JILL CARRANO
Jill has spent two decades managing outcomes for company and revenue growth, scaling logistics infrastructure and long-term strategy planning for companies such as Sephora and NIKE. She began her career with NIKE, pioneering and growing the first Shop in Shop retail concepts through developing customer engagement revenue processes in merchandising, design and management, both nationally and globally.
At Sephora, Jill launched the company and brand from 8 stores to over 450 across the US and Canada. Jill conceived, built and managed the revenue wheelhouse of store growth, key vendor partnerships, and implemented global build out programs designed against long term company strategy to bring Sephora growth and scale from 10 employees to over 5,000.
Jill’s goal for Alpha Girls Institute is to help educate and bring awareness to our next generation to become strong and confidant early on, before entering the workforce, and ultimately, not to ever sit on the sidelines. “I’ve worked for both a heavily male and female dominated companies, as well as working full time with two children, and with that experience, feel I can inspire and support AGI’s path to thrive.”
NIKOLE COLLINS-PURI
Nikole is a social justice visionary, strategist, advocate and mentor who has committed her life to unleashing the potential of untapped communities. She’s the CEO of Techbridge Girls, a nonprofit organization that excites, educates and equips girls from low-income communities through STEM, empowering them to pursue STEM careers and achieve economic mobility and financial security as adults.
Nikole is a master collaborator who is able to leverage her rich professional experiences in tech, philanthropy and education to bring diverse groups of stakeholders together to urge social change in our communities. She’s committed to removing barriers and increasing access and opportunities for all those who are often left behind but essential to the success and growth of our society.
Prior to Techbridge Girls, Nikole worked at AT&T where she spearheaded their diversity and inclusion efforts, at the College Board where she advised states on their college completion strategy for Black and Latinx students, and at the Women’s Foundation of California where she advanced women’s economic security by supporting and awarding grants to visionary grassroots organizations.
MJ ELMORE
MJ Elmore became one of the first women to make partner at a venture capital firm in the United States when she joined the venture capital firm of Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) in Menlo Park CA. She has invested broadly in all stages and areas of information technology companies throughout her career. She served on the Board of Directors of numerous private and public information technology companies. Prior to joining IVP, Ms. Elmore was a marketing manager at Intel Corporation’s Development Systems Division.
Currently Ms. Elmore is general partner and advisor to the IVP funds and a private angel investor. She is a member of the advisory council of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, the advisory council to Stanford’s Center on Longevity and the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy Board of Visitors. She was a member of the inaugural class of Stanford’s Distinguished Career Institute and spent full time at Stanford in 2015. Ms. Elmore supports philanthropies that advance education at all levels and is passionate about the visual arts.
She is one of four “alpha girls” profiled in the best-selling book, Alpha Girls: The Women Upstarts who Took on Silicon Valley’s Male Culture and Made the Deals of a Lifetime. MJ is particularly interested in what she calls the “Third Trimester,” which is about finding meaning – whether new careers, friends, hobbies or passions – at later stages in life.
Chris Morgan
Chris Morgan is a partner with the international law firm Reed Smith LLP, representing many household name technology companies in patent and commercial litigation disputes. Chris also is deeply committed to the advancement of women and serves as the Chair of Reed Smith’s Women’s Initiative Network in San Francisco. She also founded her own company “Women’s Era” to continue to empower women in law and beyond.
She is a fierce advocate for gender parity and has committed to take at least one action daily to empower a woman or girl in her life.
STEVE STROM
Steve is Co-founder and CTO of NewHomes.House. He has more than 24 years of experience in high-tech (including Visio, Concur, Opsware, and HP) building programs, teams, and companies; defining, developing, and delivering technology solutions; and managing people and partnerships. Previously he worked for the American Heart Association as an Operations Manager and Bank of America as an Auditor. In his spare time Steve is a tutor and a drummer for a classic-rock band.
Steve on his goal for AGI: “It is often said that talent is evenly distributed in this world, but opportunity is not, particularly for young women. Alpha Girls Institute is working tirelessly to change that, and I am humbled and proud to be part of that effort. I want my daughter, granddaughter, and every young woman to have every opportunity to pursue their passion. They deserve nothing less.”