Social Venture Network Welcomes Four New Interim Board Members
We are thrilled to announce the expansion of SVN's interim Board of Directors with the addition of four exceptional leaders who embody the values of social innovation and responsible business practices. Rose Penelope Yee, Josh Knauer, Chris Jacobs, and Dror Yaron bring diverse expertise spanning sustainable finance, technology entrepreneurship, organizational development, and ethical leadership.
Their collective experience in building mission-driven organizations and fostering positive social change will be invaluable as SVN continues to evolve and grow its impact. Read their bios below.
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Rose is CEO of Green Retirement, a California Benefit Corporation focused on fossil-free and socially and environmentally responsible 401k’s. She holds both Civil Engineering and Masters in Business Management degrees.
Rose has an award-winning career empowering women as a socially and environmentally responsible business leader. In 2015, Rose was recognized by the National Association of Plan Advisors as one of the Captains of Industry. For her efforts in helping B Corps connect, build, and grow their businesses, she was honored with a B Economy Leadership Award in 2018. Rose co-founded and co-led WeTheChange, a movement of “empowered women creating a radically inclusive and richly regenerative global economy.” Comprised of women CEO's of certified B Corporations and other purpose-driven enterprises, WeTheChange received the B Corp Collective Award in 2019 and again in 2020. She was recognized by Conscious Company Media as one of the World Changing Women of 2020.
Rose ran for Congress in 2024 with a pro-family, anti-poverty campaign. Despite running in a deeply conservative and majority white district, Rose is proud to have garnered over 110,000 votes, proving that there are voters who thirst for a Care Agenda which puts working peoples’ interests, rather than identity, first. She is looking forward to continuing to help forge a future with an economy that prioritizes the interests of the many, one that is just and kind and fair.
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Co-Founder, Reseed
Pronouns: he/himJosh is a serial tech entrepreneur with two successful exits and a ceaseless fascination about how we can use emerging technology and data to make decisions for a better future. He’s currently a co-founder of ReSeed, General Partner at JumpScale, an Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, an Advisor for Columbia Technology Ventures/NYSERDA and a Board member at WQED, which of course is the PBS station founded by Mr. Rogers.
Over the course of his career he has seen a wide range of experiences from the African Savanna to help indigenous tribes implement business strategies to protect their land and culture, to the boardrooms of Fortune 100 companies, universities, nonprofits and in between.
He was asked by President Barack Obama to join the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology to work on creating and implementing open data initiatives. Josh has served on a wide range of local, national and international non-profit boards, including the Social Venture Network and WQED Multimedia, he is a mentor to many startups and entrepreneurs and a frequent speaker at events like SXSW, AdWeek, the International Television Festival and many universities.
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Managing Director, Institute for Healthy Leadserhsip
Pronouns: he/himChris brings more than 30 years management experience developing and scaling innovative technology services that address critical social and organizational issues, based upon the belief that technology must be built to enhance people not control them.
He has worked with Fortune 100 companies, international consortia, entrepreneurial ventures, regional and local non-profit organizations, labor unions, and state and local government.
Chris is currently Managing Director of the Institute for Healthy Leadership, an organizational diagnostic and strategy consulting company whose mission is to offer game-changing human and workplace interventions for intentional corporate cultures.
Prior to IHL, he was CEO of a public policy technology company, which was a multiple year “Best for the World” certified B Corp. We combined innovative technology, public policy expertise and community outreach to generate practical solutions to the complex problems of poverty.
Earlier he spent 15 years with Sperry Univac/Unisys working in Europe, Asia, and the US, building the first cooperative data center in Sarajevo, Bosnia, the first vendor-owned profitable application software conversion center in the world in London, and subsequently rising to Vice President, Corporate Product Strategy and Integration in Blue Bell PA.
Before leaving for Bosnia, he was an elected member of the National Executive Committee of a national labor union in the U.K.
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Founder, Ethics.Coach
Pronouns: he/himDror Yaron is the founder of Ethics.Coach, a Carnegie Mellon University spin-off.
Growing up across the street from a busy car wash, He learned to think in noisy environments.
He helps conscious leaders seeking to humanize business find clarity in chaos.
Yaron studied at the International Center of Photography in New York. He has focused on humanizing education, tech, and business for the past two decades. His career path includes human resources, journalism, art education, and community robotics. This diverse background informs his unique approach to coaching business humans.
These four distinguished leaders join SVN's interim Board at a pivotal moment in our organization's journey. Their varied backgrounds – from Rose's work in sustainable retirement planning and women's empowerment, to Josh's expertise in leveraging technology for social good, Chris's deep experience in human-centered organizational development, and Dror's innovative approach to ethical business coaching – create a powerful combination of perspectives that will help guide SVN's strategic direction.
We look forward to the fresh insights and collaborative energy our new board members will bring to SVN as we continue our mission of building a more just and sustainable world through business as a force for good.
