Annual Center for Leadership Summit

2025 Summit Speaker Bios

Fr. José Félix Ortega

Pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Bronx

Fr. José Félix Ortega serves as Pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in the Bronx, a vibrant and historic parish at the heart of the Italian and Hispanic Catholic community. Originally from Spain, Fr. Ortega has devoted his priesthood to building bridges across cultures, languages, and generations, guiding his parish with a deep commitment to faith, service, and inclusivity.

At Mount Carmel, he is known for his dynamic preaching, pastoral care, and devotion to Marian spirituality. Under his leadership, the parish continues to thrive as a center for worship, education, and outreach, especially serving immigrants, working families, and those most in need in the South Bronx.

Fluent in both English and Spanish, Fr. Ortega embodies the Church’s mission of welcoming all people, fostering a spirit of community that honors tradition while embracing the future.

Mike Hoffman

Chairman Emeritus and Founder, Changing Our World, Inc.

Mike serves as Co-Chair of the Advisory Board with Lily Li of Harvard Wealth Strategy and Management and the Lily Li Future Foundation for Foundation Source. Mike is the founder, Chairman Emeritus and Senior Advisor of Changing Our World, a company founded in 1999 and built upon the Golden Rule, and the first philanthropic services firm to provide fundraising, management, and corporate social engagement strategy to nonprofits, institutional foundations, and corporations alike, and the first philanthropic consultancy to be acquired by the Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC). As an expert in philanthropy, Mike has provided strategic guidance to the world’s leading nonprofit organizations, philanthropies, and corporations in the world. He was the founder and President of The Hoffman Brothers Foundation and a past member of FADICA.

Mike is also the President of the Global Solidarity Institute which he helped create to support the Vision of Pope Francis; Chairman of The Advisory Board of Dragon’s Wine LLC; Chairman and CoFounder of WAYV (What Are Your Values); and founder of the Weekend Hideaway Syndicate which breeds and races stakes winning thoroughbred racehorses. Prior to founding Changing Our World, Mike was executive vice president of external affairs for the Franciscan Health Partnership, Inc., an international Catholic healthcare system with assets over $1.1 billion, and the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Foundation, Inc., a multimillion-dollar international healthcare foundation.

At the University of Mount Saint Vincent, Mike has served as a trustee, an adjunct professor in the MBA program, and currently serves as the co-chair of the advisory council for the Center for Leadership. He is a board member of The END Fund and the Ursuline School and a past board member of Catholic University.

Mike is also a past president of the West Point Society of New York and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is a graduate of West Point and holds master’s degrees in human relations from Webster University and aviation management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

Pamela J. Newman, PhD

Founder, President, and CEO, PJN Strategies LLC

PJN Strategies LLC is a boutique strategic consulting firm founded by Pamela J. Newman. Pamela is President and CEO.

Dr. Newman is a Board Member of the University of Mount Saint Vincent; serves on the Advisory Board of Brock Capital LLC; chairwoman of the Advisory Board of Mereo Advisors; serves on the Board of Governors for New York Risk Exchange (“NYREX”). She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (“RID”). She is a Past President of the Financial Women’s Association.

On October 20, 2017, Dr. Newman was appointed by the Acting Secretary of the Army, as a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) for Florida (Treasure Coast). Pamela worked as an Executive Vice President for Aon for almost 30 years; She previously worked at Marsh & McLennan as a Managing Director for 20 years.

Pamela has also authored Organizational Communication (McGraw Hill) and Behind Closed Doors; A Guide to Effective Meetings (Prentice Hall). In 2021 she authored a book titled Leadership is Doing which is published by Outskirts Press and distributed by Amazon.

Dr. Newman has received many awards: In 2019, Pamela was awarded the Charles Evans Award from The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation. In 2018, Pamela was the First Recipient of the Business Insurance Women to Watch Inspiration Award; John Cabot University (Rome) awarded Pamela the John Cabot University Presidential Medal for Leadership in Business in 2017. In 2016, she was honored by the University of Mount Saint Vincent. In 2015, she was selected as the Insurance Advocate’s Insurance Professional of the Year. In 2014, she was honored by the UJA-Federation and the Arthritis Foundation. In 2012, she received The Humanitarian Award from the New York Center for Living. The Greater New York Council of the Boy Scouts of America awarded Dr. Newman “Distinguished Woman of the Year” in 2009.

Pamela J. Newman earned her B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from The University of Michigan. During her years in academia, she received a three-year teaching fellowship and was awarded the Horace A. Rackham Doctoral Research Grant. She is the widow of Henry E. Kates. She has two children, Romy and Theodore, and five fantastic grandchildren.

Sharon Baanante

Vice President, The EQC, Morgan Stanley

Sharon R. Baanante is a Vice President at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, where she helps lead the EQC, a first-of-its-kind cross-industry initiative of 26 wealth and asset management firms, led by Morgan Stanley, dedicated to educating, developing, and empowering the next generation of leaders in the financial services industry.

With a career spanning corporate, nonprofit, public, and private sectors, Sharon brings a cross-sector perspective to her work, building strategic partnerships that drive employee engagement, community impact, and inclusive growth. She serves on Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management Diversity & Inclusion Council and is an appointed Commissioner on the Norwalk Commission on Gender Equity. She holds a B.A. in Political Science (Pre-Law) from the University of Connecticut and has pursued graduate studies at Harvard Extension School.

Jerry Chen

CEO, Latte

Jerry Chen is the Founder and CEO of Latte, an AI agent that introduces students and alumni for networking and mentorship. He currently partners with NYU, St. Francis University, the University of Arizona, and others. Jerry’s goal is bold: ensure every one of the 19.4 million U.S. college students has access to a mentor.

Mary White

Digital Program Manager, Union Square Hospitality Group

Mary White serves as the Digital Program Manager on the digital innovation team at Union Square Hospitality Group, working cross-functionally to create delightful guest and employee experiences through technology. Her career spans marketing technology, culinary arts, and hospitality innovation, giving her a unique blend of technical expertise and guest-centric insight. Mary leads initiatives that integrate AI and digital tools to supplement rather than replace people’s work, reducing friction so teams can focus on what they do best—extending enlightened hospitality.

Brandon Hurst

Owner, BJH Hospitality Group Inc.

Brandon J. Hurst is a visionary entrepreneur, investor, and business strategist recognized as the operator of two thriving Brooklyn Chick-fil-A locations, including the borough’s first across from the Barclays Center—distinguished for setting benchmarks in growth and operational excellence. A magna cum laude graduate of Alabama State University with an MBA in Finance, Brandon built his career on intentional leadership, scalable growth, and community impact. He is also the founder of Birth of Dream Ventures, where he invests in entrepreneurs and ventures that drive education, financial literacy, and generational wealth. Honored with multiple awards, Brandon continues to mentor, invest, and inspire leaders nationwide. 

Dean Akbar

Assistant Vice President, Human Resources and Organizational Development, White Plains Hospital

Dean Akbar is the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development at White Plains Hospital. In his role, he is responsible for shaping the culture, development, and careers for the nearly 6,000 employees at White Plains Hospital. As an innovative and strategic leader, Dean is responsible for developing high-impact learning, employee engagement, organization development, performance improvement, and change management programs that serve to bring out the best in employees as they strive to deliver the best patient outcomes and to meet organizational goals.

A psychology major at Morgan State University, with a master’s in organizational psychology from Hofstra University, Dean excels at understanding what motivates people and how to coach them to success.

David Font

Senior Program Director, StreetWise Partners

Dave Font is the Senior Program Director at StreetWise Partners. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Rutgers University–Newark and a master’s degree in human resource development from Clemson University. Dave has spent his entire career working in nonprofits, spending most of his career working in youth development with Boys & Girls Clubs before finding his way to StreetWise Partners in 2019. Dave is passionate about using his experience and background in putting together high-quality programs and learning experiences that help jobseekers improve their job search skills. Dave is an avid reader, loves spending time with his wife and kids, and spends too much money on comic books.