ELN Board & Leadership

Sara Akbar

Director, Government Affairs, Oracle Corporation
ELN Board of Directors
As Director of Oracle's Government Affairs office, Sara Akbar manages workforce and education policy issues, oversees Oracle’s philanthropy efforts and serves as Oracle’s representative on international task forces. Before joining Oracle in 2004, she was a contract and business development specialist for information technology firms.

Sara was raised in Virginia and lives in the District of Columbia. She earned a BA in International Relations from American University and a Masters of Public Policy from the University of Maryland. Sara is an active volunteer with Higher Achievement, participates with the Parent's Association of a local Washington D.C. Boys and Girls Club and was a founding board of mothertongue – a Washington D.C. women's arts collective.

Scott Beale

CEO & Founder, Atlas Corps 
ELN Board of Directors
Scott Beale is the founder of Atlas Corps and an experienced social entrepreneur who has started three nonprofit organizations and helped thousands of people in his generation become agents for social change. He has worked in four continents, with nonprofit, government and business leaders from around the world and has published many articles and delivered over 500 speeches on his "10 Steps To Change the World." 

Scott has worked for Governor Tom Carper of Delaware coordinating the state’s federal affairs. In addition, he worked as the Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House responsible for Governors. Scott helped coordinate $9 million of USG resources to citizen organizations and international organizations in India that were fighting modern day slavery. He also wrote reports for the U.S. State Department on trafficking and issues related to trafficking, such as female feticide and child labor. 

Scott earned a BA in Government and Economics from Georgetown University and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Delaware.

Janelle Billingslea

CFO, Emergent Leaders Network 
Janelle Billingslea is an innovator, manager, problem solver and entrepreneur. Janelle has built a career focusing on product innovation, development and program management. She has nearly 10 years of experience working in acquisitions to identify and procure new and innovative products that meet the needs of U.S. military forces. Her work with the Department of Defense (DoD) has allowed her to gain valuable experience in rapid acquisition, procurement, full life-cycle management of materiel solutions, contracting, design, development, and delivery. Known as an energetic problem solver, Janelle has managed complex systems and multi-million dollar portfolios that have assets in excess of $750 million. Janelle has personally delivered systems in countries around the globe. 
                                                         
Janelle is also a successful entrepreneur and founded J.BILLINGSLEA, a company that brings innovative hair care products to the market. Her years of experience helping others take their creative products from initial concept through design and onto production have proven invaluable as she sets out to build her own business empire.
 
Janelle attended Georgetown University for undergraduate and graduate degrees. She has also studied at MIT, Stanford, and Harvard. Janelle credits time as a premiere track athlete for helping her develop such a strong work ethic and drive to succeed. During her athletic career, she won 10 State Championships, 20 Conference Championships, three All American titles, a gold medal at the Junior Olympic Games in the 400m event, and set a world record (junior) in the 500m dash.

Daniella Foster

CEO & Co-Founder, Emergent Leaders Network 
ELN Board of Directors
Daniella Foster is the VP & Global Head of Public Affairs and Sustainability, Consumer Health for Bayer. Previously, she was the Senior Director of Global Corporate Responsibility at Hilton, where she led global strategy, youth economic opportunity, social and environmental investments, signature partnerships and reporting across Hilton’s value chain. A policy innovator and social entrepreneur, she co-founded the Emergent Leaders Network and has spent her career focused on actionable innovation in the government, business and non-profit sectors.
 
Daniella previously led global Corporate Affairs and Science Communications for the innovation hub of Mars, Incorporated, a $35 billion private company. She also served as Partnerships Director and Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of State. Daniella has worked across sectors leading initiatives to develop new brands and categories, grow small businesses, connect entrepreneurs to global supply chains, develop youth job skills and accelerate innovation.
 
She is passionate about social entrepreneurship and serves as the Chairwoman of the Emergent Leaders Network. Daniella is also a board member of the United Nations Global Compact Network USA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and serves as a Commissioner for the Global Business Coalition Education’s Youth Skills and Innovation Commission. She holds an M.A. in Social and Public Policy from Georgetown University and a B.A. in Intercultural Communications and Business from Pepperdine University.

Corey Arnez Griffin

President & CEO, Global Government and Industry Partners (2GIP)
ELN Board of Directors
Corey Arnez Griffin, President and CEO of Global Government and Industry Partners (2GIP), has over 18 years of professional experience working in the private sector with Government, Education and Non Governmental Organization customers around the world. Corey spent over 14 years at Microsoft Corporation working in various roles and leadership positions, including as Director of International Development where he had responsibility for Microsoft’s strategy for international development aid, trade and finance agencies.

After Microsoft, Corey served as Vice President for MainStream GS, a veteran-owned management consulting firm, specializing in helping to create high performance organizations in the public sector.  As a dedicated servant, Griffin has a long history of community, association, civic and non-profit service.  He has served on the board of directors for the United States Global Leadership Campaign and the Society for International Development.  In 2008, Corey was appointed by the former USAID Administrator, Henrietta H. Fore, to serve on the Advisory Committee on Foreign Voluntary Aid.  Corey is a native of Washington, DC, and was named by the Washington Business Journal as one of the region’s top minority business leaders in 2008.  Mr. Griffin holds executive education certificates from George Washington University, Harvard University, and UCLA. 

Jean Schindler

President & Co-Founder, Emergent Leaders Network 
ELN Board of Directors
Jean Schindler is a public affairs professional based in Washington, DC, with over a decade of experience in foreign policy, strategic communications, and community building. Jean also has extensive experience in education and leadership development.

After transferring from Glendale Community College in Glendale, CA, Jean earned a BA in History and Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Master's degree in International Relations History from the London School of Economics.