Board of Directors
RAM BHASKAR
Ram Bhaskaramurthi is an Engineering Manager at Alchemy, contributing significantly to the company's evolution from its early stages as a small startup with under 10 team members to a fast-growing organization with nearly 200 employees. With a career that spans both startup and corporate environments, Ram brings a wealth of experience and a passion for using technology in ways that expand global education access and empower individuals for a brighter future. Ram holds bachelor's degrees from MIT in Mathematics and Computer Science & Engineering. During his time there, he collaborated with the education non-profit, ShuleDirect, in Tanzania, where he contributed to the development of robust data and backend systems. Ram is a passionate traveler, an avid cook, and a sports enthusiast. He resides in Brooklyn with his wife, Poorwa.
THAIS CARTER
Thais Carter is the Director for Strategic Initiatives at Princeton Theological Seminary, guiding work that deepens engagement with a broader public, including online learning, live events, and more. In addition to her strategic work, she directs Iron Sharpening Iron, the Seminary’s executive leadership program for women. Before coming to higher education, Thais developed expertise across a variety of fields, including publishing, marketing, and nonprofits. In all her vocational pursuits, storytelling and lifelong learning have been the connective threads. Thais received her MPA at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She lives in Princeton, NJ with her family.
LIZZ YEH DIMAIOLO
Lizz Yeh Dimaiolo is LItWorld’s Board Vice Chair. She was most recently a Senior Vice President at Citibank where she focused on digital strategy, innovation, and product management. She launched the award-winning “True Name” feature to allow trans and non-binary customers to bank with their preferred name and also represented the firm as a One Young World Summit Delegate. Lizz began her career at Edelman PR, where she brought social impact campaigns to life for Unilever’s Dove, Dove Men+Care, and AXE brands. Lizz holds a bachelor’s degree in literature from Duke University, as well as an MBA from Columbia Business School. Lizz is an avid traveler, foodie, houseplant mom, and enjoyer of cocktails. Lizz currently lives in Long Island with her husband, Bobby, and rescue mutt, Cora.
BRENDA JOY GILMORE
Brenda Joy Gilmore is an Independent Consultant, Certified Professional Coach, and proud owner of BJGsolutions. She also holds the position of Director of People & Culture with Gin & Luck, Inc.
The majority of Brenda’s volunteerism has been led by her passion to nurture and champion children. For years, she has utilized her gift of writing and creativity to inspire people from all walks of life, most especially children from marginalized communities. Thus, her appointment to the LitWorld Board of Directors allows her opportunity to achieve one of her long-awaited goals of being a blessing to children around the world by promoting an atmosphere that cultivates educational equity through literacy.
ALLISON LUCAS
Allison Lucas is LitWorld’s Board Secretary. She is the Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Gap Inc., where she is responsible for legal across all the company’s brands. Allison is an experienced business executive and legal counsel with a demonstrated history of working across multiple industries, including tech, media, and retail. Prior to her role at Gap, Allison was a Director at Meta, overseeing ads and business products on both the legal and policy sides of the company, and prior to that, she was General Counsel at BuzzFeed. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a law degree from Fordham University. Allison lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family and tries to find a reason to dance whenever possible.
KATE RICHMOND
Kate Richmond is LitWorld’s Board Chair. She is the Chief Talent Officer at WE Communications, one of the largest independent communications and integrated marketing agencies in the world. In this role, Kate is responsible for delivering on the agency’s global vision to be the employer of choice among professionals who want to use the gift of communications to move people to positive action. Kate leads the global Human Resources team and sets the pace for the independent, energetic and collaborative company culture that values employee engagement and development, diversity and inclusion, and talent management. Kate lives in Portland, Oregon, with her family and her dog, Piper.
PAMELA SCHIESS
Pamela Schiess is LItWorld’s Board Treasurer. She is the Executive director at Morgan Stanley, and in this role, she works on New Product Development and Partnerships supporting Morgan Stanley U.S. Banks’ Residential Loan business. Formerly, Pamela has held roles in Project Management, Operations, Risk Management, Digital Marketing & Strategy, and Digital Product Development. At Morgan Stanley, she also serves as co-chair of the Women of the U.S. Banks employee networking group. She is a founding member of Level, a multiracial community of women tackling the racial wealth gap by investing in Black women. Pamela earned her BS in Broadcast Journalism and Judaic Studies from the University of Miami, and her MA in International Economic Development from the University of Denver.
KATIE SOMERVILLE
Katie Somerville is a Senior Strategist at Adobe Inc.’s Digital Strategy Group. She advises top Fortune 500 retail corporations helping them to optimize their online presence and assisting them successfully effect their digital transformation. Katie holds a BA degree from University of Michigan where she was a James B. Angell Scholar and admitted to Phi Kappa Phi. While at Michigan, Katie was on the board and the Executive Director of PALMA (Proyecto Avance: Latino Mentoring Association), which provided tutoring to Hispanic students and parents in the Ann Arbor area. Katie received her MBA from Columbia Business School where she received the Student Service Award. Katie is passionate about early education and reading and has interned at Fundación Educacional Oportunidad in Chile and at the Brazelton Touchpoints Center at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard University. Katie lives in Manhattan.
NADEIGE STERLIN
Nadeige Sterlin is Co-Founder and Co-Owner of La Paix Bakery, Inc., a family-owned and operated retail bakery corporation in south Florida. In this venture, she is currently leading La Paix Bakery’s footprint expansion, after successfully tripling the revenue of the business within the past few years. Nadeige also has over a decade of corporate experience across PepsiCo and Frito Lay, with leadership roles across sales, change management, marketing and commercial strategy—while leading teams spanning up to 200 frontline associates & mid-level managers. As a passionate public servant, Nadeige was appointed to the Historic Miramar Advisory Board as Vice chair within the city of Miramar. Nadeige earned her Bachelor of Science dual degree in Finance and Marketing from Florida State University in 2006, and recently completed her executive Master in Public Administration degree at New York University Robert F. Wagner’s Graduate School of Public Service in May 2022. As a first generation Haitian American, she is driven towards issues grounded in education, equity and economic development across communities. Nadeige resides in south Florida, and as an avid traveler, enjoys learning about different cultures through local art, literature, music and food.
BEN WILSKER
Ben Wilsker is Vice President at WE Communications, an independent communications agency based in Seattle. He leads Microsoft’s datacenters and sustainability agency PR team, shaping how one of the world’s largest companies tells its story. He has an MA in Classics from the University of Edinburgh and lives in Brooklyn with his wife and dog.
ALLON YARONI
Allon Yaroni has 15+ years of child welfare and child protection experience translating the “geek” of data and research into the “geek” of policy and strategy. At the Oak Foundation, Allon is a Program Officer with a grant portfolio that is focused on building and scaling evidence-based interventions for the prevention of sexual violence against children. Before joining Oak, he served as an Associate Commissioner for Research and Analytics at the New York City Administration for Children’s Services and as a Research Director at the Vera Institute of Justice. Allon has a PhD in Public Policy from New York University.
GEORGIY ZHIKHAREV
Georgiy Zhikharev is Litworld’s Interim Treasurer, and a Director of Investments at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, based in New York. His team is responsible for enhancing investment process and coordinating investment research and technology efforts across Wealth Management Investment Solutions platform, as well as fostering and overseeing a robust investment governance framework for internal and external investment solutions. Georgiy’s career spans roles in Risk Management, Portfolio Management and Alternative Investments. He is passionate about diversity and has been a sponsor of the Women’s Network within his business, focused of female empowerment, retention and engagement. Georgiy was born and raised in Kazan, Russia and came to US for his master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from DePaul University in Chicago. He also holds a Ph.D.-equivalent degree in Economics and teaches at Fordham University Graduate Business School. Georgiy resides in Englewood Cliffs, NJ with his wife and two daughters. He is passionate about children education, creative writing, bread baking, and chess.