ActiveCause Management
Craig Alberino -- CEO, Founder
Craig Alberino has 20 years of entrepreneurial experience in Internet technologies, enterprise collaboration, and mission critical transaction systems. As an advising consultant to companies like Baccarat, Chanel, and Leiber, he is also a frequent speaker on the convergence of luxury, philanthropy, and technology.
Prior to founding ActiveCause, Alberino advised leading companies on interactive strategy and corporate and social responsibility trends, including Ketchum Public Relations, FedEx Kinko’s, and Monster.com. He has previously worked as a consultant with the wealth management divisions of Goldman Sachs and UBS. His tenure includes General Electric, IBM, and Avanade (a $1 billion strategic joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft).
On July 13th 1985, I was inspired by Sir Bob Geldolf’s work to relieve famine in Ethiopia and create Live Aid. My uncle, legendary Record Plant producer and sound engineer, Roy Cicala, facilitated the entire communications infrastructure for video and sound for Live Aid. I just knew I wanted to be part of something “that big” to help others. In Bob Geldolf’s own words - "Please remember this day all of your lives. It's important. Remember the day you wanted to help." It is with this spirit that we launch ActiveCause.
Damion Hankejh -- CTO, Founder
Damion Hankejh brings to bear 20 years of high technology and software engineering experience in his work
developing, nurturing and launching innovative forward-thinking companies in commerce/communications,
telemedicine and philanthropy. After attending MIT, he handled a host of consulting projects on behalf of HP,
IBM and GE. As founder and CTO of
InstantService.com,
Hankejh invented customer service for the Internet in 1996, leading the design of the first
Hankejh was honored as a Smithsonian Laureate in 1998 for his pioneering research as CTO of the Virtual Operating Room, a joint venture undertaken with Dr. Robert Lazzara and Swedish Health System that set the stage for centers of medical and surgical excellence to serve as accredited virtual operating rooms worldwide.
Peter Carzasty -- VP of Business Development, Founder
Peter B. Carzasty has more than 25 years experience as a cultural advocate and specialist in institutional brand identity for clients in the profit and nonprofit sectors. Apart from having been a consultant to over 60 cultural, civic, education and governmental agencies, his corporate work has included Sara Lee Corporation, Rolex, Warner Bros. and Mattel, Inc. Prior to ActiveCause, Peter planned and implemented comprehensive communications plans for the launch of more than 18 major cultural, civic and retail facilities, including Seiji Ozawa Hall for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the restoration and revitalization of Grand Central Terminal and Steuben’s new flagship store in Manhattan.
Peter’s tenure includes Director of Publicity and Public Relations for the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He was co-creator of "Arts Day U.S.A." involving 45 arts organizations nationwide, campaigning for Senate approval of the reauthorization of the National Endowment for the Arts. He is a member of ATPAM and the Luxury Marketing Council, having developed its “Marriage of Business & The Arts” membership panel series. Peter’s philanthropic work includes his current role on the board of directors of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas after having served on the board of Danspace Project for eight years.
Lori Hoberman, Partner, Fish & Richardson, P.C. -- Legal Counsel
Lori Hoberman is a Principal in Fish & Richardson's New York office and the Co-Practice Group Leader of the firm's Corporate and Securities Group. She is also Chair of the Fish & Richardson's Venture & Technology Group, which addresses the needs of start-up and emerging growth companies. Her practice emphasizes venture capital, private equity, and general corporate counseling for emerging as well as later stage and publicly traded companies. She focuses on a range of industries, including telecommunications, software, biotechnology and life sciences, real estate, consumer products, the Internet, advertising, gaming, and media. Ms. Hoberman has significant experience in the structuring of, and tax planning for, domestic and offshore private equity funds.
Liesl Leach -- Board Advisor
Liesl Leach is a senior banking executive with more than 15 years of specialized experience in consumer credit cards. She most recently led customer and portfolio profitability for Citi's fast-growing international credit card business with more than 30 million customers in over 40 countries outside the US. Previously Leach directed strategy, marketing and program management for all online customer acquisitions for Citigroup US Cards -- moving Citi to #1 in market share in online acquisitions.
Leach's tenure has included Legislative Staff for International Humanitarian Affairs for the Select Committee on Hunger in the U.S. Congress and time spent as an English Teacher in Thailand for the U.S. Peace Corps. Leach received her Master's Degree in Public Policy and A.B. Honors in Government from Harvard University.
John Rovegno -- Board Advisor
John Rovegno has over 15 years experience in assimilating innovative business development strategies with cutting edge technologies to support rapid and high volume enterprise growth. As CIO of Loeb Enterprises, Rovegno brings his executive operational expertise to early stage companies. Prior to Loeb Enterprises, he spent over a decade as a leader in operations, strategy and technology at Synapse Group and Cendant Corporation - both fast paced, affinity marketing organizations that leveraged major airline and hotel rewards programs into mutually successful revenue generating partnerships.
At Synapse, Rovegno set the strategic plan for the first large scale award winning “extranet” supply chain model for business scalability, flexibility and profit maximization. Over the next decade this approach supported the company’s rapid revenue growth to $500 million and high transaction volumes of over 30 million annually. Under his direction, outsourced operations grew to over $48 million dollars annually, employed over 150 individuals and included the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Spain, Barbados, Mexico and Canada.
Roy Cicala -- Board Advisor
Roy Cicala is an American producer, engineer, song-writer and musician with a long history and dedicated interest in philanthropy including Live Aid and George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh. For almost 20 years at Record Plant Studios in New York (1968-1987), he recorded and produced some of the greatest artists of modern music like John Lennon, Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Elvis Presley, Sir Elton John, and Sting. His body of work includes over ten Platinum Records for producing, writing, engineering and management for legendary talent from the 70’s through today. Roy’s talent and uncompromising commitment to quality work has garnered industry praise from legendary talents, colleagues and protégés such as Jimmy Iovine, Shelly Yakus, Jay Messina and Ed Germano.
Bill Melamed -- Board Advisor
Bill Melamed, the Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving for Feeding America, brings an extensive background in philanthropy both professionally and personally. Prior to his current position, Mr. Melamed was the Vice President of Development for amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. In this position, he oversaw revenue growth of nearly 50% in two years, expanding all aspects of the Foundation's support.
A professional development executive for the last several years, he has had a long history of charitable involvement serving on the Boards of a number of national and local organizations. Recognized by the Liberty Hill Foundation in Los Angeles in 2002 with the Founder's Award for his philanthropic vision and commitment, his strategic planning skills have brought success to the nonprofit sector. After a fifteen year career in Los Angeles, as a personal manager, he entered the nonprofit field allowing him to create dynamic movement and bringing out of the box thinking to the organizations he has been involved with.
Karen Brosius -- Board Advisor
Karen Brosius is the Executive Director of the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina. Prior to her appointment, her 21-year tenure at Altria Group Inc. -- parent company of Kraft Foods and Philip Morris -- included positions as Director of Corporate Affairs, Director of Corporate Contributions, and Public Affairs. She has worked closely with leaders in government, nonprofit, business and the media, including the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. She is a recent Presidential appointee to the board of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
For the past ten years, Ms. Brosius has served on the board of directors for Arts & Business Council, overseeing the sponsorship of numerous programs, including the Encore Awards and the multi-cultural internship program. She also has served on the boards of ArtTable, Funders Concerned About AIDS, National AIDS Fund, Danspace and City Harvest as well as serving on the Council on Foundations Corporate Committee, Council on Foundations Media and Public Affairs & Committee and Women in Communications. Additionally, she has worked with service agencies such as the American Association of Museums and the Council on Foundations. She has also worked on major artist retrospectives, including Jacob Lawrence, John Biggers, Frida Kahlo, Robert Rauschenberg Louise Bourgeois, Jasper Johns, Thomas Struth and Michael Lucero.
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