Night of Covenant House Stars 2023

Prior to joining Covenant House International in February 2023, Bill served as the CEO of Covenant House California since 2014, leading the site to quadruple in size in those eight years. Bill’s passion for working with youth came from his parents, who have been foster parents for over 30 years and have adopted 8 of his 11 siblings through the child welfare system. 

Bill began his career doing street outreach, residential care, and therapy in Chicago. He subsequently spent 13 years with the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services, where he helped reduce the number of children in out-of-home care by close to 75% through an emphasis on risk mitigation, family and community support, and faith-based engagement. In 2010, Bill became the executive director at Olive Crest’s Southern California operations overseeing the agency’s foster care, adoption, group home, transitional living, mental health services, and family support operations. 

Bill has a bachelor's in business administration and finance from Taylor University and a Master of Social Work from Loyola University in Chicago.  

Rachel Brosnahan is an award-winning actress and producer who currently stars as Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel in the critically acclaimed Amazon series, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." Other notable film, television, and stage credits include "House of Cards," "Manhattan," "The Courier," "I’m Your Woman," "Patriot’s Day," "Louder Than Bombs," and "The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window," among many others. Rachel's production banner, Scrap Paper Pictures, has a first look with Amazon Studios Television.

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.

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.

NBC News Senior Business Analyst

Kevin Ryan first joined Covenant House in 1992 as a Skadden Fellow, providing civil legal assistance to youth in New York City. For 14 years, through March 2023, Kevin served as president and CEO of Covenant House. During his tenure and thanks to his leadership, Covenant House’s consolidated international budget more than doubled and its assets, mainly housing and residential centers for youth, more than tripled, with an array of new housing, health care centers, and job training programs for youth and young families in cities including Anchorage, Alaska; Anaheim, California; Chicago, Illinois; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Mexico City; New York City; Santa Clara, California; Toronto, Ontario; and Vancouver, British Columbia, among many others.