Pencils of Promise

Adam Braun is 28-year-old Founder and Executive Director of Pencils of Promise, the nonprofit organization that has broken ground on 60+ schools in the developing world and amassed the largest social media following of any nonprofit founded in the last four years. PoP was founded with just $25 in October 2008 using what Braun describes as a "For-Purpose" approach to blending nonprofit idealism with for-profit business principles. In its first two years, 98% of all unique donations were in amounts of $100 or less, leading to the creation of their first ten schools. Braun now speaks often on global education, finding one's passion and purpose, youth empowerment, international development and the intersection of the nonprofit and for-profit spaces. He graduated magna cum laude from Brown University, previously worked at leading consulting firm Bain & Company, and has been featured at the Clinton Global Initiative and Google Zeitgeist. He is also a featured contributor to Mashable and The Huffington Post.

Chris Clarke is an Australian born social entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is currently the CEO of Pure Growth Partners. Chris sits on a number of charity boards including Malaria No More, an organization who has been instrumental in leading the fight against Malaria, the biggest child killer in the world. Chris is also active in the The Hawn Foundation’s Mind Up, which helps transform children’s lives by providing them with opportunities to grow and succeed through special school programs

Brad is a Managing Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at Silent Media Group, a digital marketing, social media and technology group working with artists such as Asher Roth and Justin Bieber. He has been involved with PoP from the very beginning and has since transitioned into his current role as the Chairman of the Board. Brad’s industry experience includes business development with GSD&M in Austin and the world-renowned innovative and creative agency Bartle Bogle and Hegarty in New York City.

Karen Harris is the Director of the Macro Trends Group at Bain & Company, where she advises clients on the impact of critical economic and social trends. She received her undergraduate degrees in International Relations and Economics from Stanford University, her MBA from Harvard, and her J.D. from Columbia University. Karen previously served on the board of directors of BuildingBlocks International, an international nonprofit that worked with corporations to develop what Business Week called a corporate "Peace Corps". She spent a year working in Zimbabwe developing a cash crop for small-scale farmers, and worked in Jordan for the Ministry of Planning. Karen lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

Michael Weiss was a member of the Pencils of Promise founding team and served as the Director of Finance before joining the Board of Directors. He is currently a student at the Stanford Graduate School of Business where he is Co-Chair of GSB Gives Back, [Co-Chair of the Golf Club], and is a member of the Student Association. Most recently, Michael worked in Product and Strategy at Airbnb, a fast-growing consumer internet startup. From 2006 to 2010 he worked at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking Division and Real Estate Principal Investment Area. Michael is originally from New York, NY and received a B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University in 2006.

Raymond G. Chambers currently serves as United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Malaria. He was appointed to this position by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in February 2008. In April, 2011 he was named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He is also a member of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. With Peter Chernin, he co-founded Malaria No More and served as its co-chairman until being named UN Special Envoy for Malaria. In 2002, he received the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership.