Rajat Gupta joined the board of directors of Project2Morrow in 2023. He is an Indian-American business executive who, as CEO, was the first foreign-born managing director of management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company from 1994 to 2003. Gupta was a board member of corporations including Goldman Sachs, Procter & Gamble and American Airlines, as well as an advisor to non-profit organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He is the co-founder of the Indian School of Business, American India Foundation, New Silk Route and Scandent Solutions.
Gupta was a student at Modern School in New Delhi. After high school, Gupta ranked 15th in the nation in the entrance exam for the Indian Institutes of Technology, IIT JEE. He received a Bachelor of Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Delhi in 1971. His economics professor at IIT Delhi was Subramanian Swamy, who wrote his recommendation letter when he applied for Harvard Business School. Declining a job from the prestigious domestic firm ITC Limited, he received an MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS) in 1973. Gupta graduated with distinction as a Baker Scholar. Gupta remarked that the first time he saw an airplane was when he flew to ITC at their request to inform them he would be attending Harvard.
Gupta joined McKinsey & Company in 1973 as one of the earliest Indian Americans at the consultancy. He was initially rejected because of inadequate work experience, a decision that was overturned after his Harvard Business School professor Walter J. Salmon called Ron Daniel, then head of the New York office and later also the managing director of McKinsey, wrote on Gupta's behalf.[6]
Gupta's mentors at McKinsey included Ron Daniel, the former managing director who as senior partner first hired Gupta into the New York office, and Anupam (Tino) Puri, the first Indian at the firm and eventual senior partner. He, in turn, mentored Anil Kumar as another early Indian-American at the consultancy. Gupta and Kumar "were the face of McKinsey in India." According to The Financial Times, "the two operated as a forceful double-act to secure business for McKinsey, win access in Washington and build a brotherhood of donors around the Hyderabad-based ISB and a handful of social initiatives."
Gupta began his career in New York before moving to Scandinavia to become the head of McKinsey offices in 1981. He did well in what was then considered a "backwater" area; this is where he first made his mark. Elected senior partner in 1984, he became head of the Chicago office in 1990.
In 1994 he was elected the firm's first managing director (chief executive) born outside of the US, and then re-elected twice in 1997 and 2000. Gupta is widely regarded as one of the first Indians to successfully break through the glass ceiling, as the first Indian-born CEO of a multinational corporation (not just a consultancy). During Gupta's time as head of McKinsey, the firm opened offices in 23 new countries and doubled its consultant base to 891 partners, increasing revenue 280 percent to $3.4 billion. His annual salary was estimated at $5–10 million USD. Gupta joined Project2Morrow with another Harvard alumni Dr. Howard Moskowitz.
Donald E Lively is the co-creator and first dean of Florida Coastal School of Law and founding dean of Phoenix School of Law.[1]Florida Coastal School of Law is the first investor-owned law school to be fully accredited by the American Bar Association.[2] Its founding, among other things, aimed to address the State of Florida's historical legacy of profound underrepresentation of minorities in the legal profession. It has distinguished itself on the basis of student outcomes, as graduates consistently have experienced success in moot court competitions and on the bar examination and outperformed students with similar academic quality indicators. Lively is the author of more than 20 books on subjects including constitutional law, race, gender, and civil rights, freedom of speech, and the judicial process. Several of his books have won awards. He has authored more than 50 law review articles and essays, has lectured extensively domestically and overseas, and is a recipient of the Florida Supreme Court Professionalism Award. He is the creator of Law Tuesday, a legal services program that serves disadvantaged persons who otherwise would have no meaningful access to the legal system. The Ohio State Bar Association in 2004 named Law Tuesday the state's outstanding pro bono program. Professor Donald E. Lively is the author of two books on Communications Law, Modern Communications Law, and Essential Principles of Communications Law, as well as numerous articles, essays and reviews dealing with First Amendment, media, and regulation. Prior to teaching at the University Of Toledo College Of Law, St. Thomas University, and Citypolytechnic of Hong Kong, Professor Lively was a member of Coghill and Goodspeed, P.C. (1982-84) and an attorney for the Des Moines Register (1982) and the Securities and Exchange Commission Office of the General Counsel(1980-1982). His other previous positions include Assistant Manager for Public Relations for Georgia Power Company and television journalist. Professor Lively has also authored numerous books and articles on Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and the Supreme Court. He received his J.D. from University Of California at Los Angeles; he earned a M.S. from Northwestern University; A.B. from University Of California at Berkeley.
In addition to his role at OptionSoft, Ken's business acumen extends to being a full or part-owner/investor in a diverse portfolio of successful enterprises and projects. His proven track record showcases an ability to succeed with startups as well as acquisitions, demonstrating his versatility as an entrepreneur.
Throughout his career, Ken's companies have undertaken major projects for esteemed publicly traded entities, including Ford, Amtrust, Cisco, Santander, Camping World, and Mazda, further attesting to his reputation for delivering exceptional services and solutions.
Mr. Tomaro's impressive portfolio encompasses businesses in various industries, ranging from software as a service (SaaS) and insurance to finance, payment processing, and automotive dealerships. Notably, OptionSoft, founded as a SaaS business in 2003, boasts a significant user base of over 50,000 in the automotive industry, a testament to its widespread success and impact.
Among his notable ventures, Mr. Tomaro founded Colonial Transfer in 2004, which efficiently processes over $70 million in customer recurring payments annually for clients.
In 2019, Ken Tomaro's strategic vision led him to acquire the Home Auto Group, a move that has yielded exceptional growth and further expanded his business endeavors.
Ken Tomaro's exceptional entrepreneurial journey is marked by unwavering dedication, innovative thinking, and an ability to seize opportunities across diverse sectors. With a proven ability to drive success in startups, acquisitions, and major projects for renowned corporations, he continues to be a driving force in the business world, leaving an indelible mark on each venture he undertakes.
In life, there are choices we make and those that are imposed on us. Born in Paris, Jeany James is the perfect example. As a child, she followed her parents. First in Switzerland, where she spent her first years. Then to the United States, her adopted country, where she speaks the language perfectly. She changes home "almost every year", gaining in the process, the strength of adaptation and open-mindedness which has forged her character today.
At only 3 years old, her father, a great amateur sportsman, put a tennis racket in her hands. Jeany stuck with It for 13 years, determined, stubborn, hard-working and competitive at heart. She joined the Chris Evert Academy and became one of the great hopes of junior women's tennis. The first breakthrough for Jeany came at the age of 14. Jeany had just learned that a new baby had arrived in her sister's family. She sat down at the piano and, by ear, composed her first song. Encouraged by her family, she never stopped.
Two years later, while she plays 6 hours a day on the tennis court, she spends all her free time listening to Lady Gaga, Katy Perry or Alicia Keys, Jeany decides to learn more about the"music business" and goes to spend a few hours at the South Beach Studio, a recording studio in Miami, where she lived then. Luckily,
she meets Timbaland in front of whom she'd perform an Acappella song, conquered he puts at her disposal a team of 5 people for a year and half. At their side, she learns to work on sounds,lyrics, melodies, beats and more.
Of course, in order to learn the arcane of this new profession, she had to make a sacrifice: "Mom, Dad, Idon't want to run after a tennis ball my whole life, I want to make music now".
The rest is impressive in its maturity: Jeany decides that she is not yet ready for this profession, and despite several proposals, does not immediately launch into the adventure. "I needed to find myself. To do this, she traveled back and forth from the US to France, she multiplied meetings, continued to write and create her own music until this special day of 2019 where she crosses the path of her new music producer Gregory B.
A mutual bound and trust gets established. Confident now, she feels ready to attack her future.
She joins the Board of Directors as the youngest member and an artist.
Jean D. Vernet, II is a long-time community activist and organizer who played a
very visible and crucial role in mobilizing the Haitian American community in
participating in the historic march of April 20, 1990 against the unscientific
designation of Haitians as particularly susceptible to the HIV virus. Subsequently,
Jean worked on issues of voter participation, civic education and was successful
enough to be solicited to run for the city council of New York in 2001. His
unsuccessful campaign was a high-water mark in the political participation of
Haitian Americans in New York City.
Jean holds a B. A. in Comparative Literature with a focus on African identity in the
Diaspora and Africa; he also holds a Master’s of Science in Community Economic
Development from Southern New Hampshire University.
Jean has an abiding interest in economic empowerment as key to community
resiliency. He has worked in that field in New York City and Haiti, providing
training in business skills, money management and assets acquisition to
marginalized communities. He has also worked as a consultant to the Central
Bank of Haiti, the Office of the President of Haiti and the Deputy Speaker
Assembly of the State of New York.
Jean’s commitment to community empowerment has recently been focused
exclusively on financial education which is a natural outgrow of his education. He
currently works as Senior Financial Counselor on Long Island, New York.
Jean D. Vernet, II is a long-time community activist and organizer who played a
very visible and crucial role in mobilizing the Haitian American community in
participating in the historic march of April 20, 1990 against the unscientific
designation of Haitians as particularly susceptible to the HIV virus. Subsequently,
Jean worked on issues of voter participation, civic education and was successful
enough to be solicited to run for the city council of New York in 2001. His
unsuccessful campaign was a high-water mark in the political participation of
Haitian Americans in New York City.
Jean holds a B. A. in Comparative Literature with a focus on African identity in the
Diaspora and Africa; he also holds a Master’s of Science in Community Economic
Development from Southern New Hampshire University.
Jean has an abiding interest in economic empowerment as key to community
resiliency. He has worked in that field in New York City and Haiti, providing
training in business skills, money management and assets acquisition to
marginalized communities. He has also worked as a consultant to the Central
Bank of Haiti, the Office of the President of Haiti and the Deputy Speaker
Assembly of the State of New York.
Jean’s commitment to community empowerment has recently been focused
exclusively on financial education which is a natural outgrow of his education. He
currently works as Senior Financial Counselor on Long Island, New York.
Ms. PRUDENCE is a nurse by profession but her passion for education has taken her on the education path where in the last four years she has been working as the principaI of a public school in Libreville, Gabon. As a school principal she has been focusing on improving students' test scores on the national exam. She has been hugely successful in improving test scores four years in a row from 60% to 97%, the first year to a 100% three years in a row. Her performance earned her the prize for excellence from the President of the Republic, his excellency, the Honorable Ali Bongo Ondimba.
Prior to becoming a school Principal, she worked at the laboratory of a medical center in moanda, in the upper ogoue as a teacher. Her goal during this brilliant journey is to work for the development of her country. She joined Project2morrow in 2022 as in country General Manager. This position allows her to advance the need of her country's educational goal working with her country's minister of education and other stakeholders in the area of higher education.
As General Manager, her job is to lead the effort of Project2Morrow inside Gabon serving as a conduit between the organization and government officials in Gabon. Her experience in the area of education makes her uniquely qualified to represent Project2Morrow.
Ms. Gilberte is currently the
Principal of a Public School in the 4th arrondissement of the commune of Libreville. She joins P2M in 2022 as Deputy Director working in direct collaboration with the Director General to carry out the missions and sharing of the strategic visions of P2M.
She supervises the staff and volunteers to ensure they are properly trained, supported and motivated to carry out their responsibilities effectively.
She monitorsand evaluate the effectiveness of the organization's programs and services and make recommendations for improvement.
She is in charge of administrative missions, helping to develop the budget and fundraising efforts to ensure the financial stability of the organization.
She is also in charge of ensuriny that local regulations of Gabon are respected and international best practices are implemented.
She provides leadership and guidance to the team ensuring that all staff members are aligned with the values, mission and vision of the PROJECT2MORROW.
Born in Okondja in GABON, Zorobabel is a young student entrepreneur serving his community.
Passionate about management, politics, and IT, he decided to be trained in all these fields in parallel while hoping to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to practice there professionally.
An active entrepreneur, he works mainly in events and is at the head of a digital communication, promotion and event management company that employs several young people.
He is also a young actor for sustainable development and is committed to his community on a daily basis, through politics and community service.
United Nations Volunteer, Vice-President of the National Youth Observatory for the Climate in Gabon, Impact Officer of the Global Shapers Hub in Libreville, a community of more than 14,000 young people around the world and established in more than 150 countries, Zerobabel is constantly in contact with the world around him, a world made up mainly of young people from his country in particular and of course young people from Africa and the world in general.
Polyglot, he speaks three languages including French, English and Spanish. He joined Project2Morrow in 2022 as manager and Youth Liaison.
