Board of Directors
Nicholas Talarico - President
Prior to joining FORGE's Board of Directors in 2008, Nicholas Talarico served as the organization's Operations Director in 2006 and 2007. As Operations Director, Mr. Talarico oversaw partnerships, strategic direction, systems management, marketing, and promotion. In late 2007, after spearheading FORGE's assessment mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Talarico worked with FORGE Founder & Executive Director Kjerstin Erickson to develop the initial concepts for FORGE's People-Powered Development Model. Before his time with FORGE, Talarico managed a portfolio of investments for a New England-based investment company in the retail/wholesale, real estate, service, technology, and entertainment industries. A frequent speaker on the monetization circuit of social networking conferences, Mr. Talarico is a leader in the movement to leverage the power of social networks for fundraising, mass messaging, and effecting change. Mr. Talarico is also a member of Full Circle Fund, an engaged philanthropy organization of Bay Area business leaders that drives lasting social change domestically and beyond. He graduated in 2002 from the George Washington University Honors Program in Psychology.
Adelard Banza - Treasurer
Adelard Banza is a former refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo and has supported the FORGE mission since 2004, both in the US and in Africa. As the Treasurer for the Board of Directors of FORGE, Mr. Banza is responsible for working with and providing financial information to the Board President, as well as the Executive Director. Mr. Banza's education background includes a Bachelors Degree in Business Management, as well as a Degree in Information Technology. He is currently employed by one of the largest and most successful health care corporations in the US. His mission, like FORGE's, is to make the world a better place to live, especially for refugees who are struggling in the US and in Africa.
Karen Erickson - Secretary
Karen Erickson has been involved in the non-profit arena for fifteen years. She received her B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University and her Master's Degree in Physical Therapy from University of Southern California. She has a special interest in health, community development, public engagement, and addressing issues surrounding poverty. Karen is currently the President of Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County, a federally-designated anti-poverty agency with an $11 million dollar annual budget. She also serves on the Board of the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County and the Sonoma County Medical Association Alliance Foundation. Mrs. Erickson is a recipeint of the 2006 Reverend James E. Coffee Human Rights Award for her tireless efforts toward poverty alleviation as well as the 2009 Allie Award for outstanding contributions to the Sonoma County community. Her current focus locally includes collaborations of private, governmental and non-profit entities in addressing community needs.
Naomi Gleit
Naomi Gleit is the Product Manager for Growth and Internationalization at Facebook, the world's most popular social network and the third most trafficked website on the internet. A graduate of Stanford University in the Science, Technology, and Society program, Ms. Gleit's academic work focused on exploring and bridging the interface between technological development and social change. After transferring from Harvard following her sophomore year, Ms. Gleit became a founding member of FORGE's predecessor organization, the World Refugee Academy. During the founding years of FORGE, Ms. Gleit played an instrumental role in conceptualizing and bootstrapping FORGE. She has worked with FORGE in two refugee camps, and brings her expertise in cutting-edge online social engagement strategies to FORGE's new web presence.
Karen Johnson
Karen Johnson has been involved in the non-profit sector since 1987, when she became the Executive Director of the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County. The organization grew from $520,000 to over 3.4 million dollars under Johnson's leadership, and its most visible event, the Human Race, grew from $62,000 to its first million-dollar day in 2002. Ms. Johnson served as the first non-profit executive on the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce and the Business Education Roundtable. She received her MPA from a joint program of the Harvard Business School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government. While living in New York City, Ms. Johnson served as the Executive Director of Gilda's Club of Hackensack, New Jersey. She returned to Sonoma County in October 2004 to become the Director of the Charles M. Schulz Museum. Ms. Johnson has taught classes and seminars on fundraising, board development and creating corporate partnerships throughout the country.
