Bob is an accomplished investment advisor in Chicago and has served as the Board’s Chairman since inception. As Chad’s father and mentor, Bob helped Chad turn his passion for service through music into a true channel for social impact as a co-founder of Guitars Over Guns.
Dr. Chad Bernstein is a celebrated musician and the founder of Guitars Over Guns. The organization is built out of his vision that music provides the bridge toward creating the relationships that are necessary to empower youth living in challenging circumstances. Chad has dedicated his life to the pursuit of unlocking potential in youth from vulnerable communities through mentorship and the arts.
Lisa Anastos has devoted her life to making art accessible to young people, creating the Whitney Museum “Contemporaries” program in the name of “championing emerging voices and artistic innovation.” She has since gone on to create ARThood, an online marketplace for emerging artists, and created her own consulting firm, Anastos Advisors LLC. Lisa sits on the boards of many other philanthropic organizations, such as The Watermill Center and Doctors of the World USA, where she is founder and Chairman of the Board.
Jim Berry is the main sports anchor for CBS4 News. He anchors the weeknight sportscasts and the station’s Miami Dolphins coverage. Mr. Berry joined CBS4 in 1996 from WBBM-TV, the CBS-owned station in Chicago. Previously, Jim worked at WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina and WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. Jim is a three-time Best of Miami winner, and has won five Emmy Awards.
Ebony supports the management of the grants portfolio of The ELMA Music Foundation, and in particular supports investments in the U.S., which use music programming to advance youth development. She sits on the Leadership Council of Arts Ed Newark, an alliance advocating for equity in high-quality arts education for all youth in Newark, NJ. Ebony is also a 2020-2021 ABFE Connecting Leaders Fellow, a program designed to increase leadership capacity of foundation staff, donors, and trustees who are committed to assisting Black communities.
Scott is a CPA with a Law degree, currently at Bank of America Merrill Lynch managing retirement in sales. Scott is also an elected official (commissioner) of Buffalo Grove and has been an avid fundraiser for the Parks, the Jewish community, and United Way.
J. Gerard Legagneur practices transactional corporate law as the sole member of GL Esquire Consulting, LLC in Miami, Florida and serves as Of-Counsel at Malkin Law P.A. Previously he was a senior attorney at the Miami offices of both McDermott, Will & Emery LLP and White and Case, LLP. Mr. Legagneur first lent his expertise to Guitars Over Guns a decade ago as a pro bono project.
Kellie O’Connell serves as Nourishing Hope’s Chief Executive Officer, leading a growing staff of 35+ and leveraging the efforts of nearly 5,000 volunteers to distribute over 4 million meals to Chicago’s low-income residents every year. Kellie joined Nourishing Hope after nearly 20 years in the nonprofit, government, and corporate sectors. She is a 2019 graduate of Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management Executive Education Program, and is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow since 2020.
Jacquie O’Malley serves as Assistant Vice President of the Baptist Health Foundation, actively fundraising as well as overseeing and identifying a variety of philanthropic initiatives and growth strategies, with a special focus on the new Miami Cancer Institute. Prior to joining Baptist Health, she served in a series of progressive roles at United Way of Miami-Dade since 1995.
A proud alumnus of Guitars Over Guns’ flagship after-school mentorship program at North Miami Middle School, Gabriel Pierre is an accomplished bassist and emerging community leader. He performs regularly throughout Miami as a member of Unistiq and as the co-founder of Kingdom Vybez, a faith-based performing arts nonprofit.
As a sports and entertainment law attorney, Andrew Stroth has negotiated business partnerships and endorsements for professional athletes and celebrities. Mr. Stroth served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Northwestern University School of Law in the Negotiations Program from 2002 to 2008. He founded Action Injury Law Group out of his vision to protect communities of color and end police brutality in America. Mr. Stroth earned his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law and his undergraduate degree (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Chad formerly served as a financial advisor for Wells Fargo Advisors in Miami and the former President of Friends of New World Symphony – one of the premier young professional groups in Miami. He brought the group to 500 members raising $500,000 annually. He has come on as an advisor to help establish RISE Miami as a more impactful fundraising and community engagement machine.
Dave Walsh serves as the managing partner of FON Capital and is a founding partner of Social Venture Partners Miami. Prior to FON and SVP, he was the CEO of Prescient Edge Holdings. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Mr. Walsh was previously engaged in sensitive counterterrorism operations in the U.S., Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.
H manages a forensic accounting team for Carnival Cruise Lines and manages a three-generation family foundation. He is very well connected in the young philanthropic community in Miami and recently sat on the board of the Overtown Music Project.
