board of directors
DUSTIN LIU
Dustin Liu is a Taiwanese-American and proud New Yorker where he recently served as the Senior Associate Director of the NYU Stern Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing (IPF). He leads the strategic direction of the organization, encouraging connections between research and practice, managing strategic partnerships, and overseeing the design and implementation of the Initiative’s programming.
Most recently, Dustin was a Lecturer at Stanford University and was the Associate Director of the Stanford Life Design Lab where he taught the principles of design thinking and guided students as they develop their own answers to the tough questions in life, education, and vocation.
He has previously held teaching and administrative positions at Cornell University, Harvard University, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and The University of Chicago.
Dustin is most proud of the work where he can identify & share frameworks that make sense of disparate experiences, ideas, and domains.
EMMA CAPPIELLO
Emma Cappiello leads the Global AI portfolio at the Rockefeller Foundation, where she designs and advances initiatives at the intersection of philanthropy, technology, and public impact.
Most recently, Emma was Manager of Programs & Operations at Renaissance Philanthropy, where she helped scale the organization from 11 to 80+ team members. She built the core operating infrastructure and designed programs for the central organization and a network of 40+ affiliated funds and initiatives, supporting the deployment of over $150M across frontier science, AI, and climate. Prior to that, she served as Manager and Special Advisor at Schmidt Futures, acting as Chief of Staff to the Vice President and helping oversee a $110M portfolio spanning 10+ programs focused on talent, science, and emerging technology. Earlier in her career, she supported the development and launch of Summit Fellows and Summit Impact, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit backing 100+ entrepreneurs across 25+ countries.
Emma serves on the Board of Mountaintop International, is a Board Observer at Interact, and advises The Residency on fundraising strategy and program development. She received her bachelor's degree in International Relations with a minor in Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California. She is a program designer, team builder, and connector who helps organizations transform ambitious ideas into enduring programs, partnerships, and institutions—and believes in betting on exceptional talent early.
Joseph Munyambanza
Joseph, a multi-award-winning social entrepreneur and thought leader, has dedicated nearly two decades to transforming communities and changing lives in Africa. His leadership in education and inclusion for refugees, women, and youth is evident in his work as Scholars Program Partner at the Mastercard Foundation, where he has championed youth engagement, launched alumni chapters in seven African countries, and leads efforts to include 25% refugees and displaced persons in the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program’s goal of 100,000 scholars by 2030.
Joseph’s passion for positive change in Africa stems from his own experience growing up in a refugee camp in Uganda. He co-founded CIYOTA in 2005, an innovative, youth-led organization that educates thousands of refugee children and youth in Uganda. Joseph has challenged world leaders at global forums like the World Economic Forum, Skoll World Forum, and World Bank to empower local communities and youth to address their own challenges. His commitment to shifting power dynamics represents a transformative approach to problem-solving and leadership.
Joseph is an alumnus of the African Leadership Academy and a holder of a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry and a Postgraduate Diploma in Innovation & Design Thinking. His dedication to improving lives through education, inclusion, and youth engagement has earned him numerous recognitions, including the Global Citizen Award and Top 99 Under 33 Foreign Policy Leader by Global Citizen and Diplomatic Courier respectively. Joseph is committed to community service, mentorship, writing recommendations, and serving on local high impact organization committees.
Rumbidzai Chisenga
Rumbidzai is the Director of Programs at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development.
She leads the Amujae Initiative, the EJS Center’s flagship program that prepares African women to unapologetically
take up roles in the highest echelons of public leadership. Rumbidzai is one of twelve globally identified civic innovators who were part of the inaugural class of Obama Foundation Scholars (2018 -2019) at Columbia University in New York City.
Prior to that, she was a Program Manager at the Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS), a pan-African think tank that advocates for the adoption of Afrocentric approaches in addressing the continent’s socioeconomic development challenges. Rumbidzai was instrumental in establishing the MINDS Scholarship Program for Leadership Development, setting up the program’s operational processes at inception. She was also in charge of the MINDS Youth Program on Elections and Governance, a civic education initiative that equips African youth for meaningful participation in governance. Under this program, she coordinated an alumni network spread across 53 African countries.
Rumbidzai received a bachelor’s degree of commerce (Economics and Accounting) from Rhodes University in South Africa and a master’s degree of management (Entrepreneurship) from Wits Business School in South Africa. She has extensive experience working as a cross-sectoral management consultant and has previously founded a social enterprise. Rumbidzai is an alum of the Emerging Leaders programs of the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance (University of Cape Town) and the Policy Center for the New South (Atlantic Dialogues).
