We are shaping the future of the world.

We are writing the code for the future — a world where young men of color acquire financial independence and social mobility through the power of code.

As technology continues to shape our world, All Star Code prepares the next generation of visionaries by teaching Scholars they are capable of changing society — making a brighter future for us all.

Our founder Christina Lewis believes that “with the right skills and support system behind young Black and Brown men, and their knowing that success is possible, there is no limit to what they can do.” We believe technology is the catalyst for turning today’s underrepresented into tomorrow’s leaders.

Facts are facts

55% of All Star Code Scholars over the age of 18 are first generation college students.

Danny Rojas, Executive Director

Danny Rojas is the Executive Director of All Star Code and brings more than twenty years of experience in strategic advising, management capacity building, and technology innovation in corporate, startup, and nonprofit ecosystems. He joined the organization in 2018 as Vice President of Programs, responsible for program strategy, delivery, and partnerships, and went on to serve as Executive Vice President.

Our Ambassadors

All Star Code Ambassadors embody our values, champion a growth mindset, and provide a sterling example for our Scholars and mentors as they seek to expand our mission.

Ken Chenault

Chairman and a Managing Director of the venture capital firm General Catalyst. Prior to joining General Catalyst, Ken was Chairman and CEO of American Express Company from 2001 to 2018.

Gerald Chertavian

Founder and CEO of Year Up, a national program that empowers underserved young adults to enter the economic mainstream.

Van Jones

CEO of REFORM, CNN political contributor, and host of The Van Jones Show. Jones has been a leader in the fight for criminal justice reform for more than 25 years.

Jessica Lessin

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Information, the publication known for original, in-depth reporting about the technology industry.

Sheila Lirio Marcelo

Founder, Chairwoman, and CEO of Care.com, which launched in 2007. Today, Care.com is the world’s largest online destination for finding and managing family care.

Charles Phillips

Chairman of the Board of Infor, the third largest business software applications company in the world with 90,000 customers in 190 countries and 17,000 employees.

Robert F. Smith

In 2000, Robert F. Smith founded Vista Equity Partners to invest in innovation by way of enterprise software and technology solutions. Today, he serves as Chairman and CEO of Vista, directing the firm’s strategy, governance and investor relations.

Darren Walker

Darren Walker is president of the Ford Foundation, a $16 billion international social justice philanthropy. He is a member of the Reimagining New York Commission and co-chair of NYC Census 2020. Darren chaired the philanthropy committee that brought a resolution to the city of Detroit’s historic bankruptcy.

Ryan Williams

CEO of the technology-enabled investment platform Cadre, which he co-founded in 2014. Cadre is an online marketplace that provides institutions and individuals direct access to large commercial properties.

Our People

The bright, talented people behind All Star Code work every day to create an environment where everyone can find and fulfill their potential.

Nadine Friedman-Roberts

Nadine Friedman-Roberts
Senior Director, Programs

Nadine Friedman-Roberts is a writer, disability advocate and nonprofit specialist practicing through an intersectional framework. As a white person working in the arena of racial and economic justice, she looks forward to ending the historical hoarding of economic, social and political resources by whiteness; resources that never belonged to us.

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Tony Stewart
Director, Marketing & Communications

Bringing awareness to All Star Code’s mission and its network of talented Scholars ignites Tony’s passion as a marketer – with the hope that telling the incredible stories of these future leaders will further inspire others to be agents of positive change.

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Hunter Massey
Director, Finance & Operations

Hunter is our Senior Finance and Administration Manager and has been with All Star Code since 2016. Growing up, he was enrolled in similar non-profit programs that helped low-income minorities pursue higher levels of education which informs his work and passion behind All Star Code's mission.

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Khye Borg Liew
Director, Teaching and Learning

As a CS educator, Khye's work centers around mitigating educational inequities through the lens of Computer Science. He strives to maneuver education theories such as culturally relevant and student-centered pedagogy, and asset-based approach to make a significant impact in his students' lives.

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Pryanka Bawa
Senior Manager, Research & Evaluation

For years, Pryanka has witnessed determination and passion in each of our Scholars, and has been fortunate enough to see them transform into software engineers, project managers, and educators. This, and her strong affinity for data analytics, continues to motivate her to make the All Star Code experience more robust and sustainable.

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Lincoln Thompson
People Operations and Special Project Manager

As the People Operations and Special Project Manager, Lincoln has a unique skill set that allows him to effectively manage both technical and people-related initiatives. Throughout his career, he has worked to design and implement programs that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the tech and innovation economy. He’s passionate about leveraging technology to create more opportunities for students from underrepresented backgrounds and is dedicated to driving positive change in the education sector.

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Olivia Walters
National Program Manager

With a background in the nonprofit sector & disability rights community, Olivia spent the last 5 years working in STEM funding & philanthropy. Passionate about cultivating energy & engagement around STEM, Olivia is committed to increasing awareness, access & equity in STEM education and the pipelines that lead into the tech sector.

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Dante Rivera

Dante Rivera
Senior Associate, Technical Programs

As a former All Star Code student, Dante wanted to give back and help improve the amazing program he went through so many more students would be able to have that same life changing experience. Dante creates custom tools and websites along with helping the management and execution of internal processes, and works to create and improve All Star Code's SI curriculum.

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Our Board Members

Our board members are the stewards of our mission, dedicated to creating opportunities for young men of color in the innovation economy. Each one brings valuable knowledge and insight from perspectives that have been informed by their own unique journeys.

Michael Winchell
Board Chair

From 2012 through 2015 Michael served as Chief Investment Officer and founder of Larkin Point Investment Advisors LLC. Michael served Mariner Investment Group as a global macro portfolio manager, and served as Chief Risk Officer of Bear, Stearns & Co. from 1989-1998. Michael joined the Finance Committee of All-Star Code in 2018.

Gavin Leo-Rhynie
Vice Chair

Gavin is Vice President of Engineering at Google. Gavin is on the board of CFY New York, a nonprofit organization that helps students in low-income communities utilize digital learning to further their education. Gavin earned bachelor’s degrees in computer science and economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Elisabeth Mason
Board Director

Elisabeth Mason is the Founding Director of the Stanford Poverty and Technology Lab (formerly Stanford Technology, Opportunity and Poverty Lab or STOP) and a Senior Advisor at the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality.

A native of East Harlem where she developed her passion for social justice, Elisabeth was named “New Yorker of the Year” in 2015 by NY1 for her groundbreaking work fighting poverty, which reached nearly 20 percent of low-income New Yorkers.

Elliott Breece
Board Secretary

Elliott Breece is the Product Lead, Racial Justice at Google (Youtube). He was a Founder in Residence at Area 120, Google’s in-house incubator. Previously, Elliott was a Product Manager for YouTube and Google Play focusing on music products. Prior to Google, Elliott was the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Songza, which was acquired by Google in July of 2014. Before co-founding Songza, he co-founded Amie Street, a digital music store with demand-based pricing. Elliott is an alumni of Brown University and a native of Washington, D.C.

Ed Cordero
Board Treasurer

Ed Cordero has a long and distinguished 35+ year career in Technology and Financial Services. He currently has a senior role at Protiviti, a management consulting firm, focusing on cybersecurity, technology risk & controls, as well as organizational transformation initiatives.

Prior to joining Protiviti, Ed was a Managing Director at JP Morgan and has held executive leadership roles at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs.

Ed is also an advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion working with various organizations to advance the opportunities for minorities and the under-privileged.

Marcus Mitchell
Board Director

Marcus Mitchell is a Senior Engineering Director at Google. He works on software to automate Google’s supply chains for building data centers, consumer electronics, and more. He also works on Google initiatives to increase diversity in the tech industry. He previously worked on Google Checkout, Google Wallet, Google.org, and search personalization.

Rautz Marc
Board Director

Rautz Marc is a Senior Risk Director in the Institutional Investment Group - Risk Management Office. Rautz joined Vanguard in 2021 from Prudential Financial where he served in a variety of risk roles over his 13-year tenure at the firm. During his time at Prudential, he provided Operational risk oversight for several areas such as Actuarial, Chief Investment Office, Customer Experience, Operations, and Strategy. Rautz also helped develop various risk frameworks and led cross-functional teams to implement those frameworks across the enterprise. Prior to joining Prudential, Rautz was an auditor with KPMG and worked for the investment banking team at JP Morgan Chase.

He currently sits on the national board of the National Association of Black Accountants Inc. (NABA) and is a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board of the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs.

He earned a B.A. in Finance and Accounting and an M.S. in Finance and Investment Management from Temple University.

Benny Gonzalez
Board Director

Benny Gonzalez is the CEO of Palante Enterprises, LLC, a management consulting and leadership development firm. He has led technology and business teams at AT&T, Citigroup and JPMorgan, developing strategies, products, operations and programs. He has also supported diversity initiatives at corporate and local levels, and served on non-profit boards for 10 years.

Djassi Julien
Board Director

Djassi Julien is a Software Engineer at Google, where he works on improving the experience of Google Search users by organizing the search results page. He participated in the All Star Code Summer Intensive in 2014 and is a member of the first cohort of All Star Code alumni. He is also the first All Star Code alumni to sit on All Star Code’s Board of Directors. Djassi graduated in May 2020 from Harvey Mudd College where he studied Computer Science, Mathematics, and Literature.

David Velasquez Headshot
All Star Code Board Director

David Velasquez
Board Director

David Velasquez is a Vice President at Hodes Weill & Associates and is responsible for coverage of institutional investors and consultants across the Southeast region of the US. Previously, David worked as a Vice President in the Capital Formation and Investor Engagement group at Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners. In this role, he focused on the marketing of renewable infrastructure strategies and investor due diligence. David’s previous experience includes investor relations roles at Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners and I Squared Capital where he supported the fundraising of renewable and diversified infrastructure funds. David started his career at Citigroup’s Alternative Assets Group after graduating from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and a concentration in Economics.

More About Us

We are begin accepting applications for our 2023 Summer Intensive in January

High school students of color who identify as male are eligible.

No coding experience necessary – just passion and drive.