Director Emeritus
Barrie Landry
Humanitarian, Philanthropist, former member, UNICEF USA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Barrie Landry is a force of nature when it comes to tackling some of the biggest humanitarian crises in the world. She is a forward thinking philanthropist who aligns herself with innovative leaders and organizations that are addressing the problems of world poverty, the rights of children, refugees and gender inequities through transformative, sustainable and just solutions. Barrie serves on the UNICEF USA’s Board of Directors. Additionally, she serves as Vice-Chair of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s New England Regional Board and as Co-Chair of UNICEF’S Children First Speaker Series. Recently, Barrie helped to form a partnership between UNICEF and Harvard that has developed a first of its kind graduate-Level Child Protection Program at Harvard. This program was created because of the growing numbers of exploited children around the world and the alarming shortage of sufficiently trained child protection professionals, especially during periods of emergency. She serves on the Board of the St. Boniface Haiti Foundation, which brings health care, education and community development to the people of Haiti; and on the Board of Refuge Point, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of refugees through resettlement, stabilization, and self-reliance. Barrie was one of the original eight women from Boston who helped to build the Maranyundo School in Nyamata, Rwanda and currently sits on their Board. Barrie is a former Board member and development chair of Mother Caroline Academy and Education Center in Dorchester. She graduated from the LEAD BOSTON class of 1988. Barrie lives in Boston and has three children and nine grandchildren.
Board of Directors
Kel Kelly
FOUNDER & PRESIDENT, HUMANITY RISES, FOUNDER & FORmer CEO, KEL & PARTNERS, Founding Member & Vice Chair of the winter walk and more homes coalition
Kel Kelly is the mother of four, a humanitarian, refugee advocate, champion for the homeless, TEDx speaker, and the Founder and President of Humanity Rises. An empath at heart, she has always been a fierce advocate for the underdog.
Kel's work with refugees began in 2016, when she spent significant time volunteering at Camp Moria on the Greek island of Lesvos, often described as one of the worst refugee camps in the world. Alongside many other volunteers, she helped meet refugees' most basic needs, including food, water, shelter, dry clothing, medical care and comfort, after they survived the harrowing crossing of the Aegean Sea from Turkey in overcrowded boats, many wearing fake life jackets sold to them by smugglers.
Surrounded by the chaos of Camp Moria and the desperation of the people she met there, Kel realized she wanted to spend the rest of her life restoring dignity and igniting hope for refugees, people who live with unimaginable uncertainty every day. That experience led her to leave her role as CEO and devote herself to alleviating refugee suffering. In doing so, she found the purpose her soul had been craving. Humanity Rises was created to carry out that mission.
Before founding Humanity Rises, Kel founded Kel & Partners (K&P), the "anti-agency agency" for public relations and social media. For more than twenty years, K&P delivered explosive results for brands including Lola, Zappos, TrueCar, VacationHomeRentals, Cumberland Farms, Hydrow, UNREAL and GLAAD, along with hundreds of others.
But Kel would much rather talk about what's closest to her heart, like giving underdogs a voice. She believes her purpose in life can be summed up in the two words tattooed on her forearm: Be Kind. Every day, she looks for ways to create happiness through kindness for people who are often invisible or who simply need to know someone cares.
Stephanie Cornell
former EXECUTIVE Director, The walton family foundation
Stephanie Cornell is the Former Executive Director at The Walton Family Foundation whose mission is to tackle tough social and environmental problems with urgency and a longterm approach to create access to opportunity for people and communities. At The Walton Family Foundation, Stephanie oversaw $750+/- million in grants that support the organization’s mission. Stephanie is a well respected social entrepreneur with extensive experience with an array of social impact organizations. She has co-founded three social ventures: Strategic Grant Partners, Project Health Children (now Sanku), and the Maranyundo Initiative. Prior to her current role, Stephanie was a Managing Director at Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK). In her role at DRK, she served on the boards for and worked in close partnership with the leadership of DRK portfolio organizations in the U.S., India, Colombia and Africa. These organizations address a range of issues from mental health to homelessness to economic empowerment to education and more. She also serves on the boards of RefugePoint, Year Up-Boston, the Partners In Health advisory board and Share Our Strength’s leadership council. Stephanie holds a BA in English and Environmental Studies from Oberlin College and an MBA from Stanford University, and completed the Harvard Advanced Fellowship Initiative.
Paul English
Co-Founder, Kayak and Lola Travel
Paul is an entrepreneur who has co-founded numerous companies including Kayak and Lola Travel, where he currently serves as CEO. A highly active philanthropist, he is a co-founder of Summits Education in Haiti and The Winter Walk Boston, which held its inaugural event in February 2017, raising funds for the Pine Street Inn and other homeless services organizations. Paul has also been an unwavering supporter of refugees by providing generous financial support through numerous non-profits.
Margaret Dunn
Trustee, the Dunn Family Charitable Foundation and DF Impact Capital
Margaret Dunn is trustee of the Dunn Family Charitable Foundation and DF Impact Capital, which focus on human rights, climate justice and supporting refugees. Margaret has 30 years of experience in the social services sector in the United States. Early in her career, she worked in nonprofit youth development programs in the Boston area. Subsequently, Margaret became a Licensed Independent Social Worker with a Certificate in Trauma Informed Care providing mental health supports for Latino immigrants, human trafficking survivors and Boston public school teens. She has served as a board member for Boston area and international nonprofits. Margaret is currently a Board Member of Humanity Rises. She is also a Pilates instructor and mother of two daughters. She has a MA from Simmons Graduate School of Social Work and a BA from Georgetown University.
Beth Floor
Humanitarian & Philanthropist
Beth Floor is a leader in the Boston-area philanthropic community, supporting a number of international and domestic causes focused on the most vulnerable souls on earth. Beth is an outspoken advocate for refugees and after serving as an informal advisor to Humanity Rises, she joined the Board in January 2019. Additionally, Beth serves on the Board of The St. Boniface Haiti Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing essential health services to the people of Southern Haiti, especially the most vulnerable. As a testament to her boundless energy and advocacy, Beth also currently serves on the New England Regional Board for UNICEF and the New England International Donors (NEID) Steering Committee. Previously, Beth served as the Chair of the Board of the Maranyundo Initiative, which funds and operates the Maranyundo Girls School in Nyamata, Rwanda. The school graduated its first high school class in November 2017, and its students rank in the top 2% in the country. Beth is the former Chair of the Mother Caroline Academy and Education Center, served on the board of Project Healthy Children, and was a part of LeadBoston.
Nada Siddiqui
Founder, The Rehma Fund for Children
Nada is the founder and manager of The Rehma Fund for Children, a philanthropic fund focused on improving healthcare access for underprivileged children. Before setting up the fund, Nada was a research investment analyst at Wellington Management Company followed by a business strategy role at Google. She is currently enrolled in the Child Protection Certificate program at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government where she is working towards an MPA to further her impact in child advocacy and public health.
John E. Stephenson, Jr.
Partner, Alston & Bird
John is Partner at Allston & Bird. As a trial lawyer, John has spent his professional life fighting for justice for those who need a warrior in their corner. John has been honored by the ACLU for his pro bono representation of plaintiffs in civil rights litigation. He also received the Outstanding Service Award from the Stonewall Bar Association for his work on equal rights litigation.
Larry Tobin
Director, The Shapiro Foundation
Larry Tobin is the Director of The Shapiro Foundation, a Boston-based foundation particularly focused on the plight of refugees across the globe. The Shapiro Foundation, seeks to be the most collaborative, nimble and forward-thinking partner to great NGOs. They look to engage with organizations who are changing the lives of refugees. Their philosophy is simple. They find the best NGO partners and fund them. They find holes where other philanthropists won’t go and governments can’t go. They have spearheaded local-resettlement efforts in the US, contributed to help those in refugee camps across three continents, and have invested significantly to ensure that every individual’s journey is a safe one. Beyond their work with refugees, they also invest heavily in public health and education.