Real Leaders is dedicated to elevating and accelerating the global impact movement in order to inspire wise solutions to the issues that matter most. We support the impact ecosystem in several ways:
MONEY
We began with impact investing in microfinance in the 90’s and grew to include advancing the impact investment field in the last 20 years.
MEDIA
In 2010, we launched Real Leaders print and digital magazine to inspire a global association of 20,000+ CEOs with stories of how they could do well by doing good. In 2017 Real Leaders expanded to the public in 134 countries. The Real Leaders Impact Awards, established in 2019, recognizes and ranks top impact companies based on growth and market acceptance. The high performanVce of these impact leaders makes a compelling case for all businesses to re-think their purpose.
MEET THE REAL LEADERS
Real Leaders has sponsored hundreds of impact-oriented events, and now, offers membership in a monthly interactive community of purpose-driven leaders. The Real Leaders Impact Collaborative and Meet The Real Leaders monthly gatherings both provide the opportunity for leaders to connect and collaborate for greater impact.
Mark Van Ness
Founder
Mark Van Ness is an active impact investor, advocate for gender-balanced leadership, and has founded several leadership networks promoting business as a force for good. He also founded SVN, a global commercial real estate firm, and served as CEO for 22 years. He is based in the USVI.
Julie Van Ness
President
Julie is a seasoned leader in the global impact movement and passionate about inspiring businesses and leaders (of any age) to be a force for positive change. With 25 years of media experience, from ad agencies, nonprofits and fortune 500 companies, she has helped global companies define their purpose and design purpose-driven strategies.
Grant Schreiber
Founding Editor
Grant has 25 years of media and publishing experience behind him and has launched new titles for clients in South Africa, UK and the US. He has developed communication and media strategies for top brands, including Laureus and the Parliament of South Africa. He is also a best-selling author.
Kevin Edwards
Director of Digital Operations
Kevin Edwards is the Director of Digital Operations and Host of the Real Leaders Podcast a Top 100 Podcast for both US and Canada Business News. He’s conducted more than 500+ interviews with top leaders to help listeners keep it real with themselves, their families, and their careers.
Leah MacKenzie
Director of Strategic Alliances
An alumnus of Montana State University, Leah has more than a dozen years of sales and marketing experience. She has worked in several billion-dollar industries, including a Fortune 100 company. She is a published children’s book author and an environmental ambassador.
Noah Willerford
Digital Media Coordinator
As a graduate from the University of Arizona, Eller School of Business, Noah’s background is in marketing and management of social media for a variety of companies. He transcends this talent with Real Leaders by bringing inspiring stories to life, via digital media, plus elevating audience engagement and expansion. He’s a force on the basketball court and behind the keyboard!
Madelyn Dwyer
Content Engagement Coordinator
A graduate of the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication, Madelyn’s background is in advertising and multimedia art. She believes creative storytelling unites people from all walks of life and brings light to essential issues. A creative wizard, she knows her way around a design file, paint brush, and camera.
Peter Harper
Director of Strategic Alliances
Peter has worked in the world of media and publishing for more than 25 years. He has developed new businesses within Time Warner and Guinness World Records, in addition to developing his own business ventures. His passion lies in harnessing the power of media to serve the needs of people, their communities, and the wellbeing of the planet.
Carla Kalogeridis
Copy Editor
As publishing team leader, Carla Kalogeridis helps guide and support the Real Leaders publishing activities in content strategy as well as marketing and advertising opportunities. Carla has over 25 years of experience in nonprofit and B2B publishing and is an award-winning writer and editor.
Amadea Tanner
Content Engagement Coordinator
Amadea is a graduate of Chapman University, where she studied screenwriting and French. She strives to combine the two and create across cultures. She’s a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success where she gives back to her local community. Devoted to the power of authentic storytelling, she believes that writing is a powerful tool capable of inspiring change.
Tucker Hamilton
Video Producer
Currently serving as producer and video editor for Real Leaders, Tucker prides himself on telling meaningful stories through works of cinematic visual production. Working as a freelance videographer and photographer since 2012, Tucker is majoring in Arts, Media, and Entertainment communications at the University of Arizona.
Marci Zaroff
Advisory Board
After nearly a decade in natural/organic food and beauty, Marci recognized the “missing link” in the wellness equation, and in 1995, seized the opportunity to launch leading lifestyle brand Under the Canopy, to coin and trademark the term “ECOfashion.” She is an internationally recognized ECOlifestyle visionary, authority, innovator and educator.
Stedman Graham
Advisory Board
For more than 30 years, Stedman has been writing books, teaching in colleges, working in communities, leading non-profits and speaking at workshops throughout the world. In all that time, he has come to know one thing: leadership is everything. The needs of the 21st century cannot be met by followers.
Laura Giadorou Koch
Advisory Board
Principle CEO of Dolium Wines and a motivational speaker focused on social entrepreneurship. Laura believes in the power of business to solve the greatest problems facing humanity and inspires people and companies to be a force for good.
Simon Mainwaring
Advisory Board
Simon is the founder of We First, the foremost brand leadership firm that provides strategic consulting and training to transform companies into purposeful social brands and position them for rapid growth, social impact and cultural leadership.
Kevin Maggiacomo
Advisory Board
CEO of commercial real estate company SVN International. The company has been named one of the Most Innovative Brokerage Firms in North America and named in Inc. Magazine’s list of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in America. Kevin is committed to building gender equality into the core of his business.
