Meet Our Directors

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world.

  • Sonya Brown is a passionate advocate for equity, leadership development, and inclusive talent strategies, bringing over two decades of experience in human resources and nonprofit leadership to her role as President of The Seats Foundation Inc. With a career spanning both corporate and nonprofit sectors, she is dedicated to fostering opportunities for underrepresented communities and driving sustainable change in leadership development.


    Currently serving as the Director of Talent Management and Acquisition at MSF USA, Sonya leads strategic hiring initiatives, DEI frameworks, and international recruitment efforts to ensure a diverse and inclusive workforce. Her professional journey includes leadership roles at Dover Food Retail, Amazon, and UPS, where she honed her expertise in talent acquisition, organizational development, and ethical leadership.


    Sonya's commitment to service began early in her career, working in the nonprofit sector immediately after college. Her return to nonprofit leadership at The Seats Foundation Inc. reflects her lifelong dedication to social impact, community empowerment, and fostering equitable access to leadership opportunities. She holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Virginia and a master's in business management and development from Capella University. Additionally, she has earned professional certificates in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Ethical and Inclusive Leadership from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business.


    As President of The Seats Foundation Inc., Sonya champions inclusive leadership initiatives, mentorship programs, and workforce development strategies that create pathways for emerging leaders. Her vision is to ensure that individuals from all backgrounds have a seat at the table- not just as participants but as decision-makers shaping the future.


    Driven by a deep belief in ethical leadership, equity, and transformative change, Sonya continues to leverage her expertise to build organizations that empower, uplift, and create lasting impact.


  • Kaelan Boyd, our Vice President, is a native of the sprawling city of Miami. Kaelan’s roots run deep in understanding the perspectives and richness of various cultural backgrounds. Spending a portion of his upbringing in the rural region of southwest Georgia, he also witnessed the economic constraints that defined the area and made it much harder for young people (and most adults) to grow and thrive.


    After graduating at the top of his high school class, he furthered his education at Columbus State University where he studied Political Science with minors in History and Economics. He went on to pursue his Master of Public Administration degree from the same university and is currently a doctoral candidate at Old Dominion University’s School of Public Service where his doctoral research focuses on studying the social, cultural, and economic factors that impact Black residents’ participation in the local government budget development process. Through hard work and determination, Kaelan has masterfully balanced his time between his doctoral studies, his role as Senior Program Manager for Research and Development at the International City/County Management Association, and his duties as co-founder and executive director of CivicsEDU, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving civic literacy in schools and communities across the Charlotte area. He believes that through this outreach of passion, he can help equip and empower the next generation of civic leaders.


  • Boris Goldenberg is an experienced financial professional specializing in Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), with a strong background in strategic business partnerships, forecasting, and financial modeling. Currently serving as a Manager at E78 Partners, he collaborates with CFOs and private equity firms to implement FP&A solutions across diverse industries, including SaaS, medical, manufacturing, and renewables. His expertise includes developing financial models, M&A acquisition strategies, cash flow forecasts, and performance measurement frameworks for multimillion and billion-dollar companies.


    Prior to his role at E78 Partners, Boris held FP&A leadership positions at Progress Learning and WNA, where he played a key role in financial integration, budgeting, KPI reporting, and SaaS metrics analysis. Earlier in his career, he gained extensive experience in financial management at North Highland, Encompass Digital Media, and SunTrust, where he was responsible for forecasting, regulatory reporting, and financial performance analysis.

    Boris holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Goizueta Business School at Emory University, with concentrations in Finance and Consulting & Venture Management. He is fluent in Ukrainian and Russian, with basic proficiency in Spanish. His technical expertise includes financial software such as NetSuite, Hyperion Essbase, Power BI, Salesforce, and Workday Adaptive.


  • Jason Shearer is a seasoned SAP solutions expert and innovation strategist with extensive experience in government, military, and aerospace sectors. With an MBA from the University of Utah and a background in electronics and metrology, he specializes in analytics, AI, and enterprise architecture. Jason brings a wealth of expertise in technology and business transformation to The Seats’ board.


  • Jared Jackson has been a CTO for two years and a business owner for 10 years, working in tech, self-care, art, fine jewelry, and specialized counseling. He has been a part of 6 tech startups, under the role of CTO and IT Director. Centralizing with AI, his skill set varies and adapts to the needed pain points of his customers.

    For The Seats, he is responsible for all technological advancements, improvements, and direction.


  • Darrick Gore is the visionary founder of The Seats Foundation Inc. and The Seats App. An attendee of Bridgewater College in Virginia studying Business Administration from 2011-2015, Mr. Gore was once disengaged from politics, unaware of the profound impact civic participation holds. However, the birth of his second child, the unprecedented events of 2020, and the rise of misinformation sparked a transformation. Determined to not only educate himself but also empower others with accurate information, he devised a plan to create a nonprofit organization and develop an innovative app that gamifies civic engagement, making it both rewarding and accessible.

    In October 2023, The Seats Foundation was officially established. Since then, Mr. Gore and his dedicated team have been working tirelessly to develop and test The Seats App—a groundbreaking platform designed to foster direct communication between citizens and their elected representatives, ultimately giving people a centralized space to engage in democracy more effectively.