Lauren Reilly (she/her/hers) is a results-driven professional with a proven track record in growing and scaling non-profit and social impact organizations. Lauren joined Gratitude Network’s Governing Board in 2020 and assumed the Executive Director role in 2024. Before her tenure at GN, Lauren was the co-founder and the inaugural Executive Director of SuitUp, a career readiness organization, where she grew the organization 26x over 6 years.

Earlier in her career, Lauren served as a board member and Chief Program Officer at Practice Makes Perfect, a nationally recognized summer learning organization, and played a key role in growing the organization 10x over 4 years. Her background as a Teach for America alum and NY certified teacher includes impactful roles teaching in the Bronx and Harlem. Lauren’s accolades include not only the Gratitude Fellowship (’19) but also the SOCAP Fellowship, Student Success Network Fellowship, NY Senior Leaders Fellowship, and graduation from the Goldman Sachs 10KSB program. She was also recognized as a finalist in the NYC Imagine Awards in the Rising Star and Excellence in Leadership categories.

Notably, Lauren was honored by the Obama administration as a White House Champion for Change for her pioneering work in summer learning. She was also one of 17 women-led organizations to undergo Santa Clara’s GSBI incubator. Lauren holds a Master’s degree in Education from Fordham University and a Bachelor’s degree in History from Vassar College. Her contributions have been featured in publications such as Chronicles of Philanthropy, K12 Drive, Manhattan Lifestyle, and more. Lauren is the mother of three amazing children, Owen (7), Liam (4), and Quinn (2) and lives in Grand Rapids, MI.

Morgan Banaszek (she/her/hers) is a proactive, detail-oriented leader who thrives on turning vision into action, driving strategy, and building impactful programs in the social impact space. With over a decade of global nonprofit experience, Morgan has dedicated her career to designing and leading initiatives that create measurable change and foster connections. As Gratitude Network’s Director of Programs, Morgan oversees strategic planning, program development, and partnership management to support global nonprofit leaders and their organizations focused on scaling impact. Whether designing innovative leadership initiatives, scaling global programs, or cultivating diverse networks, Morgan brings a blend of a ‘got your back’ mentality, data-informed decisions, refinement, and efficiency to every endeavor.

Prior to her work at Gratitude Network, Morgan championed youth leadership and cross-cultural initiatives with Operation Smile, where she mentored thousands of student volunteers, orchestrated international leadership conferences, and implemented innovative fundraising strategies that boosted regional donations. Her commitment to social impact is further demonstrated through her work in China with Stepping Stones and the China Lacrosse Association, where she expanded educational opportunities for underserved children and co-founded the country’s first national women’s lacrosse program. Morgan holds an MA in Contemporary Chinese Studies from the University of Nottingham and a BA in History from Loyola University Maryland. She is the recipient of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and a 2025 Collective Mind Fellow.

Based on the South Coast of Massachusetts, USA, Morgan is a proud mother of two young daughters and a devoted dog mom. She finds joy in taking on new physical challenges like hiking the White Mountains, triathlon training, and testing out new child-friendly low-sugar baked goods.

Erica Jeffries (she/her/hers) is a social impact advocate and budding entrepreneur with a passion for youth advocacy, education and equitable access/experiences for all. Currently, Erica serves as the Director of Impact & Engagement for Gratitude Network. In her current role she oversees the development, execution and management of corporate partnerships and stakeholder engagement to directly support the Fellows of the organization. Erica brings a plethora of skills and expertise to the table encompassing program management, management and oversight of organizational operations, strategic growth and scaling, and social entrepreneurship. Prior to her current position, she has worked in many different nonprofit spaces, making an impact with organizations like The Los Angeles Job Corps, Green Dot Public Schools, Ruffalo Noel Levitz, The Financial Clinic and most recently, SuitUp Incorporated.

Erica is a College of Wooster and Pepperdine University alum, where she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology & Black Studies, and a Master of Arts in Social Entrepreneurship & Change, respectively. She has also served as an Americorps member with City Year, been an Education Pioneer Fellow, a Steelcase Innovation Fellow, a GenenTech x MENTOR Virtual Mentoring Leadership Founding Cohort Member, and piloted her own youth empowerment program in South Africa. In her free time, Erica also enjoys learning about superheroes, creating mocktail drinks, writing fictional novels, enjoying the arts and traveling the world with her husband and 16 year old son when they aren’t in their home base of Detroit, MI.

Ryen Parno (she/her/hers) is a bold, adaptable leader who thrives on turning creative ideas into tangible impact, building partnerships, and driving growth in the social impact and sustainability space. With experience spanning international development, nonprofit strategy, and sustainable e-commerce, Ryen brings a unique blend of strategic thinking, hands-on problem solving, and a willingness to quickly pivot when necessary. As Director of Corporate Partnerships, she focuses on developing meaningful collaborations that amplify organizational impact while creating long-term value for partners and communities. Whether designing innovative programs, leading acquisitions and team builds, or navigating complex partnerships, Ryen brings curiosity, resilience, and a “try it and learn” mentality to her work.

Ryen’s commitment to social impact began with her service in the Peace Corps in Zambia, where she worked on funding a community new school, teacher development, and programming focused on malaria, HIV, and public health initiatives. She later expanded her expertise in business development and sustainability with Impactkarma and led the acquisition and team build of the sustainable e-commerce platform DoneGood. Ryen holds a BA in Human Biology with a minor in Human, Health, and Values from North Carolina State University.

Based in Salt Lake City, Ryen is a dog mom to two energetic pups and an outdoor enthusiast. If she’s not working, you’ll often find her adventuring in her 2003 Chevy Astro van across the desert or skiing in the mountains when the snow hits.

Mansi Kotak (she/her/hers) is a nonprofit leader with over a decade of experience advancing education equity for children and youth through community-led initiatives. Her work is shaped by long-term, on-the-ground engagement in rural Kenya, where she has partnered closely with schools, families, and local leaders to strengthen access to education in under-resourced communities. A 2023 Gratitude Network Fellow, Mansi brings firsthand experience of the Fellow journey and a deep understanding of the challenges nonprofit leaders face as they grow and sustain their work.

As Program Coordinator at Gratitude Network, Mansi supports program delivery, coordination and learning processes that enable Fellows to scale their impact with clarity, integrity and care. She is particularly interested in how leadership development, trust-based relationships, and strong systems can help mission-driven organizations remain resilient while staying grounded in community needs.

Mansi is also the Co-Founder of The Rahul Kotak Foundation, a grassroots organization focused on improving access to education for children and youth in rural western Kenya. Through this work, she continues to apply and refine principles of community ownership, accountability and long-term sustainability that inform her approach at Gratitude Network.

Mansi holds a degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Warwick and is also a Dalai Lama Fellow. Based in Kenya, she values reflective practice, collaborative learning, and values-driven work supporting leaders who are building change from lived experience. She is a devoted dog mom of three and finds grounding in gardening and mandala painting in her free time.

Charles serves as the Fellow Representative on the Gratitude Governing Board. A 2018 Gratitude Network Alum, Charles is the Executive Director of School on Wheels, a Los Angeles-based youth organization that provides tutoring, mentoring, and educational advocacy to children experiencing homelessness. A systematic thinker and visionary, Charles has dedicated his career to helping organizations innovate, thrive, and grow. He is known for optimizing resources to achieve core missions, building trust with key stakeholders, and fostering a positive and enthusiastic organizational culture. Charles holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Whittier College.

Randy is a well-known Silicon Valley entrepreneur, investor, and coach. Randy left a successful career as a serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist in 2013, when he created the Gratitude Network. Prior to that held early digital media leadership roles at Apple, was the founding Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Yahoo, and has worked closely with CEOs at more than 120 early and mid-stage companies as an investor, advisor, mentor or coach. Randy has also taught courses at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and University of Cambridge. In addition to running Gratitude Network today, Randy coaches several prominent for-profit CEOs. He holds a BA in Organizational Management from Brown University, and MBA from Harvard.

Steve has spent more than 30 years as a manager and leader in high-tech (at IBM and Intel). He also Founded, Business Culture Advantage, productivity coaching. Certified to teach the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Steve has been married to Donna for more than 35 years and has two wonderfully intelligent and talented daughters. He also has a passion for music – singing with two award-winning Bay Area barbershop choruses.

Sandra Mahadwar is a seasoned business executive with extensive global experience in human capital, specializing in building robust operations, leading business transformations, and executing mergers & acquisitions in the high-tech sectors of semiconductor manufacturing, software, and telecom. Currently serving as Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer at KLA Corporation, she has demonstrated expertise in talent management, executive compensation, diversity & inclusion, and strategic human capital. Sandra has also held leadership roles at Network Appliance, Hutchison Telecom India, and various start-ups. She holds a Master’s in Human Resources & Organization Behavior and is certified as a Board Professional Expert. Her governance experience includes participation on talent and compensation committees, reflecting her commitment to leadership development. Sandra is also an advisor to Gartner’s Talent Management Advisory Board and has received numerous awards, including the Silicon Valley Tribute to Women Award.

Steve (he/him/his) has worked for 30 years at the nexus of business, government and the nonprofit sector to effect positive change in the world. He has supported Gratitude Network since inception, including as a coach for several amazing Gratitude Fellows, and is honored to help lead this incredible network of people and partner institutions who want to make a positive impact. Previously, he has served as Executive Director of two successful non-profits (focused on urban development and education, respectively) and also co-founded the Three Valleys Community Foundation, which serves the Tri-Valley region in California.

Previously, he worked in senior positions with Bechtel Corporation and Deloitte Consulting, providing management consulting to large companies and governments around the world. He is happily married with two children and has enjoyed working and living in over 50 countries, including years in China, India, and Togo, West Africa. He has a graduate degree from the international Fletcher School at Tufts University and an undergrad degree from Duke University, where he also studied at Beijing Teacher’s College and Nanjing University.

Srikumar Ramanathan (Sri) is passionate about applying technology to business. He has spent over three decades in various roles ranging from multinationals to start-ups. Currently he helps enterprises harness technology to be more responsive to customers needs, as the Chief Solutions Officer at Mphasis a leading technology provider. Prior to this role Sri was Regional CIO at Citibank Asia based out of Singapore.

Besides work, Sri is interested in a range of subjects ranging from Philosophy, Cognitive Science, Artificial Intelligence etc. He is a voracious reader on diverse topics. Sri participates in many industry events and has been a keynote speaker in many business and technology events. As a thought leader, Sri continues to write in many forums.

During his free time he likes to play golf and spend time with his family and friends.

Rex is VP of Sales and Owner of MadetoOrder. MadetoOrder partners with customers to provide creative sourcing and sales of branded products that customer marketing departments, in turn, use to further promote their company’s products and services.

Rex lives in Dallas and enjoys all that the region has to offer, as well as traveling as often as possible.

Rachna is the Vice President of Data & Analytics for Asana. With a proven track record of fostering data-driven cultures, she has worked with organizations of all sizes, from startups to multinational corporations like Cisco and NetApp. Rachna is recognized for her expertise in building customer-facing data products and enhancing operational efficiencies for Sales and Customer Experience functions, ensuring the right insights are delivered at the right time.

Jill is an Executive Leadership Coach with over 20 years of experience guiding high-performance teams in marketing, sales, and operations at renowned companies such as Microsoft, Adobe, and Salesforce. As the CEO of Ajillity, she specializes in Total Trust Leadership™ development, executive coaching, and business strategy, helping organizations achieve transformational growth. Jill has coached individuals at top companies including Google, Macy’s, and Levi’s, and is known for her ability to build high-performance marketing teams and collaborative boards. She is passionate about empowering leaders to overcome challenges, enhance their leadership skills, and achieve success in both their professional and personal lives.

Laura developed a long career at Bank of America, where her last role Senior Vice President and Managing Director Bank of America. Laura was also COO and Marketing Manager at Insight Resource Group, a marketing services organization. She also serves on boards for-profit and non-profit, including Teach for America, Education Foundation of Orinda, and Miramonte High School.

As an empty-nester, Laura enjoys her work in the non-profit world and seeing the difference she can make.

Mustafa Hasnain is the Founder and CEO of ActivatUs, an AI-native marketing and communications partner for nonprofits and membership organizations. Prior to ActivatUs, he founded Creative Frontiers, delivering 200+ projects for organizations including Stanford, Save the Children, the World Bank, and USAID over a decade. He also built Grant Assistant AI, which grew from $200K to $1M ARR in six months before its 8-figure acquisition by FreeWill. Mustafa holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and is an Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity at George Washington University. He lives in Reston, Virginia with his family.