Meet our Board and Advisors

Regina Benjamin, MD

18th Surgeon General of the U.S.

Regina began her medical career serving the Gulf Coast fishing community of Bayou La Batre and grew to become the 18th Surgeon General of the United States. Today, she acts as CEO of the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic she founded, and chairs the public health sciences department at Xavier University. Dr. Benjamin established her community clinic in 1990, allowing patients to pay what they could and funding expenses from her own pocket. She was beloved by patients and recognized as a model of perseverance for keeping the clinic open despite destruction inflicted by Hurricanes Georges and Katrina. In 1995, she became the first physician under age 40 and the first African-American woman elected to the American Medical Association Board of Trustees. Seven years later, she made history again, becoming the first African-American female president of a state medical society in the U.S.

Dr. Benjamin has held notable positions such as chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States and president of the American Medical Association Board of Trustees. Her humanitarian spirit has been acknowledged by many awards, accolades and honorary degrees. Regina holds a BS from Xavier University of Louisiana, an MD from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an MBA from Tulane University.

Lisa Brummel

Former Chief People Officer of Microsoft

Having joined Microsoft straight out of college, Lisa rose to become the organization’s executive vice president of Human Resources, a position she held until retirement at the end of 2014. For eight years prior to joining Human Resources, Lisa served as corporate vice president of the Home & Retail Division, where she was responsible for overseeing worldwide development and business strategy for consumer hardware, software and Macintosh products.

Lisa is a Board member at Laird Norton Wealth Management and co-owner of the Seattle Storm, a professional women’s basketball team in the WNBA. She is active in charitable ventures associated with Hopelink community services, the University of Washington Medical Center, Yale University and the Women’s Funding Alliance. Lisa holds a BA from Yale University and an MBA from UCLA.

Jay Burrell

President & Chief Executive Officer of 98point6

Jay joined 98point6 in 2020, and is the Chief Executive Officer. More about Jay on the Leadership page.

Michael Farello

Managing Partner of L Catterton

Michael has worked in the consumer sector since the late 80s as a consultant, senior executive and investor. Prior to joining L Catterton, he held several executive positions at Dell, where he led the company’s consumer marketing and e-business following a strategic role in the Office of the Chairman. Previously, Michael spent 12 years at McKinsey & Company, most recently as a partner focusing on the firm’s retail, hospitality, media, entertainment and consumer clients facing growth or customer service challenges. He left McKinsey for the job of senior vice president of sales and marketing at a privately-held software company serving specialty retailers. Michael holds a BS from Stanford University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Larry Fink

Founder, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock, Inc.

Larry is founder, chairman and chief executive officer of BlackRock. He and seven partners founded the company in 1988, and under his direction, the firm has grown into a global leader in investment and technology solutions. Larry has been acknowledged as one of the “World’s Greatest Leaders” by Fortune, and Barron’s has named him one of the “World’s Best CEOs” for 15 consecutive years.

Prior to co-founding BlackRock, he was a member of the management committee and a managing director of The First Boston Corporation. He serves on the Board of Trustees of New York University (NYU) and the World Economic Forum, and is co-chairman of the NYU Langone Medical Center Board of Trustees. In addition, he is a Board member of the Museum of Modern Art, the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Rescue Committee. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in Beijing and on the Executive Committee of the Partnership for New York City. Larry holds a BA and an MBA from UCLA.

Nader Naini

Managing Partner of Frazier Healthcare Partners

Nader joined Frazier Healthcare Partners in 1991 and has served on the firm’s management committee leading its Growth Buyout strategy since 1995. Under his leadership, the team has successfully raised more than $4 billion of limited partner capital for 10 investment vehicles and has generated more than $4.2 billion in realizations. Prior to joining Frazier, he was an associate at Goldman Sachs.

During his 29-year tenure with the firm, Nader has been responsible for and served on the Boards of successful investments in Aspen Education Group, CHG Healthcare, Priority Solutions International , Bravo Health , Laboratory Supply Company , Pentec Health , Solis Mammography , DSI Renal and Northfield Medical. He is currently a Board member for United Digestive, Alteon Health, MedData and Accuity Delivery Systems.

Jim Sinegal

Former CEO and Co-founder of Costco Wholesale Corporation

Jim Sinegal co-founded Costco Wholesale Corporation and served as the CEO for 27 years. Upon retirement in 2012, he assumed his current role as company advisor.

As an 18-year-old college student, Jim went to work for the legendary retail icon Sol Price at the discount store FedMart in San Diego. He remained working for Price for almost 30 years before striking out on his own to start Costco.

Today, Jim serves as trustee for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He is a senior executive in residence at both Seattle University’s Albers School and at his alma mater, San Diego State University where he earned his BA. He is also an advisor at the Mendoza School of Business for Notre Dame.

Sarah Smith

Former Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Accounting Officer of Goldman Sachs Group

Sarah is the former chief compliance officer and chief accounting officer for Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., where she currently serves as a senior advisor. She has more than 40 years of experience in the accounting and auditing profession, including nearly 25 years with Goldman Sachs Group, where she was a long-term member of the management committee. Sarah also served on several Goldman Sachs committees, including the Reputational Risk Committee, Client and Business Standards Committee, Investment Policy Committee, Risk Committee and the Steering Committee on Regulatory Reform. She previously served on the US Treasury Department’s Commission on the Auditing Industry.

Smith sits on the Financial Accounting Foundation Board of Trustees, is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and attended City of London University.