Keep a Child Alive

Our New Board Members

Ellen Healy
An accomplished executive with twenty-five years of integrated marketing experience across advertising, promotion, public relations, brand and event marketing, product innovation, with an expertise in talent/sports/entertainment sponsorship integration. Ellen has held numerous PepsiCo US and International marketing positions.  Projects that have been her legacy at PepsiCo include turning Pepsi’s can ‘blue’ in the mid 90’s and Pepsi Twist product innovation in 2002 yielding an unprecedented success behind a new product overseas. Renowned for building PepsiCo’s celebrity and entertainment relationships and partnerships, Ellen has signed over 50 iconic celebrity talent to PepsiCo. Some of the most well-known have include David Beckham’s ten year Pepsi ambassadorship, the historic Pepsi Gladiator music campaign with Pink, Beyonce, Britney, Enrique and Queen, and the engaging Black Eyed Peas program which saw youth performing on stage with the BEPeas during their 2007 tour. Most recently she has been leading Pepsi’s celebrity philanthropic brand programs with the Didier Drogba Foundation as well as Akon’s Konfidence Foundation. Ellen’s ability to leverage her relationships and industry knowledge through her exceptional interpersonal and communication skills have been key drivers in the success of PepsiCo’s celebrity ambassador to brand sponsorships. Her deal creation expertise is leveraged across PepsiCo beverages and snacks, with a concentration on Pepsi, Gatorade, 7UP and Doritos outside of the United States. In addition to the numerous artist/label/publishing relationships, talent sponsorships have included Eva Longoria, Sharon and Ozzy Osborne, Claudia Schiffer, Maria Sharapova, and such additional great soccer legends Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos, Totti, Raul, Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Messi, to name a few.
 
Mother of two boys:  Anthony 19 a film student and DJ, and Justin 14 an armature chef with a passion for skateboarding. Married for 22 years to Tony Pietropaoli who is a personal mentor and key to her professional and personal success. Ellen received her Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Global Studies from Pace University in 1987 while working full-time for PepsiCo. She’s an avid runner, having completed several marathons and loves outdoor sports including beach volleyball and snowboarding.

Desiree Rogers
Desiree Rogers, Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Publishing Company, Inc., has earned a reputation as one of America’s most successful businesswomen. With a Harvard Business School degree and stellar business experience, Rogers has redefined every leadership position that she has held while playing a major philanthropic role in the communities in which she has lived.

Consistently acknowledged as an innovative leader with a proven track record, her career milestones include turning the Illinois Lottery, a mature organization facing rising competition and anti-gaming forces, into a stable, reliable and popular revenue producer that revolutionized the sale of instant tickets through promotional partnerships. During her tenure, instant ticket sales doubled.

In 2004, Rogers was elected president of People Energy’s two natural gas utilities where she facilitated the 150-year old company’s transition from a traditional, under the radar entity to a responsive, customer-centric organization. During the company’s acquisition by the $7 billion Integrys Energy Group, Rogers led the integration of the two utilities.

In 2008, President Obama named Rogers the first African American Social Secretary. As Social Secretary her mandate was to help “people visualize what the Obama presidency is about, the values Americans voted for—-inclusion, transparency, the embracement of all people—-and translating the splendor, the sweetness and comfort of the White House to everyone.” She was recruited to reposition the Obama’s nontraditional vision of the White House to the “People’s House.” Her office produced 350 events in her 14-month tenure and turned the White House into a showcase for American art and culture

A bold visionary, Rogers has the ability to develop creative solutions for mature organizations facing changing industry dynamics or consumer tastes. Spearheading the development of the social networking strategy for the Allstate Corporation and creating innovative concepts for events at the White House, Rogers continued to redefine operational approaches. Thomas Wilson, Chairman and CEO of the Allstate Corporation recruited Rogers and in a few short months, she had “started to extend her influence and drive change inside the company from her position on the executive committee.”
Rogers is widely credited for her ability to identify and motivate talent to challenge existing assumptions using brand discipline and superior communication skills thus creating new pathways for success.

Lisa Hernandez Gioia
Lisa Hernandez Gioia has been a fundraiser in New York for over ten years. She was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, and is a graduate of the University of Washington. She founded and served as president of The Esler Group Inc., a New York based non-profit and political fundraising firm with a reputation for success and innovative goal-driven ideas for over ten years.
Her experience includes extensive research and strategic planning, major donor solicitation, capital campaigns, event management, and database development. She currently heads development at the Child Mind Institute. Hernandez Gioia has worked for major non-profit organizations, presidential campaigns, gubernatorial campaigns, mayoral campaigns and philanthropic organizations. She interacts regularly with the political and philanthropic communities in New York an across the nation. Hernandez Gioia has been married to her husband, Eric Gioia, since 2004. They have two daughters, Amelia and Rosalee.