About Us
Mark Zitter
Nancy Spector
Mark is a serial healthcare entrepreneur who founded and successfully exited two companies, in market research/data analytics, and patient services. He's an active angel investor, venture partner and advisor to private equity.
As a philanthropist and nonprofit leader, Mark created and chaired the founding board of SFJAZZ, and has founded and funded multiple other nonprofits in the arts, healthcare and advocacy. He's passionate about ensuring the social sector has the tools to take advantage of AI safely and productively.
Mark attended Wesleyan University and Stanford's Graduate School of Business
Founder
Nancy joins us to advance our progress to launch. She has a background in growing startups in the for profit and nonprofit sectors. At Springboard, she is focused on building scalable processes and contributing to growth strategy.
Nancy attended Brown University and the Haas School of Business, Berkeley
COO
Maya Campbell
Maya joins us as an associate during her studies at Stanford's GSB. She has a background at Meta and Walmart. At Springboard, she's focused on understanding customer needs as she builds and prepares the resource hub for launch.
Maya attended the Wharton School of Business and is a candidate for an MBA at Stanford's Graduate School of Business
Associate
Devi Thomas is Global Head of Community Development & Engagement at Google, where she drives technology-based social impact initiatives worldwide. Previously, she served as Global Head of Nonprofit Community Capacity at Microsoft Philanthropies, leading teams to build and scale innovations with and for nonprofits. Earlier roles included directing global content and communications at Salesforce.org and designing cause-marketing and advocacy campaigns at the United Nations Foundation.
Devi led the 2025 field scan on AI adoption in the nonprofit sector that formed the basis for Springboard AI.
Devi serves on the board of Project Scientist, which works to advance girls in STEM, and has been recognized as one of the Top Women in Communications and as a Social Impact Pioneer. She holds a Master's degree in International Relations, Economics, and Communications from Boston University.
Devi Thomas
Board of Advisors
Jim Friedlich is Executive Director and CEO of The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, which supports the sustainability and public service mission of local news. Previously, he was CEO of Empirical Media Advisors, a consulting firm focused on the digital transformation of major news organizations. Earlier, he spent a decade at Dow Jones & Company leading global advertising sales, consumer marketing, and business development across The Wall Street Journal and a broad portfolio of media properties. He co-founded ZM Capital, a media investment firm, and was a seed investor in Business Insider.
Jim serves on the boards of Dice Holdings and WFMU public radio and is a director of the Bard Center for Civic Engagement. He holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an MBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business.
Jim Friedlich
Evan Kaplan is a serial entrepreneur and technology executive with over 30 years of experience building and scaling companies. He is currently CEO of InfluxData, the company behind InfluxDB, the leading time series database. Previously, he served as President and CEO of iPass Corporation and founded Aventail Corporation, a pioneering SSL VPN company acquired by SonicWall/Dell. He also served as an Executive in Residence at Trinity Ventures.
Evan is a board member and treasurer of One Heart Worldwide, which partners with the Nepalese government to improve maternal and neonatal healthcare in remote communities. He is an advisor to several early-stage AI companies and holds degrees from Western Washington University and the University of Washington.
Evan Kaplan
Curriculum Advisors
Kyle Behrend is an AI and automation specialist and founder of AI Impact Hub, an online community for nonprofit professionals, working directly with organizations on AI strategy, implementation, and staff training.
Kyle has collaborated with OpenAI on its nonprofit training academy and delivered more than 200 workshops on practical AI adoption for mission-driven organizations. Kyle writes on AI and nonprofit operations through his newsletter, Practical AI for Nonprofits.
Kyle Behrend
Meena Das is the founder and CEO of NamasteData, a consulting practice advancing human-centric data and responsible AI for social impact organizations.
Meena also leads the AI Equity Project, a multi-year community-driven research initiative designed to help nonprofits adopt AI responsibly and inclusively. Previously she built Data Is For Everyone, a resource supporting data literacy in the sector. She developed the Community-Centric Data Principles, a framework now referenced across the nonprofit field, and writes and speaks widely on data equity and ethical AI, including as a contributor to AFP Global and a member of the Forbes Coaches Council. Earlier in her career she held positions at Oracle, Microsoft and Amazon.
Meena Das
Cassie Gruenstein
Cassie Gruenstein is a consultant, facilitator, and coach designing human-centered work in the age of AI.
A nationally recognized strategist, she combines human-centered design, equity-driven strategy, and systems thinking to help organizations build values-aligned programs and culture. Her clients include international NGOs, philanthropies, affinity groups, and Fortune 500 companies. She has led multiple initiatives in the tech for good ecosystem since 2017, advancing the use of technology for social impact. Cassie writes and speaks on sustainable, human-centered performance through Rise Culture, a framework she is designing for working well in the age of AI. Cassie is also the co-founder of AIxImpact, a peer-learning network helping nonprofit consultants navigate AI adoption.
Darian Rodriguez Heyman
Darian Rodriguez Heyman is a nonprofit strategist, fundraising expert, and best-selling author.
Darian's organizations, www.helpingpeoplehelp.com and AI4NP.org, help mission-led organizations maximize impact through best practices in AI and other issues. He previously was the Executive Director of Craigslist Foundation, was the Commissioner for the Environment for the City & County of San Francisco, and was the Editor-in-Chief of a newsletter for non profits. Darian recently served as ED at Numi Foundation and has served on the boards of multiple non profits including International Planned Parenthood Foundation and San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper.
Tim Lockie
Tim Lockie is CEO of The Human Stack, dedicated to building organizational capability for social impact through human empowerment.
Tim is also a 20-year veteran of nonprofits and tech and an international keynote speaker and AI trainer. In 2021 Tim pioneered and introduced Digital Guidance®, a framework to transition social impact organizations from being resistant to technology toward a state of digital resilience. Previously he founded Now IT Matters, a Salesforce solutions provider.
Gianluca Mauro
Gianluca Mauro is an AI entrepreneur, educator, and public speaker.
Gianluca is the founder of AI Academy, which has trained more than 12,000 individuals and teams to understand and apply AI. He also founded Epiphany, a generative AI startup focused on corporate learning and development. Gianluca teaches AI strategy in Harvard's Executive Education programs and is the author of Zero to AI. He led a Guardian and Pulitzer Center investigation into gender bias in AI image-recognition algorithms, work also covered by Cosmopolitan, Politico, and national broadcasters in Germany, France, and Italy.
