Watch the highlights from our March 4th conversation
on the Role of Economic Mobility in Advancing Racial Justice
Meet the Panelists
Kimberly Brown
Senior Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Kimberly Brown has worked promoting economic mobility through education, workforce development, and philanthropy for over 15 years. She began her career as a faculty member, teaching English Language Learners at Montana State University and the University of Maryland, then moved to Montgomery Community College where she developed specialized, employment-focused curricula and programs for refugees and other populations with high barriers to employment, including victims of human trafficking and domestic violence, survivors of torture and trauma, opportunity youth, and reentering community members. From there she became Chief Program Officer at DC Central Kitchen, focused on social enterprise models, food justice, and workforce development for individuals experiencing poverty, incarceration, homelessness addiction. Kimberly specializes in developing industry partnerships, as well as using data to inform workforce development programming and to promote investment in frontline workers. Her areas of expertise include workforce development and continuing education, career pathways, and accelerated/contextualized programming. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Montana, and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland.
Roy Castro
STRIVE Board Co-Chairman
CEO, D.M. Ice Cream Corporation
Roy Castro first came to STRIVE’s New York offices in 2003 after his release from federal prison, seeking to improve his life and break the cycle of intergenerational poverty experienced by his family. STRIVE’s nationally-recognized training model helped Mr. Castro land a job after graduation and move up the career ladder. He is now the owner of D.M. Ice Cream Corporation, a multi-million-dollar company.
Roy is also a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. A frequent speaker to STRIVE students and to others across New York City, Mr. Castro was honored at the Robin Hood Heroes Breakfast in 2019. He is married and has two children.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu
Founder and President, E Pluribus Unum
Mitch Landrieu is an American Politician, Lawyer, author, speaker, nonprofit leader and CNN political commentator. He served as the 61st Mayor of New Orleans (2010-2018) When he took office, the city was still recovering from Hurricane Katrina and in the midst of the BP Oil Spill.
Under Landrieu's leadership, New Orleans is widely recognized as one of the nation’s great comeback stories. In 2015, Landrieu was named “Public Official of the Year” by Governing, and in 2016 was voted “America’s top turnaround mayor” in a Politico survey of mayors. He also served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Landrieu gained national prominence for his powerful decision to take down four Confederate monuments in New Orleans, which also earned him the prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. In his best-selling book, In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History, Landrieu recounts his personal journey confronting the issue of race and institutional racism that still plagues America.
In 2018, he launched E Pluribus Unum, an initiative in the South created to fulfill America’s promise of justice and opportunity for all by breaking down the barriers that divide us by race and class. E Pluribus Unum is building a series of programs and initiatives to cultivate courageous leaders who are committed to realizing an inclusive vision for a new South, champion transformative policies to reverse the enduring harms of America’s Jim Crow era past for those who continue to experience them today, and change narratives that perpetuate systemic and interpersonal racism in order to shift people’s attitudes and behaviors.
Prior to serving as Mayor, Landrieu served two terms as lieutenant governor and 16 years in the state legislature. He and his wife Cheryl live in New Orleans, where they raised their five children.
Asahi Pompey
Global Head of Corporate Engagement and President, Goldman Sachs Foundation
Asahi is global head of Corporate Engagement and president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation. She is a member of the Management Committee, Global Diversity Committee and the Sustainable Finance Steering Group.
Prior to assuming her current role, Asahi was co-chief compliance officer of Goldman, Sachs & Co and global head of Investment Banking Division Compliance, and had responsibility for conduct risk. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2006 and was named managing director in 2010 and partner in 2018.
Prior to joining the firm, Asahi was an associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, where she worked in the New York and Frankfurt offices.
Asahi graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Swarthmore College and earned a JD from Columbia University, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone and an S.K. Yee Scholar.
Moderator:
Jomal Vailes
Executive Director, STRIVE Atlanta
Jomal is committed to closing the access gap for families and children of color. As Chief Philanthropy Officer for Communities In Schools of Georgia, Jomal worked closely with its President and Board of Directors to lead the statewide agency’s resource development strategies focused on expanding philanthropic investments and agency visibility. Jomal, a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), is no stranger to advocating for vulnerable populations. Vailes previously served as Chief External Affairs Officer for The Center for Working Families (Annie E. Casey Foundation, Atlanta Civic Site), overseeing fund development, communications and strategic partnerships as part of its Family Economic Success and Two-Generation portfolios. An accomplished leader focused on achieving outcomes and impact, Jomal has served Atlanta’s nonprofit community for more than 20 years including roles as Manager of Corporate and Foundation Relations for Georgia Aquarium, and Manager of Community Engagement and Diversity Programs for the world-renowned Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
Jomal is a candidate for the MA in Philanthropy from LaGrange College, and holds a BS in Organizational Leadership from Valdosta State University after matriculation at Morehouse College. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and three daughters.