ELI Advisory Board

Simon Chan is the Founder and CEO of Adapt with Intent Inc., a boutique consulting firm that helps leaders, educators, and organizations rethink and redesign work across life stages. With a focus on the intersection of longevity, work, and higher education, Simon leverages his deep expertise in the future of work, innovation, and the dynamics of the longevity economy to support senior leadership teams in developing strategies that unlock new opportunities. His work reimagines customer experiences and workplace structures to support 100-year lives.

Simon is the Co-Chair of The Nexel Collaborative, a coalition of leading universities including Stanford, Harvard, and UChicago, pioneering midlife transition programs that help individuals thrive in an era of longer lifespans. He also serves as an Ambassador for the Stanford Center on Longevity, contributing to global discussions on how society can better support century-long lives.

With over 25 years of executive experience spanning financial services, technology, academia, and not-for-profits, Simon has a proven track record in driving innovation and talent strategies. As Vice-President at Communitech, a globally recognized innovation hub, he spearheaded talent initiatives for over 1,600 companies. Prior to that, he held senior leadership roles at Manulife Financial, a global financial services leader.

Simon holds an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University, where he currently serves as Chair of the Board of Governors. Outside of work, Simon is passionate about coaching basketball, reading, and cycling Ontario’s scenic trails. He calls Kitchener, Ontario, home.

Lise Chapman has a broad background in finance and nonprofit management. She currently works as an independent educational and career strategies coach for adults in transition and young adults pursuing educational opportunities in college and graduate school. As a volunteer, she is founder and president of 1stGenYale, a Yale Alumni Association Shared Interest Group in 2016 and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Prior, she founded the YAA program Careers, Life, and Yale. Lise served on YAA Board of Governors for eight years, including chair. Lise has been an active volunteer for Stanford, served as her class correspondent, reunion co-chair, and member of several advisory boards. She served for two terms elected to the Millburn Township Board of Education, Millburn, NJ. Lise has a Yale School of Management '81 MBA, Stanford ‘75 BA, and Kean '16 MA in Mental Health and School Counseling. Lise and her husband are proud parents of three grown children.

Chip Conley is Co-founder and CEO of MEA (formerly Modern Elder Academy) and a renowned entrepreneur, best-selling author, and dynamic speaker celebrated for his innovative approach to leadership and hospitality. As the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, he expanded a single boutique hotel into the second-largest boutique hotel brand in the U.S. In 2013, he joined Airbnb as Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, mentoring its founders and helping shape its culture during a rapid growth phase. Inspired by his midlife journey, experience at Airbnb, and extensive research and collaboration with thought leaders in the area of aging, Chip co-founded the Modern Elder Academy (MEA), the world’s first midlife wisdom school. With campuses in Baja and Santa Fe, MEA offers transformative programs to help individuals navigate midlife transitions and cultivate a renewed sense of purpose. A prolific author of several influential books, including Wisdom@Work and Learning to Love Midlife, Chip continues to inspire and reframe the concept of aging through his writing and keynote speeches.

As former CEO of AARP, Jo Ann Jenkins led the world’s largest non-profit, nonpartisan membership organization, harnessing the power and passion of almost 2,300 staff members, 60,000 volunteers and numerous strategic partners. Since 2014, Jo Ann transformed AARP into a leader in social change empowering all people to choose how they live as they age. Under her leadership, AARP was recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, was named to the Washington Post’s Top Workplaces and Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators. 

Jo Ann began her career at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, moving on to progressively more responsible leadership positions in the Department of Transportation and Department of Agriculture before serving as Chief Operating Officer of the Library of Congress. She has served and continues to hold board and advisory positions at a number of corporate and civic organizations.

Her national best-selling book, Disrupt Aging: A Bold New Path to Living Your Best Life at Every Age, has become a signature rallying cry for revolutionizing society’s views on aging by driving a new social consciousness and sparking innovative solutions for all generations. It has also been released in Chinese and Korean. 

She holds a BS degree from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program, and recipient of Honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters from both Spring Hill College and Washington College. She is a Baldrige Fellow and received the Baldrige Leadership Award. In 2019 and 2021 Fortune named her “One of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders.”

Lauren Holden Kilbane leads an insight, strategy and, content consultancy focused on global brand, design, and social innovation. Over her career, she has held posts in New York, Paris, Portland and enjoyed immersive assignments throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America. A Nike alum and on-going partner, she’s worked with Airbnb, Bell, Bugaboo, Google, M&M Mars, P&G, Target, World Surf League and a diversity of VC, start-ups, creative agencies, foundations, and non-profits.

Joanna Lohman is a global keynote speaker, former professional soccer player, and performance coach. Over her 16-year professional career, she set herself apart through her ability to sustain excellence, connect with the fan base, and grow the game, making history when she became the first Washington Spirit player to have her jersey retired. As a former member of the United States Women’s National Team, she infuses the lessons of elite level sports into the business world, igniting companies to optimize their human potential through transformational leadership. Her expertise in leadership and team building has impacted organizations such as the Minnesota Vikings, the Human Rights Campaign, Qualcomm, and McDonald’s.

Joanna is also a human rights activist and a Sport Diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, using sport to promote conflict resolution, empower women and youth, and combat sex trafficking. She authored Raising Tomorrow's Champions, an extraordinary parenting and life lessons book as told through the eyes of elite women's soccer players.

With her trademark blonde mohawk, multi-hyphenated existence, and profound identity evolution, Joanna is a model for authentic leadership and resilience. She now embraces her role as wife to Melodie, parent to Luna, and dog mom to Dewey.

From the U.S. Department of Justice, to the U.S. Senate, to running a global logistics company, to serving and founding numerous not-for-profits, Richard Phillips’s career has spanned public policy, public service, and private sector leadership. During his time at the Justice Department, he served as lead counsel for the United States in constitutional litigation involving sensitive national security and high technology issues.

He then served as Senate Judiciary Committee Counsel to Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Patrick J. Leahy, advising them on matters involving civil rights, voting rights and voter protection, technology, free trade, intellectual property, and privacy. He spearheaded the multilateral negotiations that ultimately allowed fair pay for artists and recording studios for the digital distribution of their work, allowing the advent of services such as Spotify and Pandora.

In 2005, Richard became Vice-Chairman of Pilot Freight Services, later rising to CEO of Pilot. Under his leadership, Pilot became a global leader in e-commerce fulfillment, quadrupling its revenue and increasing earnings thirty-fold. He guided the company through a successful sale to Maersk in 2022 for over $1.7 billion.

Richard accepted a fellowship at the Yale Divinity School in 2018, where he worked to place human dignity at the center of private enterprise and entrepreneurism. In 2023, Richard accepted a fellowship at Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative, where he focuses his work on the moral and spiritual foundations of effective leadership. He teaches current and future leaders throughout the university and beyond how to stay grounded in their own values as they face the difficult choices that leadership demands.

Richard is heavily involved in nonprofit and community work. He co-founded several organizations, including the Keepers of the Commons and the Pennsylvania 30 Day Fund. In his free time he enjoys flying, rowing, and volunteering with his dog, Noelle, as a therapy team in hospitals, retirement communities, and with children with learning differences.

Joe Seldner (Yale SOM class of 1984) is a writer, producer, journalist, and media/entertainment veteran who has produced movies and television for HBO and independently, been creative executive to actor Tom Hanks, Assistant to the President of Columbia Pictures, speechwriter to a governor, and worked with leaders in many arenas for more than 35 years.

Joe began his career as a journalist, earning a Pulitzer Prize nomination. His work has been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Magazine and dozens of other publications. He loves interviewing, storytelling, and learning about a wide range of people’s lives.

He has given dozens of seminars on screenwriting and idea development, been a judge and panelist at the Ivy Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival and Bahamas Film Festival, and worked with scores of writers, actors and producers.

In 2017, he founded The Senior Poverty Prevention Project, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness about an enormous but largely overlooked issue. He went back to school for a year full-time as a Fellow at Stanford University’s Distinguished Careers Institute in 2022-2023 and is continuing to write and develop projects in entertainment.

In 2013, he climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro (artificial hip and all!), has played touch football regularly into his 60s and beyond, and is always seeking new challenges and adventures.

He is the father of two and grandfather of three, and raised his children on his own from very young ages. They are his best work.

Michael Swiatek is on a mission to uplift the lives of the world’s largest minority—people with disabilities—especially those who are legally blind or have low vision, by enhancing their travel experiences. He is not only a senior executive with real-world success in the airline industry but is also legally blind himself. His unique life experiences have shaped his outlook and career journey.

With a distinguished aviation career, Michael Swiatek has excelled in senior executive roles at prominent global airlines. Currently serving as the Chief Strategy Officer & Chief Accessibility Officer at Abra Group, the parent company of Avianca and GOL Airlines, he shapes the strategic direction of these airlines, driving profitability and competitiveness in the Americas market.

Prior to his current role at Abra Group, Swiatek held the position of Chief Strategy & Planning Officer at Avianca, transforming the airline’s positioning through alliance formation, network expansion, and corporate planning. He also championed inclusivity as Co-chair of Culture Transformation, Accessibility, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, solidifying Avianca’s reputation as a socially responsible airline.

Previously, Michael has held senior roles at several global airlines, including Chief Planning Officer at IndiGo Airlines, the largest airline in India, Qatar Airways as Chief Planning Officer, and Air New Zealand where he served as Director of Strategic Planning.

Throughout his career, Michael Swiatek’s strategic acumen and leadership have left an indelible mark on the aviation industry, propelling organizations to new heights.

Bonnie Wan is creator and author of The Life Brief, a simple and profound action-driving practice that helps people navigate life’s biggest and trickiest decisions with clarity, creativity and courage.

The Life Brief applies the art and science of brand strategy to how we live our lives, helping people get clear, take meaningful action, and live with greater intention and imagination.

As Partner and Head of Brand Strategy at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (GS&P), Wan leads strategy for Fortune 500 companies including Blackstone, BMW, Comcast/Xfinity, Frito-Lay, and Kraft-Heinz. She also harnesses strategy to create powerful, provocative, award- winning campaigns fighting racial injustice, child sex trafficking, cyberbullying, college campus rape, and gender inequality. Wan has been named an Advertising Icon, an Ad Age Leading Woman, and Chief Strategy Officer of the Year.

The Life Brief has evolved from an agency talk to keynotes, workshops and now a best-selling book. The Life Brief: A Playbook for No Regrets Living is the essential tool for aligning your daily actions with your ambition and values. As a Brand Strategist turned Life Strategist, Wan not only helps companies innovate from a place of purpose, but also guides everyday people who seek to realize their potential.

Wan has taught The Life Brief at Accenture, AirBnB, Apple, Change.org, Chief, Google, SXSW, and World 50 Group as well as for Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, and Jane Goodall’s Activating Hope Summit.

A. J. Wasserstein is the Eugene F. William, Jr., Senior Lecturer in the Practice of Management at the Yale School of Management. His research, writing, and teaching concentrate on search funds, entrepreneurship, programmatic acquisitions, and small businesses.

Additionally, he is a private investor with a long-term orientation, interested in lower middle-market businesses and philanthropic organizations, where he can be positively impactful by using his experiences, time, and capital. Prof. Wasserstein was the president of Onesource Water, the third-largest bottleless water service business in the U.S. Onesource Water was sold to Water Logic, a U.K.-based strategic acquirer, in 2016. Previously, A. J. was the founder and CEO of ArchivesOne, the third-largest records management company in the U.S. ArchivesOne was sold to Iron Mountain (NYSE: IRM) after 17 years of operation.

A. J. received the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award for outstanding teaching in elective courses at the Yale School of Management in 2022 and 2024. The U.S. Small Business Administration has recognized A. J. as the Small Business Person of the Year in Connecticut. A. J. wrote a book on young adulthood that was a gift to his three children. The book’s title is What Matters Most: A Young Adult’s Roadmap to Life.