New Alumni Advisory Board Members

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Alumni Advisory Board (AAB) was formed in 2006 by alumni Scholars to help support the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation’s mission and goals. Currently 15 alumni serve on the AAB on a 3 year rotation. This year they are happy to welcome 5 new members, Micaela Connery (2004), Alice Park (1999), Daron Roberts (1997), Nola Weinstein (2001), and Sandy Williams Alumni Legacy Scholar Justin Pearson (2013), who will join the board in October 2015.

Micaela Connery, a 2004 Coca-Cola Scholar, is the founder of Unified Theater, an organization she launched at the age of 15 inspired by her cousin Kelsey, and MPP Candidate at Harvard Kennedy School focusing on disability, inclusion, and community development. At the Kennedy School, she is a research fellow for the Joint Center for Housing Studies working on issues of disability housing and a teaching assistant in social entrepreneurship. Micaela serves as a Global Shaper for the World Economic Forum and has been recognized for her work as a Bluhm Helfand Social Innovation Fellow, a 2010 DoSomething Award Winner, a Gloria T. A. Barron Young Hero, a CNN Breakthrough Woman and a West Hartford Connecticut Citizen of the Arts. She’s spoken at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos and keynoted the National Conference on Inclusion (KIT), the National Collegiate Leadership Conference, and Chicago Ideas Week.

Alice Park, a 1999 Scholar, created Alice Park Photography, which was recently recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle for being one of the top grossing studios in the city.  In 2009, she co-founded the National Association of Professional Child Photographers (NAPCP) with her husband, Kyu, which is represented in over 60 countries and has become the most recognized photography association within the industry. As the co-founder and Creative Director, Alice continues to grow their educational platform and strengthens their global membership community. Alice is highly involved in her community, serving on the board of Haiti Babi, a nonprofit social enterprise whose mission is to bring families together and end the cycle of poverty in Haiti. She also serves on both school boards of her son Lyon’s preschools, spending many volunteer hours creatively helping with school events, photography-related projects, while spear-heading fundraising efforts. Alice graduated from Georgia Tech and lives in Atlanta with her husband Kyu and their children Lyon and Elise.

Daron K. Roberts, a 1997 Coca-Cola Scholar, is the founding director of the Center for Sports Leadership & Innovation at the University of Texas. He is also CEO and Founder of 4th and 1, Inc. – a nonprofit that provides free SAT/ACT prep, football training, and life skills development to at-risk youth in Texas, Michigan, and Florida. To date, 4th and 1 has transformed nearly 400 student-athletes into independent thinkers and self-sufficient young men. Roberts has spent the past seven years as a football coach with the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns. He earned his B.A. in Plan II Honors and Government from The University of Texas in 2001. He holds an M.P.P. from the Harvard Kennedy School (2004) and J.D. from Harvard Law School (2007). Daron enjoys living in Austin, TX with his wife Hilary and their three children.

Nola Weinstein, a 2001 Scholar, is Head of Executive Engagement @Twitter where she focuses on brand storytelling and amplifying corporate influencers. In her role, Nola works with business leaders from around the world to help them better understand the power of the platform and optimize their personal Twitter presence to drive meaningful messaging and impact. Additionally, she runs executive briefings and innovation tours at Twitter’s San Francisco Headquarter for key executives. Prior to joining Twitter, Nola was Editor-in-Chief/VP of Content at Mode Media (formerly Glam Media) where she oversaw content creation and curation strategies across multiple sites and platforms for the top 10 comScore property. Nola was previously Associate Fashion News Editor at IMG’s The Daily and her work has also appeared in Women’s Wear Daily, The Huffington Post, and Seventeen. Weinstein, an expert in digital content strategy, content marketing, and scaled influencer activations, also advises a variety of brands and startups. She is a graduate of Emory University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Follow her on Twitter @NolaBeth.

Justin J. Pearson, a 2013 Scholar, attends Bowdoin College where he concentrates primarily on Government and Legal Studies. Justin is the founder and executive director of Camp Hope Memphis, a summer enrichment program for underserved teenage students in his hometown. Since 2013, this program has impacted over 100 students and has added a new location. Camp Hope teaches lessons in social advocacy, college access, and global citizenship. Recently, Justin presented his research on the evolution of government intervention in education policy for the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. He currently serves as an associate board member of State Farm’s Youth Advisory Board, which allocates 5 million dollars in grants to neighborhoods and nonprofits across America. An advocate for equity in education, he aspires to invest in others as many people have invested in him. Justin is the 2013 Sandy Williams Alumni Legacy Scholar and is honored and excited to join the AAB.