For over two decades, the PwC Foundation has been a catalyst for change, advancing bold initiatives that foster equity and strengthen communities. Learn about the leaders who help guide our mission and explore key moments that have shaped our journey.
Milestones
Board of trustees
Vanessa Salinas Beckstrom
Vanessa is an Advisory partner in PwC’s Investigations & Forensics practice, leading domestic and international internal and regulatory investigations. She has traveled extensively in Latin America, Europe and Asia leading US and local engagement teams on cross-border investigations and compliance engagements.
Vanessa is passionate about leadership, mentoring, diversity & inclusion, and promoting women. She co-leads the Women Inclusion Network and Parenting Inclusion Network in Dallas, as well as serves on the Board of Step Up, a non-profit focused on mentoring teen girls. Vanessa is the Vice Chair of United Way Metropolitan Dallas Women of Tocqueville, and an Audit Committee Member of the Texas Women's Foundation. Vanessa received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, and is a CPA, Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified in Financial Forensics.
Rakesh Bhatia
Rakesh is a retired PwC partner with a wealth of leadership experience serving on multiple boards. He held the positions of chair for PwC's Acceleration Centers in India and China, as well as president of the Pratham DC Board. Rakesh currently serves as an advisory board member for the Ascend DC Chapter and holds board positions in two companies focused on GenAI product/solutions. Additionally, he is the board chair of a company dedicated to higher education. Rakesh continues to contribute as a senior advisor to PwC for global initiatives.
Rakesh has degrees in Electrical Engineering and an MBA and has completed executive education from Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management. Rakesh lives in Great Falls, VA with his wife and has two children.
Jeanette Dern
Jeanette is a partner in PwC’s Denver office serving multinational public and private clients. Jeanette currently supports the audit of a public multi-national healthcare manufacturing company and is also integral in transforming the audit experience by leading enhancement efforts within PwC’s Center of Excellence. Jeanette brings a collaborative mindset to helping companies navigate complex business issues. Relevant experience includes supporting companies through acquisitions, divestitures, impairments, restructurings, and establishment of principal structures. Jeanette started her career as an auditor in PwC’s Denver, Colorado office.
She is a licensed CPA in the state of Colorado, has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bentley University, and is a member of the AICPA. Jeanette lives in Denver with her husband and three sons.
Elizabeth Diep, People Who Care Fund Chair
Liz is a partner in the PwC New York Asset and Wealth Management practice, specializing in alternative investments. She is a recognized leader serving many of the firm’s most complex alternative investment clients. Liz serves as the assurance recruiting champion for New York University, Co-chair of PwC’s Latino Inclusion Network, and as a Market Team Leader for the Asset and Wealth Management Market Team.
Liz is active in many non-profit organizations and has served as a board member for the Pace University Lubin School of Business Alumni Board, the New York State Society of CPA’s Career Opportunities in the Accounting Profession, the New York Chapter for the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (“ALPFA”) and as a national board of director of ALPFA. Liz has bachelor’s degree in accounting from Pace University.
Stacey Empson
Stacey is a PwC Advisory principal based in Chicago and serves as lead client partner for the firm's large health system and academic medical center clients. She has also served as the PwC Health Industries Advisory Diversity & Inclusion Leader and Management Consulting Leader.
Stacey is passionate about giving back and has served on many national and local Chicago healthcare, education, and humanitarian boards. Stacey earned a Juris Doctorate and master’s degree in healthcare administration, has participated in Harvard Business School Executive Education, and the Chicago Business Journal named her a Woman of Influence. She has a Juris Doctorate and master’s degree in healthcare administration from the University of Kansas.
Amanda Foster
Amanda is a PwC partner in the Atlanta Assurance practice. Among several roles she holds, she is also the Strategic Transformation Leader for Risk Assurance and the Greater Atlanta Market Team Lead for Risk Assurance. Amanda’s focus is on growing Risk Assurance and our relationships at our largest Consumer Market accounts.
She serves on the board of PAWS Atlanta and as a member of the advisory board to the College of Accountancy at Auburn University, from where she has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in accounting.
Christine Freyermuth, Secretary
Christine is an Advisory partner in PwC’s Health Industries based in Boston. Her experience has allowed her to develop knowledge and experience that extends across a broad range of clients, including academic medical centers, acute care hospitals, children’s hospitals, long-term care organizations, physician practices, health plans, college, universities, foundations, and other not-for-profit organizations.
Christine has demonstrated her commitment to helping others by actively giving back to her communities through board positions and volunteer roles at several not-for-profit organizations, including Make-A-Wish and Raising a Reader Massachusetts. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration from Bentley University.
Jeanelle Johnson
Jeanelle is a principal in PwC’s Advisory practice and Lead Client Partner focused on client service, industry perspective and research. Jeanelle is a trusted advisor, helping clients with strategic planning around their growth and investment agendas and counseling on business-wide risks and value drivers in their business transformations.
Jeanelle is passionate about the community as a board member of Higher Achievement and a member of the Ambassador's Council of N Street Village. She is also an engaged member of the Economic Club of Washington, DC. Jeanelle holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from The George Washington University and a master’s in business administration from the Smith School at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Tracee Jones
As an Assurance partner in PwC’s Asset & Wealth Management practice, Tracee assists clients by providing specialized audit and business advisory services to SEC registered investment companies, hedge funds, private equity firms, investment advisors, university endowments and foundations, and employee benefit plans.
Tracee is PwC’s Partner Champion for the Southwest Cluster Black Inclusion Network as well as for the National Talent Outreach Program, which oversees our HBCU and HSI recruiting strategies, and serves on the board of Allies for Every Child, a nonprofit bringing services to at-risk children and families. She is also a wife and mom to four kids. Tracee is a CPA with bachelor's and master's degrees in public accounting from The University of Texas at Austin, Texas McCombs School of Business.
Jim Kolar
Jim is a retired PwC partner who served primarily in the Financial Services practice and acted as Managing Partner in Orange County, Market Managing Partner in Minneapolis and Central Market Managing Partner. Jim served on both PwC’s Board of Partners and Principals as well as the Firm’s Extended Leadership Team.
Jim is active in the Chicago and Minneapolis communities and participates on the boards of several organizations including University of St. Thomas, Big Shoulders Fund, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago United, Chicago Urban League, The Commercial Club of Chicago, The Economic Club of Chicago, Executives’ Club of Chicago, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, World Business Chicago, St. Thomas Academy and Treehouse. Jim received his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from the University of St. Thomas.
Jean Lee, Treasurer
Jean is a principal in PwC’s Workforce Transformation practice. She has helped to grow and evolve the Advisory business in Chicago, San Jose / Silicon Valley and now in Seattle. Her recent work has focused on helping clients solve challenges related to engaging the workforce of the future, planning for remote and hybrid work, managing talent recruitment and retention, and driving culture and behavior change. During her career with PwC, she has served as Global Change Lead for Workday and Salesforce implementations, APA Cluster Strategy Alignment lead and Amazon account Workforce Transformation lead partner.
She serves as a national and Seattle board member of Summer Search, a nonprofit that seeks to unleash students’ potential through mentoring and transformative experiences. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois.
Sam Melehani
Sam is a PwC Tax partner in the Asset Management practice and leads a team of 50+ dedicated professionals serving a variety of large asset management companies for their compliance and consulting needs. He supports clients in managing their overall state tax obligation and administrative costs. Sam is the lead partner on several of PwC’s largest real estate clients coordinating services across multiple specialties and globally.
Sam serves on the board of the PwC Political Action Committee. He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from California State University and a master’s degree in taxation from Golden Gate University.
Maria Castañón Moats
Maria is a retired PwC partner, most recently having served as Senior Relationship Partner for several large multinational clients and as the leader of PwC’s Governance Insights Center. She previously served as Chief Diversity Officer within the US firm and Vice-Chair, Mexico & US Assurance Leader. Maria is a licensed CPA in Texas and New York and is fluent in Spanish.
Maria has held board roles with the March of Dimes (Dallas & Northern New Jersey), currently serves on the board of trustees for the Dallas Theater Center, the Advisory Board of The University of Texas at El Paso - College of Business Administration, the Catholic Foundation Board of Trustees, the Board and Audit Committee of Donors Choose and is an active member of the Executive Women’s Roundtable Dallas Regional Chamber. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration in accounting from The University of Texas at El Paso.
Kayvan Shahabi
Kayvan is a retired PwC Principal and brings experience focused on helping drive client results, having implemented growth strategies, innovation practices, and operational and organizational improvements across a range of industries. Kayvan serves on the board of Resolution Project, an organization dedicated to fostering youth leadership development around the world through collaborative social entrepreneurship.
Kayvan has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in business administration from Boston University.
Chip Sherrill
Chip is a PwC Advisory principal with a background in system integration, business operations and strategy. He has broad experience across Industrial Products and Service SAP Finance Transformation.
Chip graduated from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business with a bachelor's degree in business administration. Chip continues to be engaged with his alma mater as a member of the Georgetown University Board of Regents as well as the Black Alumni Council. Chip also serves as board chair of Whitman Walker Clinic, which provides holistic medical, dental, behavior and gender affirming care as well as legal services to all in need, with an expansive focus LGBTQ+, people of color cultural competency and advocacy. Chip is also a member of Leadership Greater Washington, and proud to be a Washington Business Journal Business of Pride inaugural winner.
Michael Sutphin, President
Michael is a partner in the PwC Boston Financial Services practice with a focus on global asset management in the firm’s Assurance practice. As President of the PwC Foundation, he has worked to deliver grants that help address inequalities in education, support environmental and societal relief, aid in career services for transitioning veterans, and provide student access to financial capabilities and technology skills.
In addition to his work at PwC, Michael serves as a board member of the Catholic Schools Foundation and the Mia Sutphin Foundation. He is a member of the audit committee of the Town of Milton, Massachusetts, where he and his wife Kate live with their four children. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in administrative studies from Boston College where he also played football. He is a certified public accountant in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.
Doug Torline
Doug is a PwC Audit partner specializing in technology, operational and compliance risks. He supports several large clients in the Healthcare and Consumer Markets sectors, with deep experience in technology-driven processes, compliance attestations, and risk management.
Doug earned his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business. He is actively involved in fostering a more inclusive workplace as a Partner Champion for PwC’s Abilities & Allies Inclusion Network, a group dedicated to supporting professionals with disabilities, caregivers, and their allies. In addition to his work at PwC, Doug serves on the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati, contributing his leadership and commitment to mentoring youth in the community.
Our team
Our team drives the PwC Foundation’s mission forward.
Allison Dorf-Ferrandis
Allison leads the Foundation’s people programs, including our Reimagine grants program. Through the Reimagine grants program, she works closely with hundreds of committed PwC partners and inspiring nonprofit organizations working to close the opportunity gap.
Prior to this role, Allison spent five years at iMentor focused on individual and corporate giving, raising funds to support NYC students with equal opportunities. Allison has a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University, and a bachelor's in psychology and human development from the University of Maryland.
Colin Gerner
Colin leads the Foundation’s humanitarian portfolio, overseeing national grants focused on mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, as well as event-specific disaster response grants. He is also responsible for managing the People Who Care Fund to support our colleagues and their immediate family in times of emergency financial hardship. He was previously a Manager within the New York Metro SALT practice, focusing on Indirect Tax Consulting, before transitioning into his current role in 2020, where he drives impactful philanthropic grantmaking.
Colin is also the Co-Founder and President of StacheStrong, a nonprofit organization committed to raising funds and awareness for brain cancer research in honor of his brother. He is a CPA with a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master’s in science in taxation from the University at Albany.
Mollie Kozberg
Mollie leads the Foundation's strategic operations including impact measurement, financial management and board management, with a focus on driving efficiency and optimization. Prior to this role, Mollie worked in PwC's Asset and Wealth Management practice. As a CPA, with both bachelor's and master's degrees in public accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mollie leverages her experience to effectuate a positive impact within the broader community.
In addition to her work on the team, Mollie plays a pivotal role in PwC Chicago's volunteer initiatives, leading a team of staff in organizing and executing community service projects in the Chicagoland area. She also serves on the Associate Board of iMentor, a nonprofit organization committed to empowering first-generation high school students to graduate high school and thrive in college and beyond.
Andrea Mazie
Andrea leads the Foundation’s societal commitment portfolio and acts as the deputy executive director for the PwC Foundation. Prior to joining PwC, she honed her leadership, strategy and community-building skills through roles including a managing partner in a market research firm and as a consultant to nonprofits, public-private community initiatives and foundations, including the Gates Foundation, focused on program design, evaluation, and facilitation. She is deeply committed to trust-based philanthropy that centers communities, nonprofits and proximal leadership.
Andrea's deep professional experience is complemented by her master’s degree in public policy from Duke University and training through Leadership Memphis, the Duke Center for Documentary Studies and Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship. She has been engaged in driving reform and investment at her local Title I public schools in Providence, RI.
Jennifer Rivera
Jenn brings two decades of leadership experience in social impact for global Fortune 500 companies. As the executive director of the PwC Foundation and former Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Moody’s, she is adept at aligning business objectives and brand with social impact initiatives specializing in foundations, employee engagement and sustainability strategies.
Jenn is actively involved with the WeConnect International Ambassador Council and has held significant board roles with Girls Inc. of NYC and Corporate Volunteers of New York. She founded and co-chaired Moody’s Generational Business Resource Group and the Environmental Task Force.
Jenn holds a master’s degree in education and a school counseling certification from Manhattan College. She is a two-time recipient of the Responsible 100 Award from City & State Magazine, recognized as one of CIO Magazine’s 2023 Most Influential CSR Leaders to Watch, and featured in INvolve’s Empower Advocate Executives Role Model List and Profile Magazine. She also received the Mahatma Award for Social Good in India.
Rhoda Tamakloe
Rhoda leads the Foundation’s education portfolio and veterans commitment, including initiatives focused on increasing college access, supporting historically underrepresented populations in higher education, and equipping veterans and military spouses for successful transitions into meaningful civilian careers.
With 15 years of experience in college access and success, Rhoda is passionate about creating pathways to higher education and career success. She previously served in various leadership roles at the Kaplan Educational Foundation, where she drove programs that empower students and promote upward socio-economic mobility. She earned her master's degree in higher education from Purdue University and received her bachelor's degree in chemistry, molecular biology, and biochemistry from Wesleyan University. An active volunteer, Rhoda has served as an alumni interviewer and trustee at Phillips Exeter Academy and as a judge for national high school and community college scholarship programs.
Jen Weston-Murphy
Jen leads the Foundation's strategic communications, working with a wide array of stakeholders within and beyond the firm, to showcase the impact of the Foundation and its grantees. She draws on 15 years of experience in social impact, philanthropy, and storytelling to craft authentic, meaningful messaging that highlights the Foundation’s mission and strengthens its presence.
Jen has also led the Foundation’s Reimagine grants program, overseeing the distribution of over $55M in grants to organizations throughout the United States driving educational equity. Prior to joining PwC, Jen spent six years at Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP) where she collaborated with Fortune 500 companies to advance their corporate responsibility goals through strategic counsel, convenings, data, and communications. Jen earned a master's degree in business administration from the NYU Stern School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston College.
Explore further
The PwC Foundation is a separate 501(c)(3) public charity, operating independently from PwC US. Learn about PwC US’s social responsibility initiatives.
