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 in Social Worker Today and Prevention 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 the Nonprofit Management: A Social Justice Approach textbook. Jade is a PhD Candidate at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service.
As a Creative Director of art and design Shelly brings a viscerally original point of view and comprehensive experience to every project. Her inspiration is born from a genuine desire to help others be their best selves, by communicating insightful messages with compassion and empathy.
A native of Hawaii, Shelly began her advertising journey as a studio artist at Chiat/Day, where she was soon promoted to art director. From the get-go Shelly was working on major brands such as CNBC, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and National Rent-a-Car. This led to producing TV and print campaigns for Bell Atlantic and CorningWare and pitching in on the legendary MasterCard “Priceless” Pitch. Shelly also worked on international digital campaigns for Dell and IBM, as well as a Slim-Fast Super Bowl Spot, while winning advertising awards along the way.
All this experience opened doors to video and film-based projects, web design, CRM, and experiential. While freelancing for ad agencies and PR firms, Shelly also put teams together for her own clients which included brands like MetLife and Vonage. In her role at 360i, she sharpened her social media chops working on Fisher-Price, Enterprise Rental Cars, and Nestlé Waters campaigns. Most recently, Shelly has brought her experience and talent to some notable pharma-based agencies bringing DTC and HCP efforts for clients like Jardiance, Cologuard, and Urvant to name a few.
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 DIRECTORS
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.
Dr. Daniel B. Hier is emeritus Professor of Neurology and Rehabilitation at University of Illinois at Chicago and Adjunct Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology. He is dual boarded in Medical Informatics and Neurology. He previously served as Head of Neurology at University of Illinois at Chicago and later as a Physician Consultant to the Cerner Corporation of Kansas City MO. His research interests are in electronic health records, machine learning, and patient phenotyping via Natural Language Processing. He is a student of Buddhism which has offered him insights into the importance of being cognizant of the well-being of all living things, our fellow humans, and the world we all share and enjoy.
Danne Johnson is a tenured professor of law, a certified diversity professional, and a small business owner. She founded her firm, Our Work, LLC during the pandemic and is able to devote necessary time to her goal of changing the world.
Johnson earned her BA from the University of Pennsylvania, her JD from George Washington University, and a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. In addition, Johnson is a DELA Certified Diversity Professional and an IDI qualified Administrator. She has studied, traveled, and taught all over the globe from the Cayman Islands, to Nantes, France, to Tianjin, China. She is an active nonprofit board member and trainer, speaker, wife, and mother of two. Her children are her source of inspiration.
Richard A. Martin has been involved in litigation in the state and federal courts of the United States, Europe and Asia for more than 40 years. From June 1987 to July 1990, Mr. Martin served as Special Representative of the Attorney General, located at the United States Embassy in Rome, Italy. There, he represented the Department of Justice in Europe and handled extradition and mutual assistance matters, among other duties. In August 1990, Mr. Martin’s contributions to the Administration of Justice in Italy were recognized when he was named “Commendatore al Merito della Repubblica Italiana,” the Italian Legion of Honor. Prior to transferring to Rome, Mr. Martin served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, from January 1980 to June 1987. Today Dick is the Senior Deputy General Counsel at Deloitte Global.
Dr. Nancy Michael is the Rev. John A. Zahm, C.S.C. Associate Teaching Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Neuroscience and Behavior major at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Michael’s dedication to excellence, innovation in education, and commitment to community wellness have earned her numerous teaching, advising, and community awards. In partnership with multiple community organizations, Dr. Michael works to develop and implement NEAR (neuroscience, epigenetics, adverse childhood experiences, resilience) science approaches that aim to mitigate the impact of toxic stress on individuals and communities. Her research uses a community-based change theory model to work with community organizations in developing population-specific NEAR-based strategies to support organizational and community efforts in becoming trauma-informed. Dr. Michael received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. She was awarded the Society for Neuroscience Next Generation Award in 2020 for SfN members who have made outstanding contributions to public communication, outreach, and education about neuroscience.
Boris Rauls is a Managing Director and Head of Strategy for Bank of America’s Wealth Management Business. He works directly with the Presidents of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and BofA’s Private Bank on their strategic plans and strategic initiatives. Previously, Boris acted as a COO of the Personal Wealth and Retirement Business. Prior to joining Bank of America, Boris was a Principal with The Boston Consulting Group, where he worked with Financial Institutions in Europe, Asia, and U.S. Boris is a CFA Charterholder and also chairs the Investment Committee of St. John’s Lutheran church in Mamaroneck. He lives in Larchmont, NY, and has two daughters.
Mr. Rosenblatt has held various national and international leadership and management positions during his 34 plus year career at IBM, including systems engineering, product and marketing management, business development, and global program management with areas of specialization including antivirus technologies and advanced water management. After retiring from IBM, he served as Vice President for an India-based software company. He volunteers to work in developing countries, mentors recently incarcerated persons and supports environmental advocacy and community action organizations, including serving on the Boards of several nonprofit organizations. Steve holds an MBA in International Business and Graduate Certification in nonprofit fundraising management.
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
ADVISORY BOARD
Jim Parker’s executive experience includes more than 25 years of executive healthcare leadership. He most recently served as the Senior Advisor to HHS Secretary Alex M. Azar, during which time he steered the development and implementation of many significant health policy initiatives. Jim also served as the Secretary’s advisor to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, through which he steered numerous policy changes. Previously, Jim served as the chairman and CEO of MDwise, an Indianapolis-based Medicaid managed care organization and was an early member of the Anthem leadership team. He led a public affairs team that created public buy-in and regulatory approval of Blue Cross and Blue Shield mergers and acquisitions that fueled the company’s early growth into one of the nation’s largest healthcare benefits companies. Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from Kenyon College with a concentration in Mathematics. He completed his Master of Business Administration from The Ohio State University with a concentration in Finance.
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.