Our Team
core team
John founded Good Wolf based on the belief that people everywhere should be able to benefit from understanding themselves better through neuroscience. He serves as Good Wolf’s neuroscientist-in-residence, leads the Good Wolf team, and is responsible for overall strategic and programmatic direction and content development.
John is a physician, scientist, educator, and healthcare leader whose career has spanned behavioral neurology and neuroscience, internal and geriatric medicine, hospice and palliative care, and medical ethics. A graduate of Tulane University and Harvard Medical School, he received his postgraduate training in Internal Medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and in Neurology at the Harvard-Longwood Neurology Program. His neuroscience research focused on the effects of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators on mammalian cortical neuronal systems in vitro. He was Chair of Geriatric Medicine at Deaconess Hospital, founding Medical Director of the Sherrill House Alzheimer’s Program, and founding Director of Deaconess ElderCare. At Harvard Medical School he served as Assistant Professor of Medicine and Neurology and at the Harvard School of Public Health as Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management. While serving as Chair of the Subcommittee on Dementia of the Ethics and Humanities Committee of the American Academy of Neurology, he authored and lobbied successfully for the passage of the Massachusetts Health Care Proxy Act. He later served as a Healthcare Policy Fellow with the U.S. Senate and was honored by the American Medical Association with the annual William Beaumont Award in Medicine in recognition of his "contributions to programs serving frail elders and successful extension of this work into the public sector and legislative spheres." John has held numerous other leadership roles in healthcare organizations including, most recently and just prior to forming Good Wolf, Chief Medical Officer for Patient Care Services at Visiting Nurse Service of New York.
Angela leads Good Wolf's outward-facing communications including social media engagement, community outreach, and media and public relations. She collaborates in content development and organizational strategy.
Angela is a communications professional with over 12 years of experience developing, managing, and executing comprehensive, multicultural, and integrated communication campaigns and strategies within the U.S. and international markets. Ms. Betancourt works with businesses, organizations, entrepreneurs, and community and government leaders to help them achieve their communication goals. She has experience creating and adapting communication strategies and messaging for various audiences, including internal teams, media, government officials, community leaders, non-governmental agencies, ministries, departments, and agencies, and private sector actors. Angela holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, and a master’s degree in Global Strategic Communications from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Angela was a 2018 Summer Fellow for the prestigious Georgetown University-Santander Bank Partnership on Social Economy. She is also certified in market systems development and monitoring and evaluation methods. Angela is a proud member of the United States Air Force Reserve.
Rebecca serves as the Program Coordinator at Good Wolf, bringing a rich academic foundation and a passion for positive change. With degrees in Psychology and Criminal Justice and a keen interest in Neuroscience, she is deeply invested in mental health issues and criminal justice reform.
Rebecca's commitment to service and community is exemplified by her volunteer work in Israel, where she tutored and assisted children, reinforcing learning concepts and fostering mental and social development. Her experience extends to curating engaging content for social media and co-leading Dialectical Behavior Therapy groups.
At Good Wolf, Rebecca supports both current and future initiatives, setting up and managing administrative processes, overseeing communication and project management, and developing and delivering content across various channels. Working collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team, she is dedicated to Good Wolf’s mission to support individual and organizational growth.
Johanna leads Good Wolf’s strategic planning process, including cultivation of institutional partners and funders. She develops content for the Good Wolf website and other communications channels and supports Public Policy working groups.
Johanna is a writer and researcher who has written and presented extensively about issues related to criminal and juvenile justice reform, educational equity, and implicit bias. Between 2006 and 2018, she served as Director of Strategic Planning at the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School. During that time, she worked closely with FrameWorks Institute on a multi-year project aimed at developing new public messages focused on justice reform. Prior to that, she served as a Policy Analyst at the Civil Rights Project, where she organized the first national conference on the school-to-prison pipeline and co-edited the journal “Deconstructing the School to Prison Pipeline”, that was published by Jossey-Bass. Johanna’s past work includes law review articles, policy briefs, book contributions, and op eds on policing, prosecutorial reform, juvenile justice, school discipline, and other aspects of the justice system that have been published in Slate, salon.com, The Crime Report, U.S.A. Today, The Marshall Project, the Huffington Post, The Washington Post, and Education Week.
Jade brings broad expertise in social and emotional learning, education and social service training, and facilitation of group processes to her role in senior leadership at Good Wolf. Jade coordinates the development, implementation, and assessment of Good Wolf’s engagement with individuals, organizations, and communities.
Jade has served over 15 years in nonprofits as a social worker, educator, and management specialist, with experience in working with a diversity of populations. She is passionate about developing, managing, and facilitating programs for people who are undocumented, formerly incarcerated, vulnerable youth, survivors of human trafficking, pregnant while homeless, and more. Understanding the power dynamics between communities served and those who work with them, her professional mission is to facilitate inclusive, sustainable, and goal-oriented practices in nonprofits. Ms. de Saussure’s insights into addressing stress and burnout were featured inSocial Worker Today andPrevention Magazine, and comprehensively detailed in her co-authored book,Dancing the Labyrinth - Spirituality in the Lives of Women. As reflected in her Emerging Social Work Leader Award from the National Association of Social Workers, she also has extensive experience professionally developing future nonprofit leaders and runs her own nonprofit training company, Desa Training, Inc. Her work can be found in theNonprofit Management: A Social Justice Approach textbook. Jade is a PhD Candidate at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service.
Greg leads Good Wolf’s content strategy and operations. His responsibilities include managing projects related to website content and participating in organizational strategic and program planning.
Greg is a content and communications expert with over nine years of experience in content production and strategy with a track record of delivering communication plans and building audiences for globally renowned clients including Sky Arts, The British Council, and The Arts and Humanities Research Council. As a freelance photographer and writer his work has been published by Positive News, Sotheby’s, The Globe Theatre, and The London Library. From multi-channel campaigns to websites, magazines and photo essays, he believes that compelling communication can facilitate positive change in individuals and society. As an environmentalist and mental health advocate he is thrilled to be a part of Good Wolf, dedicated to making tangible, positive change in the world.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Sekou Ma'at is an accomplished professional with over 25 years of diverse experience in city, county, state, and federal law enforcement, including six years of distinguished service as Warden/CEO at three federal prisons.
After retirement from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, he assumed the positions of Assistant Commissioner of Facility Operations for the New York City Department of Corrections and first Deputy Commissioner of Operations for the New York City Probation Department. He has demonstrated a progressive background across key disciplines, including financial management, psychology, human resources, education, reentry services, health services, unit management, and correctional services. Renowned for improving employee morale through effective leadership and mentoring, while developing impactful training programs. Exhibits advanced leadership, organizational, problem-solving, and interpersonal abilities, driving excellence in operational outcomes and fostering a culture of growth and accountability.
Professional Affiliations include the American Correctional Association, the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, Bright Hope Lodge #62, the Westchester Rockland County Guardians Association, and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated.
He holds a Master's in Social Work degree from Hunter College and a Bachelor's degree in History/Political Science from Hofstra University.
Tony Venezia served over 40 years as a senior executive in three of the world’s most iconic companies – PwC, IBM and Morgan Stanley – providing audit, consulting and large-scale business and technology transformation services to the C-Suite and Boards of many of the world’s largest financial institutions. He is an expert in transformative change of processes and technology supporting digital, audit, finance, risk management and transaction operations in banking and financial markets.
Tony is currently the Managing Director of TCVenezia Consulting LLC, providing advisory services to global financial institutions and consulting firms serving those institutions
Throughout her career, spanning over three decades, Dr. Diana Kaye Williams has dedicated herself to serving marginalized communities, from enhancing healthcare access to helping save the planet from the destruction caused by climate change. She currently leads Adopt Clean Energy in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, part of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Clean Heating and Cooling campaign. Additionally, she has completed numerous energy conservation projects as a certified partner of NYSERDA’s Multifamily Building Solutions and as a former Energize NY accredited partner.
In 2001, Dr. Williams co-founded Comrie Enterprises, LLC, to address rising energy costs for low- and middle-income housing by installing energy efficiency upgrades. Before that, she served as the Executive Director of the Doctors Council, the largest doctors’ union in the U.S., where she advocated for accessible healthcare. She spent several years practicing dentistry in Harlem, New Rochelle, and Port Chester. During her dental career, she successfully obtained significant federal funding to improve access to dental care in Central Harlem, helping marginalized communities.
Beyond her professional achievements, Dr. Williams co-founded the Environmental Leaders of Color (ELOC), a nonprofit organization that advocates for and educates communities—predominantly low-income populations—about climate change, its impacts, mitigation strategies, solutions, and careers in energy and environmental sciences. She holds a BA from New York University, a DDS from Howard University College of Dentistry, and an MBA from the University of Bridgeport. Dr. Williams completed her internship and residency in General Dentistry at Harlem Hospital through Columbia University.
ADVISORY BOARD
IN MEMORIAM
Dr. Emily Butler Anderson, a founding member of the Good Wolf Board of Trustees, died on June 19, 2024, after a several-year battle with cancer.
Emily was Professor Emerita and former Chair of the Department of Social Sciences & Human Services at the City University of New York and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Social Work. She leaves a rich legacy. Her professional career spanned social services, child welfare, early childhood education, psychiatric social work, and higher education teaching and administration. A proud alumnus of South Carolina State University, an HBCU, she earned three graduate degrees from New York University and Teachers College of Columbia University. Her research work for the City University of New York was instrumental in shaping the field of education.
Emily was a devoted member of the Riverside Church since 1984, serving in many capacities including on the Church Council and as Chair of the Education Commission. One of Emily’s most significant contributions was her service with distinction for over twenty years as a Board Member and eventually as Chair of the Riverside Hawks. This program, which has touched and continues to touch many young lives through basketball, academics, community engagement, and personal mentoring, is a testament to her dedication and impact. Emily's service extended to other nonprofit organization boards, including the Young Adult Institute, the Coalition of 100 Black Women, the BMCC Early Childhood Center, and the Board of Trustees for Good Wolf. Emily also served as the Co-Chair of the Columbia University Seminar on Memory and Slavery.
Emily is survived by her devoted husband, Clarence Anderson, and her daughters, Victoria and Vanessa.
We are grateful for having known Emily as a colleague and friend, and for her wonderful impact on family, friends, our community, and the world.

