Pseads Board of Directors

Dedan Gills

Founding Board Member, In Memoriam. Dedan Gills remains a beloved mentor, friend, and guiding inspiration to Pseads, shaping the heart and evolution of the organization. An educator, poet, and social advocate, he was also a pioneer of Green Recovery – a movement dedicated to healing communities and the planet through mediation and dialogue, environmental stewardship, and the cultivation of inner wisdom. His work weaves together sustainability, permaculture design, and the “greening of the spirit” as essential to recovery, healing, and learning. With Belvie Rooks, Dedan co-founded Growing a Global Heart, an organization dedicated to healing and community building, including the ceremonial planting of a million trees along the transatlantic slave route and Underground Railroad. For decades, Dedan mentor to people of all ages and worked tirelessly to address homelessness, addiction, incarceration, and despair. He was associate producer of the documentary Watts Up!, and executive producer of Search for the Everlasting Coconut Tree. His voice and poetry continue to reach new generations through I Give You the Springtime of My Blushing Heart: A Poetic Love Song, named by Speechify as one of the best poetry books of 2023.

Steve Uzzell

Treasurer, Chief Hope Officer. Steve Uzzell is an operational precision specialist, acclaimed inspirational speaker, and one of the world’s leading advertising and corporate photographers. He began his career over 40 years ago National Geographic, serving as assistant to the editor and later joining the photographic staff before founding his own corporation. His assignments have taken him to all 50 states and more than 30 foreign countries, producing an extraordinary portfolio of images, stories, and experiences. His work has earned international recognition, including ten awards from Communication Arts. He has photographed multiple books and had his editorial work has been featured in over 100 publications such as Newsweek, Smithsonian, TIME, and U.S. News. As a speaker, Steve’s has shared his presentation– later developed into his book Open Roads Open Minds:An Exploration of Creative Problem Solving – with more than 500 organizations worldwide. Over the past 25 years, he has inspired audiences of over 600,000 people across the U.S., Canada, India, China, and beyond. (www.steveuzzell.com)

Chris Fong

Board Member. Chris is an experienced C-level executive whose career spans 25 years working at venture-backed startups, billion-dollar technology companies, and leading investment banks. Based at different times in Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, and New York, he has also traveled extensively for domestic and international work. His expertise includes corporate strategy, private equity, and mergers & acquisitions, with leadership roles at firms such as Credit Suisse, Citigroup, Synopsys, and Planet Labs. Earlier in his career, Chris worked at Loud Records in Los Angeles, then the largest rap label in the U.S., which launched the careers of artists such as the Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and Fat Joe. Outside of work, Chris enjoys sailing, hiking, and collaborating on book, music, and social impact projects with friends engaged in entertainment, community building, and positive change.

Jelani Rooks

Board Member. Jelani Rooks is an experienced three-time Emmy Award-winning Producer for CBS Sports, and currently serves as Coordinating Producer for CBS Sports Soccer. Over his career, he has produced more than 100 live broadcasts, including UEFA matches, Serie A, NFL, NCAA basketball, Super Bowls 50 & 53 and 2017 NCAA Final Four. Most recently, Jelani helped create and launch “Kickin’ It“, a CBS Sports show featuring Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu, and Charlie Davies. Nominated for a Sports Emmy for “Outstanding Hosted Edited Series” in its debut season, the program showcases a more personal and relatable side of soccer’s biggest stars and cultural figures through unfiltered, authentic conversation. In 2023, Jelani was recognized as a “Rising Star” by the North American Soccer Business and Media Awards. He holds a degree in Black Studies from Amherst College, where he also played collegiate soccer, and currently lives in New York City.

Paul Germeraad, PhD

Board Member. Paul Germeraad, PhD, is President of Germeraad Consulting Group, Inc., a professional advisory firm specializing in strategies for and the valuation of both tangible and intangible assets. He previously served as the long-time President of Intellectual Assets, Inc., known for its use of advanced IP assessment tools, proprietary software, and deep executive-level management experience across diverse industries. An author and editor, Paul compiled the Compendium of Innovation and Intellectual Assets Management Best-Practices: “The Best of the Best Advice.” He has held senior leadership roles throughout his career, including Chief Operating Officer of Aurigin Systems, Inc., a software startup, and Chairman of the Industrial Research Institute. Earlier in his career, he worked with three Fortune 500 companies. Paul holds a PhD in Chemistry and continues to teach and lecture in executive programs at Caltech, UC Berkeley, and University of Southern California. He is also an avid adventurer and loves the outdoors.

William Woods, MA

Board Member. William Woods is an educator and human resources professional whose life passion is to help others. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, he brings extensive experience in education, nonprofit management, youth leadership development, and college counseling. Currently serving as a Talent Engagement Manager at 3Degrees, a renewable energy B-Corp company headquartered in San Francisco, William formulates and executes global leadership and development initiatives, focusing on director and manager development, onboarding, and organizational culture. William’s earlier experience includes serving as K-8th Scholars Program Director at Bridge the Gap College Prep, where he mentored educators to promote student development, and as KTC Academic Advisor at KIPP Memphis Collegiate Schools, focusing on guiding students through post-secondary transitions. He holds a Master of Arts in Education and Curriculum Design from Union University.

Richard ‘Rich’ Meyer

Board Member, In Memoriam. Richard “Rich” Meyer was an entrepreneur, visionary philanthropist, writer, and instrument-rated private pilot. He contributed to numerous book projects and initiated development of Beyond Forgiveness: Reflections on Atonement (Jossey-Bass). Rich dedicated his life to supporting a wide range of causes, from recovery-related programs to youth violence prevention programs and efforts for social and ecological care. Over many years, he held leadership roles in service clubs, served on various task forces and boards, and chaired or co-chaired six nonprofit community efforts. He also co-founded three organizations in Orange and Riverside Counties. Rich was one of the very first to champion and support the movement of work that grew into Pseads, beginning all the way back with the very first project Elizabeth and Matt ever developed together, and he leaves an enduring legacy of curiosity, care, and commitment at the heart of the organization. 

Pseads Advisors

Belvie Rooks

Strategic Advisor, Community Building. Belvie Rooks is an essayist, educator, organizational leader, and social advocate whose pioneering work weaves social care and healing with environmental restoration and community-building. Her lifelong commitment to human and civil rights was profoundly impacted by a weekend with Martin Luther King, Jr., when she was a teenager. During the anti-apartheid era, Belvie was among the first women on national steering committees and served as Associate Director of the Third World Fund, traveling throughout Africa, monitoring elections during South Africa’s transition to majority rule, and attending Nelson Mandela’s inauguration. She was founding faculty at SUNY College of Social Justice, and taught at Holy Names University and Naropa University’s Environmental Studies Program. Belvie is the creator of Hey Listen Up!, a groundbreaking urban eco-literacy project, and ConverZations That Matter, featuring global thought leaders. She co-founded Growing a Global Heart with Dedan Gills, and both contributed essays to Global Chorus: 365 Voices on the Future of the Planet. She also edited I Give You the Springtime of My Blushing Heart, a poetic love story between her and Dedan. Her leadership includes service on boards of Bioneers, the Ella Baker Center, and the Institute for Noetic Sciences. She was also a founding staff member of Wild Trees Press with Alice Walker and Robert Allen. Her writing appears in numerous publications and anthologies, and she co-produced the award-winning film The House on Coco Road (with Damani Baker and Danny Glover). Belvie’s visionary mentorship and work on programs like Hey Listen Up!, Journey of the Universe, and ConverZations That Matter have been a guiding influence for Pseads. Today, she continues to inspire Pseads by fostering creativity, uplifting youth voices, and promoting intergenerational learning and leadership, including sharing wisdom with Fellows. Her spirit for community building and nurturing growth across generations is without parallel.

(Photo credit: Sharon Garner)

Nikos ‘Nick’ Yiangou, MA

Former Board Member. Nick Yiangou, of Greek descent, grew up near Cape Town, South Africa. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Developmental Psychology from the University of Sussex, a Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology, and a certificate in Multimedia Studies from San Francisco State University. Nick served as Senior Manager of Web Content, Process, and Production at Adobe, where he spent over 25 years developing systems, analytics, products, and mobile applications. Committed to fostering meaningful dialogue on human consciousness and the intersection of contemplative practice and science, he served on the board of the Beshara School in Scotland for over 20 years. A published author, Nick is also an invited speaker at conferences locally, nationally, and internationally, addressing topics including self-knowledge, contemplative studies, poetry, pilgrimage, and learning.