Barbara J. Silzle is a mission-driven leader in Philadelphia’s arts and philanthropic communities. Since 2015, she has served as executive director of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, a nonprofit corporation whose mission is to provide grant funds to enhance arts and cultural organizations throughout Philadelphia.
Michael Brune, the Sierra Club’s executive director since 2010, is one of today’s most inspiring and effective environmental leaders. Prior to joining the Sierra Club, he led Rainforest Action Network. Under his leadership, the Sierra Club has grown to more than three million supporters and is at the forefront of the drive to move beyond fossil fuels to 100% clean, renewable energy, while also protecting America’s remaining wild places.
Tim Jones, CEO of Artscape, is a city builder, social entrepreneur and change agent who works at the intersection of arts and culture, urban development, community activism, philanthropy and public policy. Under his direction since 1998, Artscape has grown from a Toronto-based artist studio provider to a globally recognized leader in creative placemaking. In 2014, Tim was recognized by the Geneva-based Schwab Foundation as Social Entrepreneur of the Year.
Serving at one of the country’s largest art institutions, Timothy Rub provides an outstanding model for advocating for the power of art to grow communities, to educate and engage the public, and to enhance the vital role of art in our society.
Dave Ross, ScD, is president and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Task Force for Global Health. In this role, Dr. Ross provides strategic direction to The Task Force and oversees seven programs focused on neglected tropical diseases, vaccines, field epidemiology, and public health informatics. He assumed leadership of The Task Force on May 1, 2016, after 16 years as director of The Task Force’s Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII) and its predecessor All Kids Count.
Michael Lwin is the managing director of Koe Koe Tech, a health IT social enterprise based in Yangon, Myanmar. He and his cousin, Dr.Yarzar Minn Htoo—a Myanmar citizen, doctor and computer scientist—first met in Myanmar in 2009, discovering that they were kindred spirits with a desire to help others. Together they founded Koe Koe Tech and created the first mobile health app in Myanmar, providing low-cost, easy-to-use healthcare software developed by Myanmar people for Myanmar people within its data-deprived healthcare sector. The organization trains local Myanmar people in computer science, sales and marketing, in addition to its software work.