Who we are

Cardinal Silvano M. Tomasi

Board Chair

Cardinal Silvano M. Tomasi, C.S., titular Archbishop of Asolo, Apostolic Nuncio, Special Delegate to the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (S.M.O.M.), was born on 12 October 1940 in Casoni di Mussolente, diocese of Treviso, Italy. He was educated in Italy and the United States, where he studied theology and was ordained a priest of the religious Congregation of the Missionaries of Saint Charles – Scalabrinians on 31 May 1965. He received a degree in social science and a doctorate in sociology from Fordham University in New York. He was an assistant professor of sociology at New York City University and at the New School of Social Research (1970-1974). As founding director of the Center for Migration Studies, he established and edited the quarterly International Migration Review. He served as provincial superior of his religious congregation.

From 1983 to 1987, he served as the first Director of the Office of Pastoral Care for Migrants and Refugees (PCMR) of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

From the end of 1989 until June 1996 he was Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples.

On 27 June 1996 he was appointed titular Archbishop of Cercinia and Apostolic Nuncio to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Observer at the African Union.

On 24 April 1999 he was appointed titular Archbishop of Asolo and on 23 December 2000 he was also appointed Apostolic Nuncio in Djibouti.

On 10 June 2003 he was appointed the Holy See’s Permanent Observer at the Office of the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva, and Permanent Observer at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), an office he held until 13 February 2016.

On 9 April 2016 Pope Francis appointed him a member of the former Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, now the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

On 1 November 2020 Pope Francis appointed him as special delegate to the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (S.M.O.M.).

Created and proclaimed Cardinal by Pope Francis in the consistory of 28 November 2020, of the Deaconry of San Nicola in Carcere.

Mike Hoffman

Mike Hoffman

President

Mike is the President of the Global Solidarity Institute which he helped create to support the Vision of Pope Francis.
He serves as Co Chair of the Advisory Board with Lily Li for Foundation Source and is the founder, Chairman Emeritus and Senior Advisor of Changing Our World, Inc., a company founded in 1999 and built upon the Golden Rule and the first philanthropic services firm to provide fundraising, management and corporate social engagement strategy to nonprofits, institutional foundations and corporations alike, and the first philanthropic consultancy to be acquired by the Omnicom Group ( NYSE: OMC) As an expert in philanthropy, Mike has provided strategic guidance to the world’s leading
nonprofit organizations, philanthropies and corporations in the world.

Chairman of The Advisory Board of Dragon’s Wine LLC, Chairman and Co- Founder of WAYV (What Are Your Values), and founder of the Weekend Hideaway Syndicate which breeds and races stake winning thoroughbred racehorses. Prior to founding Changing Our World, Mike was executive vice president of external affairs for the Franciscan Health Partnership, Inc., an international Catholic healthcare system with assets over $1.1 billion, and the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Foundation, Inc., a multimillion-dollar international healthcare foundation.

Mike has served as a trustee and adjunct professor in the MBA program and currently serves as the co- chair of the Advisory Council for the Leadership Center at the University of Mount St Vincent.
He is a board member of The END Fund and the Ursuline School. Mike is a past president of the West Point Society of New York, and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
He is a graduate of West Point and holds master’s degrees in human relations from Webster University and aviation management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

Yanchun Lily Li

Vice Board Chair

Yanchun “Lily” Li is a distinguished entrepreneur and investor with over two decades of experience spanning finance, healthcare, education, entertainment, blockchain, and artificial intelligence. She notably pioneered the overseas IPOs of Chinese companies, becoming the first Chinese entrepreneur to list her pharmaceutical company, American Oriental Bioengineering, on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005 .

Currently, Li serves as the chairperson of Harvard Wealth Strategy and Management LLC, an organization she founded in 2016 with the mission of bridging cultural gaps between the U.S. and China through cultural exchanges and business ventures.
She is also a member of the Dean’s Council at Harvard Kennedy School, contributing to the advancement of public policy and leadership.
In addition, Li holds a position on the Board of Trustees of the International Vaccine Institute, reflecting her commitment to global health initiatives. Beyond her professional endeavors, Li is deeply committed to fostering the next generation
of leaders. She founded the Lily Li Future Foundation, which provides mentorship programs, produces world-class events, and connects young minds with industry experts to create a better world.

Li’s multifaceted career and philanthropic initiatives underscore her commitment to bridging cultures, fostering innovation, and contributing to global well-being.

Susan M. Huber

Susan M. Huber

Board Member

Susan M. Huber led Ascension Global Mission, an Ascension subsidiary, guiding Ascension’s international mission outreach
efforts to improve health and living status of underserved global populations until her retirement in 2025. She also served as Senior Vice President, Sponsorship, working with members of the Ascension Sponsor.
Ascension Global Mission engaged in international efforts to improve health and living status for poor and vulnerable populations in low resource countries through collaborating with local and global communities, including sponsoring congregations, to foster long-term, sustainable change.

Ascension Global Mission worked to develop new models of partnership with other organizations and collaborate with local
communities. Efforts included:
– Collaborating with a hospital in Haiti to enable quality healthcare through nursing education; developing a supply chain initiative to create a more reliable and sustainable source of supplies and equipment; and mentoring leadership, beginning with Human Resources, to ensure a qualified staff is recruited and retained.
– Creating systemic change in Guatemala through working with local communities to develop a “Method of Collaborative Governance,” a groundbreaking concept that works alongside community leaders to amplify their voice and empower them to create sustainable change in their communities.
– Leading efforts, consistent with Pope Francis’ “Laudato Si” to collaborate with accredited Medical Surplus Recovery Organizations to provide refurbished equipment and supplies to low resource countries, ensuring that donated equipment is in good working condition and consumable supplies are of good quality and not expired.

Ms. Huber has authored articles sharing the learnings and experiences from international development initiatives designed
to foster sustainable, systemic change in populations living in underserved communities.
Ms. Huber joined the Daughters of Charity National Health System, one of the founding organizations of Ascension, in 1997.
From 1988 to 1997, Ms. Huber served as Director of Strategic Planning for a regional healthcare system in the Midwest,
working with senior leadership on the merger and acquisitions that resulted in growing the system from five to thirteen
facilities. She subsequently led the teams to integration the newly acquired/merged organizations. Prior to that she worked
for both Price Waterhouse and KPMG Peat Marwick in their national healthcare strategic consulting practices.

Ms. Huber holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Illinois, and
Master of Business Administration degree from University of Missouri, Kansas City. Ms. Huber has served on a number of
Boards. She served on the Board of the Concordance Academy of Leadership and on the Governance Committee of the Catholic
Health Association. She currently serves on the Board of the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation.

Patrick W. McGrory

Patrick W. McGrory

Board Member and Treasurer

Patrick McGrory is the CEO and Private Wealth Advisor at Liberty Point Advisors, specializing in investment management, retirement planning, and estate planning. With over 25 years in the industry, he holds the Certified Financial Planner™ and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ designations. His firm delivers goal-oriented financial guidance to clients at all life stages, focusing on maximizing wealth impact for families and through philanthropy.

For nearly 30 years, Patrick has been active in the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities, serving as Chairman for 18 years. He is also the Treasurer and Board member of the Global Solidarity Forum, promoting partnerships for vulnerable populations. Additionally, he is an Emeritus Board Member of FADICA and serves on various councils for the Diocese of Camden, including as Chair of the Bishop’s Finance Council.
Patrick’s community involvement extends to serving as a Director of the Union League of Philadelphia, following in his great-grandfather’s footsteps. He earned his undergraduate degree from Saint Joseph’s University, where he was the Hawk mascot, and received his Master of Science in Financial Services and PhD in Financial and Retirement Planning from The American College.
Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Patrick now resides in Vineland, New Jersey, with his wife, Lauren, and their children, Patrick and Julia.

Sr. Maria Eliane Azevedo Da Silva

Board Member

General Superior MSC – Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

She was born on May 20, 1960, in the city of Serranos, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. She attended the normal teacher training course, in a particular católica school, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. She worked as an elementary teacher in the same school before opting for religious life. She entered the Institute of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as an aspirant on January 13, 1982, in the city of Vassouras, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She celebrated her perpetual vows on December 5, 1992, in the city of Rio Pomba, state of Minas Gerais. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Pedagogy, a bachelor’s degree in School Administration, a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Religious Studies. She has done apostolic work as a catechist, in youth and vocation ministry, as a professor of Religion, in school pastoral work and teacher training, evaluator at the São Paulo Conference of Religious and at Catholic schools, psychológica clinical care, administrative and pedagogical direction, strategic planning, general direction of the network of Cabrinian schools in Brazil, provincial consiglieira and secretary, provincial superior and president of the Mother Cabrini Association.

Today her commitment is to serve and love the Global Community among the sisters and members of the Cabrinian missão. Remain compromised, with fidelity to Mother Cabrini’s charism in the Igreja and in the Society, in the process of implementing the chapter mandates over the next seven years, all for the utmost glory of God and for the good of humanity.

Fr. Leonir Mario Chiarello

Board Member

Fr. Leonir Mario Chiarello, C.S., is the Superior General of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Saint Charles, Scalabrinians, an international religious congregation serving migrants, refugees, seafarers and fishers in 35 countries on five continents. Fr. Leonir is also member of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life.
Prior to this role, Fr. Leonir served as Executive Director of the Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN), an organization based in New York that supports Scalabrinian entities that serve and advocate for the dignity and rights of migrants, refugees, internally displaced people, seafarers and fishers worldwide, and its permanent representative to the United Nations and other International Organizations.
Prior to directing SIMN, Fr. Leonir held different leadership positions in Latin America. From October 1996 to August 1997, he worked with migrant communities in Bahia Blanca, Argentina. From September 1997 to June 2006, he worked in Chile as Counselor (1998-2001) and Executive Vice-President (2001- 2006) of the Episcopal Commission for Migrations of Chile (INCAMI) and Counselor of the Human Mobility Section of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council – CELAM (2003-2006). Fr. Leonir was the founder and director of the Center for Integral Attention of Migrants (CIAMI) of Santiago (2000-2006) and founder and first president of the Scalabrini Foundation and the Scalabrini NGO of Chile (2003-2006).
For his commitment to at-risk Peruvian migrants in Chile, Fr. Chiarello received a Commendation Order of Merit for Distinguished Services from the President of Peru, Alan García Pérez, on July 12, 2007.
Fr. Leonir earned a Bachelor of Philosophy Degree from University of Caxias do Sul, Brazil, a Bachelor and Master of Theology Degrees from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome, a Master of Social and Political Sciences Degree from Alberto Hurtado University of Santiago, Chile, a Master of Project Management and a Master of Social Media and Community Management from European Postgraduate Center and a Master of Coaching and Mentoring from the International University of La Rioja.

Anthony R. Tersigni

Anthony R. Tersigni

Board Member

Anthony R. Tersigni is Executive Chairman of Ascension Capital, LLC. Ascension Capital formalizes and expands Ascension’s direct strategic investment initiative ― building a portfolio of investments in companies that will serve to improve Ascension’s operations and clinical outcomes while generating capital gains that can be re-invested to support our
Mission. Ascension Capital is also responsible for Ascension Investment Management, which manages Ascension’s investment portfolio, and Ascension Ventures, which continues to provide strategic insights to emerging technologies while generating expected financial returns. Prior to this role, Dr. Tersigni served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Ascension, an organization he grew into the largest Catholic healthcare system in the world dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care.
Throughout his more than 40 years of experience, Dr. Tersigni has garnered the ability to recognize, then capitalize, on growth opportunities to maximize success. In addition to his appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor of Medical Education at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Tersigni has shared his expertise with more than 20 professional organizations, serving as a board member and often as board chair.

Before becoming the first President and Chief Executive Officer of Ascension in 2012, Dr. Tersigni had served as
President and Chief Executive Officer of Ascension Health since 2004. Previously he served as Ascension Health’s
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from 2001 through 2003. From 1995 to 2000, Dr. Tersigni
was President and Chief Executive Officer at St. John Providence Health, Detroit (now Ascension St. John), which
at that time was Ascension Health’s largest integrated health system.

Team

Paola Iappelli

Events and Operations Manager

Paola Iappelli serves as GSI’s Head of Events and Operations. For 10 years she served in the office of the President and CEO of Booz Allen Hamilton, Italy, sustaining both the activities of the CEO and his institutional roles as Member of the Boards of Directors and Foundations. She also worked as Office Manager at the Rome Headquarters of Booz Allen. In Italy she has collaborated with Anthony R. Tersigni, former President and CEO of ASCENSION. She played an active role in the organization of the XXXII International Conference on Health Disparities (CISAC), which was held in the Vatican in November 2017. She has supported the activities of the Hon. Frederick Vreeland, former US Ambassador in Morocco and Under-Secretary of State, as well as Dennis Redmont, at the Council for the US and Italy. Paola also collaborated with Geneva-based Eurovision, backing up the Rome Bureau and its Vatican activities for papal trips and major events.

Jini Sebakunzi

Program and Grant Manager

Jini Sebakunzi is the Program and Grant Manager for the Global Solidarity Fund. He is responsible for overseeing and managing all GSF programs and grants.

Jini has more than 15 years of experience in business development and project management in both the public and private sectors. He has worked in various leadership roles supporting social enterprises in Africa in partnerships with foundations, impact investors and private corporations.

Previously he worked as a Program Manager at Regions of Climate Action (R20), where his team won a two-year grant and launched a solar enterprise for rural women in Burundi, that produced an inclusive economic impact.

Alessandra Tarquini

Media and Communication
Senior Advisor

Alessandra Tarquini serves as GSF Media and Communication Senior Advisor, based in Rome. For over 20 years she has worked in the field of communication mostly for non-profit organizations with focus on international cooperation for development. Over the years she has gained experience collaborating in the design and development of communication strategies, communication and media activities for international organizations and global campaigns in the fight against poverty and for human rights.

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