AMBASSADOR ANDREW YOUNG
Ambassador Young has held a wide range of leadership positions. He was a top aide to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the civil rights movement before being elected to three terms as Representative for the Fifth Congressional District of Georgia. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed him as the United States’ Ambassador to the United Nations. Mr. Young then served two terms as Mayor of the City of Atlanta and was a Co-Chairman of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games. He is Chairman of the Southern Africa Enterprise development Fund, Co-Chairman of GoodWorks International, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Drum Major Institute.
MARTIN LUTHER KING III
Martin Luther King III is an American human rights advocate and community activist. He is the eldest son and oldest living child of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. He continues to champion social issues around the globe, furthering his parents’ legacy and commitment to addressing the Triple Evils: Militarism, Racism and Poverty. King remains one of the most sought after human rights advocates called upon to address a variety of national and global injustices. You can follow him on Twitter.
ARNDREA WATERS KING
Arndrea Waters King has dedicated her life to serving humanity. This commitment was demonstrated when as a teenager, she volunteered as a candy striper at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. This early experience of supporting and advocating for those with health challenges fueled Arndrea’s passion to end all forms of pain, inequity and injustice. Over the years, Arndrea has lived her commitment by consistently supporting those who have been marginalized and silenced to find and collectively use their voice for change.
A National Merit Scholar, Arndrea studied psychology at Emory University. Soon after, she joined the Center for Democratic Renewal. During her tenure at CDR, Arndrea organized the first National Conference on Hate Crimes and Hate Violence. She played a key role in the mobilization for the Georgia Hate Crimes Act and prepared major reports including the landmark “When Hate Comes to Town.” Arndrea also helped organize marches and rallies that led to the building of a major multiracial coalition, the Southern Coalition Against Racism and Bigotry. In 2006 Arndrea married Martin Luther King III. As the “First Lady” of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and The King Center, Arndrea championed several nonviolence education and social change issues while designing programs to advance understanding and activism. She was instrumental in the partnership with JP Morgan Chase to restore, preserve and digitize the archives of the King Center. Her support for the Atlanta community includes serving as a board member of the Historic District Development Committee and the Atlanta International School.
Arndrea and Martin have one daughter, Yolanda Renee who has already become an activist in her own right. Arndrea and her husband are currently developing The Martin Luther King III Partnership for Equity, Peace and Justice.
REVEREND JAMES FORBES
Rev. James Forbes is the first African-American to be appointed as Senior Minister of the Riverside Church in Harlem and spent 18 years serving the interdenominational, interracial and international congregation. While at Riverside, he brought the church to play a role in redeveloping the neighborhood and hosted prominent guests, such as the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela. Today, he continues to deliver his call for spiritual revitalization as the Senior Scholar and Fellow for Drum Major Institute. He continues in national ministry and a focus on encouraging peace, justice, interfaith cooperation and environmental responsibility.
WILLIAM WACHTEL, ESQ
Mr. Wachtel is the founding partner of Wachtel Missry, a law firm comprised of approximately 30 attorneys specializing in domestic and international business transactions and litigation. He is also the founder of the progressive Drum Major Institute, originally the Drum Major Foundation, established by his father Harry Wachtel and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He is a graduate of the University of Vermont (B.A. 1975, magna cum laude) and Columbia University (J.D., 1979); Phi Beta Kappa; Harlan Fiske Scholar. Mr. Wachtel was the legislative assistant to United States Senator P.J. Leahy from 1974-75. He is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the American Bar Association.
H. CARL McCALL
H. Carl McCall is Chairman of the State University of New York Board of Trustees. His distinguished career in public service includes serving as Comptroller of the State of New York from May 1993 to December 2002 and three terms as a New York State Senator representing the upper Manhattan district of New York City; as an Ambassador to the United Nations; as a Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; and as the Commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights. In the private sector, Mr. McCall served as a Vice President of Citibank and as Corporate Director of the New York Stock Exchange, Tyco International, New Plan Realty Corporation and Ariel Investment. He was educated at Dartmouth College, Andover Newton Theological Seminary and the University of Edinburgh. He is the recipient of nine honorary degrees.
SECRETARY JEH C. JOHNSON
Jeh Johnson is a partner in the New York City-based law firm of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, LLP and the former Secretary of Homeland Security (2013-2017). Prior to that, Johnson was General Counsel of the Department of Defense (2009-2012), General Counsel of the Air Force (1998-2001) and an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (1989-1991). While in private law practice, Johnson has been affiliated with Paul Weiss on and off since 1984, and was elected the firm’s African American partner in 1993. Johnson is a Morehouse College classmate of Martin Luther King III and a graduate of Columbia Law School.
SCOTT RECHLER
Scott Rechler is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of RXR Realty LLC (“RXR”), a multi-billion-dollar private real estate company and one of the largest owners, managers, and developers in the New York Tri-State area.In 2011, Mr. Rechler was appointed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to serve on the Board of Commissioners as Vice Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In 2013, Mr. Rechler was appointed to the Board of The National September 11 Memorial & Museum and in 2017, he was appointed to serve on the Board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Mr. Rechler prides himself on enhancing the communities where RXR operates. As such, he serves as Chairman of the Regional Plan Association, Chairman of the Center for Social Innovation, member of the Real Estate Board of New York, a Board member of The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, and a member of the NYU Real Estate Institute Advisory Committee. In addition, Mr. Rechler serves on the Board of the Tribeca Film Institute, where he serves as its co-Chairman.
LEO HINDERY, JR.
Leo Hindery, Jr., a member of the Cable Industry Hall of Fame, is currently Managing Partner of InterMedia Partners, a series of media industry investment funds he founded in 1988 and ran until February 1997 when he was named President and CEO of Tele-Communications, Inc. (TCI) and Liberty Media. In March 1999 TCI merged into AT&T and he became President and CEO of AT&T Broadband. He is distinguished by his commitment to the development of ethnically sensitive channels and programming for African Americans, Latinos and Puerto Ricans. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he was in 2008 an economic and trade adviser to presidential candidate Barack Obama, and in 2012 he served as an economic policy surrogate for President Obama.
NORM ORNSTEIN, PHD
Norman Ornstein is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He is a contributing editor and writer for The Atlantic, and has been an election eve analyst for CBS News and BBC news. He served as a senior counselor to the Continuity of Government Commission and co-directed the AEI-Brookings Project on alternatives to the Independent Counsel Act. Mr. Ornstein led a working group of scholars and practitioners that helped shape the law, known as McCain-Feingold, that reformed the campaign financing system. He was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004. He is Chairman of the Board of the Campaign Legal Center. Ornstein has a BA from the University of Minnesota and an MA and PhD from the University of Michigan. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from his alma mater in 2007. Ornstein was spotlighted as one of 2012’s 100 Top Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy Magazine.
DAN ROBERTI
ERIC N. GIOIA, ESQ
Eric Gioia is a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan Chase Private Bank. He is a former member of the NYC Council, where he served eight years, and is an adjunct professor at New York University. As a member of the City Council, Gioia authored the Young Adult Voter Registration Act. On the City Council, Gioia advocated for the poor, and wrote laws to help alleviate child hunger and to protect the environment. He also served as Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Committee.
REV. FREDRICK DAVIE
Frederick Davie is Executive Vice President and chief administrative officer of Union Theological Seminary. Mr. Davie served on President Barack Obama’s initial transition team, performing agency reviews for faith-based and community initiatives, and accepted an appointment by President Obama to the White House Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Mr. Davie is a member of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Clergy Advisory Council.He has extensive experience in senior-level roles in philanthropic and social and economic justice organizations, including Public/Private Ventures and the Ford Foundation. Mr. Davie holds a B.A. in Political Science from Greensboro College and an M.Div. from Yale University’s Divinity School.
LISA GIOIA
Lisa Hernández Gioia has almost twenty years of experience working closely with leaders in media, finance, government, real estate, philanthropy, and the arts. Currently, Lisa is the Director of External Affairs at Related Companies cultivating interest, awareness and collaboration with stakeholders and influencers. During the presidential campaign, Lisa was a senior aide to Hillary Clinton on her presidential campaign. Her team was tasked with raising $1 Billion, and she was directly responsible for raising $250 million in the Tri-State area. She built and maintained a finance committee of 1,200 of the top national executives, business leaders and philanthropists. In 2002, Lisa founded and built The Elser Group, one of the top political consulting businesses in New York focused on political candidates and a few non-profit organizations. Originally from Seattle, Washington, Lisa now lives in New York City with her husband Eric and their four children.
CHANG PARK
Chang Park is president and CEO of Universal Remote Control Inc. of Harrison, NY, a supplier of high-quality remotes and considered a top control manufacturer by consumers, subscription broadcast providers, retailers and custom installation professionals. Born and raised in Korea, Chang came to the United States alone as a teenager to pursue an education. Mr. Park holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Tech. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree from his alma mater and recently was inducted into the Academy of Electrical Engineers. He also holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a member of the national governing board of Common Cause, a public interest organization in Washington DC, the board at the Union Theological Seminary in New York and Bread for the World. After working briefly in engineering and banking, Chang founded Universal Remote Control in the mid-1980s. He chairs the Chang K. Park Foundation, an organization that supports human rights, the elimination of poverty and hunger, the implementation of political reform, and economic justice.
JOHN MARINO
John Marino is a managing partner of DKC Public Relations, Marketing & Government Affairs. He has devoted much of his life to public service. John joined the administration of Governor Hugh Carey in 1979, first in the Appointments Office and then served five years as New York City Assistant Commissioner and Regional Director for the New York State Department of Transportation. He was also the campaign manager for three of Governor Mario Cuomo’s state wide elections, including the two elections where the Governor won by historic margins. John also served as Chairman of the New York State Democratic Party under the first Governor Cuomo, where he also helped Bill Clinton achieve victory in New York in 1992. John joined DKC in February, 1995 and has been an integral part of the growth of the firm. With a focus on strategic planning and a 360 approach to communications, John leads the Government, Not-for-Profit and Education Groups and manages the day to day activities of the firm. John holds a Master’s in Public Administration from New York University, a Master’s in Education from Iona College, and a Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University. He is married to Donna De Bernardo and has two daughters, Sara and Maggie.
PETER S. KNIGHT
Peter Knight is a Founding Partner of Generation Investment Management, which focuses on sustainable investing strategies in public and private markets. Prior to joining Generation, Mr. Knight was a Managing Director of MetWest Financial, a Los Angeles-based financial services company from 2001 to 2003. Mr. Knight started his career with the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice. From 1977 to 1989, he served as Chief of Staff to former VP Al Gore when Mr. Gore was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and later the U.S. Senate. He served as the General Counsel of Medicis Pharmaceutical from 1989 to 1991, and then established his law practice representing numerous Fortune 500 companies as named partner in a Washington D.C. law firm. Mr. Knight has held senior positions on four presidential campaigns, including serving as the campaign manager for the successful 1996 re-election of President Clinton. He is a Director of the National Park Foundation. Mr. Knight holds a J.D. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from Cornell University.
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