Stockbridge Advisors Team
Mark Newberg, President
Mark Newberg is the Founder and President of Stockbridge Advisors, LLC, an Impact Management Consulting Firm. Stockbridge guides institutions, corporations, and entities across sectors on the integration of impact into the core of their organizations, in order to improve long-term performance.
Mark has been working at the heart of the Impact Economy for nearly 15 years. He has led impact policy initiatives at the federal level, served as a post-Katrina policy advisor to the New Orleans City Council, developed impact strategies for major philanthropies and multinational organizations, created quality jobs frameworks for corporations, and advised numerous high-growth impact startups on initial business organization and growth strategies.
In addition to his work at Stockbridge, Mark is an Innovator-in-Residence at Tulane's Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, a mentor for MassChallenge and the Harvard iLabs, and a judge for the Louisiana Startup Prize. He is also the lead author of the Desktop Manual for Impact Policymakers. Mark has a BA from Tulane University and a JD from Tulane Law School.
Howard W. Buffett, Senior Impact Advisor
Howard W. Buffett is an adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University, and a Member of the University's Committee on Socially Responsible Investing. Buffett is a coauthor of the award winning book Social Value Investing: A Management Framework for Effective Partnerships (Columbia University Press, 2018), which analyzes innovative collaborations from across sectors and details the Impact Rate of Return methodology—a new way to measure social and environmental impact.
Before joining Columbia's faculty, Buffett was the Executive Director of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. He coauthored the New York Times best-seller 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World (Simon & Schuster, 2013), which examines the foundation’s work to address global hunger and food systems challenges.
Prior to that, Buffett oversaw economic stabilization and redevelopment programs in Afghanistan and Iraq while at the U.S. Department of Defense. For his work in Afghanistan he received the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award. Buffett also served as a Policy Advisor for the White House Domestic Policy Council, where he coauthored the president’s cross-sector partnership strategy. Before joining the White House, Buffett was a member of the Technology, Innovation, and Government Reform policy working group for the 2008-09 Presidential Transition Team.
Buffett earned a BS from Northwestern University, an MPA in Advanced Management and Finance from Columbia University, and executive education certificates from Harvard Business School. He was a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and he serves on a number of corporate boards and advisory boards. He also chairs the Advisory Council for Harvard University’s International Negotiation Program.
Kate Yoo McCrery, Impact Advisor
Kate Yoo McCrery is the Founder of Rhinebeck Ventures as well as the Director of Marketing for Right to Start, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that fights to expand entrepreneurial opportunity for all.
For more than a decade, Kate has focused on creating more equitable economic outcomes through her work in international development, impact investing, and ecosystem development for startup founders and small business owners. Originally hailing from the New Orleans area, Kate previously built programs for Black women and Latina startup founders as well as women and non-binary small business owners. She also was previously the Executive Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Loyola University New Orleans, and the first Global Communications Director for Village Capital, one of the most active impact funds and accelerator programs globally.
Prior, Kate was a Fulbright Scholar in Germany, directed a TEDx event at Columbia University, and served as a consultant to various USAID and UNICEF projects in Pakistan, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Mongolia, and Korea. She holds a BA from Wesleyan University and an MA from Columbia University.
Kat Rito, Impact Advisor
Kat leverages nearly fifteen years of experience in employment, business, and health care litigation to offer proactive business management mentorship to startups as well as established organizations. In partnership with Mark, Kat has provided advice and guidance to entrepreneurs through New Orleans Entrepreneur Week and Louisiana Startup Prize.
Kat served as Professor of Bioethics at her alma mater, Tulane Law School. She has drafted publications relating to disaster preparedness guidelines, and risk management issues relating to artificial intelligence. Outside of her legal practice, Kat has been a guest speaker at national and regional conferences for organizations including the National Business Institute, the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants, and the Administrative Personnel Association of the Presbyterian Church on issues relating to advertising, business ethics, and human resource practices. She has been a board member for non-profits including the American Diabetes Association and Girls on the Run, where she emphasized resource allocation to underserved communities, and worked to incorporate diversity initiatives into local non-profit missions.
Jade Nikaylah Williams, Design Advisor
Jade is a groundbreaking designer and artist, whose work revolves around the connections inherent in the human experience.
She began her college career studying fashion design at the prestigious SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). She finished her studies at Howard University, completing her BFA in Design & Visual Communication, summa cum laude, while also launching her modeling career. Jade has been featured in global campaigns and editorials for Fenty Beauty, CoverGirl, GAP, The Cut Mag, and much more.
Her design experience consists of brand development, logo design, illustration, social media marketing, and more. Over the course of 5 years, she has designed for Digital Undivided, The Skillman Foundation, BrownGirlsLove, SDOT Beauty, Black Women at Work, and other trailblazing brands. Jade was also the Visual Architect for the Desktop Manual for Impact Policymakers.