Common Impact Announces New Board Members as Organization Expands the Reach of its Mission
Bhavani Pyla and Michi Kono join Common Impact Board of Directors, expanding the organization’s leadership team and presence in New York City
NEW YORK, July 16, 2019 /3BL Media/ — Common Impact, a national nonprofit leader for corporate skills-based volunteerism, has announced the appointment of two new board members. Bhavani Pyla and Michi Kono join the organization’s board of directors to support Common Impact’s continued expansion as interest in and demand for pro bono service and effective community and employee engagement grows.
Pyla, as COO for the Prime Brokerage (Americas) business at Credit Suisse, brings her 11 years of leadership experience driving and executing business strategy at the bank. As a member of the Common Impact Board of Directors, Pyla will support the organization’s board and leadership team in structuring and expanding its sector-wide and field building programs. An engaged philanthropist, Pyla is drawn to Common Impact’s work to mobilize human capital to make a greater impact in society.
A West Coast transplant, Kono currently serves as the Senior Director, Software Engineering at Capital One, having built strong expertise in product development and emerging technologies during several roles as a co-founder of technology start-ups. Kono will support Common Impact’s initiatives to bring skills-based volunteerism to scale through technology, such as Capacity Commons, an online platform designed to guide nonprofits through a skills-based volunteer engagement from start to finish.
“We are excited to expand our board of directors to New York by welcoming Bhavani and Michi,” said Jay Althoff, Common Impact Board Chair. “Having their financial, technical and entrepreneurial perspectives on the team will be critical to carrying out the mission and service expansion outlined in our strategic plan."
Kono and Pyla’s appointments follow recent Common Impact announcements of new programs and services for the growing pro bono service space. Last year, Common Impact piloted Skills for Cities, a city-wide model to engage companies and nonprofits in a day of skilled volunteerism. In June, the organization launched Capacity Commons, an online resource hub for skills-based volunteerism. Both initiatives are designed to expand the access of skills-based volunteerism to social change organizations across the country as demand grows.
“We are thrilled to have cross-sector leaders like Michi and Bhavani commit to our board and our work building capacity for the social sector through skilled volunteering,” said Danielle Holly, CEO, Common Impact. “With their deep understanding of how to shape and scale program models, Michi and Bhavani will help shepherd in the next phase of Common Impact’s growth mission to make pro bono support a prolific and effective resource for social change organizations.”
Pyla is a qualified Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Kono graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Cognitive Sciences and a specialization in Computing. Both Pyla and Kono are based in New York City, close to Common Impact’s headquarters in Brooklyn, NY.
About Common Impact
Common Impact is a national nonprofit that works to build a society in which individuals and businesses invest their unique talents towards a shared purpose: strengthening the local communities in which we live and work. Founded in 2000, Common Impact has partnered with Fortune 500 companies and hundreds of the country’s leading nonprofit organizations to create this transformational change through skills-based volunteering. Learn more about Common Impact’s services, impact and clients.
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