Meet The Brooklynites Deciding Our Next $100K Prize

At Brooklyn Org, we take pride in partnering with community members to direct our support across the borough. One special example of our community grantmaking process is the Brooklyn Org Spark Prize Committee — and we’re thrilled to introduce you to this year’s group!

Forty of the borough’s best and brightest, the Brooklyn Org Spark Prize Committee represents a diverse range of communities and industries, including artists, entrepreneurs, parents, advocates, educators, and Brooklyn leaders of all kinds.

Committee members bring their professional and lived experience to the table to review hundreds of applications, interview 20 finalists, and ultimately select the five winners of our $100,000 prize.

Meet the community leaders behind the magic of the Brooklyn Org Spark Prize below  — and stay tuned for more highlights on our social media over the coming weeks!

2024-25 COMMITTEE

Ashima Aggarwal

Corporate VP and Associate General Counsel, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Daisy Auger-Domínguez

President, Auger-Dominguez Ventures

Julia Bator

Executive Director, J.M. Kaplan Fund

Martin Bell

Partner, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

Tom Bettridge

Board Chair, NY Congregational Community Services Congregational Home Legacy Fund

Lisa C. Cohen

Founding Partner, Schindler Cohen & Hochman LLP

Brooke Safford Cohen

Owner + Founder, BES Dwellings

Isabel Cristo

Writer and Journalist

Kenneth Ebie

Executive Director & Chief Development Officer, Black Entrepreneurs NYC (BE NYC)

Adina Erwin

EVP, Business Operations/General Manager, Barclays Center

Janeisha Farquharson

Financial Services Professional, New York Life Insurance Company

Sophie Ferrer

Program Officer, PCLB Foundation

Marcella Gay

Founding Principal, The Brooklyn Green Magnet School for Eco-Activism

Teresa Gonzalez

Partner, Bolton-St.Johns

Erica Hamilton

CEO & Founder, The Memo I Never Got (MING)

Gary P. Jenkins

Managing Director, Oaktree Solutions

Lori Luis

CEO & President, LoriLu Consulting

Deitra Mara

Strategy & Operations Consultant

Alison Maschmeyer

Managing Director, Americas Pinnacle Investment Management

Tamika Matheson

Founding Principal, Frederick Douglass Academy VII High School

Gregorio Mayers

Professor, Medgar Evers College

Lindsay McCann

Nonprofit Consultant

Morgan Monaco

President & Park Administrator, Prospect Park Alliance

Audrey Moore

Community Member

Salvador Muñoz

Artist

Robyne Walker Murphy

Arts and Cultural Strategist

JP Napleton

Account Supervisor, Mother New York

Angela Outlaw-Matheny

Director of Diverse Manager Equity, Crewcial Partners LLC

Lindsay Pizzi

Community Member

Melissa J. Prober

Nonprofit & Small Business Attorney

Arcola Robinson

Community Member

Esmeralda Simmons

Civil and Human Rights Attorney

Cary Stathopoulos

Principal, Warburg Pincus

Alexa Suskin

Executive Director, The Robert & Mercedes Eichholz Foundation

Laurie Tamis

Nonprofit Consultant

André Taylor

Professor, New York University Tandon School of Engineering

Nancy Webster

Executive Director, Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy

Jackie Wilson

Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, BSE

Jessica Yager

Project Director, Red Hook Community Justice Center

Selin Zalma

Managing Director and Partner, BCG