Builders Movement Partners

Charles Blain is a Houston-based writer, public policy entrepreneur, and commentator whose work on local government reform and accountability in Texas’s major cities, with particular focus on community, institutions, and social trust spans more than a decade. His forthcoming book The Brotherhood Effect will be published in 2026 by Johns Hopkins University Press, the nation’s oldest continuously operating university press. Blain is a regular contributor to City Journal on Texas policy issues and to the Houston Chronicle, where he writes about ethics and accountability, local government, institutions and public trust, and community. He serves on the Governing Board of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program and on the Texas Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

In his role as Artistic Director and President of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Tom Oppenheim created a number of programs with a focus on public access to world-class culture. The centerpiece of his vision is the Stella Adler Arts Justice Division, founded in 2004, which has since provided free theater training to over 15,000 severely underserved New Yorkers. Participating artists in a free, public art series he created have included Julianne Moore, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Cornel West, Donna Murphy, John McWhorter, Joanna Gleason, Ron Carter, Harold Bloom, John Ashbery, Harold Mabern and many more. Tom co-edited The Muses Go To School (New Press 2012) and his writing is featured in Arthur Bartow’s Training of the American Actor (TCG, 2006) and The Technique of Acting by Stella Adler (Echo Point, 2024). He has acted at Theater for a New Audience, New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, The Provincetown Playhouse among others. Directing credits include all of Chekhov’s plays for the Harold Clurman Lab Theater, Mercy Killers by Michael Milligan which received the Edinburgh Fringe Fest award and many more. Tom studied acting at the National Shakespeare Conservatory and with his grandmother, Stella Adler.

Hey, I’m Liz Lanza, a San Francisco born entrepreneur, founder of BeeKindBrand, and the force behind Her Society SF, a growing Bay Area network that equips the next generation of female founders with capital ready skills and a community that actually shows up for one another.

From spontaneous acts of kindness with BeeKind, to panel driven brunches where first-time entrepreneurs swap playbooks with seasoned investors, my mission is to replace the us vs them mentality with “we’ve got this together.”

I joined Builders because my peers are hungry for voices that trade outrage for problem solving. I’m committed to helping young female, like minded Builders with the tools and courage to defy the divide and co-create a kinder, more collaborative tomorrow.

Sincerely,
Liz Lanza

In 2012, Cynthia was named President & CEO of the Leadership Louisville Center, a leading social impact organization whose purpose is to inspire and equip leaders to BE BETTER and DO BETTER. Cynthia is particularly proud that the work the Center has done to foster inclusivity was recognized with the 2016 Champion of Diversity Award from the Urban League. Under her leadership the Center has grown beyond the boundaries of Louisville. In 2022 the Center launched LeadingBetter™ as a new partner brand. This new brand is bringing leadership skill development to more than 500 client companies with participants in 30 states.

Cynthia has held several national leadership roles including having previously served as the national Chair of the Board for the Association of Leadership Programs and is the current President of the National Community Leadership Collaborative. In 2020, Cynthia was named one of the Most Admired CEO’s by Business First. In 2023 she was named Bluegrass Public Relations Society’s Communicator of the Year. She is an active community leader and serves on numerous community boards including the Downtown Development Corporation and co-chairs the Greater Louisville Inc. (Chamber of Commerce) Business Council to End Racism.

Cynthia has a Master’s degree from the University of Louisville and holds several leadership certifications from Harvard, Aspen Institute and others.

Hanae Baruchel leads Ashoka’s Tech for Humanity initiative – whose mission is build a world where technology drives human agency and democratic integrity, rather than extractive growth and power. She first joined Ashoka in 2008, and has worn many hats over the years, including heading up the selection and support of social entrepreneurs in the U.S. from 2011 to 2013. Hanae returned to Ashoka in 2019 – after a brief hiatus working at Engineers Without Borders Canada – to help shape the then nascent Next Now initiative, an innovation engine that weaves Ashoka’s networks of entrepreneurs around globally urgent purposes.  She has a background in Peace and Conflict Studies and is the founder of a boutique furniture and lighting design company. Hanae is based in Amsterdam.

Libby Prosch is the co-founder and the progressive content editor at Sandbox. She studied Philosophy, Spanish, and Political Science at Loyola University Chicago. Libby has helped with local political campaigns and reproductive justice initiatives in her community. When she isn’t working, she’s playing guitar, making jewelry, or swimming in Lake Michigan.

Sanda Balaban is passionate about helping young people understand their individual and collective power, at and beyond the ballot box. In response to the complex times we’re living in, the vulnerability of democracy being demonstrated, and the desire to support young people in being informed, engaged participants on the front lines of change, in 2017, she co-founded and directed cross-partisan youth civic engagement nonprofit YVote/ Next Generation Politics, aiming to equip leaders of tomorrow for their roles and responsibilities as citizens shaping a more just world and in July 2024, she became Executive Director of Project Pericles, a higher education non-profit committed to fostering the next generation of civic leaders through innovative curricula and faculty leadership that empowers students with skills to address society’s grand challenges. 

Sanda has held leadership roles in education and youth development for over 25 years, in the public sector at the New York City Department of Education, in education philanthropy at the Ford Foundation and the Goldman Sachs Foundation, and in nonprofits including Facing History and Ourselves, the Boston Private Industry Council, and The Teachers Network.

Sanda is proud to serve on the founding Board of Directors of Generation Vote, The Hope Reichbach Memorial Fund, and the Human Schools Project, as well as on the National Reader Advisory Board for Chalkbeat. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Swarthmore College and Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Musician, actor, author, and lecturer Dr. Daryl Davis is often called The Rock’n’Roll Race
Reconciliator. He’s not white. He’s not even light skinned. Make no mistake about it,
he’s black. As a Black man he has come in closer contact with more members of the Ku
Klux Klan than most White people and certainly most Blacks, short of being on the wrong
side of a rope.

He is the first Black author to write book on the KKK by conducting in-person face-to-face interviews. As a result of the way he conversed with White supremacists and other racists, Dr. Davis eventually became the recipient of numerous robes and hoods given to him by KKK members who rescinded their beliefs after coming to know him. He had inadvertently stumbled upon a successful method of forming friendships between sworn enemies. His methods have made him the center of controversy in some circles where he is considered “politically incorrect,” but after proving his methods work, he has made supporters out of some of his detractors.

As an award-winning musician Davis has worked with Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley’s
Jordanaires, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Legendary Blues Band and many others. He is also an
actor who starred in the award-winning documentary Accidental Courtesy detailing his
real life encounters with KKK and neo-Nazi members and as an actor he has appeared in
HBO’s award-winning series The Wire.

His first book Klan-Destine Relationships was critically acclaimed and his second book The Klan Whisperer is due out soon. Dr. Davis has received numerous awards for his work in race relations and is often sought out by CNN, C-SPAN, The Washington Post, New York Times, Time Magazine and other media outlets as a consultant for his views.

Chris Anokute is an experienced music executive and artist development specialist with over 18 years under his belt in signing and developing talent. Chris has held Senior executive A&R positions at major record labels including Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, and Epic Records over the span of his career.  Chris has signed and/or developed 4 artists from the start of their careers that have went on to be nominated for the highly coveted, ‘Best New Artist’ award at the Grammys. Those artists include: Katy Perry, Iggy Azalea, Bebe Rexha, and Muni Long. 

Irene is a cultural entrepreneur, engineer, and storyteller. She is the founder of Irene’s Entropy®, a multimedia platform designed to help people navigate life transitions with clarity and courage. Her work blends original music, symbolic storytelling, and live events that support individual and cultural transformation.

With a background in mechanical engineering, aerospace, and piloting, Irene brings a rare combination of technical curiosity and artistic depth to her work. Her platform currently reaches between 5-20 million viewers each month through content and live performances. Irene calls her community Door Walkers™—those willing to step through thresholds of change to pursue a better version of themselves. This comes from a recurring theme in her music videos where a red door transports Irene to different realms as she navigates her mental landscape. Outside of the Irene’s Entropy universe, she also hosts a YouTube series called Golf with Irene, interviewing guests while playing golf, using the sport as a vehicle for storytelling and connection.

Irene’s Entropy is quickly becoming a voice for connection in an age of fragmentation. In a world of entropic chaos, she harnesses the power of storytelling, music, and conversation to reduce polarization and foster emotional intelligence.

Jared is a professional basketball player and social entrepreneur dedicated to using sport as a bridge for connection, education, and empowerment. Through his initiatives, Jared harnesses the universal language of basketball to teach life skills, promote understanding, and drive social change across communities.

He is the founder of JAB Camp, a youth sports organization based in both Philadelphia and the Middle East, which empowers young athletes through training, mentorship, and cross-cultural exchange. Building on this mission, Jared launched JAB Courts, an initiative focused on renovating and revitalizing community basketball courts to provide safe, inspiring spaces for youth development. Expanding his impact into sports entertainment, Jared created the JAB Classic, a signature event that unites athletes and fans to combat hate and celebrate humanity through the power of sport.

Jared’s journey reflects his belief that basketball is more than a game—it’s a platform for transformation, dialogue, and hope for the next generation.

Joshua P. Darr is an associate professor at the Newhouse School of Public Communications and a Senior Researcher in the Institute for Democracy, Journalism & Citizenship at Syracuse University, teaching classes in political communication. His research focuses on local news, partisan polarization, and campaign strategy. Darr has co-authored two books: Home Style Opinion: How Local Newspapers Can Slow Polarization (2021) and Storefront Campaigning (2024). He received an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship in 2022 for his project investigating how newspapers can earn trust and reduce polarization. Darr earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Brian Rudolph is the co-founder & CEO of Banza. Banza makes delicious comfort foods, such as pasta, pizza and waffles, out of chickpeas. The company has been named one of TIME’s Best Inventions, Adweek’s Best Food Brand, and Nielsen’s Top Breakthrough Innovations. Today, Banza’s products are available in over 25,000 stores. Brian received his BBA from Emory University and is an alumnus of the Venture for America fellowship.

Bion Bartning is an entrepreneur and investor, and co-founder and Board President of the Prohuman Foundation.

Previously, Bion founded FAIR, the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, and co-founded and led the launch of eos Products, a personal care brand best known today for its iconic egg-shaped lip balm, while serving as an equity partner and Chief Operating Officer of The Kind Group, a privately held company dedicated to the development and expansion of brands.

Bion was also part of American Express’ Strategic Planning Group, where he conceived of and patented a new multi-channel system for booking travel and led the launch of a new consumer online travel business as Director, New Product Development, partnering with a major online travel agency.

Bion earned his MBA from Columbia Business School, and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in economics and environmental studies from Occidental College. He lives in Miami with his wife, two children, and their family dog Charlie Brown.

Larry Rosen is the creator and host of The Enemies Project docuseries, which brings together “enemies” for day-long conversations, offering transformation in a divided world. As the founder of the mediation law practice Through Understanding, he has helped thousands craft enduring solutions to crippling conflicts. Millions have watched his popular TEDx, The Secret to Understanding Humans.  Larry is a top-ten graduate of the UCLA School of Law, where he served as Editor of the Law Review.  His many projects share a common purpose: feeling inside our enemies so that both sides win the war. 

Brooke Baldwin is a TV host, award-winning journalist and bestselling author. Brooke most recently gave her first TEDx Talk, “From Breaking News to Breaking Free: a CNN Anchor’s Journey Beyond the Chrysalis.” Brooke’s speech was inspired, in part, by her bombshell first person essay which she published in Vanity Fair entitled “Leaving CNN Was How I Found My Voice.” She’s currently the author of a weekly Substack called “Unraveling, with Brooke Baldwin.

For more than a decade, Brooke anchored her own live daily news show on CNN and was renowned for her versatility, authenticity, and humanity at the news desk. After CNN, Brooke hosted a popular social experiment show on Netflix called The Trust.

Brooke is the author of the bestselling book Huddle: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power, redefining the word ‘huddle’ to explore how women lean on one another to provide support, empowerment, inspiration, and the strength to enact meaningful change.

Brooke lives in Los Angeles after a ten year run in New York City. She is a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

After 25+ years helping lead consumer technology companies, including 14 years living and working abroad (Singapore, Amsterdam), Brad Porteus returned to America in 2024 alarmed by the headwinds our country faces due to deeply entrenched political polarization and identity politics. Convicted that emerging technology and data science can be used for good, Brad recognized that for the first time, it has become technically possible to objectively sort politicians on a new dimension and identify leaders to spot all-star collaborators from both parties who are the most suitable to lead our eclectic population. His vision is to build “Bridge Grades” into a trustworthy public utility that measures and scores our elected officials on their ability to govern collaboratively — a system that is transparent, open-source, crowd-sourced, and independently governed. The big dream is to invite everyday Americans to drop their identity politics and unite together through a voting pledge into a swing voting bloc that commits to electing the best bridgers from any party.

Married and a father of two young men, Brad lives in Redwood City, California, and enjoys timelapse photography, and trail running in his spare time. He is the author of Roll With It – a memoir set in the early ’90s and is a love letter to Generation X and nostalgia for a time that preceded a technological wave that took over everything.