Our Founders & Our Board

Meet Will & Cary

Will and Cary Singleton founded the Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship for two reasons: to create a viable means to combat the dire problem of financial illiteracy in our society; and to promote entrepreneurship as a way to inspire individual achievement. These goals are complementary and essential to our dream of financial freedom for all Americans.

The high percentage of US citizens with significant student debt, the lack of economic and financial literacy education available in schools, and the alarming statistics about the number of Americans living paycheck-to-paycheck coupled with the need to prepare our citizens for the careers and opportunities presented by rapid technological advancements motivated them to take action.

Will and Cary believe that each of us can become the CEO of our own lives with access to education and resources, and have dedicated themselves to focusing on programs which they hope will have a positive long-term impact on the health of the nation.

Will Thorndike, Director

Heading up the Singleton CEO Prize jury, Will is the founder and a Managing Director of Housatonic Partners, a private equity firm launched in 1994. He is a graduate of Harvard College and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Will is a director of eight companies, and two not-for-profit organizations. His book, “The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success” is considered one of the most influential business books of our time.

Gary Krisel, Director

The Walt Disney Television Animation department began in November 1984 with Gary at the helm, and he grew it into a powerhouse. During nearly 23 years with Disney, Gary developed some of its most iconic properties, including the Ducktales TV show and “DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp.” In music, his hits included “Mickey Mouse Disco” (2x Platinum) and “The Making of ‘A Goofy Movie’”. Post Disney, Gary joined Dreamworks SKG where he was the backbone of the studio’s plan to enter Saturday morning cartoons.

Jean M. Gadea, Treasurer/Secretary

A Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner, Jean has her own practice and over 32-years experience with a wide range of clients and industries. She has expertise in all aspects of taxation and accounting, from compliance to planning. Jean has served on a variety of committees and boards for different community organizations. She’s a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Our Team

We believe that through the power of storytelling, entertainment and play, we’ll be able to capture attention, get people engaged and motivate them to learn, take action and make positive changes in their lives. To do so, we’ve assembled a team of entertainment, technology, education, financial and nonprofit professionals.

Sarah Adolphson, Philanthropic Advisor

The Artemis Agency is a full service philanthropic advisory firm for the entertainment industry and beyond. We support the Foundation with partnerships, talent engagement, event programming, the Advisory Council & more.

Courtney Appell, Philanthropic Advisor

Erik Bass, Technology Director

Erik has spent the better part of the last two decades deep in development of business systems and IT management. He’s worked for big companies like GE and Zynga, and has been on the ground floor at startups in FinTech.

Anahit Begluyan, CPA

Anahit brings more than 11 years in diverse accounting and business consulting to her role as a Certified Public Accountant. With a background in audit, she specializes in non-profits and the entertainment industry.

Tim Carr, Head of Marketing, Million Stories

Tim is a seasoned marketer with deep experience growing engaged digital audiences to over 20M+ for leading brands like Live Nation, Jerry Bruckheimer Films/TV, celebrities and non-profits. Tim is Boston University graduate & SDUIS Adjunct Professor.

Jon Chen, Marketing Manager, Venture Valley

Jon brings a deep well of expertise to the table, with a strong focus on the gaming and esports industry. His career includes key marketing and partnership roles at leading gaming organizations such as TSM and NRG, as well as endemic brands within the sector such as MSI and Lenovo.

Amanda Chin Yee, Director, Strategic Alliances and Partnerships

Known to be an avid community builder with a passion for social justice, Amanda is focused on building impactful partnerships across all of Singleton’s program offerings especially for underserved communities.

Jeff Davidoff, Strategy and Marketing Advisor

Passionate about the power of ideas to tackle the great challenges of our time. Wondros CMO, Walton Isaacson President, Donuts CMO, ONE CMO, Orbitz CMO, Whirlpool CMO, MBA Northwestern University, B.A. Dartmouth College.

Tara Farrell, Manager Research, Rights and Clearances

Tara has over fifteen years of experience as an archive producer, clearance supervisor and photo editor for clients such as Sony Television, CNN, NIKE, Apple TV, NBC, Discovery and Netflix.

Ryan Groves, Head of Entrepreneurship

Ryan is an experienced entrepreneur and educator with a background in tech, non-profit, and social enterprise. He has a masters in Social Entrepreneurship from Pepperdine and a BS in Business from Oklahoma Christian.

Jeff Hare, Public Relations

Jeff Hare is an entertainment PR executive that has included positions at Walt Disney, Warner Bros and Head of Publicity at DreamWorks. He is a three-time nominee for the Les Mason award (Publicist of the Year)

Beth Harris, Head of Game Marketing

Beth brings extensive marketing expertise from her career at firms like Disney, BBC Worldwide, Dolby and The Oscars, including managing global franchise brands at ABC Studios, and BBC Games.

Danny Harris, Producer

Los Angeles based Freelance Producer known for Producing TV Variety, Music, Comedy, Award Specials, Live Televised Events, DVD’s, Streaming Broadcasts, Home Videos, Commercials and Internet Branded Media Projects.

Geoff Howard, CFO/COO

Geoff has held numerous finance and operations leadership roles throughout his career in the tech industry. He holds a B.S. in accounting from Indiana University and an MBA from the University of Southern California.

Steven M. Hughes, Director of Business Development, Groove

Steven combines his 10+ years in financial wellness, helping companies like Google, Airbnb, and Tiffany & Co., with his award-winning B2B sales career. His expert advice and guidance are found in Forbes, Business Insider, and The New York Times.

Scott Lange, Business Development, Million Stories

Scott’s focus is on sponsorship of Million Stories. During his career he has created, sold and executed strategic sponsorship solutions for brands, nonprofits, and televised sports events that drive engagement and growth.

Lynette Marroquin, Virtual Assistant

Lynette Marroquin is a seasoned Virtual Assistant specializing in streamlining operations and enhancing productivity. With extensive experience supporting various businesses, she excels in administrative management and project coordination.

Shelley Miles, CEO

Shelley has led entertainment and technology businesses including Disney Interactive and Disney Records and Music. She was a founder of the Pasadena Ronald McDonald House, and has served on several nonprofit boards.

Andy Mogren, Pre-Editor

Andy is an award winning filmmaker and a 2 time Emmy nominated producer, editor, writer, director and animator. His philosophy making content is to always keep the viewer entertained.

Nick Night, Producer, Venture Valley

Nick is a seasoned executive in animation and gaming, specializing in creating and developing original concepts. He is also an award-winning, world-renowned magician with stage and television appearances in over 30 countries.

Nikki Noborikawa, Senior Marketing Manager

Passionate about all things digital media, Nikki has spent her career working with millennial brands and specializing in creating digital content for entertainment news, the nonprofit sector, and more.

Jessica Patel, Head of Content and Learning Resources

Jessica has spent her award-winning career in the editorial space as a journalist, and business leader. She has worked or created content for Bankrate, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Gap and HerMoney, among others.

Landon Phillips, Head of Innovation, Entrepreneurship

Landon’s love for innovation emerged during his career in higher education. A founder of his university’s Innovation Lab, he’s been a writer, producer, and professor, prizing creativity and innovation in every endeavor.

Jan Ross, Head of Content Production and Acquisition

Jan co-founded Energy Film which was later acquired by Getty Images. After becoming President of the Getty Film Division, she was recruited by the BBC where she launched and led BBC Worldwide Learning in the Americas.

Monaco Schmidt, Operations and Project Lead, Slyngshot

Monaco has a passion for building community around big ideas. Managing TED events cultivated her experience with logistics, production, & organization management. She is the Singletons’ Special Project Coordinator.

Rachael Pope, Art Director

Known as a unique voice in the design space. Rachael holds a MS in Communications Design from Pratt Institute and strives for creating a more empathetic and equitable world by addressing global accessibility challenges.

Lea Reed, Community Manager, Million Stories

Lea began her career as a Project Manager and Marketing Specialist for an energy efficiency company in Boston before moving to Los Angeles to continue in the marketing sector for several foundations and clients.

Grace Searles, Creative Project Coordinator

Throughout a previous position in digital coordination for DownEast Magazine, Grace developed a love for the creative process and a skill for project coordinating that she now brings to the foundations creative team.

Reiley Selinger, Social Media Manager

Previous Reporter for Laughing Place LLC, as well as Attractions Cast Member at Disneyland. Reiley uses her passion for video games to create entertaining content for the Venture Valley!

Molly Stone, Philanthropic Advisor

Lisa Thai, Customer Success Specialist, Groove

Fascinated about the intersection of mental health and finance, Lisa has dedicated her career to collaborating with diverse communities, internationally and domestically, to address educational needs that impact mental well-being.

Phoebe Voss, Slyngshot University Relations

Phoebe Voss works on the Singleton Foundation’s Slyngshot team to create content. She graduated from Abilene Christian University with a BS in Graphic Design/Advertising. She’s a lover of all things art and movies.

Advisory Council

The Singleton Advisory Council consists of young leaders that bring innovative and fresh perspectives to the Singleton Foundation with their Millennial and Gen-Z backgrounds. All members form a Leadership Committee that lays the groundwork for a grassroots movement to advance the Singleton Foundation’s purpose of boosting economic freedom and financial empowerment for all. This team of volunteers is also responsible for working with the executive team in the recruitment and the formation of sub-committees that provide feedback and guidance on the direction of Singleton’s content and programs.