With a business background in marketing, Rich Johnson co-founded Spark Ventures after a 2006 trip to Zambia. As CEO during Spark’s first decade, Rich’s leadership helped to raise millions of dollars to fund partners and projects in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central America. Rich’s vision for business driven philanthropy and impact travel laid the foundation for the successful organization Spark Ventures is today and he continues to serve in a leadership role on the board of directors. He has spoken at SXSW’s entrepreneur’s conference, Chicago Ideas Week, Technori and other events. In his free time you’ll find him hiking, reading or running with his dogs, Zambezi and Kia.

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Scott Barbeau is co-founder of Spark Ventures and has served on the board since its inception. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. He spent the first 15 years of his professional career working at Lucent Technologies, Parson Group, and Hyperion Solutions in sales and management roles. He is the founder of UpBeat Music and Arts, a Chicago-based non-profit music school that provides mentoring and music education.  Scott is employed as a professional musician, playing keyboards in the band Sixteen Candles and teaching music.

Daniel Marcus is co-founder of Spark Ventures and has served on the board since its inception. He was born in Santiago, Chile and immigrated to the United States at the age of 8 years old with his parents and two brothers. Dan attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he  received a BA in Economics.  He has worked in finance most of his career. He  worked at Bear Stearns and currently is an Investment Advisor at Marcus  Capital, LLC. Dan has been involved with various charities including 10 years as a Child Life Specialist at Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago and two years at The Night Ministry, working to serve homeless and runaway youth.

Michael Campbell joined the Spark Board of Directors in 2018. He received a BS from Purdue University in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering and spent the beginning of his professional career co-founding and developing several successful start-ups. Michael brings over 30 years of experience in enterprise technology, currently as the CEO of Fusion Risk Management, the leader in Business Continuity and Risk Management solutions. He also brings a unique global perspective and strategic insight to Spark’s board. Michael is a proud father to three beautiful and intelligent daughters and currently lives in Chicago.

Scott Barbeau is co-founder of Spark Ventures and has served on the board since its inception. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. He spent the first 15 years of his professional career working at Lucent Technologies, Parson Group, and Hyperion Solutions in sales and management roles. He is the founder of UpBeat Music and Arts, a Chicago-based non-profit music school that provides mentoring and music education.  Scott is employed as a professional musician, playing keyboards in the band Sixteen Candles and teaching music.

Constance was first introduced to Spark Ventures in 2014 and traveled to Nicaragua with the organization shortly thereafter.  Since then she has been a huge fan of Spark and enthusiastically joined the board in 2018.  She holds a Bachelors Degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and has 20 years of sales and marketing experience, with 15 of those years in the global market place.  She began her career in the hotel industry and transitioned into the publishing industry.  As an executive with World Book International, she oversaw the company’s marketing efforts in 30 countries throughout the world, in addition to developing and executing major events throughout Europe, Asia and Africa.  Since Constance’s departure from the corporate sector, she has worked with and supported a variety of philanthropic organizations in Kenya, Tanzania, China, Romania, Guatemala, Indonesia and Cameroon.  Currently she also serves on the Board of Directors of Prevent AIDS Africa, an organization that works to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa through a sustainable program of education, prevention, and treatment in connection with local partners.  Constance resides in Chicago.

Julie, the proud mother of twin girls, lives in Rancho Santa Fe, California but was born in Pittsburg, PA and raised outside of Chicago. She attended the University of the Pacific where she received her BFA in Commercial Design and Business. She also did her post-graduate studies at The Art Institute of Chicago. After a successful sales career in high-technology publishing, Julie has spent the past 15 years focused on philanthropic efforts. In addition to being on several non-profit Boards, she has chaired numerous fund raising events for a variety of organizations. Julie has traveled extensively through Europe, Asia, the Middle East, India and South America. Julie and her daughter first traveled with Spark to Nicaragua with Spark in 2016. Julie has traveled to Spark’s partners in Mexico and Zambia several times and can’t wait to visit them again soon.

Kathy Campbell Wolf’s passion for Spark first ignited when she first traveled to Zambia in January of 2014. Coming back to the states inspired, she joined Spark’s Board of Directors that same year as part of her transition to non profit work from a 20 year career in the fashion industry as an agent, producer and business owner. A proud mother of two, Kathy previously joined the Board of Directors for her daughter’s adoption agency – the Adoption Center of Illinois (formerly the Family Resource Center) and is currently on the Board of Directors for the Chicago based non-profit HelloBaby. Kathy has fully immersed herself and her family with Spark’s partners, traveling to Nicaragua and Mexico twice each, and back to Zambia seven more times. Kathy’s determination to help those in need has made her an indispensable addition to Spark Ventures’ leadership.

With a business background in marketing, Rich Johnson co-founded Spark Ventures after a 2006 trip to Zambia. As CEO during Spark’s first decade, Rich’s leadership helped to raise millions of dollars to fund partners and projects in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central America. Rich’s vision for business driven philanthropy and impact travel laid the foundation for the successful organization Spark Ventures is today and he continues to serve in a leadership role on the board of directors. He has spoken at SXSW’s entrepreneur’s conference, Chicago Ideas Week, Technori and other events. In his free time you’ll find him hiking, reading or running with his dogs, Zambezi and Kia.

Board of Director member Jennifer Kim loves adventure and has traveled extensively around the world. In June 2016, she took her family to Nicaragua on their first Spark Ventures trip. Since then, they have traveled to both of our partners in Zambia and Mexico. After living abroad in London and more recently in New York City, Jennifer now resides in Chicago with her husband and two daughters. Jennifer holds a B.A. in Biology and Philosophy from Boston University and a Master’s in Public Health from Tulane University with a focus on Health Education and Maternal/Child Health.

Throughout her life, Jennifer has dedicated her time and efforts to a number of causes. As a student, she volunteered in Kenya building a school for children. Subsequently, she worked in the outreach program with the International Red Cross in London and traveled to Sri Lanka to aid in the recovery of the 2004 Tsunami. For the last 14 years, she has volunteered with the Junior League in a number of capacities including fundraising, event planning, leadership, and tutoring underprivileged children in London and Chicago. She has served as a co-chair of the Latin School of Chicago gala, as the Lower School Vice President of the Parent Association and continues to volunteer in many capacities at the school. She serves on the Events and Partners committees for Spark Ventures. It is a pleasure to have Jennifer on the Spark team.

Vicki is passionate about helping families improve their quality of life through entrepreneurship. She is thrilled to support Spark Venture’s mission which aligns so perfectly with her personal mission. Several years ago, Sue Bernstein invited Vicki and her husband Jon to a dinner program to learn more about Spark. The global mission and dramatic impact of Spark Ventures impressed Vicki and Jon and they became involved as donors. Jon and Vicki enjoyed visiting Entreamigos with Spark and provided funding to establish a photography program as an entrepreneurial opportunity for the local women.

A lifelong resident of Kansas City, Missouri, Vicki earned a BS in Business Administration from William Jewell College and an MBA from Rockhurst University. One of her favorite career positions was as inventory manager for the Keepsakes Ornaments with Hallmark Cards, Inc., being an avid collector herself. She has been in sales management with Mary Kay Cosmetics, and has owned several small businesses including a financial services practice with Thrivent. She is currently self-employed as a business consultant and enjoys giving back through her volunteer activities as a mentor and leader.

Vicki’s experience as President and CEO of a domestic violence shelter in an inner city environment has given her insight into many issues affecting Spark’s partners, and she will be working with the Partners Committee to develop a program for Trauma Informed Care training as one of her first projects. Her experience with all aspects of fundraising will be put to good use on the Events Committee. She is excited to build awareness and support for Spark in the Kansas City area.

Vicki loves performance arts and is co-chair of the Independence Young Matrons Children’s Theater. She and Jon enjoy hiking in state and national parks. Vicki and Jon have one son who is a mechanical engineer in the Kansas City area. Vicki and her family look forward to traveling with Spark Ventures, making connections for good around the world.

Doak Elliott is a Spark board member and is currently serving as the Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair.  He began supporting Spark in 2013, as one of the founding members of the Associate Board. While on the Associate Board, he served in several leadership roles, including the Associate Board Chair.  He has traveled to all of Spark’s partner organizations.

Doak attended Oklahoma State University where he graduated with Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Accounting.  After moving to Chicago in 2005, he spent 11 years at Ernst and Young (EY) in the firm’s Advisory Services Practice, where he helped numerous clients maximize their Internal Audit and Internal Controls functions.  Doak also served as the Central Region Leader for the firm’s College Mentoring for Access and Persistence program.  In this role, he led hundreds of EY volunteers who mentored first-generation college students.

Doak is currently the Sr Manager of Revenue Accounting at CDW in Oaklahoma.

Lisa was born in Portland, Oregon and spent her later childhood in Carmel, Indiana. She is a graduate of DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana where she earned a B.A. in Economics/Business Administration and Psychology.

Lisa has worked as a senior broker and founding member at @ properties, Chicago’s top ranking real estate brokerage, for over 16 years. She has consistently ranked as one of @ properties top producers and has been recognized by the Chicago Association of Realtors for her sales volume. Her expertise includes marketing and sales of new construction developments, selling individual property listings, and helping buyers find that special home. Before entering the world of real estate, Lisa spent ten years at The Northern Trust Company as a large corporate commercial banker and financial analyst.

Lisa has lived in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago since 1999 and has two daughters. She enjoys keeping busy with her girls’ activities and school functions. She also has volunteered with several not-for-profit organizations. Lisa traveled with Spark Ventures to Zambia in 2017 and is eager to go back with her family.

Daniel Marcus is co-founder of Spark Ventures and has served on the board since its inception. He was born in Santiago, Chile and immigrated to the United States at the age of 8 years old with his parents and two brothers. Dan attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he  received a BA in Economics.  He has worked in finance most of his career. He  worked at Bear Stearns and currently is an Investment Advisor at Marcus  Capital, LLC. Dan has been involved with various charities including 10 years as a Child Life Specialist at Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago and two years at The Night Ministry, working to serve homeless and runaway youth.

Patti was born and raised outside Boston, Massachusetts and made Chicago her home in 1989. She has a BA in Mathematics and Economics from Mount Holyoke College and a Master’s in Applied Economics from The University of Michigan. She is currently the Chief Financial Officer at Rush University System for Health. Previous to joining Rush, she worked as a banker at both Bank of America and First National Bank of Chicago. She raised her three children in Chicago. Patti is involved in volunteer activities at church, Misericordia, and her children’s schools, and is on the Investment Committee of Saint Ignatius College Prep. Currently, Patti is a board member of an HIV/AIDS clinic located in Chicago. She traveled to our partner in Zambia with both of her daughters and has done a family trip to our partner in Nicaragua as well!

Kristin Schrepferman has been an enthusiastic supporter of Spark since 2014 and officially joined the Spark team in October 2017. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She has over 28 years of experience in marketing, sales, and operations. She has a long history of dedication to children in need. Her most rewarding life experiences have come from foster parenting, adoption, volunteering, mentoring, and working in schools with students from some of Chicago’s most underserved neighborhoods. Kristin is driven by the belief that communities can be lifted out of poverty and individuals can be empowered to thrive if they have the opportunity to receive a quality education, healthcare, and nutrition in an environment that is safe and nurturing.

Tumsheen is a strategic, analytical, and results-driven Finance professional with over 15 years of audit, process improvement, and accounting experience in global Fortune 100 companies. She currently leads the Internal Audit and Finance Continuous Improvement teams at Grainger, Global Industrial Supplier. Passionate about giving back to the community, she’s been a Spark supporter for the last few years and excited to join the Board of Directors. She’s already had the pleasure of traveling to Mexico and visit the Entreamigos which provides incredible support to the local community.

Ashley is a Chicago native who graduated from DePaul University in 2012 with a BA in Psychology: Human Development and in 2014 with an MA in Elementary and Special Education. In 2012 she began working at Lincoln Park Preschool and Kindergarten as an Assistant Teacher and in 2014 became a Lead Teacher within the school. With the help of Lincoln Park Preschool and their ties to Spark and their mission to provide quality education to children everywhere, she was able to visit Spark’s partner Hope Community School, in Zambia, in 2018. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her loved ones, reading, painting and listening to music.

Cassi was first introduced to Spark by cofounder Scott Barbeau in 2009 and never looked back. A southside Chicago native graduating from Governors State University with a BA in Business Management, her background is mainly focused in Customer Service, Hospitality, Special Events and Project Management. One of the early events committee members and a YPS (Young Professionals of Spark) supporter she joined the Associate Board in 2018. She has traveled with Spark to Las Tias in Nicaragua in 2014 and was lucky enough to make a short solo stop at Entreamigos in Mexico more recently. Hope School in Zambia is still on the list of places to visit when we can all safely travel again!

Heather Duncan is a Nurse Practitioner, educator, volunteer, investor and close friend of Spark. She is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at North Park University as well as the Faculty Liaison for North Park University’s annual Zambia trip and clinic. She has traveled to Zambia at least 5 times to facilitate the medical clinic, and has continued to develop innovative ways to share knowledge with Hope and the community they serve. In May of 2013 she led a team of local staff to launch our first Nutrition Training. Not only has she made friends with the children at Hope, but she also got to meet the first round of chickens at the poultry farm!

Andrew Hastie is originally from Boulder, Colorado, but has called Chicago home since 2007. He is a Salesforce functional architect with more than 5 years of professional services and implementation experience. He holds a bachelors in economics from the University of Chicago, a masters in accounting from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and held a record in the Guinness Book of World Records. He was hired into Salesforce Commerce Cloud to provide implementation guidance and engagement quality assessments for Salesforce Commerce clients. He has been involved with Spark’s mission since 2011 and is currently working with Spark to strengthen our technical roadmap and bring us closer to our donors through the Salesforce platform.