Our Board of Directors

Steve Cohen

An advocacy communications consultant, Steve focuses on writing, editing and visibility building to advance public interest organizations and causes. Prior to that, he spent 15 years in senior communications roles at UC Office of the President and UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education. A San Francisco native, Steve has led the Bay Area Democracy Funders since its inception in 2011 and is active politically. He holds an M.A. from San Francisco State’s Department of Broadcast & Electronic Communication Arts.

Allen Grogan

Grogan has an eclectic background as a technology company attorney, executive and investor. He has served in senior executive and legal roles at public, non-profit and emerging technology businesses, in industries including SaaS, semiconductors, domain names and biomedicine, with funding sources ranging from angel investors to venture capital to private equity to public markets. He has shepherded enterprises through mergers with public companies, including Oracle and IBM, as well as acquisitions by businesses headquartered in Israel, India and Canada. Allen co-founded a biomedical startup and guided it through regulatory approval and the successful sale of its assets. Earlier, while engaged in the private practice of law, his clients included AOL, Netscape and numerous pioneering software and online ventures, as well as venture capital firms and individuals and companies in the media and entertainment industries. He co-founded and served as an editor-in-chief of the monthly legal publication The Computer and Internet Lawyer. He has been a speaker at conferences and events sponsored by UCLA Law School, USC Law School, the Practicing Law Institute and the Computer Law Association. For decades he has worked with and advised venture capital and private equity firms regarding investments in technology firms.

Amanda Kim

Amanda Kim has worked for The Walt Disney Company for more than 7 years in operations and planning management. Over the past 5 years, she has helped lead more than 15 different AAPI employee groups across the company and organized internal virtual and in-person events for employees, celebrating and discussing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. With a goal of furthering conversations around topics of identity, marginalized communities, AAPI and LGBTQIA+ issues, and more, she is always looking to both organize and attend programming centered around these topics. She has led the planning and programming for the company-wide AAPI Heritage Month celebration for the last 2 years.
With an educational background in International Relations specializing in Northeast Asia and experience working abroad, she has a passion for travel and lifelong education. Starting her schooling experience being homeschooled with her two younger sisters, she knows the power of specialized, alternative teaching to empower individuals and communities alike.

Neepa P. Ranavat

Neepa is currently the corporate senior counsel at Hanson Bridgett, a full-service law firm with over 200 attorneys with offices in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
 Neepa is a self-directed and passionately motivated corporate senior counsel leading general corporate transactions, mergers, and acquisitions. Her background and training also includes executing multi-million dollar senior debt financings. She is highly organized and is a creative problem solver who excels at guiding in-house and external teams through complex projects by identifying goals and advising on implications. Her expertise also includes all aspects of risk assessment/insulation, contract negotiations, and corporate governance.

Marcel Roche

Marcel Roche has over 15 years of experience as finance executive in life science and technology companies, both private and public. At Illumina, Marcel deployed the global FP&A practice and systems, led the DNA sequencing cost accounting team, and supported revenue growth from $70M to over $1B. At Guardant, he built the finance & accounting function, implemented NetSuite ERP and Big 4 audit, leading up to an IPO. Through his career, Marcel was instrumental in $500M+ of debt and equity financing. He is a California CPA and holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
Sujay Kar headshot

Michael Dockery

Michael has worked for more than three decades in management positions of international development projects, emergency humanitarian and natural disaster response program planning and implementation. As the Director of MDockery Consulting, he worked as a short-term and long-term consultant focusing on new business development, long-term strategic planning, personnel recruitment, and proposal writing for INGO’s and other development partners. He has served as Chief of Party for different agencies across the globe, including in Ghana, Nepal, and South Sudan.

Sujay Kar

Sujay is a Senior Data Analytics Executive with a proven track record of driving digital transformation and sustainable data culture at Fortune 100 companies like GE Capital, Morgan Stanley, Experian, and disruptive consumer brands such as DollarShaveClub, Fabletics, and Curology.

He has 18+ years of expertise in implementing strong data governance practices and leveraging data engineering, advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning to drive 2x growth and deliver organizational excellence for industry leaders in eCommerce/DTC, Tech, Retail, and Financial Services.

Sujay was recognized as one of the top 100 AI influencers by AIM Media in 2023.

Sujay has a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Matt York

Founder & Executive Director of illuminAid

Matt graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Communications (TV and Film) and English in 1978.  In 1986, he founded Videomaker Inc., a leading publisher on video production. It is Videomaker Inc.’s mission is to empower individuals to make video through its monthly magazine, website and hands-on workshops and conferences.
Branching out of Videomaker Inc. in 2008, Matt founded illuminAid because of his genuine passion to make a difference in the developing world by bringing change through video.  Since then, Matt has been able to harness over two decades of expertise in the video consumer electronics industry to grow illuminAid from an idea to a thriving nonprofit organization.
Through the development of his own patent for a consumer electronics device as well as his travels to research and development labs in Japan, he is experienced in the details of electronics equipment development. Matt's inside knowledge about consumer electronics gear, his tracking of up and coming technologies and his seasoned relationships with many top decision makers from major consumer electronics manufacturing firms contribute to his ability to fulfill the mission of illuminAid.  His professional contacts will vouch for his honesty and integrity as he is a well-respected colleague in both the publishing and consumer electronics industry.

Clare Cahill

Clare Cahill is a visionary leader with over 20 years of experience in Marketing, Communications, and Event Management within the IT industry. Known for her empathetic and strategic approach, she has consistently driven impactful results at Adobe, leading initiatives across APAC and EMEA. Clare’s expertise spans virtual and hybrid event technology, community marketing, and experiential campaigns. She has built high-performing teams and pioneered programs that enhance brand perception and deepen customer engagement. An award-winning marketer and former board director, Clare is dedicated to creating social impact and fostering inclusive, innovative spaces that resonate across diverse cultures and markets.

A.S. Douno

Aboubacar S. Douno is a seasoned IT and Digital Transformation Leader with over 14 years of experience delivering innovative technology solutions across Europe and Africa. Driven by a passion for technology, entrepreneurship, and humanitarian work, he has spent seven years developing data-driven solutions that save lives and enhance access to healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa.

In addition to his humanitarian efforts, Aboubacar has founded and mentored technology startups through his startup studio, 54 Startups Inc. He currently serves as the National Deputy Director for Information Technology and Digital Economy in the Republic of Guinea, where he leads the development of national digital transformation strategies and policies.

Lise Smith-Peters

Lise Smith-Peters has over 30 years of experience in development across higher education, city government, and the nonprofit sector. She began her career as a grant writer and lobbyist for Planned Parenthood in Lexington, KY, and for the past decade has focused on advancing philanthropic support for the California State University system, including Chico State, Cal Poly Humboldt, and East Bay.
Lise holds a Master’s in Political Science and Latin American Studies from Tulane University and a B.A. in International Relations from Texas Christian University. In 1992, she volunteered as a human rights observer during Nicaragua’s national elections and contributed a chapter to a book on the experience. 
Throughout her career, Lise has found deep fulfillment in connecting with donors and volunteers who are passionate about supporting transformative, visionary projects. Now retired and living in Berkeley, CA, with her husband, she is proud to see both of her adult children launched and looks forward to volunteering with IlluminAid.