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SGI-USA Board of Directors

The SGI-USA Board of Directors oversees the corporate functions of the SGI-USA, which include managing the finances and assets of the organization. There are currently thirteen directors. Directors serve a three-year staggered term and are eligible for reappointment.

Marylou Berk

Ms. Berk has been the Head of Commercial Real Estate at one of the largest private real estate holders in the world since 2008. She has many years of experience in real estate, project development and management. Ms. Berk has received numerous awards from industry-related associations in addition to receiving The Ellis Island Medal of Honor for Outstanding Citizenship.

Sherman Edmiston III

Over 20 years of experience in high-level finance and investments, Mr. Edmiston is presently a managing member of HI CapM Advisors in New York, providing strategic and financial advice to corporations, private equity firms and hedge funds.

Kathy Geisler

Over 20 years of senior management experience with the federal government, Ms. Geisler is presently serving as Deputy Office Director of the Office of Portfolio Management and Customer Engagement, National Capital Region, Public Buildings Service, General Services Administration, in Washington, D.C.

Mayur Gupta

Mayur Gupta is the Chief Marketing Officer at Kraken Exchange. Previously, he was Chief Marketing Officer for Gannett–USA and Freshly, and previously served as Global Vice President for Growth and Marketing at Spotify. Mr. Gupta was ranked by Forbes as one of the world’s top 50 most influential CMOs in 2020 and 2021.

Emi Gwin

Emi Gwin is the Chief Executive Officer of Sympo, Inc., a software development and consulting firm. Emi has over 25 years of client services and project management experience with companies from sole proprietorship to Fortune 100. She has worked with a wide array of industries including retail, real estate, healthcare, and utilities. Her primary focus is driving efficiency through streamlining workflow and business processes utilizing technology and automation.

Tariq Hasan

Tariq Hasan is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of SGI-USA. Mr. Hasan joined the staff of SGI-USA in a professional capacity in 2008 after many years in senior management with a major telecommunications company.

Clothilde Hewlett

Clothilde “Cloey” V. Hewlett is Commissioner at the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation for the State of California. Commissioner Hewlett has decades of regulatory and prosecutorial experience. As Assistant District Attorney in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, she prosecuted high-level crimes and conducted special investigations, including embezzlement and fraud cases. And as a corporate attorney, she has worked closely with her financial services clients to address the challenges they face in a regulatory environment and to ensure they understood the law. Her experience growing up in poverty solidified her understanding of financial scams and the deep challenges faced by California consumers. Commissioner Hewlett received a B.A. in political science from the University of California Berkeley and her J.D. from the UC Berkeley School of Law. She is a founding member of the Black Women Lawyers Association of Northern California.

James Ludwig  

James Ludwig is an internationally recognized C-level innovation leader and architect, product designer and educator. Over his three decades of experience leading global teams in research, design and development, he has received numerous international design awards. Following a two-decades-long corporate career at Steelcase James created The Foundation Project: a global creative collective investing and working on some of today’s most challenging issues- such as the new space economy, accessible healthcare in underserved populations and the future of power. James is also founding member of Ludwig&Hamilton:architects.designers. James also serves on the boards of institutions of higher education.

Danny Nagashima

Danny Nagashima served as SGI-USA’s corporate President and Chief Executive Officer for 14 years as well as serving as SGI-USA General Director for 16 years. Mr. Nagashima has contributed greatly to the advancement of SGI-USA for over 36 years as an SGI-USA staff member and continues to dedicate himself unsparingly to serve the members around the country.

Luis Nieves

Mr. Nieves is founder and CEO of the automobile service contract insurance company AUL Corp, giving birth to an industry that previously did not exist. AUL is the largest provider of used car service contracts in the United States. Starting from the ground up, Mr. Nieves has accumulated 40 years of corporate experience and success. Treating people well and providing great customer service reflect Mr. Nieves’ personal sense of mission and provide the foundation of his business as well.

Gene Marie O’Connell

Ms. O’Connell was Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center from 1998–2009, and served in a variety of capacities at the hospital prior to that since joining the hospital staff in 1984. She was chair of the National Association of Public Hospitals and a member of both the San Francisco Hospital Council and the San Francisco Health Plan Board and its finance committee.

Adin Strauss

Adin Strauss is a Senior Vice President of the SGI-USA corporation, where he continues to also serve as Chief Financial Officer, a responsibility he has had since 2005. Prior to this, Mr. Strauss worked for many years in the corporate world, rising to executive management and accumulating a wealth of knowledge and experience in the financial arena. Mr. Strauss is also the current General Director of the SGI-USA organization.

David Welch

David Welch is an attorney with over two decades of litigation experience in the civil, business, personal injury, criminal and bankruptcy fields. Mr. Welch currently serves as Vice President and General Counsel for Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California.

Gregg Wolpert

A New York City real estate industry executive for the past 40 years, Mr. Wolpert is co-president of The Stahl Organization, a New York-based conglomerate with extensive real estate, banking, construction and other equity interests. Prior to joining Stahl, he pioneered the development of analytical computer software used in real estate analysis and building management.