Our Speakers

Diana Bald is the CEO of thoughtbot and oversees their pro bono arm, where thoughtbot’s designers, developers, and product strategists help early-stage companies go from idea to clickable prototype.  

She has led strategic partnership growth at Liberty Mutual and served as Chief Marketing Officer for Global Potential, a nonprofit which supports diverse youth from underserved communities. She also served on several boards, including as former secretary at Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) (now She Runs It) and former president of the Philly Ad Club. 

Diana’s career spans technology, insurance, financial services, marketing, advertising, media, and entertainment. She has diverse B2C, B2B, and B2B2C multi-vertical experience. 

Diana has received several awards and distinctions for her commitment to diversity and community involvement, including Philadelphia Business Journals’ 40 Under 40 and Women of Distinction Award as well as the Cradle of Liberty Council’s Good Scout Award. 

Dana Schneider is a Consultant in Taproot Foundation’s Advisory Services practice. Dana designs, manages, and scales world-class pro bono volunteer service opportunities that support nonprofit capacity building and corporate employee engagement programs. 

Dana is driven by a core belief that cross-sector collaboration is required in order to address our most pressing social and environmental challenges. Working at the intersection of the private and nonprofit sectors, Dana engages a wide range of stakeholders, including corporate clients, foundation funders, nonprofit organizations, social enterprises, volunteers, and other strategic partners. She also leads the development of thought leadership, resources, and programs that advance the field of pro bono. 

Dana has demonstrated a commitment to social impact throughout her career. Her rich and varied experience in nonprofit management includes fundraising, change management, data analysis, impact measurement, events management, and talent development. Dana also worked as a Regional Organizing Director with Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Her entrepreneurial and strategic leadership as an organizer, manager, and coalition-builder earned her rapid promotions and deployments around the United States. As a leader, Dana prioritizes building strong teams, developing others, and leveraging the unique strengths each of us bring to the table.

Dana received a BA in Political Science and American Studies cum laude from Brandeis University and a Master of Public Administration in Public & Nonprofit Management and Policy from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.

Emily is an experienced project manager passionate about using innovative technology and data insights for social impact and health improvement. Emily thrives when building relationships and leveraging the human connection to navigate complex problems and drive projects. Emily leads engagements for TCG clients, with focus on IT project, portfolio, and program management support. Her experience running large value projects for both the private and public sector will be key to her success.  

Emily also manages TCG’s corporate social responsibility initiatives, including the Pro Bono portfolio, and the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) action plan. For reference, our non-profit offering provides reduced-cost or pro-bono services to assist state and local agencies, non-profits, and small businesses in need that lack funding for project management services. 

Prior to joining TCG, Emily was a project and relationship manager at OptumLabs® in Cambridge, MA, a collaborative research and innovation center with a mission to accelerate healthcare change. In her role, Emily managed high-visibility projects and facilitated partnerships between OptumLabs and some of the most prominent organizations in healthcare. As co-lead of the Social Responsibility Council, she helped found the OptumLabs Young Analytics Program, designed to educate underrepresented high school students on the power of big data and technology in healthcare, health equity, and policy. Before that, Emily was a consultant in the state government health and human services practice at BerryDunn in Portland, ME. Emily supported system re-procurement planning at a state-based marketplace (health benefit exchange), data governance establishment at a state agency of human services, information technology resource evaluation at an office of the state auditor, and more.