David Acker is former president and CEO of Sleepy's, the Mattress Professionals. Under David's leadership, Sleepy's grew to over 1,000 locations to become the country's largest specialty mattress retailer. Among David's accomplishments, the most significant was the close-knit community of 3,300+ employees of the Sleepy's family. David and his family sold the business in 2016. Today, he oversees the Acker Family Office, leading its commitment to give back to the community through the Acker Family Philanthropy Group. David and his sons manage their own bespoke investment group, Imagine Holdings LLC. The family serves as board members and supports organizations in three primary areas: health care, education, and child welfare. Supported organizations include Spence-Chapin Family Services, Covenant House International, Northside Center for Child Development, Student Leadership Network, SCOPE, and Northwell's Feinstein Institute. David and his family love spending time together outside, staying healthy and fit, music, theater, and traveling. 

Lauren Aguiar is a partner and the chief legal officer and global general counsel of JAB Holding Company, an investment firm based in London and New York. Prior to joining JAB, Lauren spent nearly three decades as a practicing lawyer at Skadden. While at Skadden, she represented corporations and individuals in a wide variety of high-profile commercial, fiduciary, and corporate disputes — across a range of industries. She was a member of Skadden’s policy committee, partnership selection committee, and served as the president of the Skadden Foundation.

During her legal career, Lauren has received numerous recognitions and awards, including a top ranking in Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business; Legal 500 Leading Lawyer for Commercial Disputes; Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Global Litigators; and The Best Lawyers in America.

She is the Chair-elect of the board of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest; a trustee of the Skadden Foundation and The Masters School; and a director of O+, a health care exchange for uninsured artists and musicians.

Lauren lives with her partner Joe, her son Mason, and their chocolate lab Boone, in Harlem and Upstate New York.

Amy is responsible for leading and optimizing all activities that ensure Signature is a rewarding place to work. This includes hiring the best talent, offering the right incentives, creating development opportunities and driving an engaging and inclusive culture. Prior to her current role, Amy served as the SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer for Royal Caribbean and brings more than 20 years of experience in HR leadership, including roles with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and Novartis Pharmaceuticals. She holds an MBA from Kent State University and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Walsh University.

Philip Andryc joined the board of directors of Covenant House International in May 2011, having previously been a member and chair of the Covenant House New York board of directors. Philip spent more than 20 years at Morgan Stanley, where he served in various capacities, and later retired from Berens Capital Management. Philip received an A.B. degree from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard University. 

Stephanie Asbury is senior vice president of global talent for Delta Air Lines. Her responsibilities include leading the strategies that support Delta’s global organizational effectiveness, leadership development, talent acquisition, recognition, and unique culture. Stephanie has more than 15 years of human resources experience in talent management. At Delta, she serves as a member of the Corporate Diversity Council and the Human Trafficking Steering Committee. Prior to joining Delta, Stephanie held various human resources leadership roles at Bank of America. As a member of Bank of America’s retail banking leadership team, Stephanie provided strategic direction and leadership on associate satisfaction, organizational effectiveness, and talent management for more than 70,000 employees. Prior to joining Bank of America, Stephanie held various leadership roles at Coca-Cola, ultimately becoming the global director of talent management, supporting over 80,000 employees. As an active member of the Atlanta community, Stephanie has held board positions at several organizations, including the Atlanta Workforce Development Board. Stephanie has a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Indiana University.

Dr. Merrian Brooks, D.O., M.S. is a pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She was born in Virginia and raised all over the United States, moving with her father, who was in the military, and her mother and brother. She attended the University of Pittsburgh as an undergraduate, with majors in neuroscience and the history and philosophy of science. Merrian later received a master’s degree with a focus on clinical science. She went to medical school at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, where, as a senior medical student, she was selected to serve as a primary care teaching fellow. She mentored her first students there, and, today, continues to mentor undergraduate and medical students.

Merrian is a board-certified pediatrician and adolescent medicine physician. She has provided primary medical care to young people at Covenant House Pennsylvania and Covenant House New Jersey. Merrian is profoundly interested in improving the health and well-being of adolescents in low- and middle-income countries and underserved youth in the United States.

Emmy and Golden Globe Award Winner, Covenant House International Board Member

Andrew Bustillo retired from BMS Intermediaries in 2020, after 36 years in the reinsurance industry. He had joined BMS as CEO in 2014. Previously, Andrew founded Red Bank Re in 2009, providing advisory and reinsurance services to a broad range of (re)insurance and program manager clients. Andrew has an MBA in finance and international business from NYU Stern School of Business and a bachelor's in Spanish and economics from Middlebury College. He is currently pursuing a master’s in theology from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.

Andrew rejoined the Covenant House International board of directors in 2021, having previously served from 2009-2017. During his earlier tenure, Andrew served as chair of the board and chair of the finance committee for varying three-year periods. He has been a member of Covenant House’s Latin America development board since 2017. Andrew also serves on the boards of Paragon Holdings and Cabrillo Holdings, managing general agencies for commercial lines and personal lines, respectively. Andrew and his family founded the PACT Foundation (Partnership Against Human Trafficking) in 2020.

Brian Cashman started with the New York Yankees organization in 1986 as a 19-year-old intern. In 1998, he became the Yankees’ senior vice president and general manager, the second-youngest general manager in baseball history. An innovative leader, Brian has executed some of the major reorganizations and trades that have brought such prestige to the Yankees franchise. He has been honored as Executive of the Year four times and has received many other awards in the sports and business worlds for his acumen and leadership skills. Brian is committed to growing the Yankees brand and has promoted baseball worldwide, including in Tokyo, Beijing, and Hong Kong. A native New Yorker who grew up in Kentucky, Brian attended Catholic University, where he played intercollegiate baseball and solidified his love of the game. He is a recipient of Covenant House’s Beacon of Hope Award and was elected to the Covenant House International board of directors in 2011. Philanthropy and community involvement continue to play a large role in his life.

Denis Coleman is the chief financial officer of The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Denis joined Goldman Sachs in 1996 and became a vice president in 2001, managing director in 2005, and partner in 2008. In joining the Covenant House International board of directors in 2018, Denis remarked, “What a privilege it is to serve an organization like Covenant House, which is committed to positively impacting the lives of so many vulnerable children across the globe.”

Hannah Collier is the founder of Positive Mindset Studio. In 2022, she made a career switch to become a full-time professional coach and she focuses on working with BIPOC professionals to develop their careers and enhance their leadership skills to combat racial and minority inequities.

Hannah has been active in the business and technology sectors for over 20 years, specializing in management information systems, finance, SaaS cloud, project management, and organizational management. She has volunteered with organizations such as United Way VIP, Hands On Atlanta, Black Girls Code, Women Who Code, Project Management Institute, PMI Educational Foundation, and ISACA International. In addition, she has more than seven years of experience as an adjunct professor in the arts and humanities, teaching communications at various Georgia State University campuses. Hannah also has a background as a program manager and has worked within local government as well as Fortune 500 companies.

Jon S. Corzine is the founder, chief executive officer, and chief investment officer of the JDC-JSC Opportunity Fund, a global macro hedge fund. He also manages his family office's philanthropic activities. Jon served as the senior partner of Goldman Sachs from 1994-1999 and as chairman of MF Global from 2010-2011. Jon served the state of New Jersey as a U.S. senator from 2001-2006 and as governor from 2006-2010. As senator, Jon served on the Banking, Intelligence, Foreign Relations, and Budget committees. As governor, he implemented policies for children's health, welfare, and education. He also worked to reform the criminal justice system and upgrade the state’s infrastructure.

Jon was born in Taylorville, Illinois. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois in 1969, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and earned his MBA from the University of Chicago. Jon served in the U.S. Marine Corps (R). Jon is married and lives in Manhattan. He has two surviving children and five grandchildren.

Jonathan is Executive Vice President and General Manager of Cisco Networking, the organization responsible for optics, hardware, software, and systems innovations. Cisco Networking helps enterprise, service provider, public sector, and hyperscaler customers transform and digitalize their businesses with networking, cloud automation, and premium user experiences.

Jonathan previously led the Mass-scale Infrastructure Group and, prior to that, Cisco’s service provider business. He also co-authored Voice-over IP Fundamentals and speaks regularly at industry events.

Ariana DeBose is a stage and film actor with starring roles in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” (film), Ryan Murphy's “The Prom” (Netflix), and on Broadway in “Hamilton,” “A Bronx Tale,” and “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.” Ariana received an Oscar for best actress in a supporting role for "West Side Story." She was nominated for a Tony and won the Chita Rivera Award for outstanding female dancer in a Broadway show for her role in “Summer.” And she was part of the original cast, alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda, of both the Broadway and off-Broadway productions of “Hamilton.” In 2017, Ariana participated in her first Covenant House Sleep Out. “That night, I fell in love with the young people of Covenant House and the angelic superheroes who keep their doors open. I'm so proud to serve on this board and do my part in this movement in solidarity with young people facing homelessness in the United States and worldwide."

John Dickerson is anchor of "CBS News Prime Time," CBS News chief political analyst and senior national correspondent, and a contributor to “CBS Sunday Morning.” He also has been a contributor to “60 Minutes,” anchored "Face the Nation," co-anchored "CBS This Morning," and served as CBS News chief Washington correspondent. John is a contributor to Slate’s “Political Gabfest” podcast, host of "Whistlestop" podcast, and a contributing writer to The Atlantic. He has authored three books, including the 2021 national best seller “The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency.” John joined CBS News in 2009 as an analyst and contributor. For six years he was the network’s political director and during the 2016 presidential campaign, he moderated CBS News’ two presidential debates. John graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in English and a specialty in American studies. He joined the Covenant House International board of directors in 2018.

David Hegarty served as president and chief operating officer of Diversified Healthcare Trust from its inception in 1999 to his retirement in 2018. Diversified Healthcare Trust is one of the largest publicly traded real estate investment trusts specializing in investing in senior housing and medical-related real estate in the United States. David has also served in several executive officer positions for The RMR Group and its predecessors from 1986 to 2018. The RMR Group is a publicly traded alternative asset management company that oversees $30 billion of office, industrial, health care, and hospitality real estate and investments. David is a certified public accountant, formerly with Ernst & Young, and is involved in several professional organizations and nonprofit boards. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Nannette Hendel serves as the director of philanthropy for the Adams Family Foundation. Nannette dedicates her time and attention to various nonprofit organizations around the world. Covenant House has held a special place in her heart, and her commitment to combating youth homelessness is inspired by family history. Nannette's grandfather experienced homelessness at 14, but with the help of others, he was able to go on to live a meaningful life as a husband, father, grandfather, and successful businessman. As an adult, he dedicated himself to giving back to young people facing homelessness, creating jobs and opportunities in his neighborhood. For many years he used one of his restaurants in Brooklyn to hold community-based holiday parties for underprivileged youth. 

Nannette graduated from St. John’s University with a degree in psychology. She worked in human resources at Dreyfus Service Corporation. After moving to Connecticut, Nannette concentrated her efforts on raising her family, volunteering, and fundraising for various nonprofit organizations. 

April Hunziker, M.D. is a psychiatrist specializing in the evaluation and treatment of patients who have acute and treatment resistant psychiatric illness as well as complex medical conditions.

As a young person, April experienced homelessness and became a resident of Covenant House in Anchorage, Alaska. More than a safe place to sleep and nutritious meals, Covenant House provided April a caring community, engaged adults, and the opportunity to thrive. Guidance and support from Covenant House and community partners allowed April to graduate from high school with a love of learning. April went on to earn a Bachelor of Science with honors in microbiology from the University of Washington. She was awarded a laboratory research fellowship in emerging infectious diseases by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

April earned her medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine with clinical focus on care of the vulnerable and underserved. After medical school, she was selected to continue at the University of Washington School of Medicine for specialty training in psychiatry, completing this with distinction in perinatal psychiatry and community leadership, and special training in neuromodulation therapies.

Dr. April Hunziker is a grateful alumna of Covenant House, Alaska and now proudly serves as a member of the board of directors of Covenant House International. As a board member, she serves alongside others who strive to create a world in which all youths are safe from trafficking, are securely housed, and are relentlessly supported; so that they too can live full lives and contribute to this world.

Eric Hutcherson is Executive Vice President, Chief People and Inclusion Officer at Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment. In this role, Hutcherson is a member of the company’s senior management and leads a global team across UMG’s record labels, publishing division and operating companies to align talent functions, amplify the company’s entrepreneurial-based culture, accelerate diversity and inclusion across all levels and territories, attract, retain and develop talent, accelerate the company’s social justice initiatives and build on UMG’s successful track-record of driving innovation by recruiting employees who bring new ideas, perspectives and skillsets. 

Hutcherson joined UMG from the National Basketball Association, where he managed a team that drove the NBA’s global workforce strategy built on a commitment to attract, retain, develop and engage top talent for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and NBA 2K League. With a focus on people, culture and innovation, Hutcherson was responsible for leading global projects, processes and analytics that addressed business needs. He partnered with the leagues’ senior leadership to enable, empower and develop employees in 13 offices globally, guided by the league’s strategic direction. 

Prior to joining the NBA in July 2014, Hutcherson was Managing Director and Chief HR Officer for the U.S. and Canada Division of Marsh, a leading global insurance brokerage firm. Before that, he held several leadership positions at Mercer, a financial services and human resource consulting firm, including Chief Human Resources Officer – Americas, and Global Leader for Mercer’s Outsourcing and Global Operations and Shared Services businesses. Earlier in his career, he worked for Foot Locker and served as Assistant Director of Public Relations for the Boston Celtics. 

Hutcherson is also a motivational speaker and created a career development training program, “Say Yes to Success.” He serves on the Board of Councilors for the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, the Senior Advisory Council for the National Association of African Americans in HR, the Executive Advisory Committee for CNBC. He also served on the Executive Board for Covenant House New York and has been recently named to the Covenant House International Board. Additionally, he serves as strategic advisor to the Board of Directors for the Young Peoples Chorus; a multicultural youth chorus whose mission is to provide children of all economic and cultural backgrounds with a unique program of music education and choral performance. 

Hutcherson earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from New York University and a master’s degree in Sports Management and Administration from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. 

Tracy Jones-Walker is a senior associate at a Wall Street investment bank in New York City. Born in Georgetown, Guyana, she came to the United States with her 8-month-old daughter. Tracy is an alumna of Covenant House’s Rights of Passage program. Prior to her tenure with her current company, Tracy held similar positions with Credit Suisse, SG Cowen Securities, Deutsche Bank, U.S. Clearing, and Bear Stearns. 

She joined the board of directors of Covenant House New York in 2004, where she served for two years and then joined the Covenant House International board. Tracy and her husband of over 25 years have three daughters and are the proud grandparents of two girls and one boy.  

Bill Livek has been in the business of measuring consumer behavior for almost four decades. As the chief executive officer and executive vice chairman for Comscore, Bill’s passion for the media, marketing, and entertainment industries spurs him to be a driving force for innovation in consumer and audience measurement. Prior to joining Comscore, Bill served as vice chairman and CEO at Rentrak, co-president of Experian Research Services, co-chair/co-owner of Simmons Market Research Bureau, co-founder of Transactional Data Solutions (an LLC with MasterCard), and vice president of sales/marketing for Arbitron. He was a principal shareholder in Birch Research, which was later integrated into Scarborough Research, where he served as president and CEO. Bill is a member of the board of trustees for the Advertising Research Foundation and a frequent speaker at advertising industry events. He is a graduate of Southern Illinois University with a degree in media from the College of Communications.

Audra McDonald trained in classical voice at The Juilliard School and has headlined in productions such as “Carousel,” “Ragtime,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” “110 in the Shade,” “Twelfth Night,” “Porgy and Bess,” and “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill.” She is one of the most honored actors of her generation and an entertainment legend. Having earned a record six Tony Awards thus far in her career, she remains one of the highest-regarded and busiest women in show business. Audra resides in Westchester County with her husband, Will Swenson, and their children. “The more I’ve learned about what Covenant House is doing for youth facing homelessness all over the country and around the world, the more excited I’ve become to be part of this powerful movement on their behalf,” Audra says. She joined the Covenant House International board of directors in the fall of 2014.

Patrick Morrissey is senior vice president of Cisco’s Global Specialists organization, a worldwide team of more than 6,000 who live at the intersection of Cisco’s go-to-market, Engineering, and customers and partners — bringing deep expertise and aligning technology to customers’ key business outcomes.

During his 24-year Cisco tenure, Patrick has led highly successful teams focused on driving growth, operational excellence, and transformational outcomes for Cisco customers. Foundational to his success is a commitment to inclusion and diversity and a passion for leadership and talent development.

Near and dear to Patrick’s heart is his work with Covenant House International; he is the executive sponsor for both Cisco Global and Team Boston for Covenant House’s annual Sleep Out. Under his leadership, Cisco participation has grown to over 700 sleepers who have raised more than $2 million annually for three years running, and nearly $13 million over the course of our nine-year partnership.

Patrick received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a double major in management and marketing from Nichols College.

Vivian Scott Chew is undeniably a pioneering risk taker in every sense of the word. She stands as an innovative figure in the global music and entertainment industry with an accomplished history beginning with The American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) as the first female African American Membership Representative where she created the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards. She went on to become an executive at Polygram Records (now the Universal Music Group) then moved onto various positions at Epic Records and 550 Music (both Sony Music affiliates). There, she signed and introduced the world to two-time Grammy Award winning, multi-platinum selling dancehall superstar, Shabba Ranks.

Determined to set her own course, Vivian stepped into the world of entrepreneurship as Founder and Principal of TimeZone International - the first U.S. based African-American owned company that provides recording artists with international marketing and promotion services in expanded regions.

Alongside her husband, Music Director and Producer, Ray Chew, Vivian is a Founding Partner of Chew Entertainment - a premiere event design firm. She and Ray are proud to have produced multiple installments of their star-studded sold out concert- “Night of Inspiration” at the famed Carnegie Hall.

Vivian serves on the boards of the New Jersey Council on the Arts, Covenant House International, The Living Legends Foundation and was recently appointed to the board of the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, NJ. She also serves as an advisor to the Universal Hip Hop Museum. Vivian is the Co-Founder and President of The Power 2 Inspire Foundation, which was created with her husband to identify and nurture future music creators and industry leaders.

Ed Shaw, Esq. has been a loyal member of the Covenant House International board of directors for over three decades. He was most recently reelected in November 2012, after a period during which he served as advisor to the president and board when his term ended in 2011. Ed had previously served on the Covenant House board for 11 years, from 1988 to 1999, including three years as chair. A graduate of Georgetown University and Yale Law School, Ed began his career at a major New York law firm, where he was a partner specializing in international and corporate transactions. Subsequently, he held senior legal and executive roles at various institutions, including Chase Manhattan Bank and Aetna, and served as special counsel to the board of directors of the New York Stock Exchange. Ed emphasized high ethical standards and fairness throughout his career. He also has served on corporate and not-for-profit boards, including the Legal Aid Society and the Board of Regents of Georgetown University.

Mary Sullivan has been involved with Covenant House since she joined our Faith Community in 1990. She worked in our shelter in Toronto, Canada, before serving as the ombudsman at the New York crisis shelter. She remained an engaged Covenant House Faith Community alumna while she and her husband, Jay, raised their four children in Pleasantville, New York. Mary has served on the board of directors of Dot Foods, Inc., an international food redistribution company, and as trustee for the Tracy Family Foundation. Currently, she serves on the board of trustees for the Dominican Academy in New York City. Mary served on the Covenant House New York board of directors for six years and joined the Covenant House International board in 2017.

Rah Thomas is managing director in Accenture’s Technology practice. Rah leads Accenture's CloudFirst campaign for northeast products and serves as the national lead for the Digital Workplace Practice. Over the past 20 years, Rah evolved his career in technology consulting. He started as a help desk technician in a call center in Rhode Island and learned that the human experience needs to be at the center of technology. Rah continued to evolve his technical acumen while simplifying problems in common language in order to empower enterprise organizations and communities to embrace positive change. Rah joined the Covenant House International board of directors in 2023.

Ernado Jason Villanueva Sr. is a Senior Project Manager at Rolst Construction Corp. and Covenant House International board member.

Ken Willman joined the Covenant House International board in June 2020 after serving, since 2003, on the Covenant House New York board. Ken is the former chief legal officer of Russell Investments, where he was responsible for the compliance, government and community relations, internal audit, legal, and risk management departments. Prior to Russell Investments, Ken spent 16 years with Goldman Sachs in London and Hong Kong, including as general counsel of the Investment Banking Division and general counsel of Asia-Ex Japan. Ken clerked for U.S. District Judge James L. Latchum before practicing with Sullivan & Cromwell in New York and Tokyo.

Ken serves on the boards of several early stage companies as well as those of The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle and the University of Puget Sound, where he studied economics and, also, politics and government. Ken and his wife, Rosemary, have become increasingly involved in commercial and nonprofit theatre in New York, London, Seattle, and elsewhere. They have three young adult children and split their time between New York and Seattle.

Speaker | Standup Comedian