CCI BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rachel Newton Bellow
For more than 20 years, Rachel Newton Bellow has worked with Fortune 500 corporations and nonprofit organizational leaders to design and execute strategic plans with an emphasis on innovation. Rachel began her career on the design team for the MacArthur Foundation’s “genius” awards, where she developed a system for mapping leaders and their institutions in all industries and disciplines. She later served as Program Director at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, where she developed and directed over 20 new funding programs addressing leadership challenges in the nonprofit sector in America and abroad. As founding President and CEO of Project 180, she was a pioneer in articulating the case for joint ventures between commercial and nonprofit organizations and establishing applications in social entrepreneurship. In 1999, Rachel became a Partner at Divine, Inc., a venture capital firm where she was responsible for strategy and acquisitions for its “social market” division. Rachel’s consulting work has focused on helping CEO’s and boards of directors to clarify company mission, dissolve operating conflicts, and address individual leadership challenges. Her insight is particularly adept with start-ups and with companies at critical inflection points—where dramatic and accelerated change is needed. She has worked with leaders of the TED Conference, Global Business Network, the Monitor Group, Daniel Yankelovich, NY Society of Securities Analysts, WNYC Radio, the American Center in Paris, Waterkeeper Alliance, and numerous start-up Internet companies. Rachel received her B.A., Magna Cum Laude, at Harvard University.
Sally
Jo Fifer, Vice Chair
Sally Jo Fifer is President and CEO of Independent Television Service (ITVS), the leading provider of independently produced programs for PBS. Since 1991, ITVS has funded and presented more than 500 shows for public television—shows that explore complex issues, represent diverse communities, and express points-of-view seldom seen on television. Sally oversees ITVS’s core operations which include funding, production management, distribution, promotion, and outreach services. She is also Executive Producer of Independent Lens, a 29-week national series for PBS. Prior to taking the helm at ITVS, she spent nine years as the executive director of Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC). She is the co-editor with Doug Hall of Illuminating Video, a widely used textbook on video art. She has received fellowships for executive training from Stanford and Harvard Business Schools, her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and M.A. from Stanford University.
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Edgar Hirst
Now retired, Edgar Hirst was formerly Vice President of Production for ABC Daytime, and Vice President for Production Operations & Administration of the ABC Entertainment Division. While at American Broadcasting Company, he was Director Olympic Operations, ABC Sports, for television coverage of the 1984 Summer Olympics. Mr. Hirst’s extensive media and entertainment experience led him to become a television production consultant to several broadcast and cable television companies, including New World Television, where he consulted on the development of Access Hollywood. He has also worked internationally in sales and marketing of interactive media entertainment products. As a Principal with Strategy+Capital Partners, he helped locate $9M in financing for a start-up nanotechnology company.
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James C. Hung
James C. Hung is the Founder and CEO of The Hive. The Hive is a global venture consulting firm comprised of business, technology, and nonprofit gurus, entrepreneurs, and strategic partners worldwide. Mr. Hung has performed client engagements in over 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. As one example, he catalyzed one of China’s first critically acclaimed Web search engines. Prior to The Hive, Mr. Hung also worked in California for the start-ups Worlds, Inc., the first 3-D VRML community platform, and Instructional Systems, Inc., a pioneering e-Learning company. Mr. Hung recently concluded being the first Entrepreneur in Residence at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. In this capacity, Mr. Hung provided venture capital and venture philanthropy insight, ideation, and strategy. Prior to that, Mr. Hung was appointed to the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, Public Linkages Task Force during the Clinton Administration. Mr. Hung also served as an Official Representative to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, 1996 Habitat II, and 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. Mr. Hung holds a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts with High Honors from the University of California at Berkeley. Mr. Hung is also the recipient of the International Foundation for Education & Self-Help Fellowship (Africa), Ohrbach Fellowship, TECRO Scholarship (Taiwan), Warren Weaver Fellowship and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship. He grew up in Memphis, TN and attended high school in Alabama at Indian Springs School.
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Lorna Lathram
Lorna Lathram is Director of Philanthropic Services for the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, leading the Philanthropic Services team responsible for developing, delivering, and expanding products and services in the Philanthropic Sector. Ms. Lathram brings extensive experience in creating and launching innovative products and services for the scientific, technology, agricultural and philanthropic sectors. Ms. Lathram was the founding President of the Omidyar Foundation, where she was responsible for developing organizational strategy and funding protocols, building grantee relationships and the overall management of this young, private foundation. Combining practices from traditional philanthropy and entrepreneurial start-ups, Ms. Lathram guided the Foundation to adopt its own approach to engaged philanthropy. She began her career with the multinational manufacturer, CIBA-Geigy (Novartis), in their AgriBusiness division where she was involved in numerous launches of new technologies including the introduction of “expert systems” and PCs into the farming community. Following CIBA-Geigy, Ms Lathram went on to work with three young California-based companies, creating, managing and implementing diverse services including product marketing, client relations, web-based marketing, and customer development and sales for new technology and bio-technology products and services.
Ms. Lathram has or currently serves on the following boards: The Foundation Incubator Board as Board Chair; Editorial Board, Journal of Intergenerational Relationships; the Advisory Board, Center on Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College; Advisory Council, Women’s Philanthropy Institute.
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Cora Mirikitani
Cora Mirikitani is the President and CEO of the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI). Cora’s extensive career in the arts includes more than 10 years in philanthropy as Program Officer for Culture at The Pew Charitable Trusts and later as Senior Program Director at The James Irvine Foundation in charge of their Arts program and Innovation Fund. She has also held key leadership positions as an arts administrator, as CEO of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles, Director of Performing Arts and Film at the Japan Society in New York, and Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. In addition to working as a consultant to foundations and nonprofit arts organizations, Cora has been a lecturer, writer and advisor on numerous arts funding, policy and advisory panels and boards during her career. She served on the board of directors of Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) and chaired the 1999 GIA Conference held in San Francisco. She was appointed as a member of the Los Angeles Mayor’s Council for the Arts in 2004 and has served on many national advisory committees including the Japan Foundation’s Performing Arts Japan program in the U.S. from 2002-2004, and The American Assembly. She also served as a member of the board of directors of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) from 2003-2007, and is the current recipient of a Durfee Foundation Stanton Fellowship award for 2008-2009.
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Sally Jo Fifer is President and CEO of Independent Television Service (ITVS), the leading provider of independently produced programs for PBS. Since 1991, ITVS has funded and presented more than 500 shows for public television—shows that explore complex issues, represent diverse communities, and express points-of-view seldom seen on television. Sally oversees ITVS’s core operations which include funding, production management, distribution, promotion, and outreach services. She is also Executive Producer of Independent Lens, a 29-week national series for PBS. Prior to taking the helm at ITVS, she spent nine years as the executive director of Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC). She is the co-editor with Doug Hall of Illuminating Video, a widely used textbook on video art. She has received fellowships for executive training from Stanford and Harvard Business Schools, her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and M.A. from Stanford University.
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Edgar Hirst
Now retired, Edgar Hirst was formerly Vice President of Production for ABC Daytime, and Vice President for Production Operations & Administration of the ABC Entertainment Division. While at American Broadcasting Company, he was Director Olympic Operations, ABC Sports, for television coverage of the 1984 Summer Olympics. Mr. Hirst’s extensive media and entertainment experience led him to become a television production consultant to several broadcast and cable television companies, including New World Television, where he consulted on the development of Access Hollywood. He has also worked internationally in sales and marketing of interactive media entertainment products. As a Principal with Strategy+Capital Partners, he helped locate $9M in financing for a start-up nanotechnology company.
back to top of page
James C. Hung
James C. Hung is the Founder and CEO of The Hive. The Hive is a global venture consulting firm comprised of business, technology, and nonprofit gurus, entrepreneurs, and strategic partners worldwide. Mr. Hung has performed client engagements in over 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. As one example, he catalyzed one of China’s first critically acclaimed Web search engines. Prior to The Hive, Mr. Hung also worked in California for the start-ups Worlds, Inc., the first 3-D VRML community platform, and Instructional Systems, Inc., a pioneering e-Learning company. Mr. Hung recently concluded being the first Entrepreneur in Residence at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. In this capacity, Mr. Hung provided venture capital and venture philanthropy insight, ideation, and strategy. Prior to that, Mr. Hung was appointed to the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, Public Linkages Task Force during the Clinton Administration. Mr. Hung also served as an Official Representative to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, 1996 Habitat II, and 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. Mr. Hung holds a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts with High Honors from the University of California at Berkeley. Mr. Hung is also the recipient of the International Foundation for Education & Self-Help Fellowship (Africa), Ohrbach Fellowship, TECRO Scholarship (Taiwan), Warren Weaver Fellowship and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship. He grew up in Memphis, TN and attended high school in Alabama at Indian Springs School.
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Lorna Lathram
Lorna Lathram is Director of Philanthropic Services for the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, leading the Philanthropic Services team responsible for developing, delivering, and expanding products and services in the Philanthropic Sector. Ms. Lathram brings extensive experience in creating and launching innovative products and services for the scientific, technology, agricultural and philanthropic sectors. Ms. Lathram was the founding President of the Omidyar Foundation, where she was responsible for developing organizational strategy and funding protocols, building grantee relationships and the overall management of this young, private foundation. Combining practices from traditional philanthropy and entrepreneurial start-ups, Ms. Lathram guided the Foundation to adopt its own approach to engaged philanthropy. She began her career with the multinational manufacturer, CIBA-Geigy (Novartis), in their AgriBusiness division where she was involved in numerous launches of new technologies including the introduction of “expert systems” and PCs into the farming community. Following CIBA-Geigy, Ms Lathram went on to work with three young California-based companies, creating, managing and implementing diverse services including product marketing, client relations, web-based marketing, and customer development and sales for new technology and bio-technology products and services.
Ms. Lathram has or currently serves on the following boards: The Foundation Incubator Board as Board Chair; Editorial Board, Journal of Intergenerational Relationships; the Advisory Board, Center on Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College; Advisory Council, Women’s Philanthropy Institute.
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Cora Mirikitani
Cora Mirikitani is the President and CEO of the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI). Cora’s extensive career in the arts includes more than 10 years in philanthropy as Program Officer for Culture at The Pew Charitable Trusts and later as Senior Program Director at The James Irvine Foundation in charge of their Arts program and Innovation Fund. She has also held key leadership positions as an arts administrator, as CEO of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles, Director of Performing Arts and Film at the Japan Society in New York, and Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. In addition to working as a consultant to foundations and nonprofit arts organizations, Cora has been a lecturer, writer and advisor on numerous arts funding, policy and advisory panels and boards during her career. She served on the board of directors of Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) and chaired the 1999 GIA Conference held in San Francisco. She was appointed as a member of the Los Angeles Mayor’s Council for the Arts in 2004 and has served on many national advisory committees including the Japan Foundation’s Performing Arts Japan program in the U.S. from 2002-2004, and The American Assembly. She also served as a member of the board of directors of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) from 2003-2007, and is the current recipient of a Durfee Foundation Stanton Fellowship award for 2008-2009.
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