Clara has a background in urban real estate and sustainability. Most recently, she worked as an Associate with WestMill Capital, a real estate investment start-up focused on alternative financing and merchandising mixes authentic to the local area. Notably, she developed and edited content for two WestMill web platforms (Popularise.com and Fundrise.com) to interact with the community about local real estate projects, solicit feedback on those projects, and allow the community to invest in those projects. Prior to WestMill Capital, Clara worked at AECOM, a Fortune-500 company specializing in construction management, engineering, design, planning, and consulting. She also spent several years with GVA Advantis and Monument Realty. Clara is a LEED Accredited Professional, a notary public, and holds real estate licenses in three states. She was Co-Chair of the 2012 MIT Sloan Women in Management Conference, the largest women’s event on campus that year, and was awarded the Martin Trust Community Fellowship for her student leadership. She also received a Forte Fellowship and served as Co-Chair of the 2012 MIT Sloan Class Gift Committee, which raised $250,000. Clara earned her MBA from MIT Sloan and her BA from NYU.

Julie has a background in polling and political consulting. Most recently, she worked as an Education Pioneers Fellow with Revolution Foods, a healthy school meals provider for schools, where she reported directly to the co-founder and CIO on projects ranging from financial budgeting to IT information systems. Prior to Revolution Foods, she was the Lead Analyst and first employee at Tulchin Research, a start-up strategic polling and consulting firm in the Bay Area. Her clients included government officials, foundations, and nonprofit advocacy groups. Julie has served on the Board of Directors for the Mission Learning Center, an education non-profit providing literacy services to low-income students in San Francisco elementary schools, and as Co-Director of the San Francisco Chapter of the New Leaders Council, a national non-profit promoting entrepreneurial leadership. She was Co-Chair of the 2012 MIT Sloan Women in Management Conference, the largest women’s event on campus that year, and was awarded the Martin Trust Community Fellowship for her student leadership. She also received the Sloan Social Impact Fellowship and Peer Recognition Award. Julie earned her MBA from MIT Sloan and her BA from Stanford.

Joanna founded VSP Capital, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm, in 1996. In addition to her eight years in finance and investment banking, Joanna has held several senior management positions with Groupe Danone, General Foods, Digital Equipment Corp., Texaco, Brown Forman, and RJR Nabisco. The World Economic Forum selected Rees as a Year 2000 Global Leader for Tomorrow (GLT) for individuals who hold positions “of considerable power, influence and responsibility,” and are “global in terms of their accomplishments and potential.” The Aspen Institute selected Rees for its 2002 Class of Henry Crown Fellows, a program designed to develop the next generation of community-spirited business leaders, and the National Association of Women Business Owners named her “The 2000 Entrepreneur of the Year Rising Star.” She is frequently featured in the national press (Forbes, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, BusinessWeek, CNN, CNNfn, etc.), as a speaker at industry conferences, and serves as a spokesperson for the NVCA. Joanna is also active in the non-profit community. She serves on the board of New Schools Venture Fund and Endeavor Global. Joanna earned her MBA from Columbia University and a BS from Duke University.

Kevin is general counsel to the Committee on Finance and Revenue of the Council of the District of Columbia, chaired by Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), where he focuses primarily on budget, finance, and taxation matters for the government of the District of Columbia. Kevin began his professional career by clerking for a federal district court judge in his hometown of Savannah, Georgia. He then spent several years in private practice at Latham & Watkins, where he represented corporations and individuals involved in internal investigations and corporate compliance matters, prior to joining the Council. He served as chief investigative and legislative counsel to David A. Catania, member (I-At-Large) of the Council of the District of Columbia, prior to joining the Committee on Finance and Revenue. Kevin has also performed hundreds of hours of pro bono work in cooperation with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, the Mississippi Center for Justice relating to Hurricane Katrina, and the Children’s Law Center. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at Georgia Tech and a JD at Stanford University.

Tim is a Managing Director at Buena Vista Fund Management, an equity manager focused in Asia. Prior to BuenaVista, he was responsible for international business development at Southeastern Asset Management. Prior to Southeastern, he was President of Kailas Capital, a fund of hedge funds. Tim has served as a Senior Managing Director with Bear Stearns & Co. in New York, responsible for Asian equities sales and research, and has held management roles at Jardine Fleming Securities in Hong Kong, and Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong and Tokyo. Tim is on the advisory board of MassGeneral Hospital for Children and leadership council for the Center to Prevent Youth Violence. He earned a BA from Washington and Lee University, and has attended the Chinese University of Hong Kong, as well as Sotheby’s and Harvard’s Executive Education Programs.