Dr. Angela M. Eikenberry
Angela is an Associate Professor of Public Administration, Public Affairs and Community Service at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Her research has been featured on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Her book, Giving Circles: Philanthropy, Voluntary Association, Democracy (Indiana University Press) won CASE’s 2010 John Grenzebach Research Award for Outstanding Research in Philanthropy. She was recently awarded a 2014-2015 Fulbright Scholar Award to conduct research on giving circles in the UK, affiliated with the University of Birmingham Third Sector Research Centre.

Her research and creative interests include the social, economic and political roles philanthropy, voluntary associations, and nonprofit organizations play in democratic governance. Empirical and theoretical areas of focus include: Giving circles and collaborative giving, marketization of nonprofit organizations and philanthropy,and social equity/justice and public and nonprofit administration.

Hildy Gottlieb

Hildy Gottlieb is co-founder and Chief Boundary Pusher at Creating the Future. A social scientist, teacher, TEDx speaker and serial social entrepreneur, Hildy co-founded the worlds first Diaper Bank, sparking the diaper banking movement across North America.

Hildys best-selling books have all become industry standards and are used as texts in both undergraduate and graduate programs around the world. In addition to her role at Creating the Future, Hildy is a contributor to The Huffington Post, and the creator and host of the Making Change podcast at the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

An advocate for the potential of each of us to bring out the best in each other and our world, Hildy helped develop the current Masters degree program in Community Leadership at Duquesne University (pron. Dew-cáyne), where she and her partner, Dimitri Petropolis, have taught as professors.

Hildy began her career as the legislative aide to Tucson City Council Member Tom Volgy. A serial entrepreneur, after leaving politics, Hildy started and operated several successful for-profit ventures, including a commercial construction company, a plant nursery, and along with Dimitri, a commercial real estate brokerage, management and business turnaround firm.

In 1993, Hildy and Dimitri co-founded the consulting firm Help 4 NonProfits & Tribes, assisting community organizations with strategy, governance and resource development. By 1998, Hildy and Dimitri had grown frustrated with the lack of significant community improvement being created by nonprofit community benefit organizations around the world. Aiming their business turnaround skills at social change and leadership systems themselves, the result has been the world-changing work now being advanced by Creating the Future.

Hildy's numerous awards include a Points of Light Citation from President Bill Clinton for her work in co-founding (along with Dimitri) the worlds first diaper bank.

When not working, Hildy can be found in the garden, at the movies, shooting photos, or watching the Daily Show.

Dimitri Petropolis
Dimitri Petropolis, co-founder of Creating the Future, has dedicated his life to making the world a better place. Since 1993, that has meant working side-by-side with Hildy Gottlieb, to aim the Community Benefit Sector at its potential for creating the future of our world.

Prior to his work with Hildy, Dimitri spent twelve years as an organizer for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, helping to grow the small local of 225 workers into a statewide organization of 6,000.

In 1993, Hildy and Dimitri co-founded the consulting firm Help 4 NonProfits & Tribes, assisting community organizations with strategy, governance and resource development. By 1998, Hildy and Dimitri had grown frustrated with the lack of significant long-term community improvement being created by nonprofit community benefit organizations around the world. Aiming their business turnaround skills at social change and leadership systems themselves, the result has been the world-changing work now being advanced by Creating the Future

In developing Creating the Future, Dimitri is the one who makes it all work. Whether he is designing and maintaining the organizations multiple websites, directing and producing videos and other multi-media products, designing and ensuring production of the many books Hildy has authored, or any of a dozen other nuts-and-bolts efforts that ensure both a public presence and internal functionality, Dimitris significant creative talent, his years of well-honed skills, and his inquisitiveness about how things work ensure the operations run smoothly.

A serial entrepreneur, Dimitri has founded and operated a contract flower delivery service, and a commercial real estate brokerage, management and business turnaround firm - in addition to the community benefit organizations he has co-founded with Hildy. A natural teacher, Dimitri has been on the faculty in the Masters degree program in Community Leadership at Duquesne University, a program that he and Hildy helped to develop.

Among Dimitris many awards, the highlight is a Points of Light Citation from President Bill Clinton for her work in co-founding (along with Hildy) the world’s first diaper bank - an effort that grew to spark the Diaper Banking movement across the U.S. In addition, for his overall dedication to this sectors work, Dimitri received the Inaugural Charity Channel Founder's Award, for "Contributions to the professional excellence of his colleagues, and the philanthropic example he sets."

When not working, Dimitri is taking apart computers, designing wacky artwork, cycling, or cooking phenomenal meals for the people he love

Justin Pollock
Justin Pollock is principal and founder of Orgforward, a consulting agency working with agencies and capacity builders to develop strategies that encourage meaningful community benefit and organizational sustainability. His practice focuses on strengthening the connection between vision and the leadership, programming, finance, and infrastructure needed to make change happen and on supporting organizational leaders with what they need to effectively govern and operate their organizations. Prior to launching Orgforward, Justin served in a leadership role as Chief Operating Officer for Maryland Nonprofits. Justin has trained and presented to board, staff, and volunteers from hundreds of nonprofit and government agencies ranging from small start-ups to large well-established businesses on topics of governance, financial management, strategic planning, supervision, leadership development, and organizational sustainability. He has more than 20 years of experience in the education and nonprofit fields with an extensive background in the areas of leadership development, organizational management, group process facilitation, curriculum development, teambuilding, and facilitator/trainer development. Justin's career also includes work in the fields of information technology, classroom education, and experiential, outdoor learning.

Karl Wilding
Karl Wilding is Head of Policy & Research at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations in England (NCVO). He is an Honorary Visiting Fellow at Cass Business School's Centre for Charity Effectiveness, where he also contributes to the ESRC Centre for Giving and Philanthropy. His professional interests include voluntary sector funding and finance, the relative roles of the state and voluntary organisations, and the impact of new technologies on voluntary action. Karl is a trustee of St Albans Centre for Voluntary Service.