CO-CHAIR OF THE BOARD, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Maria Filippelli works at the nexus of data, technology, and policy. Currently, Maria is the Data Director for the Southern Economic Advancement Project (SEAP) at the Roosevelt Institute. Prior to SEAP, Maria was a Public Interest Technology Census Fellow with New America, where she developed and led a strategy to assist dozens of national, state, and local organizations and governments navigate the technical changes to the 2020 Census. Maria is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and American Planning Association, and a NASA Space Apps Ambassador. In addition, Maria holds a MS in urban science and informatics from New York University and a MA in economics from San Diego State University.

CO-CHAIR OF THE BOARD, PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS & STRATEGY

Ciara Ungar is an award-winning Strategy Consultant and Executive Coach, with a passion for lifting others up. She is a New York City-based Author on Leadership, Strategy Consultant, Executive Coach, Fractional Executive, and Global Speaker. Ciara also serves as an adjunct Instructor at esteemed universities, such as Columbia University, and teaches on the subjects of Economics, Entrepreneurship, & Social Justice, Business Entrepreneurship, and Research Fundamentals. She also serves as a Mentor and Judge with MassChallenge and TechStars, sits on several Advisory Boards.

In addition to her full time work, Ciara serves as an Executive Director of RENNIE Org, which serves the homeless community in New York City. She also volunteers with local policy advocacy initiatives on such issues as housing, healthcare, and social justice.

Ciara is a proud Alumni of Boston University (MBA), Georgetown University (MA), and Purdue University (BA), where she has studied business administration, corporate strategy, communications, and criminal justice.

TREASURER, BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Morgan Martin is a seasoned leader in organizational development and strategic change management, dedicated to empowering mission-driven organizations to achieve sustainable growth. With over 12 years of experience across non-profit, small business, and digital services sectors, she excels in leading cross-functional initiatives, aligning resources, and implementing data-driven solutions that drive sustainable success.

In addition to her professional achievements, Morgan is a co-organizer of the Women in FinTech Initiative (WIFI). Representing the group’s expansion to the East Coast, she is committed to advancing WIFI’s mission to empower women and diversity advocates to break systemic barriers and achieve leadership and entrepreneurial success in financial technology. Through expert panels, community-building events, and mentorship opportunities, Morgan champions the vision of fostering gender diversity in fintech leadership and entrepreneurship.

Morgan contributes to the Board her skills in supporting growth, facilitating transformational change, and fostering inclusive communities to advance TechShift’s mission of empowering future innovators through impactful initiatives.

Cybersecurity Leader | Cloud & Application Security Specialist | Diversity & Inclusion Advocate

Kelly is a cybersecurity professional with over seven years of experience, specializing in securing cloud and application environments for clients across the retail, healthcare, financial services, and technology sectors. She works for a leading consulting firm, delivering security solutions that enhance resilience and compliance. Kelly holds a Master’s in Cybersecurity from Georgia Tech and a Bachelor’s in Information Technology from Florida International University.

Beyond her technical expertise, Kelly is deeply involved in promoting diversity and inclusion in the cybersecurity industry. She serves on the scholarship committee within the Women in Security and Privacy (WISP) and is actively involved in working groups in the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and ISACA organizations, where she reviews publications such as certification manuals and white papers. She is also a frequent judge for industry competitions, including global hackathons, the Edison Awards, and the Business Intelligence Group (BIG) Innovation Awards.

Kelly extends her impact through thought leadership and mentorship. She co-hosts a podcast with IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE), where she highlights emerging trends, career insights, and the contributions of women in STEM.

Vitu is a seasoned technology product leader. He currently works as a Senior Product Manager at a fintech start-up called Tremendous; prior to that, he was the Lead Product Manager for Lyft's Autonomous Platform team, where he helped launch the company's first Autonomous Vehicle tablet app that integrated with the self-driving vehicle it supported. 

Vitu holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) and a B.Math from the University of Waterloo.

Gopal Krishnan is a senior leader with a long career in large companies, including at the C-level. He has worked across a wide swath of industries including health and wellness, consumer products, cybersecurity, SaaS, financial services and transportation. He has created and run businesses across public, private equity and not-for-profit sectors. He also sits on the boards and advisory boards of several civic bodies and companies in the US and sometimes abroad. He has been active as the executive sponsor in mentoring diverse employee resource groups including women and minorities. He regularly serves as mentor and judge for start-up accelerators at local universities and  has been teaching post-graduate and doctoral students as an adjunct faculty. 

He has a doctorate degree in management and travels widely.