Jennifer Libby has been a psychotherapist for over 20 years treating at-risk adolescents. Jennifer has been sounding the alarm for many years about the rapidly emerging youth mental health crisis exacerbated by less than responsible social media platforms. Frustrated by the slow movement by the social media industry to “do better” for kids, and in response to her own family tragedy, Jennifer founded Promly as a healthier alternative to legacy social media. Jennifer’s advocacy for better treatment of youth by Big Tech was well received recently in Washington, D.C. where she spoke to a large group of U.S. House Representatives regarding her on-going efforts (informed by client experience and Promly’s Gen Z advisory board) to have YouTube remove and/or disrupt the algorithm for the “how to tie a noose” and “how to hang yourself” videos that provide step by step video instructions often created by teens themselves. Of note, suicide by hanging in children and teens has increased by exponential numbers in the last 10 years. It is examples like this that drive Promly to re-imagine how social media can “do better” for teens. Jennifer also speaks publicly on a variety of other mental health concerns impacting teens and has provided consultation with numerous agencies including Center for Humane Tech (producers of the “The Social Dilemma”) on best practices for teens and tech. Jennifer is already helping to raise awareness of the indications of and mitigations for youth distress through speaking engagements scheduled at technology and health forums, as well as large corporate partnerships, and other organizations throughout the year. Jennifer now resides in the great Garden State with her husband and four daughters. She loves TikTok dances, skiing, is a huge fan of Gen Z, and feels like life would be better if every room had a disco ball.

Brad has over 20 years of experience as a CFO both in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. When Brad is not adding up numbers and giving out good advice, he can be found creating an amazing BBQ, cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and living his best life with his wife and two kids in Florida.

Carlos brings a powerful energy and enthusiasm to our board. He is a New Jersey native who is a born leader and visionary, always aiming to bring something better to the community. Carlo is a host and executive producer at PBS and NJPBS. He brought to life Que Pasa TV to showcase the rich cultural mosaic found in the Tri State area. Carlos is an advocate and voice for the Hispanic community with a strong presence as the President and CEO of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of NJ. Carlos also serves on the board of Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield and brings a passion for the revitalization of Newark downtown. For years, Carlos has been “overseeing” the Garden State as President of Robinson Aerial Surveys, providing aerial mapping and construction management services for New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. When Carlos heard about all we were doing at Promly to fight teen suicide and advocate for access to support for youth, Carlos offered to bring his best efforts to our Board. We feel so fortunate to have his presence, expertise, and energy with us to fight for better solutions for teens.

Christy Johnson is a single mother with 4 exceptional young adult children. She loves cooking, racing triathlons, playing ice hockey, golf, tennis, sailing, and pretty much all sports. When Christy first learned about Promly’s mission, she immediately channeled her strength to step up to help pave the way for more responsible tech for Gen Z. Christy has made it her life’s mission to create more accessibility for young people to access mental health resources and find meaning and purpose in their lives. She is a leader and visionary who has helped propel Promly to where it is today. When Christy is not advocating for suicide prevention or winning Ironman competitions, she can be found routinely attending hip hop shows and she is not afraid to bust a move with the best of them in the front row.

Jean is a passionate and empathetic psychiatrist that took a winding path in his career that landed him deep in the world of treating some of the most complicated patients in mental health. After getting his undergraduate degree at Harvard University and later his Ph.D in Computational Chemistry at NYU as well as his Masters in Financial Mathematics from University of Chicago, Jean returned to get his medical degree at UPITT to ultimately become an extremely well respected forensic psychiatrist working with patients that have been involved at various levels of the criminal justice system. Jean has helped countless students throughout his career in the form of mentoring, teaching, and tutoring positions both volunteer and paid. Jean has the natural ability to share knowledge, inspire others to learn, and bring empathy to a space where it is easy to lose sight of empathetic understanding. Jean is the proud father of two pre-teen daughters. Having watched teens suffer in reaction to overwhelming social media channels, Jean joined the Promly team in another heroic effort to change lives and save lives.

Amy is the Education Director of The Kennedy Forum where she pursues partnerships and collaborations that emphasize evidence-based research and programming to facilitate policy change in the areas of education and mental health. Last year, Amy ran for Congress in New Jersey’s 2 nd congressional district. With over 15 years of experience working in public schools, Amy has seen first-hand how a child’s mental health and mental health literacy impacts their ability to learn and grow—not only in the classroom, but in life. Amy serves on the boards of Mental Health America, a leading national advocacy organization and Parity.org, which promotes gender parity at the highest levels of business. She is an advisory board member of Interaxon, a mental health technology company; the JED Foundation which focuses on mental wellness and emotional preparedness for teens; and Brain Futures. Amy and her husband, former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, live in southern New Jersey with their five children.

Burak Tansug is a multi-faceted program/project manager and a certified Scrum Master with 25 years experience in software development, and Digital Analytics. Burak’s expertise is managing distributed Agile Teams in diverse verticals, primarily in digital healthcare projects with companies such as Pfizer, Merck, Novartis, Preventice, Novo Nordisk, playing the key role of liaison between stakeholders and technical teams, orchestrating the product delivery and ultimately carrying accountability for delivering value on the market. Burak is a father to two Gen Z sons, loves to dance to Ibiza favs, and makes the very best lentil soup in the world. Burak is and has been motivated since the beginning by Promly’s mission to fight teen suicide using creative tech and real life experience to fuel connectedness. 

Kayla Solinsky is an educational visionary that predicted the need for alternative, individualized, strength building online education for the K-12 population well before Covid came on the scene. Kayla is the executive director of Macbeth Academy, Inc a virtual K-12 school and a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Kayla also leads MacBeth’s Strategic Partnerships, working with for-profit, nonprofit, and government organizations to help MacBeth meet the needs of students across the country. Kayla received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and was a recipient of the Gates Millenium Scholarship (which inspired her dedication to education and leadership in creating new learning pathways for students). Kayla received her Masters degree from UPITT and has gone on to pursue her Doctoral Degree in Education with a focus in Instructional Technology. Kayla is certified in Gifted and Talented Education as well as Instructional Technology. Kayla is married and is a mother to a beautiful little boy. She resides mostly in Maryland while managing multiple MacBeth Academy campuses. She also recently launched a podcast, “Superintendent Transitions with Kayla Solinsky” highlighting and providing insight on such subjects such as Critical Race Theory, Edtech Trends, Legislative Action, and the differences between Equity and Equality in Education. Kayla lights up the room with her energy, enthusiasm, and vision for a better future for kids. She has an amazing way of finding each child’s unique strength so that they can truly become the very best student in a world where learning can be challenging but giving kids the ability to shine is essential. It’s no wonder that she was just chosen as a judge for the ReImagine Education Awards. Kayla is a big fan of Snoop Dogg and can be found chillin’ with her family when she is not bringing out the very best in others at MacBeth Academy.

Katie Greer (she/her/hers) is a graduate from Trinity College where she majored in Psychology and minored in Writing, Rhetoric and Media Studies. She was a member of the swim team at Trinity, and a captain her senior year. Currently, Katie is working for Promly as a Marketing and Project Coordinator. She is also working as the program director at Brain Balance in Summit, NJ. She is planning to go to graduate school eventually to get a Masters of Social Work. Her ultimate goal is to become a therapist.

Christian Elam is a 19 year old serial entrepreneur & investor. He is currently raising a $20M VC fund to support innovation and empower the next generations of entrepreneurs to advance humanity. Christian was the youngest person to attend Stanford’s tech program at age 10. He learned how to code at 12, launched several apps at 14 that quickly reached the top charts. He is an angel investor and advisor for several high growth startups and accelerators and has already led & analyzed many exclusive deals at Sutton Capital across all stages & industries. Christian is a huge mental health advocate and passionate about saving lives!

When he is not in session, John Grund can be found hiking, sailing at Spruce Run, or biking up the notorious hills of Hunterdon County. He has been married for 29 years and is the proud parent of 2 incredibly kind, giving, and adventurous young men. He is a Contemplative Psychotherapist in private practice for 30 years and he specializes in Mindfulness Based cognitive Therapy. He has a Masters Degree in Clinical Social Work from NYU and has extensive postgraduate training in mindfulness , meditation, and Buddhist Psychology. He is a retired NJ Public School Social Worker, Student Assistance Counselor, Anti-Bullying Specialist, Youth Leadership Advisory and Tennis Coach. He is the owner of Full Value Communities, an experiential based company assisting schools and youth programs in developing safe and effective learning environments. 

Over 25 years led financial services, payment card, and emerging technologies for multinational corporations and e-business start-ups. Expert evaluation, implementation and management of new business initiatives. Pioneered shared ATM networks and PC banking at Citibank (1980s), led MasterCard’s worldwide entry into chip cards and mobile commerce (1990s), including launches throughout Asia-Pacific and Latin America. Headed BankOne’s embryonic prepaid card. Investor and advisor to multiple early stage start-ups, as well as Venture Partner of Sybillia Masters Fund. Walt is very actively involved with his alma mater, Rice University, and is a major booster of it's athletic programs. Walt is a big fan of Rice University athletics (season ticket holder for all men and women sports), and loves freshwater fishing, German shepherds, great food, fly fishing and traveling around the world.

Matt Kraus is an Emmy Award winning Sound Designer specializing in Theatre, Television and Special Events. Matt has worked as a designer for more than 100 theatrical productions including the Tony award winning Broadway show “Liza’s at the Palace,” “Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony,” “Kristen Chenoweth- My Love Letter to Broadway”, “SuperFly,” directed by Bill T. Jones, and “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. In the television arena, Matt has been the sound designer for “Disney’s Broadway Hits” at Royal Albert Hall which aired to much acclaim internationally on SKY TV, and Broadway HD and for which he won an Emmy. He has also been a part of many live telecasts, such as “The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” “MTV VMAs” and “Jesus Christ Superstar-LIVE”, and “The 2016 international Jazz Day broadcast live from the White House”. Last year, Matt was the Audio Coordinator inside the NBA bubble from the restart through the Finals. He has also been the Audio Coordinator on remote shoots of the Tonight Show, which has filmed all over the country. In addition, Matt has worked on hundreds of high-profile events. Some highlights include, iHeart Radio’s annual Music Festival in Las Vegas, “Gucci/H&M Fashion Show featuring Prince and Nikki Manaj”, “We Love NYC in Central Park” and “Elton John’s 60th Birthday Celebration at St. John the Divine”. Matt is a Member of Local One IATSE, USA 829, and is a graduate of The University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. Matt is a creative and empathetic leader who has directed large scale teams to meet the production and sound needs in even the most challenging circumstances including building in stadium sound for the NBA amidst Covid shutdowns. Matt has become an advocate for teen suicide prevention and anti-bullying efforts among the LGBTQ community. Energized by our mission, Matt joined the Promly team and has opened the doors for us to be able to bring the ChangeMakers Festival to life. When he’s not creating sound magic for others, Matt can be found gardening at their home with his husband, Andrew, making the most amazing Sweet Potato Pie, or dreaming up immensely creative Halloween costumes.

Todd recently joined the Promly team in one more endeavor to truly get ahead of teen suicide. Todd has been a leader, visionary, and changemaker in our society fueled by a passion that is unmatched by many. Todd founded STOPIt Solutions after hearing a radio interview about a young girl who was viciously bullied, primarily through social media posts. She committed suicide. As he listened, his heart stopped beating for what felt like an eternity. He couldn’t breathe. Tears flowed, and his life has never been the same. This should never happen to children, and he had to help. The idea for STOPit was born. Days later, he framed out a technology platform that was designed to empower kids to make the difference called STOPit. Todd invested time, effort, and energy to see what resources were available for kids to make a meaningful change. He found nothing like STOPit so he dove in head first to create an anonymous reporting solution that is currently protecting millions of kids and families across the United States. Promly is so blessed to have Todd as part of our board and we look forward to further STOPIt Solution collaborations. “Inspiration drives vision, fuel it with passion and anything is possible!.” —Todd Schobel