THE SEED IMPACT TEAM
SEED Impact Staff
Omera Begum
Visual Marketing Designer
Omera Begum joined SEED as a Communications/Social Media Intern. She is a graduate of Queens College, CUNY with a Bachelor's in Graphic Design. Omera hungers for innovation and loves to create visual products that represent meaningful change in the community.
Emily D. Stewart
Visual Marketing Designer
Emily supports SEED's visual marketing efforts by designing print and web graphics. Emily has an art degree from Rhode Island School of Design and a business degree from Carnegie Mellon. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the West Indies and has worked in both non-profit fundraising and program…
Barry Kibel
Director of Innovation
and Research
Barry Kibel, Ph.D., is SEED Impact’s lead methodologist for evaluation and impact assessment. He contributes more than four decades of experience devising evaluation and planning instruments to support transformational work. His long-time passion has been the…
Melinda Lackey
Executive Director and
Co-Founder
Melinda K. Lackey is Executive Director and Co-Founder of SEED Impact. Formerly a professional ballet dancer, Melinda holds a Master’s degree in Social Research and was a Kellogg National Leadership Program fellow.
Melinda contributes to the design…
SEED Impact Board and Special Advisors
Daniel M. Bloomfield M.D.
Co-Chair
Daniel M. Bloomfield M.D., M.Phil. F.A.C.C., F.A.H.A. is the first Chief Executive Officer of Cardurion Pharmaceuticals, a new Boston-based biotechnology company devoted to developing novel therapeutics for treatment of heart failure and cardiovascular diseases.
Anat Lechner
Board Member
Anat Lechner is a Clinical Associate Professor of Business Management at the Stern School of Business, New York University. Professor Lechner's research focuses on structural and managerial requirements for developing companies' innovation capabilities and outcomes.
Gil Ozir
Special Advisor
Gil Ozir is Managing Partner at Beringer Capital, a private equity fund based in New York, focused on the digital, marketing and communications sectors. Gil has over 15 years' experience in M&A and business strategy. He spent five years as Managing Director at boutique strategy…
Maria Romano
Special Advisor
Maria Romano joined the SEED team in May 2014. By 2016 she earned a Master’s of Education at Queens College, while working at SEED Impact. She now works for the New York City Department of Education as a Bilingual Schools Psychologist. Maria has a background in psychology…
Susan Nichols Wagner
Special Advisor
Sukey is SEED's board chair emeritus. Sukey initially became involved as a major donor, and then led the formation of a Growth Board focused heavily on business development to assure SEED’s long-term financial stability. Sukey is the widow of Rodney Wagner, former international financier…
Christopher A. Duda
Special Advisor
Christopher is a Vice President with Goldman, Sachs & Co., working in the Private Wealth Management Group. Christopher received his MBA from the Yale School of Management in 2001. Prior to graduate school, he was employed with ICG Communications…
Ellen Luo
Special Advisor
Ellen joined SEED in 2019 and brings 15+ years of nonprofit experience. She has provided guidance to nonprofits and individuals on philanthropy and creating meaningful impact around the world. Prior to her work in development and philanthropy in Asia, Ellen provided consulting…
Louise Packard
Co-Chair
Louise is the Executive Director of the Trinity Boston Foundation, a 501.c.3 subsidiary of Trinity Church that partners with individuals and organizations across the city to offer a variety of programs focused on urban youth and the arts. Louise joined Trinity in September 2001 to direct a $53M capital campaign.
Jim Stuart
Board Member
Jim is retired and lives with his wife Dianne in Evanston, Illinois. He is currently writing a book on Jesus and the early church titled Jesus, We Hardly Knew Ye. Jim has a wealth of firsthand experience in executive leadership-having served as Executive Director to create the Tampa Bay Florida Aquarium…
Hubie Jones
Special Advisor
During his fifty years in the Boston area, Hubie has worked to create, nurture, and assist leadership in at least thirty community organizations across Boston. He is well-recognized for his appearances on local television, particularly as a panelist on WCVB’s public affairs…
Mog Obahor
Board Member
Mog is an expert in the new technology space. He has a strong understanding of Robotics & Advanced Technologies solutions (Cognition, AI, Machine-to-Machine, Natural Language Processing, Internet of Things) in the BPM industry. Mog has built or overseen the creation of more than 50…
Anthony W. Palma
Board Member
Anthony W. Palma, a partner at Nelson Mullins Broad and Cassel, is a Board Certified Wills, Trusts and Estates attorney. Since receiving his certification in 1988, he has built a successful practice that is among the largest wills, trusts, and estates practices in Florida. Mr. Palma has received numerous awards…
Jorge Vidal
Board Member
Jorge serves as the Project Coordinator for the Culturally Specific Services Program Grant (CSSP) at Casa de Esperanza. For more than 10 years, Jorge has worked in the social work field at various non-profit and public interest organizations, promoting the rights and dignity of…
