Our Team

Learn more about Southern Communities Initiative board members and team members who work to inspire change in the Southern regions.

Board Members

Headshot of Robert F. Smith as he wears a suit and smiles for the camera.

Robert F. Smith

Founder, Chairman and CEO, Vista Equity Partners

Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, Robert F. Smith is a philanthropist and entrepreneur who is dedicated to liberating the human spirit. Throughout Smith’s 35+ year career, he is committed his time and resources to initiatives supporting diversity and inclusion, culture, healthcare, the environment and education. The thought leader behind The 2% Solution, Smith partnered with some mission-aligned individuals to create the Initiative in 2021 to bridge the racial wealth gap in six Southern U.S. communities.

Rich Lesser in a black suit jacket, white collared shirt and maroon patterned tie wearing glasses and smiling.

Rich Lesser

Global Chair, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Rich Lesser is the Global Chair of Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the past, Lesser served as BCG’s CEO for eight years, a period of exceptional growth for the firm. As the CEO, Lesser oversaw the launch of several key business initiatives and programs, including BCG’s pledge to reach net zero climate impact by 2030.

A headshot of PayPal CEO Dan Schulman.

Dan Schulman

Former CEO of PayPal

Dan Schulman is the former President and CEO of PayPal. Under Schulman’s leadership, PayPal has helped transform how people move and manage money, as well as how merchants and consumers interact and transact. Since Schulman joined the company in 2014, PayPal has been named to JUST Capital and Forbes’ JUST lists for top companies. PayPal has also been recognized as a Fortune Change the World company thanks to its commitment to tackling some of the biggest societal challenges.

La June Montgomery Tabron

President and CEO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

La June Montgomery Tabron is president and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan, one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Since joining the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in 1987, Tabron has risen to become the organization’s first woman and first African American chief executive, leading work to support thriving children, working families and equitable communities. Currently, Tabron serves on the Kellogg Company board and chairs the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Trust.

Southern Communities Initiative Team Members

A headshot of Mambu Sherman, Executive Director of Southern Communities Initiative.

Mambu Sherman

Executive Director

Image of Paul Disselkoen from PayPal wearing a suit

Paul Disselkoen

Principal, SCI - Senior Associate, Public Affairs, PayPal

Image of Franz Paasche wearing a black sweater and blue collared shirt

Franz Paasche

Principal, SCI – SVP, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, PayPal

Image of Usman Ahmed wearing a blue blazer and striped button down shirt

Usman Ahmed

Principal, SCI – Head of Global Public Affairs and Strategic Research, PayPal

Image of Ami Desai in a black turtleneck standing outside

Ami Desai

Principal, SCI – Chief of Staff to Founder, Chairman, and CEO Robert Smith, Vista Equity Partners

Ross Comstock

Principal, SCI - Vice President, Information Systems and Technology, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Image of Rhea Williams Bishop wearing a red shirt and black glasses

Rhea Williams-Bishop

Principal, SCI - Director of Mississippi and New Orleans Programming, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Image of Justin Dean wearing a blue suit jacket and white button down shirt

Justin Dean

Principal, SCI – Managing Director and Sr. Partner, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Headshot of Joe Davis in a blue button down shirt and black jacket

Joe Davis

Principal, SCI – Managing Director and Sr. Partner, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Image of Marisa Gerla wearing a red shirt and black blazer and necklace

Marisa Gerla

Principal, SCI - Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Image of Suzanne Skipper wearing a white shirt and black blazer

Suzanne Skipper

Principal, SCI - Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Join Us and Get Involved!

If you are interested in partnering with Southern Communities Initiative or wish to volunteer your time, we invite you to explore the different ways you can engage.

Southern Communities Initiative Team Member

Paul Disselkoen

Principal, SCI - Senior Associate, Public Affairs, PayPal

Paul Disselkoen is a Senior Associate for PayPal’s Public Affairs team. His primary focus on the team is on small businesses advocacy, policy research and thought leadership. In managing PayPal’s engagement on small business and economic equity, he engages with government officials, leads partnerships with ecosystem stakeholders and works directly with entrepreneurs to share their stories and strives to promote positive policy to encourage an environment that fosters small business growth. Additionally, Paul contributes to global public policy work including policy research, analysis and position papers. Prior to joining PayPal, Paul worked as an external consultant for eBay Inc.’s Government Relations team. Paul earned his B.A. from James Madison University and currently lives in Washington D.C.
Image of Paul Disselkoen from PayPal wearing a suit

Southern Communities Initiative Team Member

Franz Paasche

Principal, SCI – SVP, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, PayPal

Franz Paasche serves as PayPal’s Senior Vice President, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. In this role, Franz is responsible for leading PayPal’s global communications, employee engagement, reputation management, public affairs, and strategic research functions. He also oversees PayPal’s global social innovation efforts, working to leverage the company’s core capabilities to deliver meaningful impact at scale for employees, customers, and communities. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has served on the board of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School since 2018. Franz earned his JD from the Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and an editor of the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law. He graduated from Swarthmore College with High Honors in Political Science, English Literature and American Economic History.
Image of Franz Paasche wearing a black sweater and blue collared shirt

Southern Communities Initiative Team Member

Usman Ahmed

Principal, SCI – Head of Global Public Affairs and Strategic Research, PayPal

Usman Ahmed is the Head of Global Public Affairs and Strategic Research at PayPal Inc. Ahmed is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law School. His research has been published in the Cambridge Press World Trade Review, MIT Press Innovations Journal, as well as the Boston University International Law Journal and has also been cited in articles appearing in the NY Times, Financial Times, and Straits Times. He is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, Millennium Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and a Security Fellow at the Truman National Security Project. Ahmed earned his JD from University of Michigan, his MA from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and his BA from University of Maryland.
Image of Usman Ahmed wearing a blue blazer and striped button down shirt

Southern Communities Initiative Team Member

Ami Desai

Principal, SCI – Chief of Staff to Founder, Chairman, and CEO Robert Smith, Vista Equity Partners

Ami Desai serves as chief of staff to Robert Smith, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. Ami joined the firm in 2020, and is responsible for developing strategic initiatives and assisting portfolio companies and limited partners. Prior to joining Vista Equity Partners, Desai served as President Clinton’s Foreign Policy Adviser for 13 years, where he oversaw international strategy, led new partnerships, and managed relationships with Heads of State, business leaders, philanthropists and NGOs around the globe. Ami holds a B.A. in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and an M.A. in Foreign Policy from Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs.
Image of Ami Desai in a black turtleneck standing outside

Southern Communities Initiative Team Member

Ross Comstock

Principal, SCI - Vice President, Information Systems and Technology, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

As a member of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Executive team, Ross provides strategic leadership and direction to ensure consistent and fair application of policies, philosophies and organization-wide systems in an effort to fulfill the foundation’s mission. In his role as VP of Information Systems and Technology, Ross provides overall leadership of the foundation’s information systems and technology functions, which includes directing the administrative, developmental and operational aspects of technology as well as holding responsibility for the information and technical architecture. Ross holds bachelor’s degrees in computer science and discrete applied mathematics from the University of Maine.

Southern Communities Initiative Team Member

Rhea Williams-Bishop

Principal, SCI - Director of Mississippi and New Orleans Programming, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

As director of Mississippi and New Orleans Programming at W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Rhea is responsible for leadership and vision in program conceptualization, design, planning, management, coordination, communication, evaluation, policy and learning of grantmaking in Mississippi and New Orleans. Rhea supports and facilitates the community change process within the region in alignment with the foundation’s mission and strategic framework, in collaboration and partnership with grantees and other external partners in the region, as well as other W.K. Kellogg staff. Rhea obtained her Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership from Jackson State University, where she earned a Master of Public Policy & Administration degree and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Affairs.
Image of Rhea Williams Bishop wearing a red shirt and black glasses

Southern Communities Initiative Team Member

Justin Dean

Principal, SCI – Managing Director and Sr. Partner, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

As head of BCG’s North America Mid-Atlantic System, Justin Dean oversees operations for the firm’s Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Pittsburgh offices as well as the firm’s equity and inclusion efforts externally with clients in North America. Justin is a leader within BCG’s Energy practice, and has 25 years of experience in utility industries, including a focus on “energy equity’,” which includes clean energy affordability/access, broader utility workforce DEI, and equitable access to capital and opportunity for diverse founders. Justin also currently serves as the Vice Chair of Greater Washington Partnership’s Advancing Inclusive Growth Committee. Justin holds a BS in mechanical engineering from UVA, Masters in engineering management from Northwestern, and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management.
Image of Justin Dean wearing a blue suit jacket and white button down shirt

Southern Communities Initiative Team Member

Joe Davis

Principal, SCI – Managing Director and Sr. Partner, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

As a 35 year veteran of BCG, Joe has served in a variety of leadership roles, most recently as Regional Chair for Boston Consulting Group in North America, and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee up until 2021. During his time as Regional Chair, he oversaw BCG’s operations in the US, Canada, and Mexico and played an instrumental role in advancing BCG’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion agenda. He currently serves as the Chair for BCG’s North America Center for Inclusion and Equity and leads BCG’s engagement with CEO Action for Racial Equity. In 1996, Joe co-founded the firm’s Washington, DC office, and led the launch of BCG’s public sector practice in 2008. Joe holds a B.A. in economics from Whitman and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Headshot of Joe Davis in a blue button down shirt and black jacket

Southern Communities Initiative Team Member

Marisa Gerla

Principal, SCI - Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Marisa is a core member of BCG’s Public Sector, Education, and People & Organization practice areas and the topic leader for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within BCG’s Public Sector practice. She represents BCG on the governing board of CEO Action for Racial Equity, and is a member of the North American Board for the Centre for Public Impact. Marisa has supported clients across sectors with efforts to promote minority business ecosystems, inclusive growth, access to capital, and equitable education and workforce initiatives. She holds a BA in International Relations from Wellesley College, an MA from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
Image of Marisa Gerla wearing a red shirt and black blazer and necklace

Southern Communities Initiative Team Member

Suzanne Skipper

Principal, SCI - Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Suzanne is a member of the People & Organization practice area at BCG. Suzanne is an expert in data-driven people analytics and digital talent in people strategy, transformational change, and org design and development. Prior to BCG, she was the Chief Talent Officer for Client Service at Bridgewater Associates. Suzanne holds a BA in Psychology and Social Relations from Harvard University, an MA in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, and an MBA from the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.
Image of Suzanne Skipper wearing a white shirt and black blazer

Charlotte, North Carolina

Racial Equity Priorities

Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Entrepreneurship and Supplier Diversity

Creating and Scaling Black-owned Businesses

Southern Communities Initiative focuses on increasing the number and value of MBEs in the region. Southern Communities Initiative specifically aims at raising the economic weight of Black-owned businesses from 2% to 6% of the aggregated value of all businesses in the region.  

Additionally, small businesses in primarily Black communities tend to have lower profit margins and concentrate in industries with less potential for growth.

Black entrepreneurs often face many barriers, including a lack of access to capital, technical assistance, procurement opportunities and more.

Creating and scaling a greater number of Black-owned businesses is crucial to generating employment opportunities for people of color and increasing wealth in the community and economy.

A Black barber adjusts a smock on a young Black boy sitting in a barber chair.

OUR AMBITION

Offer In-Kind FTEs for Supplier Diversity:

Offer 2-5 FTEs to Charlotte Regional Business Alliance (CRBA) over 5 years to convene corporate partners, assess their MBE spend, develop pipeline to increase MBE spend to 5-10%+.

Offer Technical Assistance Expertise:

Partner with CRBA to advise/mentor ~200 MBEs on capital/loan access to help them scale from <$10M to $50M+.

Commit to Supplier Diversity:

Increase MBE spend to 5-10%+.

Estimated Impact (Of All Initiatives): 3X Increase in MBE Value and ~13K New Jobs, Boosting Black Community’s Net Worth by ~$2B+.

Charlotte, North Carolina

Racial Equity Priorities

Digital Access

Increasing Access, Affordability and Adoption to Broadband

Digital access is vital for any community to thrive in today’s world. Southern Communities Initiative’s ambition is to increase access to high-speed internet and its affordability for underserved communities. Currently 10% of households in the Charlotte area are without Internet access.

An African American man sits beside a young Black boy while sitting at a table and doing schoolwork.

OUR AMBITION

Support Center for Digital Equity – $25M:

Secure $25M over 4 years for Center for Digital Equity’s longitudinal project on digital access to enhance health efficacy and agency in the health experience lifecycle.

Raise Community Awareness and Adoption of Emergency Broadband Benefit:

Increase door-to-door and community outreach in low-income neighborhoods to get households onto EBB to help connect ~35K unconnected households.

Drive Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Adoption:

Secure $1-3M (donations or in kind) to drive door to door and community outreach in low income focus zip codes to get ~12K households onto Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) subsidies in Charlotte.

Provide Digital Access and Technical Assistance for Charlotte Households:

Provide 20K laptops, internet subs and broadband for ~35K households + grant writing support and internet adoption centers.

Support Efforts to Increase Digital Access:

Secure $2.2M for ~4K routers, switches and internet backhaul connections for ~80 bldgs.

Estimated Impact (Of All Initiatives): ~35K Households Get Connected to High-Speed Internet to Unlock ~$700M in Economic Potential for Charlotte.

Charlotte, North Carolina

Racial Equity Priorities

HBCU and Workforce Development

Increasing Bachelors Degrees and Reducing Student Debt

Increasing education quality and minority representation in top job positions can have a positive effect on communities. Southern Communities Initiative aims at increasing Black empowerment and representation in the workforce. In Charlotte, Southern Communities Initiative supports the Mayor’s plan to make of JCSU a top 10 university in the US. Southern Communities Initiative is also planning to help increase the percentage of Black Charlotteans owning college degrees to 59%, and improve the representation of Black/Brown in executive positions to 30%.

Many of those who do graduate from HBCUs, where students are 1.4 times more likely than non-HBCU students to take out student loans and borrow 20% more on average.

Studies have found that taking on student debt can negatively affect academic performance, graduation rates and long-term wealth accumulation.

That is why it is critical to address issues in both enrollment and student loan debt, thus allowing students and graduates to access high-paying job opportunities and build their wealth.

A young African American man smiles while wearing a black graduation cap and gown.

OUR AMBITION

Fund Student Freedom Initiative Program:

$10M to HELPS program and support ~1.5K+ students per year at 3 HBCUs with emergency expenses – e.g., health.

Provide In-Kind Staff:

Offer 2-5 FTEs to Charlotte Regional Business Alliance over 5 years to track and help increase Black-/Brown-exec representation from 10% to 30%+.

Estimated Impact (Of All Initiatives): 2.5K+ Additional College Graduates and 2.5K Workers With High-Paying Wages to Drive ~$0.2B in Economic Growth.

Charlotte, North Carolina

Racial Equity Priorities

Access to Capital (CDFIs/MDI)

Modernizing and Building Capacity for Local CDFIs & MDIs

In Charlotte, 40 percent of Black households are unbanked or underbanked.

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDI) are often viewed as the backbone of community lending and offer favorable terms for low-to-moderate income communities.

However, in order to scale their operations and economic impact, corporations and foundations have a key role in addressing common challenges for CDFIs and MDIs:

  • Outdated systems and technology infrastructure 
  • A lack of talent and workforce development tools
  • Other barriers to enhancing their capacity


Ensuring access to capital for individuals and businesses can spur economic growth and set a strong foundation for wealth accumulation.

An African American woman puts a check into an envelope.

OUR AMBITION

Fund Modernization and Capacity-Building and Provide In-Kind Subject Matter Experts:

$30M to help 4-5 CDFIs over 5 years modernize core systems, hire and train staff, expand marketing and leverage SWAT teams to conduct needs diagnostic, implement tech solution and give technical assistance, enabling an add’l $330M/yr in capital deployed to ~30K MBEs.

* CDFIs/MDIs being considered (examples and not exhaustive): Security Federal Bank, Institute / North Carolina Community Development Initiative, Sequoyah Fund Inc, Self-Help Credit Union, BEFCOR, Aspire Community Capital, etc.

  • Systems and technology modernization – $10M-15M: Add/upgrade core banking systems, hardware and productivity tools, train frontline workforce on new systems and technology and hire engineering specialists to support customization and news systems rollout – over 5 years
  • Talent and workforce – $10M: hire and train additional frontline lending staff and invest in recruiting, training, compensation and benefits and retention to increase in-house expertise and loan capacity – over 5 years
  • Other capacity-building and outreach – $8M: hire additional staff to increase custom borrower and technical assistance (e.g., credit building, MBE financing options, etc.) and increase community outreach to drive regional awareness and new pipeline projects – over 5 years
    • * In partnership with National Bankers Association and Appalachian Community Capital; CDFIs/MDIs being considered include: Security Federal Bank, Institute / North Carolina Community Development Initiative, Sequoyah Fund Inc, etc.

Estimated Impact (Of All Initiatives): ~$330M in Additional Loans per Year to Support ~30K MBEs.

Houston, Texas

Racial Equity Priorities

Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Entrepreneurship and Supplier Diversity

Creating and Scaling Black-owned Businesses

Black people make up 17% of the population but Black businesses only represent approximately 4% of businesses and approximately 2% of revenues.

Additionally, small businesses in primarily Black communities tend to have lower profit margins and concentrate in industries with less potential for growth.

Black entrepreneurs often face many barriers, including a lack of access to capital, technical assistance, procurement opportunities and more.

Creating and scaling a greater number of Black-owned businesses is crucial to generating employment opportunities for people of color and increasing wealth in the community and economy.

A Black barber adjusts a smock on a young Black boy sitting in a barber chair.

OUR AMBITION

Scale Supplier Diversity Team:

$3M to hire 3-4 FTEs over 5 years for One Houston Partnership to help companies increase MBE spend from ~2% to 5-10%+ as well as advance BIPOC talent and representation.

Increase MBE Certification and Scale Technical Assistance – ~$2M:

Partner with One Houston Together and the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council (HSMDC) to certify additional MBEs, develop Minority Business Finder database tool and provide resources and services to help local MBEs scale and participate in Pathways to Excellence program.

Commit to Increase Racial Diversity in Supply Chain and Procurement:

Increase MBE spend in Greater Houston region to 5-10%+

Estimated Impact (Of All Initiatives): 2.5X Increase in MBE Value and ~55K New Jobs, Boosting Black Community’s Net Worth by ~$12B.

Houston, Texas

Racial Equity Priorities

Digital Access

Increasing Access, Affordability and Adoption to Broadband

About 10% of all Houston area households are without internet access. Ensuring access to high-speed internet is critical to accessing telehealth, remote work and education opportunities.