HILARY CHERNER

Ms. Cherner brings 10 years of experience with consulting and program evaluation in both the nonprofit and public sectors. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Colorado and an M.A. in Public Affairs, with a concentration in nonprofit and public management, from Indiana University.

Ms. Cherner is Senior Director of Consulting at Arabella Advisors-- a consulting firm focused on helping philanthropists and donors achieve greater good.  She oversees the strategy and evaluation consulting practice and manages the consulting staff to ensure the highest quality of guidance for Arabella’s clients. She has worked on a variety of projects from advising a family foundation on strategies to invest in research and treatment for a rare disease to developing a framework for a major international foundation to monitor and evaluate its programmatic and organizational achievement. Prior to Arabella, she served as an Emerging Leader Fellow for the US Department of Health and Human Services, managed grant reviews for the Administration of Children and Families, and conducted monitoring and evaluation for Head Start grantees.  

RICHARD HALL

Mr. Hall has more than 30 years of executive and financial management experience in a range of consumer goods, services, and financial businesses. He holds a B.S in Accounting from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and an MBA from George Mason University. 

Mr. Hall is Senior Vice President and Chief Operating officer at North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, the nation’s oldest and largest insurance company with roots in the African-American community. Mr. Hall has been with North Carolina Mutual since 2003.  Prior to joining North Carolina Mutual, Mr. Hall served in various senior management positions with Imasco Limited, an $18 billion multi-national corporation headquartered in Montreal, Canada, including Vice President and Controller. Mr. Hall has also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Peoples Drug Stores, Inc., and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Hardee’s Food Systems.  Mr. Hall is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the Virginia Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs.  Mr. Hall and his wife, Lori, reside in Raleigh, North Carolina.

LESLIE JOHNSTON

Ms. Johnston brings more than 15 years of management experience across multiple sectors, including agribusiness, financial services, IT, and tourism – largely in Africa.  She holds a B.A in both French and Economics from the University of California, Berkley and MSFS in International Business from Georgetown University. 

Ms. Johnston is the Executive Director at the Argidius Foundation—an organization that provides financial support to projects that are focused on employment creation for low-income populations. She served as the Deputy Director for TechnoServe in West and Southern Africa where she co-led a $20 million annual portfolio of projects working to help African farmers and entrepreneurs.  Ms. Johnston also designed, launched and managed a $9 million, USAID-funded program in Swaziland to grow small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Ms. Johnston brings top-tier management consulting experience, having worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Company in Washington, DC and South Africa.  She currently serves on the boards of the C&A Foundation, Good Energies Foundation, and COFRA Foundation as well as advises IDInsight, a social enterprise helping nonprofits to maximize their impact.

MICHAEL PIRRON

Mr. Pirron has more than 20 years of experience in product management, development and consulting. He holds a B.S. in Business and Management Information Systems from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. 

Mr. Pirron is currently founder and CEO of Impact Makers, a not-for-profit services firm dedicated to delivering quality consulting services while making direct charitable community impact. He spent the early years of his career as a Senior Consultant with Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) based in Sophia Antipolis, France. His tenure allowed him to consult, with increasingly complex engagements, throughout the EMEAI (Europe, Middle East, Africa, and India) region. As a result, Michael has lived or worked in seven countries and spent significant time in over 25 nations. Upon returning to the States he accepted a position as the Manager of Application Development at Health Management Corporation (HMC). Prior to launching Impact Makers, he was the Director of Product Development at First Health Services Corporation. With the launch of Impact Makers Mr. Pirron is at the cutting edge of social entrepreneurship. 

MICHAEL WALLIN

Mr. Wallin has over seven years of experience practicing law with a specialization in business litigation, real estate and bankruptcy. He holds a B.A in Economics from the University of California, San Diego where he graduated suma cum laude. Mr. Wallin also holds a law degree from from the University of California, Los Angeles. 

Mr. Wallin is currently an attorney with Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, one of the largest law firms in California. He represents clients in connection with business bankruptcies and litigation, including pre-bankruptcy counseling for debtors and creditors, workouts, foreclosures, and receiverships, with an emphasis on creditors' rights. Mr. Wallin also serves as the Chair of the Commercial Law & Bankruptcy Section of the Orange County Bar Association.  In addition to practicing law, Mr. Wallin is a licensed real estate broker in California and creative entrepreneur. Mr. Wallin resides in Orange County, CA with his wife, Kristy, and son, Kai.