Board of Directors

Robert Andrews
Robert is an accomplished Wall Street veteran with over 20 years in trading and sales.  Robert brings superior skills and experience in financial matters.  As Executive Director of Advisory team at Morgan Stanley, Robert managed highly skilled traders under rapidly changing market conditions where millions of dollars were at stake.  He also provided strategic guidance in order to improve efficiency and enhance revenues. Most recently, as Executive Director of Equity Sales and Trading at Morgan Stanley, Robert successfully managed the portfolios of institutional clients.  Robert is an active supporter of 21CF.  He, along with current board member Jerry Bias, established the Wall Street Friends Fund at 21CF, which for several years has contributed on a regular basis.

Jerry Bias
Co-Vice Chair
Mr. Bias is a Partner of Cyrus Capital Partners where he is the Head of Trading. He was head trader and Partner at OZF Capital, the predecessor company in New York. He has over fifteen years of high yield/distressed debt trading experience. Prior to joining OZF Capital, Mr. Bias was a Managing Director in the High Yield Trading department of JPMorgan Chase. In his years on Wall Street, Mr. Bias has worked for such firms as Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns, and Bank of America, and has experience trading in virtually every high yield/distressed sector in a leveraged debt trading capacity. Mr. Bias is a member of the Board of Directors for the University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO), a member of the Board of Managers for the Alumni Association of the University of Virginia, and a member of the Board of Trustees for the McDonough School. Mr. Bias is a co-founder of the Wall Street Friends Fund at 21CF, and is a lifetime member of the Children’s Aid Society Mentor Circle. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in International Affairs.

Issa Colson
Mr. Colson is President and Co-Founder of Shift the Balance, a think tank and network- building organization for young entrepreneurs. He is a graduate in Economics from Yale University, where he helped launch the Black Solidarity Conference and established it as a well-sought college conference among students of African descent. During Mr. Colson’s senior year, he became Student Advisor to the Black Student Alliance and the Black Pride Union, and represented these groups in discussions with the University President that led to increased student, faculty, and curriculum diversity. Mr. Colson currently works with organizations that seek to leverage technology in the artistry and entertainment space, such as Harlem-based Aerolith Inc.’s Diaspora Studios.

Phillip Isom, IV
Treasurer
Mr. Isom is a partner in O’Melveny & Myers LLP’s New York office and is a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions/Private Equity practice group. He specializes in the representation of private equity sponsors and investors generally focused on the buyout, growth equity, and venture capital sectors across a broad range of industries.
Mr. Isom is a lifelong resident of Harlem and has been involved in the community as a member of the Abyssinian Baptist Church and the 139th Street Block Association. He also served on Manhattan Community Board 10 from 1995 to 1997. Mr. Isom earned his J.D. from Columbia University in 1991, and received a B.S. in Economics for his undergraduate work from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, in 1986, and earned his J.D. from Columbia University in 1991

Joyce Johnson-Miller
Ms. Johnson-Miller is the Senior Managing Director of the Relativity Fund, an investment firm located in New York City. She founded, and was formerly Managing Principal of, JME Opportunity Partners. Ms. Johnson-Miller was also Managing Director of Cerberus Capital Management, LP, where she successfully managed over $700 million in investments of distressed/turnaround companies. In 1995, while at Cerberus, Ms. Johnson-Miller also founded JJM, LLC (“JJM”), a certified minority-owned equity fund focused on middle-market companies in the manufacturing, industrial, and healthcare industries. She has been an instrumental investor in many mergers and acquisitions for over 13 years, and she currently serves on the boards of directors of several privately held companies and nonprofit organizations. Ms. Johnson-Miller is a 1987 graduate of the University of Denver.

Carlottia Scott
Ms. Scott is Managing Partner of La Cause, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in campaign strategy, candidate development, fundraising, and policy advocacy, as well as representation for national and international not-for-profit organizations, global communities, and governments. She is also Vice President for Development of Hall Anderson Communications Group, Inc. An organizer, advocate, and public strategist, Ms. Scott is a facilitator, trainer, and technical assistance provider in the areas of strategic planning, cultural diversity, community development, management assistance, and capacity-building, both domestically and internationally. Most recently, Ms. Scott served as special assistant to one of the Vice Presidents of Van Scoyoc Associates, an influential government relations firm in Washington, DC. She also served as Chief of Politics for the Democratic National Committee and as Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Barbara Lee and former Congressperson Ronald V. Dellums. Ms. Scott is a co-founder of the African American Women’s Fund, a philanthropic endeavor to assist with women’s educational and capacity development. She has been an advisor to several organizations, including the Global Fund for Women, the Smithsonian Institution, the Mandela Freedom Fund and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

Beverly Smith
Co-Vice Chair
Ms. Smith is the Senior Program Director for the Local Initiatives Support Corporations’ (LISC) Youth Development and Recreation Program. She joined LISC in December 2000 to take over the management of the NFL Grassroots Program, a partnership between LISC and the National Football League. The partnership provides financing and technical assistance to neighborhood-based organizations to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of local football fields. Prior to joining LISC, Ms. Smith served as Director of the Community Liaison Unit of the Abyssinian Development Corporation. She serves as the Chair of the Housing Committee and as a Co-Chair of the Economic Development Committee of Community Board 10 in Central Harlem, and represents the Harlem community as a member of the Board of Directors of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone. Ms. Smith is an ordained minister at the Greater Allen Cathedral of the AME Church in Jamaica, NY.

Darryl Smith
Darryl is majority owner of Fidelis Capital Partners LLC, a Dallas-based investment company that owns and operates logistics firms (such as DigiSource and Premier Fulfillment).  He has extensive experience in operations and strategic turnarounds starting his career at Accenture, Inc. before joining Platinum Equity, the 22nd largest private equity firm in the US according to Forbes Magazine.  As Vice-President of Platinum Equity, Darryl performed financial due diligence and formulated strategy for over 20 businesses ranging in size from $10 million to $1 billion in annual revenues.  He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and The Wharton School where he earned a MBA specializing in Finance and Entrepreneurship.Darryl brings extensive experience in strategy and operations that will benefit 21CF. I have known Darryl for many years as a person committed to community.  I first mentioned 21CF to him in late 2006.  He was very interested at the time and his enthusiasm has not waned over the intervening year.  Darryl resides in Dallas and thus would add geographic diversity to the board, in addition to his excellent skills and resources.

Darrell Williams
Secretary
Dr. Williams is a director at LECG, LLC, and was previously a principal at Economic Analysis LLC, prior to its acquisition by LECG. Dr. Williams has extensive experience in antitrust litigation consulting; he is a former staff economist with the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, where he analyzed microeconomic issues, including industrial organization and regulation, and he was also a financial economist at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Dr. Williams has taught at the Economics Institute for Federal Judges, served as vice-chair of the Economics Committee of the American Bar Association Antitrust Section, and acted as a consultant to the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Dr. Williams is currently a faculty member of the UCLA Department of Economics, where he teaches courses on antitrust, securities markets, and regulation.

Senior Staff

Erica Hunt
President
Prior to becoming the President of The Twenty-First Century Foundation, Ms. Hunt was a Senior Program Officer at the New World Foundation, a national foundation supporting social justice and equal opportunity. Ms. Hunt’s professional involvement in philanthropy includes past and present committee service and board leadership of the National Network of Grantmakers, the Association of Black Foundation Executives, the Southern Funders Group, the National Center for Black Philanthropy (Board), the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers (Executive Committee), the Coalition for New Philanthropy in New York (Advisory Council), the National Center for Family Philanthropy, and New Ventures in Philanthropy, where she serves on the advisory council. Ms. Hunt participates in a number of professional networks, including Changemakers, a group that explores new models of community-based philanthropy, and the Partnership for African-American Endowment Development. Ms. Hunt is a past Fellow in the Duke University/University of Capetown Center for Leadership and Public Values and is also the author of numerous articles, essays, and volumes on black philanthropy.

Rev. John H. Vaughn
Program Director
Rev. Vaughn serves as the program director for The Twenty-First Century Foundation (21CF). Rev. Vaughn is responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Foundation’s grantmaking and overall program work as it seeks to support systemic change within the US Black community. Before coming to 21CF, Rev. Vaughn served as the Executive Director of the Peace Development Fund (PDF), which provides funding, training, and technical assistance for grassroots peace and justice organizing. He is an ordained minister in the American Baptist Church.

Alexandra Rojas
Director of Administration
Ms. Rojas has more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit management, grants management, and curriculum development. Prior to joining the Twenty-First Century Foundation as Director of Administration, Ms. Rojas co-founded and served as director of Youth Unlimited, a citywide youth leadership program of the Citizens Committee for New York City that sought to place promising local youth in positions of leadership in their communities. Her prior experience also includes design and implementation of training programs to build the capacity of local institutions (e.g., schools) to increase youth participation in such areas as health, economics, government, education, and community spirit. Ms. Rojas has also consulted with other national foundations and organizations in completing research to support reconnaissance activities to inform institution- and field-building program models. She earned her Masters of Science in Non-Profit Management at the Robert J. Milano School of Management and Urban Policy, New School for Social Research.