PYXERA Global Announces New Board Members

WASHINGTON, October 14, 2020 /3BL Media/ - PYXERA Global is pleased to announce that Renée Cardwell Hughes, President and CEO of Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center, Mark Overmann, Senior Manager at Accenture Federal Services, and Uva Cristina Coles, Founder and CEO at Inclusiva, LLC, and Ian Cornell, Chief Data and Intelligence Offer in Newark, New Jersey have joined its board of directors.

Renée Cardwell Hughes is an experienced executive focusing on strategy, leadership development, and change management. She is the President and CEO of Opportunities Industrialization Center, Inc. dba Philadelphia OIC, a workforce development nonprofit corporation that impacts 1,500 individuals annually. She manages a staff of 41 and oversees business development for adult training programs, support services for returning citizens, and an alternative public high school for over-aged and under-credited students. Before joining Philadelphia OIC, she served as CEO of The Hughes Group where she led a team of business advisors who helped employees, management, and boards internalize and execute their mission and values by revitalizing their corporate culture.

Prior to The Hughes Group, Renée was the CEO of the American Red Cross of Eastern Pennsylvania where she was responsible for services to 6.2 million Pennsylvanians between the New York State and Delaware borders. Additionally, Renée was a trial judge for more than 15 years before joining the American Red Cross, where she handled both civil and criminal cases. She founded the City’s mental health court and co-authored a book on witness intimidation. Renée received her legal degree from Georgetown University Law Center and her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia.

Mark Overmann is an international affairs and diplomacy executive with 15 years of experience in the NGO, university, and federal consulting sectors. He excels at organizational strategy, strategic communications, and government relations (including extensive work with the U.S. Department of State and Congress). Mark is currently a Senior Manager at Accenture Federal Services where he supports global health and diplomacy programs for a variety of U.S. federal government clients. His previous positions include Vice President of External Affairs at InterExchange, Deputy Director of the Alliance for International Exchange, Director of College Communications at Georgetown University, and Program Associate for Communications at Global Ties U.S. Mark has a BA in English from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in International Communication from American University’s School of International Service. He is co-author with Sherry Mueller of Working World: Careers in International Education, Exchange, and Development (Georgetown University Press, 2008, 2014).

Uva Cristina Coles is Founder and CEO of Inclusiva, LLC, a boutique consulting firm with specialization in the development of inclusive workforce strategies. As a non-profit and higher education executive, Uva has garnered over 25 years of experience focused on designing and delivering diversity, equity, and inclusion solutions, spearheading workforce development strategies, negotiating local-to-global partnerships, and ideating and implementing inclusive career management initiatives. Additionally, Uva has led the development and served as a senior advisor to emerging diversity and inclusion strategies and councils.

Recently, Uva served as Associate Vice President of Civic and Global Engagement at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania where she led the design and implementation of the university’s first Center for Civic and Global Engagement, oversaw international student services, and managed the university’s key global partnerships and exchange programs in Costa Rica, China, Spain, and the Netherlands. Uva’s service work includes a current appointment with the City of Philadelphia’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board, board membership with LEADERSHIP Philadelphia and Believe in Students, and trusteeship with the Philadelphia Award. Uva is a graduate of Claflin University (BA) and Wilmington University (MSM). A native of the Republic of Panama with native fluency in Spanish, Uva is an orgullosa (proud) Afro-Latina immigrant who now lives in Delaware with her husband and their two sons.

Ian Cornell is a Senior Leader in the US Government. He is a Chief Data and Intelligence Officer in Newark, New Jersey where he leads Intelligence and Data Analytics Programs focused on anticipating future risks and positioning the US Government and its partners to mitigate those risks in order to protect American citizens and organizations. He specializes in strategy development, analytics, and risk management. He began his government service in 2005 as an Intelligence Analyst, first serving in Washington, DC, and then in New York, NY. Prior to his current career, Ian was an Americorps volunteer in Atlanta working with community leaders and non-profit CEOs to address local environmental challenges, as well as provide science education to middle-school students. Ian holds an MBA from Rutgers University and a BS in Biology from the College of William and Mary.

Renay Loper, PYXERA Global Vice President of Program Innovation stated, “We believe in the power of diverse perspectives, skills, and experiences.  And we are thrilled to have expanded the number of seats on our board of directors to welcome four exemplary leaders from across the public, private, and social sectors, which will undoubtedly strengthen our leadership team, and ultimately the work of PYXERA Global.”

About PYXERA Global

For nearly 30 years, PYXERA Global has facilitated mutually beneficial partnerships between the public, private, and social sectors worldwide to create social impact projects that enrich lives and livelihoods, inclusively and sustainably.

For media inquiries contact:

Roger Bain
rbain@pyxeraglobal.org
202.810.0140