Team Rubicon–a team foolish enough to think we can make an impact and smart enough to have a chance.
Jake Wood
Co-Founder and Executive Chairman
Executive Team
Jake Wood honorably served four years in the United States Marine Corps, deploying to Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan in 2008. He graduated Scout-Sniper School at the top of his class,and in 2007 he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with “V” for actions in Iraq. Jake serves on numerous national veteran committees and speaks around the country about veteran issues and social entrepreneurship. Jake’s first book,Take Command, was published in October 2014 by Crown. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a double major, where he also played football.Jake co-founded Team Rubicon in 2010 and served as CEO until 2021.
Art delaCruz
Chief Executive Officer
Executive Team
Art delaCruz served honorably for over 22 years in the United States Navy and enjoyed a career that included a broad range of assignments. Art commanded a Navy strike-fighter squadron, spent one year with McKinsey & Co. as a Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow, served as a Topgun instructor, and made six combat deployments. After retiring, he spent two and a half years in the aerospace and defense sector in the roles of business development and strategy and planning. He maintains a honed "quick reaction" capability by attempting to keep up with his wife, four kids, golden retriever, and labrador retriever puppy.
Nicole Capossela
Chief Development Officer
Executive Team
Nicole received her undergraduate degree from George Washington University, a master certificate in Fundraising Management from Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and a master’s degree in Public Administration – Nonprofit Management from George Mason University. She began her work in the nonprofit sector at the Assassination Archives and Research Center in Washington, DC. Later, she worked for the National Rifle Association as part of the development leadership team that built the NRA Office of Advancement. In 2013, she moved to Los Angeles to join the University of California, Los Angeles and served as the Executive Director of Development, with a focus on Individual Giving. She was part of the senior leadership during UCLA’s $5.49 billion Centennial Campaign. Nicole made the leap and spent two years as the Senior Vice President of Account Service at an advertising agency in Dallas, before returning to Los Angeles and the nonprofit sector in 2018 as the Chief Development Officer at Team Rubicon.
Dane Barata
Chief Financial Officer
Executive Team
Dane has over 22 years of extensive operational and finance experience, serving in multiple capacities ranging from corporate planning, strategic planning, financial reporting and risk management. Prior to joining TR, Dane served as the head of finance for multiple business units and led business plan development, financial forecasting, financial analysis, and capital commitment planning, as well as competitive analysis and benchmarking. Dane spent 10 years in the International market in addition to his North American ops experience at Warner Bros Inc. Dane received his BA in Accounting and his MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management. He was a U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant during the Desert Storm Operation era. He is accompanied and supported by an excellent Finance & Accounting team he is fortunate to work with at TR as well as the family of four at home that he keeps him grounded.
David Burke
Chief Programs Officer
Executive Team
David joined Team Rubicon in 2013, and was quickly promoted through the ranks to head up global operations for the organization. He oversees the strategy, development, and execution of Team Rubicon’s disaster service capabilities. In addition to his role at Team Rubicon, David has served on the boards of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (nvoad.org) and the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation (gwotmemorialfoundation.org), where he served as the Board President. Prior to his move to the non-profit space, David served nearly 5 years in the Marine Corps as a logistics officer, deploying to Iraq with RCT-8 and to Afghanistan with the 2d Marine Division, separating from active service as a Captain. He graduated from the University of Iowa where he majored in business, bicycle maintenance, and beer snobbery.
Kristal Shipp
Vice President, Brand & Communications
Marketing & Communications
Sheng-te Yang
Vice President, Data & Technology
Technology
Tim Norman
Vice President, People Operations
People Operations
Zach Brooks-Miller
Senior Director, International Programs
Field Operations
Zach is a U.S. Army veteran with 12 years of experience designing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and leading collaborative lifesaving projects. His career has focused on serving people in conflict, post-conflict, and fragile states like Somaliland (Somalia), Nagorno-Karabakh, Mozambique, Sri Lanka and Laos, where he worked closely with civil-society and military partners. He’s lent his knowledge and skills to Survivor Corps, the HALO Trust, Education for Peace in Iraq, and Empower Lebanon. Zach is a recipient of two Purple Hearts, an Army Commendation Medal with “valor” device, and the Bronze Star. For the last five years, Zach has led a diverse team executing Team Rubicon’s strategy for delivering humanitarian aid in rapid-onset disasters and complex emergencies. Zach holds both a master's degree in International Affairs and Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in History.
Jeff Byard
Vice President, Operations
Field Operations
Jeff is a Greyshirt and Marine Corps veteran serving as Vice President of Operations for Team Rubicon. He leads a highly functional and diverse team of staff and volunteers dedicated to delivering disaster relief services across the country. Jeff develops strategies to grow connections with local, state, federal, and other partners to enhance effective and efficient service delivery. His resume includes being the Associate Administrator, Office of Response and Recovery at FEMA, and Executive Operations Officer at the Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA).
Andy Bessette
Board of Advisors
Andy Bessette is Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for Travelers. He is a member of the company’s Management Committee and Operating Committee and has held a number of leadership positions across the company. Bessette is a member of the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees as well as the Board of Directors of the University of Connecticut Health Center, and he currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Capital Region Development Authority while sitting on the board of Greater MSP in Minneapolis. A member of the 1980 United States Olympic Team, Bessette also continues to support Olympic Committee activities.
General David Petraeus, USA (Ret.)
Board of Advisors
General David Petraeus, USA (Ret.) is a highly decorated four-star general, serving over 37 years in the United States Army. Petraeus’ assignments include Commander of US Central Command, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force, and Commanding General of the Multi-National Force – Iraq, where he oversaw all coalition forces in Iraq from 2007-2008, where he developed and implemented the “surge” strategy. Following his decorated career in the US Army, General Petraeus was appointed as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Petraeus holds a B.S from the United States Military Academy as well as a M.P.A. and a P.H.D. in International Relations from Princeton.
Clayton DeGiacinto
Board of Directors
Clayton DeGiacinto is the founder and chief investment officer at Axonic Capital LLC, an investment advisory firm based in New York City focused on structured credit and systematic fixed income strategies. Prior to working at Axonic, DeGiacinto was a vice president at Goldman Sachs. DeGiacinto served as a Field Artillery Officer in the 25th Infantry Division in the U.S. Army.
Lt Gen Russel L. Honoré, USA (Ret.)
Board of Advisors
Lt Gen Russel L. Honoré, USA (Ret.) served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia. He is best known for serving as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina-affected areas across the Gulf Coast and as the 2nd Infantry Division Commander while stationed in Korea. He served until his retirement from the Army on January 11, 2008. Today General Honore speaks around the country on crisis leadership and disaster preparedness issues. He is the author of "Leadership in the New Normal."
Samuel Greene
Board of Directors
Sam Greene is a partner at Centerview Partners, a leading global independent investment bank, and co-head of the firm’s debt advisory and restructuring group.
During his 20-year career, Sam Greene has led numerous restructuring, financing and M&A assignments for companies, creditors, acquirers, shareholders and other stakeholders across a wide array of industries, including retail and consumer, energy, power, natural resources, oilfield services, general industrial, chemicals, transportation, telecommunications and technology, gaming, healthcare, and financial institutions.
Mr. Greene is a member of several industry trade organizations including the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Turnaround Management Association and is a frequent lecturer on restructuring topics. Mr. Greene is a founder of New Leaders at New York Presbyterian Hospital, a member of the New York Weill Cornell Council, the National Council of the American Enterprise Institute and the Ambassadors Council of the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania as well as a member of the board of Public Prep Charter School Network and Team Rubicon.
Mr. Greene received a B.A. (with honors) from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.
General James T. Conway, USMC (Ret.)
Board of Advisors
General James T. Conway, USMC (Ret.) served our nation for 40 years, retiring in 2010. Since then, he has joined and consulted for numerous corporate and non-profit boards, including Textron Inc., Colt Defense and General Dynamics. He also co-chairs the Energy Security Leadership Council (Securing America's Future Energy), a non-partisan energy policy think tank. Prior to his retirement, General Conway served as the 34th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps for four years, and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he functioned as a military advisor to the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, and the President. Among his numerous leadership positions, General Conway served as Commanding General of 1st Marine Division, and he was the commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force during two combat tours in Iraq.
Gregg Lemkau
Board of Advisors
Gregg Lemkau is co-head of Global Mergers & Acquisitions for Goldman Sachs. He is a member of the Firm’s Management Committee, the Investment Banking Division Executive Committee and the Investment Banking Division Operating Committee. He joined Goldman Sachs as an analyst in Mergers & Acquisitions in 1992 and was named managing director in 2001 and partner in 2002. Gregg is Chairman of the Board of Directors for Grassroot Soccer and a member of the Dartmouth Athletics Advisory Board and chairman of Friends of Dartmouth Soccer. Gregg also serves on the Board of Trustees of St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, Connecticut.
Joe Marchese
Board of Directors
Joe Marchese, Fox Networks Group’s president of advanced advertising products, leads the company’s advertising products and services. Marchese was appointed to his current position after the company he founded, true[X], was acquired by Fox Networks Group’s parent company 21st Century Fox in 2015. Prior to launching true[X], Marchese spent several years as a television executive, serving as senior vice president of digital and advertising at Fuse TV, where he led consumer marketing, digital and multiplatform development at the cable channel.
Adam Miller
Board of Directors
Adam Miller is the Founder and CEO of Cornerstone OnDemand. Miller recently was honored as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 award winner. He was also was named the Southern California Technology Association’s CEO of the Year in 2009. Miller has a JD from the UCLA School of Law, an MBA from the Anderson School of Business, a BS from the Wharton School, and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the Chairman of the Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation, which leverages Cornerstone’s expertise, solutions, and partner ecosystem to help empower communities.
Christina Park
Board of Directors
Christina Park is an investment banking Managing Director at RBC Capital Markets and Head of Communications, Media & Entertainment as well as Real Estate in the leveraged finance group. Christina has over 16 years of leveraged finance experience having been at Lehman/Barclays in addition to roles at Citi and Nomura. She has significant experience in originating, structuring and executing leveraged loan and high yield bond transactions for corporate and private equity clients. Prior to her career in investment banking, Christina spent four years conducting medical research at UCLA Medical Center working on innate host defense antibodies. She has published in renown medical journals most notably having helped discover a peptide that has now become an important innate iron regulator. Christina received her B.A. in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from the Johnson Graduate School of Business at Cornell University.
John Pitts
Board of Directors
John Pitts is a partner with the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Houston, Texas. His practice focuses on complex corporate transactions, with a particular focus on the energy sector. John served as an infantry officer in the United States Army and deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom VII-VIII, following which he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. John holds a BA from Davidson College and JD from Georgetown. John serves as TR’s outside pro bono counsel.
Richard Serino
Board of Advisors
The Honorable Richard Serino is currently a “Distinguished Visiting Fellow” at Harvard University, National Preparedness Leadership Initiative. Mr. Serino was appointed by President Obama as FEMA’s 8th Deputy Administrator in October 2009 and served until 2014. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Administrator, he served as Chief of Boston EMS and Assistant Director of the Boston Public Health Commission. Mr. Serino attended Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government Senior Executives in State and Local Government program in 2000, completed the Kennedy School's National Preparedness Leadership Initiative in 2005, and graduated from the Executive Leadership Program, Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School.
Jonathan Smidt
Board of Directors
Until May 2018 Jonathan Smidt was a partner at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. At KKR, Mr. Smidt was most recently the head of the Industrials Investment team and member of the Investment Committee within KKR’s Private Equity platform in Europe. Prior to moving to Europe with KKR in February 2016, Mr. Smidt was based in New York and part of KKR’s North American Private Equity team. Prior to joining KKR in 2000, Mr. Smidt was in Goldman Sachs’ Investment Banking Division in New York. Mr. Smidt started his career at Ernst & Young in Cape Town, South Africa. He holds a B.B.S. and a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting from the University of Cape Town. He is a member of the Board of Overseers of the University of Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Jeff Smith
Board of Advisors
Jeff Smith is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for FedEx Ground. With over 20 years of strategic leadership in human resources and operational roles, he joined Fed Ex Ground in November of 2014 as Vice President of Human Resources and was named Senior Vice President in June of 2017. Jeff is a member of The Conference Board’s Chief Human Resources Officer Committee and served on the Client Advisory Board for Linkage - Women in Leadership. Jeff is an Army Veteran serving as a member of 5th Special Forces Group and as an Army Aviator with 1/147th Aviation BN of the Wisconsin National Guard. Jeff has a BA from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and MBA from the University of Iowa.
Mary Solomon
Board of Directors
Mary Solomon is a partner in Star Thrower Entertainment. Mary serves as Executive Producer on the upcoming "Ingrid Goes West" (2017), starring Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen and is a Producer on "LBJ" (2016), directed by Rob Reiner, starring Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Richard Jenkins, premiering at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. She is a Producer on Broadway's hit musical, "Beautiful: The Carole King Story" (2014), now also in its second year of a sold-out US tour as well as a successful run on London's West End. Mary served as Associate Producer on the Off-Broadway production of "Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays" (2011) in New York and Los Angeles as well as "The Deal" (2008), starring William H. Macy and Meg Ryan. Mary is currently developing a variety of scripts for stage, film and television. In addition to her work with Team Rubicon, Mary is an Honorary Trustee of the American Museum of Natural History.
General Stanley McChrystal, USA (Ret.)
Board of Advisors
General Stanley McChrystal USA (Ret.) is a decorated four-star general and the former commander of U.S. and International Security Assistance Forces and the Joint Special Operations Command. He graduated from West Point in 1976, joined the infantry, and began his military career as a platoon commander in the 82nd Airborne Division. He is also a graduate of the US Naval War College and completed fellowships at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and at the Council on Foreign Relations. Currently, Gen. McChrystal is a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs where he teaches a course on Leadership in Operation. He sits on the board of the Yellow Ribbon Fund, Navistar International Corporation and JetBlue, and serves as the Chairman of the Aspen Institute’s Franklin Project. Gen. McChrystal also co-founded the McChrystal Group in January of 2011 where he is currently a partner.
Michael Stern
Board of Directors
Michael Stern is a philanthropist, accountant, and businessman. He currently serves as the President of the Big Wood Foundation and a Chairman of Friends Without a Border, an organization focused on building hospitals in Southeast Asia. Michael previously served as Chairman and President of Stern Fragances and Parfums Stern. When not supporting various philanthropic causes, he can be found at the New York Metropolitan Opera or supporting various theater groups in New York.
Ehsan Zaffar
Board of Advisors
Ehsan Zaffar works to build resilient communities and increase trust and diversity in organizations. He is the founder of the Los Angeles Mobile Legal Aid Clinic (LAMLAC) which helped to pioneer the delivery of mobile legal care to vulnerable populations in California and in post-disaster environments abroad. He also serves as a Senior Advisor on civil rights at the Department of Homeland Security where he advises the Department on the civil rights implications of homeland security programs and policies. Mr. Zaffar is a member of the faculties of the Washington College of Law at American University and George Washington University where he teaches civil rights and national security law and policy. His writing has appeared on CNN.com, Slate, and The Huffington Post. His book, Understanding Homeland Security: Foundations of Security Policy, will be published in fall 2017 by Routledge Press.