “Titans of Industry” category and Face2Face Africa’s 2019 “30 Black Stars List.” Kaalund has been featured in numerous publications for his work, including BBC, Forbes, NBC, CNBC, Black Enterprise, Essence, and more. Kaalund earned a Master’s of Public Policy from Duke University and Bachelor’s from Hampden-Sydney College.
WES MOORE Wes Moore is the Chief Executive Officer of Robin Hood, one of the largest anti-poverty forces in the nation. He is a bestselling author, a combat veteran, and a social entrepreneur. Wes’s first book, “The Other Wes Moore,” a perennial New York Times bestseller, captured the nation’s attention on the fine line between success and failure in our communities and in ourselves. That story has been optioned by executive producer Oprah Winfrey and HBO to be made into a movie. He is also the author of the bestselling books “The Work,” “Discovering Wes Moore,” “This Way Home,” and the recently released, “Five Days.” Wes grew up in Baltimore and the Bronx, where he was raised by a single mom. Despite childhood challenges, he graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge Military College in 1998 and Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University in 2001. He earned an MLitt in International Relations from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 2004. Wes then served as a captain and paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, including a combat deployment to Afghanistan. He later served as a White House Fellow to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Before becoming CEO at Robin Hood, Wes was the founder and CEO at BridgeEdU, an education platform based in Baltimore addressing the college completion and job placement crisis by reinventing freshman year for underserved students. BridgeEdU was acquired by Edquity, a Brooklyn-based student financial success and emergency aid firm, in June 2019. Wes has also worked in finance as an investment banker with Deutsche Bank in London and with Citigroup in New York. Wes lives in Baltimore with his wife and two children.
LINSEY DAVIS Linsey Davis is a reporter for ABC, filing reports for World News, Good Morning America and Nightline. Davis has covered a wide range of stories, including the Boston Marathon bombing, the Nairobi Mall massacre, the Haiti earthquake, the Casey Anthony trial, the miracle on the Hudson and the 2008 presidential election. In 2009 Davis made waves with her “Nightline” report, “Single Black Female.” Davis joined ABC News in 2007 as a New York-based correspondent for ABC NewsOne, the network’s affiliate news service. Before joining the network in June of 2007, Davis anchored the weekend evening newscasts at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis. She joined the station as a reporter in 2003 and, during her time there, reported from New Orleans in wake of Hurricane Katrina, from Torino for the 2006 Winter Olympics, and from Athens for the 2004 Summer Olympics. From 2001-03 she was a reporter at WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan. Davis has received several honors for her reporting, including two Emmy Awards and a regional Edward R. Murrow Award. In addition, the Center for Leadership Development awarded her with the distinction of “Up and Comer.” Davis earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Virginia and a Master of Arts degree in communications from New York University. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and lives in New York with her husband and son.
STAFF Marianna Tu CEO
Theo Fowles California Program Director
Reena Chojar New Jersey Program Coordinator
Hosea Harvey General Counsel
Nick Geremia Partner Program Director
Sylvie Do-Vu New York Program Coordinator
Adrienne Boykin Chief Financial Officer
Ryan C. Hamilton New York Program Manager
Idara Eno Illinois Program Coordinator
Emily Daniels Chief External Affairs Officer
Jennifer Herrera National Cohort Support Lead and California Program Manager
Katie Feeley-Lussier Development Coordinator
Anna Verdiyan Chief Operating Officer Monica Anzaldi New Jersey Executive Director
Jules Goldberg Mangini National Associate Board Lead and New Jersey Program Manager
Satori Bailey Illinois Executive Director
Ben Sachs-Hamilton Operations Manager
Jerome Joseph New York Executive Director
Preethi Varma National Volunteer Engagement Lead and Illinois Program Manager
Chika Anoliefo Business and Technology Director Maia Almendral Esteves National Director of Programs
Gifty Blankson Borough of Manhattan Community College Program Coordinator
Kadiatou Fofana National Internship Lead and New Jersey Program Coordinator Mitch Mitchell Development Coordinator Elisa Salgado Illinois Program Coordinator Ariana Seymore California Program Coordinator Anusuya Singh New York Program Coordinator
ADVISORY BOARD Tom A. Bernstein President & Co-Founder Chelsea Piers L.P.
Matthew Goldstein Chancellor Emeritus The City University of New York
Raymond J. McGuire Global Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Citi
Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. Senior Managing Director Lazard Ltd.
Nina Mitchell Wells Former Secretary of State New Jersey
Mary McCormick President Fund for the City of New York
Kathryn S. Wylde President & CEO Partnership for New York City
Robert Reffkin (Founder) Founder and CEO Compass
Eric Aronson Partner Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP
Albert Satija Partner Soroban Capital Partners LP
Jamie Sholem (Chair) Partner TPG Real Estate
Cindy Helen Brea Director BlackRock Solutions
Alex Sloane Managing Partner Garnett Station Partners
Devin Thomas (Vice Chair) Managing Director, Investment Banking Jefferies
Linsey Davis Correspondent ABC News
Dan Smith CEO Raines International Inc.
Shawn Golhar (Chair, ANY-NJ) Managing Director and Head of Public Policy Research Barclays
Stephen Smith Managing Director Suvretta Capital
Stephen J. Dannhauser Former Chairman Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP Alexander S. Friedman Group CEO GAM Holding
GOVERNING BOARD
Juan Uribe (Vice Chair) Partner & Managing Director Boston Consulting Group Sebnem Giorgio (Treasurer) Chief Financial and Operating Officer The Nightingale-Bamford School Carla Ruiz (Secretary) Senior Vice President, Global M&A Shiseido Dina Aronson Founder Advocate Consulting, LLC
Yusef M. Kassim Managing Director Advent International Corporation David Kirshenbaum Managing Director Virtas Partners Shahed Larson Partner Brunswick Group Aditya Sanghvi Senior Partner McKinsey & Company
Martha St. Jean Middle School Special Educator NYC Department of Education Paul White Principal Ram Island Holdings, LLC David Zussman Chief Financial Officer Related Companies
CALIFORNIA BOARD Ivelisse Rodriguez Simon Managing Partner Avante Capital Partners
ILLINOIS BOARD David Kirshenbaum Ricardo Dalmas (Chair) VP, Consumer and Marketplace Managing Director Virtas Partners Insights Nestle Jason Leung Former Global Head/CEO Matt Chlystek Cumberland Partner and Managing Director Carl-Martin Lindahl Moelis & Company CEO and Board Director SVP Worldwide Peter Domanko Partner Guillermo Marroquin PwC Managing Director and Head of North American Real Assets William Glascott, CFA Campbell Lutyens Chief Investment Officer Green Courte Partners LLC
NEW JERSEY BOARD Shawn Golhar (Chair) Managing Director and Head of Public Policy Research Barclays Joe DeSilva Senior Vice President ADP Joseph Gasparro Investment Banking Credit Suisse Kate H. DeOssie Co-CEO & Founder CareerGoggles, LLC
Zak DeOssie Vice President, Private Wealth Goldman Sachs Former Captain of Special Teams & Long Snapper New York Football Giants
Kedra Newsom Managing Director and Partner Boston Consulting Group Sona Patadia-Rao Expert Design Director McKinsey Design Philip Ruffat Managing Director BTIG, LLC Raj Vora Partner Metric Point Capital LLC Taylor Weaver Private Equity and M&A Attorney Latham & Watkins
Eric Silverman Principal & Co-founder Silverman Gideon Walter Partner & Managing Director The Boston Consulting Group
Eric Rosenberger Partner Family Wealth Planning LLC Alice Shanahan Partner McCusker, Anselmi, Rosen, & Carvelli, PC
NEW YORK BOARD Leonard T. Bell II Executive Director, Global Macro Standard Chartered Bank Stela Burghardt Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary Alleghany Corporation
Adrian Murphy Partner McKinsey & Company Fitz Robertson Vice President, Global Strategic Relationships Group JPMorgan Asset Management
Donna Vance Retail Strategy Consultant
Congratulations to the America Needs You team as you celebrate 10 years of connecting ambition with opportunity. Sebnem and Anthony Giorgio
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS GOLD SPONSORS Benjamin Moore Elizabeth and Kent Dauten Davis Polk Kirkland & Ellis LLP George Loening and Kimbrough Towles McKinsey & Company Morgan Stanley Kathy and Richard O’Toole and Family Savills Ann and Andrew Tisch Katie and Paul White
SILVER SPONSORS Advancing Black Pathways, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Alpaca VC Ares Management Erika and Jonathan Bearman Boston Consulting Group Campbell Lutyens Cornell Capital Dr. Dendy Engleman and Devin Thomas Fenwick The Fine Schneider Charitable Fund Sebnem and Anthony Giorgio GTCR Jennifer and Sekou Kaalund Kristal and Yusef Kassim Margo and James Oliff Claire and Michael Olshan Raines International Red Crane Fund Arjun V. Reddy Family Trust Salesforce Sawaya Partners Mariel and Jamie Sholem Ethan, Adina, and Winter Silverstein Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP Thrive Capital TPG Capital
BRONZE SPONSORS .406 Ventures ADP Chris Crampton Beth and Stephen Dannhauser Venus and Will Demas Edwin Gould Foundation Grant Thornton Heckscher Foundation for Children JLL and Roland Merchant Sarah and Eric Lane Nyssa and Chris Lee James Marden McDonald’s Metric Point Capital Mintz & Gold LLP Prudence Holdings Signature Bank Synchrony Liselotte and Robin Vince Gideon Walter
FRIENDS Isela Bahena Kate and Zak DeOssie DLA Piper Joe Gasparro Nobar and Shawn Golhar Louis Grecco Kimberley Hatchett Insperity Karat Michael Koester Richard Krumholz Kathy and David Mandelbaum Stephanie Mann & Christopher Fikry
McCusker, Anselmi, Rosen & Carvelli, PC David Nanus Amna Naseer Partners Financial Charitable Foundation Liz and Alexander Pugatch John Rhea Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP Joshua Rosenbaum Eric Rosenberger Shiseido Subscribe, Rafay and Angie Farooqui Ronnie Wexler Richard Witten
OTHER SUPPORTERS Allen Ashley Joann Bonini Carol Chevlowe Bob Debolt Kim DeFelice Shane Dinneen Patrick Gray Marc Fishbein Matthew Klein Michael Koslow Olivier Laganiere
Jennifer Lundmark Lisa Mann Reynold Martin Chad McQuade Northpass Kay Oswald Joseph Seliga Dana Seshens Jeffrey Silverman TerraPhase Michael Weiss
Private equity | Infrastructure
| Private credit
Campbell Lutyens
is proud to support America Needs You. We are a global and independent private capital advisor, focused on fund placement and secondary advisory services. With a team of more than 160 operating from offices in London, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, Chicago, Los Angeles and Charlotte, we are celebrating 32 years of delivering results through thoughtful, creative advice and meticulous execution.
www.campbell-lutyens.com Member FINRA / SIPC
Congratulations America Needs You On your 10 Years of Impact
From Education Equity Fund, NFP
Education Equity Fund, NFP manages a self-renewing Income Sharing Agreement (ISA) fund that provides tuition and the associated costs of attendance for the students it supports.
Signature Bank is proud to support America Needs You (ANY) 2020 Virtual Benefit From your friends at
David Artis
Group Director – Senior Vice President (646) 746-8950 DArtis@signatureny.com www.signatureny.com
is proud to support
AMERICA NEEDS YOU Founded in San Francisco in 1992, TPG has a long history of investing in change, growth, and innovation through a platform that spans private equity, public equity, real estate, and impact investing. TPG now has approximately $83 billion under management with investment and operational teams in 14 offices around the world. For more information, please visit www.tpg.com or on Twitter @TPG
Member FDIC
BUILD TOMORROW
TODAY Synchrony is proud to support America Needs You and the 2020 Virtual Benefit.
McDonald’s is Proud to support America Needs You (ANY) Virtual Ten Year Anniversary Benefit McDonald’s has a long history of striving to be a pioneer and pacesetter valuing diversity, inclusion and equity. We strive to unlock the full potential of people in the communities we serve. We thank ANY for an amazing 10 years of making a significant impact in the community!
©2020 McDonald’s
WE BRING COMPANIES and CUSTOMERS TOGETHER
salesforce.com/360
We proudly support America Needs You in its pursuit of upward mobility for first generation college students. Erika & Jonathan Bearman
O-Corp is proud to support the work of America Needs You & this year’s honorees.
Thank you to America Needs You for 10 years of fighting for economic mobility and supporting first-generation college students.
What are you #WorkingFor? ADP, the ADP logo, and Always Designing for People are trademarks of ADP, Inc.
We are proud to support America Needs You and its commitment to fight for economic mobility for ambitious, first-generation college students by providing transformative mentorship and intensive career development.
We are extremely honored to join Compass in supporting America Needs You and its mission to connect ambition with opportunity. We salute the ANY mentors and Fellows for their hard work and affirmation, for all of us, of the American Dream. The Reddy Family
We Proudly Support America Needs You in Its Mission to Help First-Generation College Students Realize Their Ambitions
www.gtcr.com
To Our ANY Fellows: America Needs You Now More Than Ever! We are proud of you and the bright future that you are creating for all of us. --George Loening and Kimbrough Towles
Developing the next generation of industry leaders.
We proudly support
America Needs You and ambitous, first-generation college students. RICHARD AND KATHY O’TOOLE AND FAMILY
Congratulations to Sekou Kaalund on being honored by ANY this year. Wishing all of the ANY Fellows best of luck navigating this unprecedented time. Stay positive! We are here to support you! - Nyssa and Chris Lee
Thrilled to support America Needs You, Robin & Liselotte Vince & GS Gives
Congratulations to America Needs You for a decade of service, hope and results. Thank you to Robert and Benis Reffkin for everything you do. Vanessa and Henry Cornell
MINTZ & GOLD LLP is proud to support AMERICA NEEDS YOU Special congratulations to
MINTZ & GOLD LLP
600 Third Avenue, 25th Floor New York, NY 10016 (212) 696-4848 www.mintzandgold.com
Ann and Andrew Tisch are happy to support America Needs You. We congratulate Robert Reffkin and Compass and Wes Moore.
Congratulations, ANY! We’re proud to help support your mission. We are committed to creating greater opportunity for under-represented minorities in the technology industry. And we partner with non-profits, colleges, and corporate sponsors to deliver practice interviews and feedback that help young engineers build amazing careers. Predictive, fair, and enjoyable interviews don’t just happen by accident—they’re engineered.
The Technical Interviewing Solution
Ares Management is proud to support America Needs You And congratulate this year’s honoree.
Congratulations to ANY on achieving 10 years of impact. Ethan, Adina, and Winter Silverstein
The Fine Schneider Charitable Fund is a proud supporter of America Needs You. Thank you to Marianna Tu and the entire ANY staff for all your good work.
We are proud supporters of America Needs You and all they do to support first-generation college students.
Mariel & Jamie Sholem are proud to continue their support of America Needs You and its staff, mentors and Fellows
JLL joins America Needs You in honoring Sekou Kaalund.
Congratulations, Sekou! We are proud of you and your many accomplishments. You inspire us. With love and support, Jennifer, Caleb, Mikah, and Hannah
Eric and Sarah Lane congratulate Robert Reffkin on his great work.
We are pleased to continue our support of America Needs You’s important work. Beth and Stephen Dannhauser
UNLOCKING POTENTIAL Boston Consulting Group is proud to support the America Needs You 2020 Virtual Benefit. Thank you for 10 years of incredible work providing mentorship and support to ďŹ rst-generation college students, and for empowering these ambitious individuals to achieve their personal and professional goals.
Investing in the black community. Expanding opportunity for everyone. Learn more at: www.jpmorganchase.com/abp