Meet our new Board of Directors
This blog post was originally published on January 13, 2021
I have had this blog post planned for several months now, in anticipation of welcoming new board members we selected in the fall. However, as has been the case so often lately, I had no clue what exactly we might be facing just a few days into the new year. I hope that wherever you are, you are finding ways to care for yourself, care for others, and remain committed to the deep work that must continue in order to achieve a more just and equitable future. For now, I would like to share with you a bit of news that has me hopeful about our work supporting BIPOC and LGBTQIA youth through Real Talk.
At the beginning of 2020, I knew there would be many challenges as I stepped into my full-time role leading the organization. I was armed with project ideas, plans, and timelines that all quickly shifted as COVID-19 arrived and the world as we knew it changed. But 2020 was significant for our organization, specifically, for another reason: this was the year that our founding board reached their tenure, meaning we would have a brand new Board of Directors in place by the end of the year.
I know nonprofit boards can be a contentious arena for many organizations, so I am grateful to say we have had a pretty amazing founding Board of Directors. This group of professionals believed in us when Real Talk was a mere glimmer in our eyes and selflessly offered their guidance, expertise, and support through all of the ups and downs of early startup life. I am deeply grateful for their contributions and cannot imagine our nonprofit without them.
That being said, I am equally excited to welcome our new Board of Directors. We spent many months meeting with folks, sharing our vision, and crafting the contours of what the future of our organization might look like. We wanted folks with a desire to contribute their skills to make the world a better place and who could help us take our organization to the next level. I am thrilled that our new board members all share a deep commitment to supporting youth, an enthusiasm for technology and social impact, and are overall just cool people. Without further ado, I will let you meet them for yourself:
Carnellia Ajasin
CEO, Mind Katalyst, LLC
Arturo Bañuelos
Senior Program Manager & Business Strategist, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Melissa Hung
Lead Counsel, Airbnb
Cal Sercu
Community Outreach Associate, Girls Scouts of San Jacinto Council
Leah Staub-DeLong
Product Marketer, Intuit
These five individuals join Danny Ceballos and outgoing board member Nicole Cushman. You can also read their full bios on our website here. Although there have been many (many, many, many) challenges for us all over the past year, I am grateful and excited to welcome these new members into our Real Talk network.
In this together,
Cristina & the Real Talk team
P.S. There are lots of ways to support our work further – whether through financial support, nominating a teen for our Youth Council, or partnering with us to bring Real Talk to teens in your community. Email us with any inquiries at founders@realtalkapp.com