2017 Panelist Bios Read about the alumni and community partners who will be at the 2017 Social Impact Summit

• Emmanuel Abebrese ‘15, Founder and Executive Director of Citadel Foundation for Kids Inc.; Medical Student at the University of Virginia| A native of Ghana, Emmanuel Abebrese developed a passion to serve the less privileged as a teen and has been doing so ever since. As a W&L student, he founded the Citadel Foundation for Kids Inc. to give American and Ghanaian college students the chance to support others through social entrepreneurship. He also is on the boards of WAGiLabs, a social innovation incubator for kids' ideas, and PROSAMI, which provides affordable, quality health care to women and children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Abebrese is studying medicine at UVA and is investigating ways of utilizing telemedicine to serve patients in remote locations. He holds a BS in biochemistry and a poverty minor from Washington and Lee and an MS from the McIntire School of Commerce at UVA. 

• Mary Cromer ‘06L, Staff Attorney, Appalachian Citizens' Law Center, Inc. (ACLC)| An environmental attorney, Mary Cromer has fought for justice in the coalfields through her work with ACLC in Whitesburg, KY. ACLC combines direct legal work with advocacy on the multiple fronts of occupational health, mine safety and environmental impacts. Prior to joining ACLC, Cromer was an associate attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center in Charlottesville, VA, and she clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Glen Conrad in the Western District of Virginia. She earned her JD magna cum laude from the W&L School of Law, where she is a member of The Order of the Coif.

• Jamie DeMarco, Campaign Manager, Maryland Clean Energy Jobs Initiative|  Jamie DeMarco started his advocacy career as a college student working on the successful campaign to secure the retirement of a coal plant in Asheville, NC, and on an effort to expand renewable electricity in Maryland to 50 percent by 2030 for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. Following graduation, DeMarco advocated for nuclear disarmament and reducing the Pentagon budget as an employee of the Friends Committee on National Legislation. He recently helped found the Maryland Clean Energy Jobs Initiative with a goal of promoting 50 percent renewable electricity in Maryland by 2030. He holds a BS in chemistry and environmental studies from Warren Wilson College.

• Kate Donnelly '11, Manager, Accounting Operations, Goodwill of Greater Washington| A CPA, Kate Donnelly strives to improve her community by maximizing positive impact through business. That goal led her to her current position at Goodwill of Greater Washington in the District of Columbia. Previously, she was an accountant with Raffa, PC, an accounting firm dedicated to service and citizenship, and she spent three years in Assurance Services at Ernst & Young. Among her roles at Ernst & Young, Donnelly was Community Engagement Champion, the main point of contact for all local employees, nonprofits and organizations looking for volunteer opportunities and support. She is a graduate of W&L (BS in business and accounting and poverty studies minor) and the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia (MS in accounting).

• Rebecca Dunn '16, Survey Research Associate, Mathematica Policy Research| Rebecca Dunn credits her liberal arts education with allowing her to focus on her interests in international development and humanitarian assistance. Prior to working in Washington, DC, Dunn conducted medical anthropology research in rural Kalikot, Nepal, through W&L's James G. Leyburn Scholars Grant and as a health research fellow with The Oda Foundation. She is a survey research analyst with Mathematica Policy Research, a nonpartisan research organization in Washington, DC, dedicated to improving public well-being. Dunn graduated summa cum laude from W&L (sociology major and poverty studies minor).

• Ginny Hodges '11, Community Relations Specialist, Wells Fargo| At Wells Fargo in Atlanta, Ginny Hodges is part of a team of community relations professionals, who manage and coordinate strategies, programs, and projects focused on community development, philanthropy, and team member volunteerism in the Southeast region (GA/AL/MS/TN) and help the company meet its Corporate Social Responsibility commitments. Previously, she held roles at Virginia Community Capital, a community development financial institution and B Corp-certified bank, and the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, a private foundation. Hodges is a W&L graduate (BA in economics and minor in poverty studies) and has certificates in nonprofit management (Georgetown University) and entrepreneurship (Babson College).
• Adam Lewis '10, Director of Communications and Marketing, Gradian Health Systems| Through his passion for communications and writing, Adam Lewis is bringing the power of ideas to some of the world's toughest health challenges. At Gradian Health Systems, a social enterprise in New York, he is working to raise the company's profile within the global health community and design safe surgery programs with governments and local organizations, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. He previously focused on maternal health communications and advocacy at Rabin Martin, a global health strategy firm, and he's contributed freelance articles to outlets such as the Washington Post, VICE, Huffington Post and Guardian on topics ranging from global health to human rights to grammar. Lewis is a graduate of W&L (BA in English).

• Kelly Stewart Nichols '00, Principal, Woollard Nichols & Associates| Kelly Stewart Nichols is on a mission to help government, non-profits and businesses and community members come together to solve big problems. She co-founded Woollard Nichols & Associates (WNA), a small consulting firm in Austin, TX, to nurture social impact through strategy, development and support for coalitions, associations, organizations and initiatives. Before founding WNA, she was planning and policy manager for the City of Austin's Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Office, overseeing a team of planners, research analysts and communications professionals. She also has worked in business, philanthropy, and non-profits, including a stint as service learning coordinator for the Shepherd Program at W&L. Nichols is a graduate of W&L (BA in English and a concentration in poverty studies) and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

• Dr. Kelly Sheppard '08, Post-Doctoral Fellow, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital| Dr. Kelly Sheppard's exploration of how nutrition affects cognitive development began at W&L where she majored in psychology and minored in poverty studies. As an Elrod Fellow, she spent two years designing and implementing a nutrition and physical education curriculum for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. While pursuing a Ph.D. in development psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Sheppard studied nutrition and brain and cognitive development in infants, toddlers, children and older adults. She now is a post-doctoral fellow at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH, where her research focuses on nutrition and cognitive development in infants born premature and children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. 

• Elizabeth Tual, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Devils Backbone Brewing Company| Elizabeth Tual manages the Heartland Initiative, Devils Backbone Brewing Company's community engagement and environmental sustainability program. She completed her BA in Spanish and Latin American Studies, as well as an MBA from the University of Virginia. A nonprofit background, coupled with an MBA degree, inspired her passion for using business to help address societal needs. After several years in Washington, DC, and New York City, she is happy to be back in Virginia and to be part of the Devils Backbone family.

• Julie Youngman, W&L Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Professor of Practice| Before joining the W&L faculty, Julie Youngman practiced law for 20 years, most recently as a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center in Chapel Hill, NC, where she represented non-profit environmental and community organizations in state and federal litigation as well as in administrative and legislative venues.  Her work focused on the protection of water quality, water quantity, and coastal resources in the southeastern United States. She also was in private practice with firms in Washington, DC, and Raleigh, NC; clerked for the Honorable J. Dickson Phillips on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit; and served as an officer in the U.S. Army for four years. She received a BS in zoology from Duke, an MA in forestry and environmental studies from Duke's School of the Environment, and a JD from the Duke University School of Law.