Board of Advisors
Willard Dumas
Willard Dumas is the Director of Leadership Gifts for Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and everyone living with HIV. Willard has centered his philanthropic career and volunteer service on expanding and protecting the rights of the LGBTQ+community and everyone living with HIV. Prior to joining Lambda Legal, Willard worked for the ACLU of Illinois, About Face Theatre, and the Howard Brown Health Center. Willard combines his interest in history, architecture, art and historical preservation with frequent domestic and international travel, cooking, dining, and exploring. Willard earned his JD from Boston College Law School and his BA from Washington and Lee University.
Michael Payne
Michael has spent seventeen years in the renewable energy industry, managing teams of developers in Europe and the US. He currently serves on both for-profit and nonprofit boards with a focus on growing organizations that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular goals relating to poverty alleviation, sustainable cities, and energy. Michael led the launch of a bicycle advocacy nonprofit and currently chairs the African Entrepreneur Collective, a nonprofit working to help displaced entrepreneurs create wealth in East Africa through a combination of training and microfinance. Michael has an MBA from Kellogg/Northwestern and a BA from Emory. He has lived in France, Chile, Panama, and UK as well as 15 years in the Netherlands.
Castle Redmond
Castle Redmond is a Managing Director at The California Endowment. He is responsible for developing funding strategies aimed at transforming California’s public school system by dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline, healing school communities, and creating healthy learning environments. Castle came to The Endowment in 2011 after nine years working with the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) where he oversaw the City of Oakland’s Juvenile Justice Center Wraparound Strategy, collaborated with Alameda County Probation on reforms to youth reentry from the justice system, and supported OUSD’s first restorative justice program at Cole Middle School in West Oakland. An Oakland resident, Castle earned his B.A. in History from the University of California, Berkeley, and his law degree (J.D.) from Georgetown University.
Gwen Bethel Riley
A music executive and producer with 20 years’ experience specializing in digital content integration, music production, licensing, supervision and music business operations, Gwen has a passion for creating strategic music-driven digital content. Currently the Senior VP of Music at Peloton Interactive and the head of Disney Interactive Music for almost a decade, she has worked with some of the most prolific franchises in entertainment and connected fitness. Gwen is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Boston College Law School.