Appleseed Board of Directors
We’re growing a high-impact governing board. Interested in exploring a fit? Email board@appleseedimpact.org
LIEZL VAN RIPER
Liezl is a business development and fundraising expert with 16 years experience with international and national non-profit social enterprises, with a track record of securing multi-year, 7-figure funding partnerships with corporations, foundations, and governmental agencies.
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Most recently, she was myAgro’s VP of Development where she increased philanthropic revenue from $3.5M in 2016 to $7.2M in 2018. She co-led myAgro's winning proposal campaigns for two of the most competitive awards in social enterprise, the 2018 Skoll Award and Wharton’s 2018 Lipman Prize. Other career highlights include leading the effort to secure 7-figure grant and PRI partnerships with the PepsiCo Foundation, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, the IKEA Foundation, and major grant from the OPEC Fund for International Development. With Kiva, Liezl built out the NYC office and spearheaded campaigns raising millions to support U.S. based entrepreneurs. Liezl also established Kiva’s first 7-figure partnerships in Europe with Pearson PLC. Prior to Kiva, Liezl was the Director of Development for KickStart, where she helped developed the KickStart + Skoll + Citi Working Capital partnership to expand production of MoneyMaker irrigation pumps across Sub-Saharan Africa, increasing incomes for smallholder farmers. Liezl received her B.A. with honors in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine.
ADAM QUINN, JD/MBA, CO-FOUNDER
Adam assists with legal and financial aspects of Appleseed and helps guide organizational strategy. After graduating law school and getting his MBA from the University of Minnesota, Adam became the Director of Business Development for S. Groner Associates (SGA).
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Adam is a passionate environmentalist who maintains a 100-lb vermiculture worm farm in his home. He is also a minimalist and strategic thinker. Adam constantly pushes Appleseed to think creatively about good processes to make the more effective. In co-founding Appleseed, Adam aims to build a strong, nimble, and impactful organization that always delivers and exceeds the expectations of supporters and partners.
John Mark Feilmeyer
John Mark is a design thinker, social innovator, and market strategist living in Des Moines, Iowa. His work has centered around the arts, workforce development, and financial inclusion, both in the U.S. and in West Africa. He is currently a senior UX research manager at Root Insurance.
KAILI Mumme Delp, MBA, MPH
Kaili is a strategist, business person and problem solver. She has a passion for improvement and is a habitual learner. Her work spans multiple industries and functions with the common thread being leadership. She lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her family. Kaili is currently the VP of Solutions Engineering at ADB SAFEGATE, an aviation company.
Appleseed Advisory Council
CEZARINA NICULAE, ex-COO of appleseed
Cez is passionate about social entrepreneurship, and its power to help people and the planet. With a decade of experience in finance, consulting and remote team/operations management, she is helping Appleseed unlock the impact-making potential of the very best social ventures.
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Before Appleseed, Cez ran the Accelerator Program at Agora Partnerships, where she supported social entrepreneurs at 60+ early growth stage organizations, including direct experience working in Haiti and Mexico. Cez is originally from Romania, and besides her native language, she speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese. She has lived and worked in various parts of Latin America and Europe, and she is currently based in Madrid, Spain. Outside of Appleseed, Cez enjoys being a facilitator, doing yoga, running, reading, and best of all, playing with her little girl.
STEPHEN GRONER, PE, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT | SGA
Stephen is the founder and president of S. Groner Associates, Inc. (SGA). Prior to starting SGA in 1998, Stephen, with his engineering background, worked for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works as a project manager.
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This experience gives him keen insight into understanding the intricacies of managing government projects, as well as the importance of public engagement and education to gaining approval and acceptance of a project. Through his work, Stephen has shaped and implemented many of the major pollution prevention and community outreach programs in California. Years before Appleseed was born, Stephen had been providing instrumental training and experience to members of Appleseed's Founding Team. His masterful guidance and support has continued ever since.
PAMELA ROUSSOS, CIO | MILLER CENTER FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Pamela scales Miller Center’s impact with social entrepreneurs and partners by innovating new methods of support and engagement. Prior to joining the Center in 2014, Pamela was a software executive leading early stage companies in business and marketing strategy, helping founders create, refine, and execute business strategies and go-to-market plans.
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She has 20+ years experience growing teams and delivering products for large software companies and startups, working in various capacities, such as business unit manager, VP of marketing, COO and CEO. Companies include: Amdahl, Pure Software, Rational Software, Consera, Zend, and AppFirst. In 2008, Pamela began mentoring social entrepreneurs through Miller Center's GSBI (Global Social Benefit Institute). Through this renowned program, Appleseed gained Pamela as a trusted mentor in early 2018.
MELISSA BARD, Vice Chancellor for Human Resources | California State University
Melissa is a human resources professional who has worked in the financial services and manufacturing industries as well as the higher education space. She is an HR strategist with a passion for organizational development, employee engagement and transforming processes and services to support institutional change and effectiveness.
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She served as the Chief Human Resources Officer for the California State University system, the largest university system in the country, as well as East Carolina University and Frederick Community College, and held senior leadership positions at the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Her other professional experience includes executive positions in the private sector for companies including Citigroup. Melissa earned a bachelor of science in Human Resources Management and a master’s of science in Human Resources Management, both from the University of Maryland University College.
ERICA MAHGEREFTEH, FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER, STRATEGY DIRECTOR
Erica was Appleseed's first Board Chair, serving from July 2015 to March 2019. Her passion for making a difference and her strategic mind has been vital in shaping our organization and our campaigns.
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Erica was Philip's principal collaborator at S. Groner Associates (SGA), where she was the Strategic Director of the firm. After successfully running and guiding countless community-based social marketing campaigns to protect the environment, she left SGA to direct her efforts towards improving health. To this end, she joined Health Services Advisory Group to improve Medicare services as a Communications Manager and has recently completed her Masters of Public Health at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health. Somewhere amidst all this change, she had two beautiful little girls. So, as Erica works from various angles with Appleseed to improve lives, she's doing it at home as well!
LILY YUAN, FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER
In November 2016, Lily joined Appleseed as a Founding Board Member, supporting organizational growth, brand management, and fundraising efforts. Lily's involvement with Appleseed began as a Founding Sponsor and she also provided guidance during Appleseed’s early stages of development.
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Lily joined Appleseed’s Advisory Council in December 2018. Lily brings over ten years of advertising and marketing experience with Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency and The Zoo, Google’s creative think tank for brands and agencies. While Lily loves tackling marketing challenges, she is also passionate about youth mentorship. To this end, she's worked with PENCIL, Spark, and helped launch The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Students of the Year program in LA. She was most recently Brand Director at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.