Dr. Heather Wathington has dedicated her career to the belief that high school graduation is a pivotal moment where opportunity can radically change a student’s life—and that all students, especially first-generation college students and students of color, can achieve their ambitions through higher education. Her background spans education, research, and philanthropy, all focused on advancing equity for students from underserved communities.

She currently serves as CEO of iMentor, a national leader in 1:1 mentoring that helps students build long-term, personal relationships to navigate postsecondary education and career. Prior to this role, Dr. Wathington was CEO of Maya Angelou Schools, a network of schools serving students involved in the juvenile justice system and those who have struggled in traditional settings.

Karen Gordon is a Senior Advisor to L Catterton, the world’s leading consumer growth investor, where she previously was a Managing Partner, leading Portfolio Operations. Prior to joining L Catterton, she was a Managing Director at Providence Equity Partners, where she worked closely with portfolio companies to drive topline growth and operational improvement.

Until 2013, Ms. Gordon was a Senior Partner and Managing Director at The Boston Consulting Group and a leader in both the Consumer and Sales & Marketing Practices, helping clients identify new growth opportunities and execute large-scale transformations. Before BCG, she began her career in brand management at Procter & Gamble.

Ms. Gordon holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar, and a BA with honors in History from Yale University.

Jim Koshland served as a partner at DLA Piper US LLP law firm from 1983-2020, focusing on corporate law matters. He currently sits on the Boards of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, American Jewish World Service, Jewish Senior Living Group, Jewish Vocational Services of San Francisco, the Koshland Foundation, Opportunity Fund, Reboot, San Francisco Jewish Community Federation and the Taube-Koret Campus for Jewish Life and is a Trustee of the UC Berkeley Foundation.

Emily Freitag is the co-founder and CEO of Instruction Partners, a nonprofit that works closely with schools and districts to strengthen teaching and accelerate student learning. Previously, she served as Assistant Commissioner of Curriculum and Instruction for the Tennessee Department of Education, where she led major academic initiatives and statewide teacher training efforts that contributed to gains in student achievement.

Before her work in Tennessee, Emily led Teach For America’s D.C. and Connecticut regions, supporting over 1,000 educators and building key district and alumni partnerships. She began her career teaching 7th grade math in Opelousas, Louisiana.