Our Team

We come from many backgrounds, united in our belief in equity and our vision for a world where difference is celebrated and the richness of diversity is cultivated.

Team Members

Thaly Germain, Managing Director

An entrepreneur, change agent, and activist, Thaly has worked to build the capacity of leaders and organizations internationally.

Thaly Germain, Managing Director

Thaly Germain is the managing director of transformation & culture at Onward / BerlinRosen. There, she leads transformation and culture across the firm’s offices in NY, LA and DC. With over two decades of experience leading cultural transformation strategy and social innovation design for companies and organizations around the world, she is a trusted advisor to CEOs and leaders, coaching them to transform their companies by providing expertise in management, leadership, inclusive culture, DEI, and design. Thaly’s magic is in her unusual blend of carefully honed instinct for people, creativity, and courage. She’s executive produced a BET film that was nominated at the Tribeca Film Festival, designed equity-focused board and card games, and developed an asynchronous learning platform, while coaching leaders spanning sectors, from philanthropies like the Gates Foundation and the New Commonwealth Fund to companies like Nike, design firms like One Design and non-profits like OnlyOne, and the Aspen Institute. A graduate of Trinity University, Fordham University and Bryn Mawr College, Thaly was a rapper, a teacher, a school leader, and an education reform leader in a former life. She also serves on several boards and community organizations. Thaly lives in Takoma Park, Maryland with her partner Tamar and their daughter Taïs and loves to listen to music, workout and watch her favorite basketball player Steph Curry win with his team.

Veronica Benavides, Program Architect

Driven by a commitment to her community, Veronica is an experienced educator, researcher, facilitator, change management strategist, and leadership development specialist.

Veronica Benavides, Program Architect

Dr. Veronica Benavides is an experienced educator, researcher, facilitator, change management strategist, and leadership development specialist. Veronica is driven by a commitment to her community and is an advocate for education as the practice of freedom. She works across international settings to improve outcomes for children, clients and communities through strengths-based strategies.

As the founder of Benavides Consulting, Veronica supports clients with systems change projects and capacity building initiatives. Her clients include Harvard University, The Gates Foundation, and Familias de Esperanza. Previously, Veronica served as the Executive Director of the Center on Culture, Race & Equity at Bank Street College where she partnered with educators, community members, and leaders to collaboratively shift beliefs, behaviors, and practices so that children of all backgrounds can thrive and realize their full potential. Veronica was also the Director of Leadership Development at the NYC Leadership Academy and a middle and high school teacher in New York City and Mexico City.

Veronica earned her doctorate in education leadership from Harvard University, and holds an M.S. in Teaching from Fordham University. She currently lives in Copenhagen with her curious son and supportive partner.

Janna Pea, Executive Vice President

Combining her years of PR work in women’s rights, entertainment, labor and politics, Janna has deep experience advising high-profile clients and is known for her calm navigation of crisis communications situations.

Janna Pea, Executive Vice President

Janna Pea is an Executive Vice President focusing on culture, social impact, and racial and gender justice at BerlinRosen. Combining her years of PR work in women’s rights, entertainment, labor and politics, Janna has deep experience advising high-profile clients and is known for her calm navigation of crisis communications situations. While at the firm, Janna has led many of our cultural impact work through film and grassroots campaigns, while also raising the profile for many of our clients in the political, arts and culture + social impact spaces.

Brittany Erickson, Consultant & Designer

An experienced educator, learning designer & strategist, Britt helps teams realize greater authenticity and impact in all they do.

Brittany Erickson, Consultant & Designer

Dr. Brittany Erickson has spent the past 15 years intensely focused on understanding how learning happens. She has a reputation for designing provocative and impactful learning experiences, helping teams work collaboratively and nimbly, and supporting leaders to realize greater authenticity and impact in all they do. Britt began her career in education as a sixth-grade teacher in San Francisco, CA. To this day, transforming school and school systems remains her passion and she has led dozens of school design projects in the United States and abroad with a common goal of advancing equitable and bold outcomes. Outside of education, Britt supports leading companies in design, technology, healthcare and energy to craft strategy and implement practices to be more innovative, inclusive and effective.

Juliet Silveira, Resident Artist

An artist, writer and educator, Juliet Silveira supports adults and children in finding creative, sustainable and empowering ways to learn and grow together.

Juliet Silveira, Resident Artist

Juliet Silveira is a multi-disciplinary artist, writer, educator and homeschooling mother. After graduating from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Painting, she worked for Bill Hodges gallery in New York City and went on to manage the office of Gunn Landscape Architecture. Her murals can be found in both the US and Brazil, and her figure paintings and drawings have been exhibited in galleries such as New York’s The Westbeth Gallery and The Painting Center. Juliet also uses portraiture as a means of giving art directly to her community. In her first year teaching at a public charter school, she presented a collection of more than 100 portraits as gifts to her first graduating class of students.

As a teacher, Juliet introduced the first choice-based arts program in her school’s network, and served as her school’s first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team leader. Driven by an endless love for children and learning, Juliet helps community leaders, parents and educators recognize how history and bias impact the ways we teach and interact with children and how current cultural norms push us into unsustainable and unhealthy ways of living. With a passion for social justice, sustainability and self-directed education, her goal is to help adults find new ways to partner with children to create a more equitable world. Juliet is also an amatuer gardener and dedicated martial arts practitioner. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their two daughters.

Colin Angevine, Designer & Facilitator

Colin's work toward equity begins and ends with relationships, and focuses on design, learning, and collaboration in between.

Colin Angevine, Designer & Facilitator

Colin Angevine is an educator, researcher, and facilitator. His work focuses on themes of equity, design, and collaboration. Colin's perspective draws from previous work experiences as an educator (in middle and high schools), a technologist (in edtech and legal tech startups), and as a researcher (in researcher-practitioner partnerships). Most recently, Colin was the project director for Challenge Collaboratives at Digital Promise, where he developed and facilitated new models for equity-driven R&D in education. Colin holds a B.A. from Dickinson College in Classics and an M.S.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania in Learning Sciences and Technologies. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Candace Stanciel, Lead Consultant

An equity implementor focused on systems change, Candace has worked to build the capacity of leaders and organizations, from Southeast D.C. to the Bay Area to South Africa.

Candace Stanciel, Lead Consultant

Candace Stanciel founded The Common Good Agency (CGA), a consulting firm focused on capacity building for nonprofits and Higher Education institutions, in 2003. Through CGA Candace has led a number of efforts around DEI capacity building, public-private partnership development, brand activation, strategic planning and leadership development. Candace’s work with clients focuses on developing DEI capacity and competency for systems change. Increased DEI capacity, or the ability to identify, interpret and interrupt inequitable practices, is critical for all individuals, but significantly more valuable for those in spaces of social impact seeking to deliver outcomes for people not driven by factors of race, gender, SES or other markers of identity. Candace also serves as a Partner with New Profit, a venture philanthropy firm, where she co-leads the Capitalizing Diverse Leaders and Organizations (CDLAO) initiative.

Candace’s passion for social change is also exemplified through her volunteer work with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., New Leaders Council (NLC), The Boston Pearl Foundation and Mother Caroline Academy. Candace earned a B.A. in African-American studies from the University of Georgia in 2002 and a master’s degree in higher education from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2006.

Caitlin McCorkle, Vice President

With an eye for detail, a curious mind, and a knack for technology, Caitlin manages strategy, projects, and information to further our movement.

Caitlin McCorkle, Vice President

Caitlin McCorkle is a Vice President at Onward / BerlinRosen, focusing on supporting partners with their DEI assessments and strategy. In her role, Caitlin loves to leverage her knowledge of tools and resources to create new and useful work for clients. With an eye for detail, a curious mind, and a knack for technology, she manages strategy, projects, and information to help organizations and companies be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Prior to working in the DEI space, Caitlin gained experience in education, leadership development, and ESG investing. In her personal life, Caitlin enjoys baking and exploring the beauty of midcoast Maine with her family.

Tamar Lawrence-Samuel, Lead Program Designer

An activist and strategist, Tamar has organized large-scale change for social justice across continents, from climate justice at the United Nations to integrated DEI and strategic planning with organizations in the US.

Tamar Lawrence-Samuel, Lead Program Designer

Tamar Lawrence-Samuel consults for organizations, providing expertise in strategic planning, DEI, change management, social justice and other issues.

Tamar has led strategic development of integrated advocacy, communications, and policy campaigns in the areas of food security, climate change, tobacco control and access to water. She has also led organizational strategic planning, including integrated DEI and strategy for the long- and short-term.

Previously, as International Policy Director at Corporate Accountability, Tamar lead the policy analysis and strategic campaign development that guided Corporate Accountability's climate, food, tobacco, and water campaigns to challenge the life-threatening abuses of transnational corporations. In that capacity, Tamar represented the organization around the world: in the media, with civil society, and with governments. Tamar also represented the organization at United Nations bodies, including at the World Health Organization, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Tamar is an international human rights lawyer who previously advocated for the rights of deported people as a visiting scholar at Boston College, and promoted legislative reform and access to justice as a Judicial Affairs Officer at the United Nations mission in Haiti.

Tamar is licensed to practice law in the state of New York, holds a Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School, and received her bachelor's degree in political science from California State University, Chico.

Mariam Shahab, Senior Vice President

Mariam Shahab has more than 12 years of experience developing innovative and creative social and digital campaigns to help clients achieve their goals.

Mariam Shahab, Senior Vice President

Mariam Shahab is a Senior Vice President focusing on racial justice and health and human rights. She has more than 12 years of experience developing innovative and creative social and digital campaigns to help clients achieve their goals. Prior to joining BerlinRosen, Mariam was a leader on a consultancy that helps brands build cultural competency to inclusively connect with the profoundly diverse market and navigate today’s societal issues. Mariam is a champion for diversity and inclusion because #representationmatters. She lives in Austin, Texas, loves hula hooping and reading books by women of color.

Leonard Medlock, Lead Designer

Analytical, conceptual, contradictory, and provocative, Leonard nudges people and ideas from thought to action.

Leonard Medlock, Lead Designer

Leonard Medlock is an expert at designing culturally responsive technologies and experiences that address the needs of black and brown students. His experiences range from co-leading the design of four NYC public high schools, which in their fifth year have graduated hundreds of students from New York City’s most under-served neighborhoods, to managing the first ever pilot of Google Chromebooks and Khan Academy in the world.

Leonard was a founding team member of EdSurge, the foremost authority on education technology and entrepreneurship, where his thought leadership reached tens of thousands of teachers, administrators, entrepreneurs and investors. During his tenure, he also co-created and managed a service for selecting the right education technology, which was used by hundreds of schools and districts across the U.S. Throughout his career, Leonard has coached or advised dozens of K-12 leaders and social impact entrepreneurs through organizations such as the Stanford d.school, Camelback Ventures, and Cambiar Education, where he currently serves as General Manager. He hustles 5-9 as CEO of Playback Worldwide, a technology firm focused on helping student-athletes build life skills while excelling at sports.

Leonard has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University and a M.Ed in Learning, Design and Technology from the Stanford Graduate School of Education.

Janine Chen, Facilitator & Designer

Leading from her values of empathy, courageous authenticity, and hope, Janine moves others toward people-centered, collaborative leadership in practical ways.

Janine Chen, Facilitator & Designer

Janine Chen is a consultant supporting organizations in the social impact sector. She helps launch new initiatives or reimagine existing organizational practices and systems with diversity, equity, and inclusion at the center. Using equity-focused design thinking, she partners with organizations to take steps toward the ultimate goal of an inclusive culture that leads to healing and liberation.

Prior to starting her consulting practice, Janine joined the edtech start-up Swing Education as their first employee. Swing Education is now a Series C, YC (Imagine K-12) revenue-generating startup tackling the substitute teacher shortage. Under her leadership as VP of Talent, in three years, Swing's substitute teacher pool grew to over 5,000 subs across six states serving 1,500 schools. She then transitioned to the role of VP of People Operations, building scalable HR systems and processes and developing a culture committed to diversity & inclusion as the company headquarters grew to over 65 employees.

Prior to Swing Education, Janine served as Education Pioneers' Western Region Associate Director, leading partnerships and talent development across California and Colorado. Previously, Janine worked at the national charter school network Rocketship Public Schools, Boston Public Schools' Chief Academic Office, and New Leaders in Washington, D.C., a national nonprofit recruiting, selecting, and training aspiring school leaders.

Janine is a Catalyst:ED Network Provider and 2011 Education Pioneers Alumna. She earned a B.A. in Urban Studies from Stanford University and a M.Ed in Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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