Amanda long, Founder, Philanthropy strategist

Amanda brings 18 years of experience in philanthropy as Senior Advisor to an ultra-high-net-worth family; acting as Managing Director for their private foundation. Amanda is responsible for governing operations, organizational development, strategic planning, due diligence, and grantmaking policies in line with the family’s philanthropic goals. She has directed financial planning and investment strategies for the Foundation’s multi-asset endowment portfolio that has led to substantial growth in charitable spending. Amanda has successfully institutionalized high-impact initiatives and sector-wide collaboration, leveraging private capital to produce measurable outcomes in underserved communities. Under her leadership, the Hobbs Foundation has managed 50 grant-funded programs each year that deliver critical interventions in child welfare, youth development, healthcare, education, homelessness and economic opportunity. Since then, Amanda has worked with clients as a strategic thought partner in structuring their charitable programs to create long-term social outcomes.

Amanda is a frequent speaker and contributor on endowments and foundations, philanthropy, and social entrepreneurship; a member of the Family Office Association, Council on Foundations, Exponent Philanthropy, Social Impact Exchange, Florida Philanthropic Network, the National Center for Family Philanthropy, and Million Dollar Women.

Amanda holds a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy designation from the American College of Financial Services and an Executive Certification in Grantmaking and Philanthropy from New York University with a focus on private foundations. She is a graduate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University, earned an MBA and Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology (Neuroscience) from the University of South Florida.

Board of Advisors

Roger d. Silk, sterling foundation management

Roger D. Silk is widely recognized as a leading expert in the field of private foundations and charitable trusts. As a founder and board member of several non-profit organizations, former bond trader at the World Bank, and Stanford-trained Ph.D. economist, Dr. Silk possesses a unique blend of experience, practical knowledge, and theoretical insight which have enabled him to help build Sterling into the market leader that it is today. Dr. Silk's expertise in the non-profit field is particularly deep. He has helped multi-million-dollar non-profits rethink how they do business and has led the complete restructuring of several charitable organizations. He has developed a wide range of successful philanthropic projects for clients. Projects include such diverse areas as development of scientific research laboratories, design of measurement programs to gauge the effectiveness of scholarship programs, preservation of environmentally sensitive areas through scenic easements, and development of curriculum for use in high schools nationwide.

As both a speaker and an author, Dr. Silk has educated a wide audience on a variety of issues related to private foundations. His articles have appeared in magazines such as Estate Planning, Philanthropy, the Journal of Financial Planning and Trusts & Estates. Dr. Silk is the author of two important studies relating to the optimal use of charitable vehicles in various tax planning contexts. He has spoken to audiences around the country on the types and uses of charitable entities, and has worked closely with one of the world's five largest banks to demonstrate the role private foundations can play for wealthy clients. Dr. Silk is a member of the Trusts and Estates editorial advisory board for philanthropic matters.

Dr. Silk has worked with numerous investment, financial planning, and legal professionals to educate them, their firms, and their clients about the benefits and characteristics of private foundations and other charitable structures. Dr. Silk has more than a decade and a half of experience in sophisticated tax and charitable planning for wealthy individuals and families. Having managed multi-billion-dollar portfolios for institutions such as the World Bank and created investment portfolios for wealthy individuals, he understands the broad variety of investment and taxation issues that arise in charitable contexts. Dr. Silk earned a Ph.D. and an M.A. in applied economics from Stanford University, as well as a B.A. in economics (with distinction). He is the author, along with James Lintott, of Creating a Private Foundation (2003) and Managing Foundations and Charitable Trusts (2011).

Eleanor Shriver Magee, Players Philanthropy fund

Eleanor is the Chief Operating Officer and Philanthropic Consultant for Players Philanthropy Fund, a consulting and philanthropy administration firm dedicated to empowering athletes, entertainers and other individuals through sound best-practiced-based philanthropic education, facilitation, and inspiration to make a positive impact on causes and communities in need. She has extensive experience as an executive-level nonprofit professional in team leadership, compliance, oversight, developing and evaluating programs, strategic planning, event planning, best-practice fundraising including grants, budgeting, client/donor relations, and engaging influencers for the benefit of a common cause or goal.

Eleanor Shriver Magee is the Principal with ESM Good Works, LLC, a Philanthropic Consulting group. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Washington College and a Masters in Education from Goucher College. In addition to her degrees, Shriver Magee has a Certificate in Fundraising Management from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and coursework toward a Doctorate in Education from Wilmington University. She is licensed to offer consulting services for the Standards of Excellence® program by completing an extensive professional development initiative that gives independent consultants the knowledge, skills and tools necessary to work with nonprofit organizations across the country interested in learning about and implementing the Standards for Excellence code. Her career in higher education and nonprofit administration has afforded her numerous opportunities to develop professional skills, which she shares with others. She has worked for Kenyon College, Alfred University, Loyola University, Washington College, Habitat for Humanity Choptank, and the Talbot Historical Society.

Matt gohd, tipping point analytics

Matt is the Managing Director & Chief Strategist of Tipping Point Analytics, advising family offices, private and public market investors, and funds. He has over four decades of experience on Wall Street. In his financial career, he has been a partner at a firm advising institutional investors, CEOs and senior executives at a number of high-profile investment banking firms on matters ranging from mergers and restructuring to divestitures and IPOs. Matt Gohd was formerly the Senior Managing Director and Principal of the Tactical Strategies Group (TSG) for the Revere Securities Corporation, has earned a reputation for prescient assessments of financial markets and effective investment strategies. Gohd has 35 years of experience in options markets and possesses a talent for quantitative analysis of the micro- and macro-economic trends that influence financial markets. His mathematical acuity, combined with his contrarian views regarding conventional wisdom, makes him a popular guest on CNBC and Fox Business News. On CNBC, he is frequently quoted as the “Gohd Standard.”

In his position with TSG, Matt Gohd crafts individualized investment strategies for hedge funds, businesses, and professional investors. He develops tailored solutions for investing in volatile marketplaces through analysis of each client’s needs and risk tolerance. With Gohd’s help, professional investors can develop the tactics they need to invest successfully. Matt Gohd is a founding Board member of the Starlight Children’s Foundation in New York City. Since 1985, the foundation has provided education, entertainment, and support to children with serious illnesses and their families. Gohd also has served as the co-chair for the annual dinner at the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights in New York.

symeria hudson, Chapman partnership

As President and CEO of Chapman Partnership, Symeria oversees the strategic, programmatic, financial, and managerial operations of the organization in support of Chapman Partnership, a private sector partner of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, operating 2 Homeless Assistance Centers in Miami and Homestead, Florida. Chapman Partnership offers a comprehensive approach through on-site services to help residents attain self-sufficiency and housing stability. With more than 20 years of experience, she has held key executive roles leading large-scale franchises, product portfolios, and driving product innovations for top medical technology and healthcare companies in the U.S. and Europe. During her time in the medtech/healthcare industry, Symeria was responsible for global marketing including strategy, commercial excellence, portfolio management and research and development. In 2016, she helped drive ConvaTec’s flotation on the London Stock Market, the largest IPO by a healthcare company in Europe.

Symeria has a strong and proven track record in the healthcare industry both abroad and in the U.S., with an expertise in driving growth, improving profitability and developing commercial strategies for new products launches in large markets and new channels. In 2015, she was named a Top 50 Business Leader of Color by Chicago United Organization. Previously, she was on the board of the Kohl Children’s Museum and the Baxter Foundation. Symeria received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor’s of Science from Alabama A&M University School of Business.

Michael Thatcher, Charity Navigator

Michael leads Charity Navigator as President & CEO in its efforts to make impactful philanthropy easier for all and providing donors and the charities they love with tools, ratings and information needed for informed decisions and investments. Prior to joining Charity Navigator Michael spent more than15 years with Microsoft, the last 10 of which, as their Public-Sector Chief Technology Officer responsible for technology policy initiatives and engagements with governments and academic leaders in Asia, the Middle-East and Africa.

Michael's eclectic background includes years at sea conducting oceanographic research with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, composing music and dancing internationally as the co-founder and co-director of Dance Music Light. He has held various board positions within the nonprofit and tech sector, holds several patents in enterprise systems management, and has a degree in Music from Columbia University in New York.

caitlen macias, world without exploitation

Caitlen Macias is the Chair of the World Without Exploitation Youth Coalition, a national youth movement to end human trafficking and sexual exploitation through education, advocacy, and awareness. In her role, Caitlen organizes and leads a team of 25 youth who work on educating their peers about sexual exploitation and advocating for comprehensive legislation that supports survivors.

On a broader level, Caitlen’s work focuses on empowering youth to be change-makers in their own communities. Her expertise in social media advocacy and movement building has gained local and national recognition on WPTV, The Palm Beach Post, WGNO, and Newsweek. Caitlen is the recipient of the 2021 Banwo Foundation Rising Phoenix Award for her work in women’s empowerment and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the College of William and Mary with her BA in Sociology and Government. Caitlen is currently pursuing her Masters in Social Work at Columbia University.

Sara southwood, 21/64

Sara Southwood is Director of Operations at 21/64, a program with the Andrea & Charles Bronfman Philanthropies into an independent 501c3 nonprofit practice providing multigenerational advising, facilitation and training for next generation engagement, especially within family philanthropy and other family enterprises. She brings over 13 years of financial services and private wealth experience to her role in managing and improving operations and processes across the 21/64 organization, and as a 21/64 Certified Advisor and next gen herself, she is passionate about helping 21/64 achieve its mission. Prior to her current role, Sara was also the Director of Client Engagement at 21/64.

Sara began her career in the hedge fund industry, first as a hedge fund analyst at MIO Partners, the investment office of McKinsey & Co., and then as Director and Head of the Business Development Support Team at HedgeServ, a leading hedge fund administrator. Her understanding of investment strategies, work in business operations and passion for working with families led her to join the Redwoods Initiative, where she created financial learning plans and led investment education workshops to empower individuals and families in private wealth. Sara also provided coaching to next gens at through the Blueprint Project. Sara earned a B.A. in International Political Economy from Fordham University. She completed postgraduate course work at the Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York City and is a CTI Co-Active Coach.

Joel Barsky, New York Trend Consulting

As the Director of New York Trend, Joel put together a great team, forged dynamic partnerships with a broad range of companies and institutions, created and implemented business, culture, communication immersion experiences for global CEO's and business leaders. While most of his clients signed on to improve their communication acumen, after a week or two living inside one his programs, it was the self-dive into their personal and professional realities that made the difference for them. Joel provides the space for industry leaders and families to emerge on another stage and thrive there, stretched out of their comfort zone.

The key to Joel’s success is having the right people in the right coaching contexts and managing the diverse make-up of client and consultant as each client presented unique expectations. His clients report professional and personal transformations that have unraveled in their lives, bringing them closer than ever to their long-term aspirations. He has a passion for the people and business life and he loves to combine communication, business and culture to create dynamic and empowering programs for his clients. He speaks Spanish, Portuguese and Italian; he holds a BA from Hampshire College and an MA from Teacher’s College, Columbia University.