Lance came to Building Hope in 2017 with significant experience as an accountant in the audit practice at Ernst & Young and in the transaction services practice at PriceWaterhouseCoopers; a finance and strategic planning manager at National Express Corporation, a K-12 student transportation operator; and Director of Finance at LearnZillion, a K-12 education technology company. Lance has also served as a Board Director and Treasurer for Lee Montessori Public Charter School in Washington, DC. He is a CPA and holds Finance & Accounting and Masters of Accounting degrees from Miami University of Ohio.

Vanessa has worked in tax consulting, compliance, and a variety of other accounting and operations roles for non-profit organizations, including arts and educational institutions. She has a Bachelor’s degree in accounting and dance from Muhlenberg College and a Master’s of Accounting with a tax emphasis from the College of William and Mary.

Karen has over 17 years of leadership experience fostering collaborations, securing buy-in across organizational levels, and motivating teams in the education industry. Coupled with her degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing, she is equipped with the knowledge and expertise needed to lead with a community-centered, relationship-building focus as Director of Marketing at Building Hope.

Karen’s background in commercial real estate, and marketing, along with her passion for excellent education, led her to own and operate Montessori schools and launch public charter schools to make a difference in the lives of families and communities. She is committed to ensuring all students have access to high-quality educational opportunities.

Adam is responsible for planning, organizing and executing conferences and school events, in an effort to create, build and expand relationships with charter schools. He provides support for growing school campuses, through direct development and client engagement. Prior to joining Building Hope, Mr. Koonin was a National Relationship Manager, serving some of the largest public-school districts with procurement and expansion projects. He is an alumnus of Tulane University.

Joshua is a graduate of the George Washington University majoring in Political Science in hopes to make the world a better place. As a charter school alumnus, he brings a diverse insight to how we serve our students and is an exemplary example of our impact at Building Hope.

He also serves as President of Key to Knowledge, a small nonprofit missioned to improving education in developing countries, that served over 450 students in Honduras, Cuba, Venezuela, Guatemala and Puerto Rico.

Lori is a seasoned administrative professional with over 27 years of experience supporting senior and C-level executives. She is the executive assistant to CEO, Bill Hansen.

With a passion for helping others, Lori is eager to bring her expertise to the organization to assist in furthering Building Hope’s mission.

Bill joined Building Hope in October of 2022 as President and CEO. Bill has extensive experience in the corporate, government, investment, social impact, philanthropy, education, and public policy arenas. Prior to Building Hope, he was President and CEO of the Strada Education Network, where he created a $2 billion national social impact fund. Bill also served as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education under George W. Bush and as Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget and CFO earlier in his career. In 2022, he was appointed to the State Board of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and he serves on the board of Green Street Impact Partners and several education-related boards, including The Jackie Robinson Foundation and Youth for Tomorrow