Tahirih is proud to welcome four new members to its Board of Directors. Isaac Marshall, an Investment Professional at TLG Capital, Heidi Koester Oliveira, Senior Director of Global Sustainability at Mars Pet Nutrition, Jeffrey A. Smisek, President of Flight Partners Capital, and Jessica Thomas, Managing Director, Strategic Initiatives, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Business Partner at the Council on Foreign Relations will begin their service on Feb. 1.
The Board of Directors plays a crucial role in supporting and guiding the organization. Its members provide issue-area expertise surrounding the legal challenges faced by Tahirih’s clients and contribute significant management, consulting, policy, and fundraising experience.
Our Board Members are a diverse group of professionals working in law, corporate, and nonprofit sectors from around the country. They bring both professional and lived experience working with immigrant survivors of gender-based violence, including several former Tahirih clients. Of our 22-person Board, 50% are non-Caucasian women and 68% are non-Caucasian.
Earlier this month, we bid a fond farewell to Rosita Najmi and Yabo Lin, who are both stepping down from the board as their service terms have ended. Their dedication, leadership, and continued support have shaped Tahirih’s growth, and we are grateful for their contributions.
MEET TAHIRIH’S NEWEST BOARD MEMBERS
Isaac Marshall
Isaac serves on the investment team of TLG Capital, a leading alternative asset manager specializing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Isaac also serves on the Investment Committee of the firm’s $200m flagship fund series, the TLG Africa Growth Impact Fund. Isaac has more than a decade of investment management experience, beginning his career at Goldman Sachs in New York.
Outside of investing, Isaac is passionate about community building and poverty eradication, and co-founded Human.NYC, a homelessness research and advocacy organization. Isaac holds a Bachelors of Science (Honors) in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He and his wife live in London with their cat.
Heidi Koester Oliveira
Heidi Koester Oliveira is a senior sustainability and human rights leader with nearly two decades of experience driving business growth and societal benefit. As the global lead of Sustainability at Mars Pet Nutrition, Heidi focuses on the delivery, governance and evolution of the social & environmental sustainability strategy for the world’s largest pet food company – driving meaningful impacts for people, planet and pets through sustainable sourcing, circular packaging and climate action. Previously, she was the Global Director of Social Impact at Mars, Incorporated – building human rights strategies in high-risk factory and agricultural origins, leading supplier sustainability engagement & compliance, and creating more gender equity and inclusion in global supply chains. Heidi spent more than eight years with The Coca-Cola Company, building program and policy efforts across human rights, youth and women’s economic empowerment, and smallholder farmer development. She also focused on the expansion of Project Last Mile, a ground-breaking initiative to enhance health delivery systems in 10 African countries. Additionally, Heidi worked in international development with the U.S. Peace Corps in rural Costa Rica for two years. She has volunteered to teach English as a Second Language for more than 12 years and began her career at National Geographic Adventure magazine.
Heidi holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University and earned a Master in Sustainable Development and Corporate Responsibility from Escuela Organización Industrial in Madrid, Spain. She’s a guest lecturer on business and human rights, including for George Washington University, Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University. While her roots are in Iowa, Heidi has lived in Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica and Spain. She is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Jeffrey A. Smisek
Mr. Smisek currently serves as President of Flight Partners Capital, an investment firm he founded which invests in early stage companies. Mr. Smisek worked for twenty years in the airline business, serving as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of United Airlines Holdings Inc. during the final five years of his career in that business. He also held various roles at Continental Airlines, Inc. beginning in 1995, last serving as President and Chief Executive Officer until the company’s merger with United Airlines, Inc. Earlier in his career, Mr. Smisek was a partner at Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., a national law firm. Mr. Smisek currently serves on the boards of directors of various private companies and on the board of Goose Capital, an investment firm where he previously served as Chairman and President Mr. Smisek has an A.B. from Princeton University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Jessica Thomas
Jessica Thomas is Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Business Partner at the Council on Foreign Relations. Based in New York, Thomas currently manages cross-functional initiatives that accelerate institutional priorities, and works to coordinate, strengthen, and advance CFR’s commitment to inclusion and diversity. Prior to joining CFR in 2013, Thomas served newly-arrived refugees and immigrants at the International Service Center, consulted on gender and rights at UNICEF, and supported programs teams at Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Thomas is a 2017 International Career Advancement Program (ICAP) fellow and serves on the Board of Trustees of Messiah University. She has a BA from Messiah University and MS in Global Affairs from New York University.