2022 Outstanding Alumni of the Year

CLAIM TO FAME

Bryan Silverthorn ’01 and Lesley Silverthorn Marincola ’04 Outstanding Alumni of the Year

Each year since 1990, the PCDS Alumni Association has named an Outstanding Alum or Alumni of the Year. These individuals have distinguished themselves in service to their communities, professional achievement, and commitment to PCDS. During a special luncheon in their honor, the Alumni Association was proud to celebrate Dr. Bryan Silverthorn `01 and Ms. Lesley Silverthorn Marincola `04 as the 2022 Outstanding Alumni of the Year.

Angaza, the company that our honorees co-founded, creates technology that enables businesses to streamline the sale of life-changing products to anyone, anywhere. The Angaza platform redefines how products like solar home systems and clean cookstoves are purchased. By enabling distributors to offer incremental payment plans to consumers without access to traditional banking, Angaza makes it possible for over two billion people around the world to affordably acquire transformative products and devices.

Both Bryan and Lesley were Lifers at PCDS. Bryan received a bachelor’s in computer science from Cornell and a PhD in computer science from The University of Texas at Austin. He serves as Angaza’s Chief Technology Officer. Lesley received a bachelor’s in product design from Stanford. She also earned a master’s in mechanical engineering from Stanford. She serves as Angaza’s CEO. Before co-founding Angaza, she worked as a product design engineer at AmazonLab 126 which designs and engineers devices like Fire tablets, Kindle e-readers, and Amazon Fire TV. Among her many accolades, she was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur in 2013, was recognized by Businessweek as one of “America’s Best Young Entrepreneurs,” and on behalf of Angaza, she won the Skoll Award for Social Innovation in 2018. The Skoll Award is presented each year to a select group of social innovators whose work targets the root causes of societal problems that are ripe for transformational social change.

In addition to their remarkable accomplishments both personally and professionally, Bryan and Lesley have been supportive and active members of the Phoenix Country Day School alumni community since they each graduated.

Learn more about Angaza at angaza.com. n

From left: Head of School Andy Rodin, Bryan Silverthorn ’01, Lesley Silverthorn Marincola ’04, Alumni Board President Tiffany Westlie Pondelik ’00, and President of the Board of Trustees David Lewis at the Outstanding Alumni of the Year Luncheon