2013 Philanthropitch Judges
Elizabeth Christian, a fourth-generation Austinite and journalism graduate of The University of Texas, is president of Elizabeth Christian & Associates Public Relations. Elizabeth has a 38-year career in public relations, journalism and political affairs. She is president of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation and past president of the Headliners Club. She is on the board of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and is a member of the Austin Area Research Organization. Elizabeth has long been active with the Austin Chamber of Commerce. She is incoming vice chair for communications for the Chamber and, in past years, served as chair of the education and transportation committees. In 2004, the Texas Public Relations Association named her “Public Relations Practitioner of the Year.” In 2001, Elizabeth received the prestigious Profiles in Power Award given by the Austin Business Journal.
Clayton Christopher is the founder and former CEO of Sweet Leaf Tea Company that he started in 1998 with $10,000 in savings, an old delivery van and a recipe from his grandmother. Sweet Leaf Tea is one of the fastest growing beverage companies in the US, with over $60M in sales and 100+ employees. Clayton is currently co-founder and CEO of Deep Eddy Vodka, and co-founder and Chairman of Rhythm Superfoods. He also sits on the boards of several other food and beverage companies and is a co-founder of Incubation Station, an accelerator for young brands. Clayton won the 2006 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for Central Texas, the 2010 AU40 Austinite of the Year Award, AU40 Business and Entrepreneurship Award, as well as the Austin Business Journal’s Best CEO Award for 2011. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization and serves on the advisory board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas where he has been a “Big” to his “Little” Andrew San Miguel for 7 years.
Dan Graham is Founder and CEO of BuildASign.com, where he oversees growth strategy and plays a key role in the company’s philanthropic efforts and talent acquisition. Dan co-founded BuildASign.com in March 2005 and has since bootstrapped the company to great success. A three-time Inc. 5000 company, BuildASign.com now operates in four countries with more than 210 employees and $40 million in revenue. Dan was named 2012 Austinite of the Year and the Business and Entrepreneurship category winner by Austin Under 40, recognizing his success as a business owner as well as his commitment to philanthropic work. He earned bachelor’s degrees in computer science and philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.
Ms. Page served as the President / CEO of Vermillion, Inc from Jan 2006 thru December 2012. Vermillion is a healthcare company focused on developing and commercializing novel diagnostic blood test. Under her leadership the company was repositioned to embrace the progressive nature of its pipeline, successfully raised over $100M in funding, developed and commercially launched the first FDA-cleared blood test to help diagnose ovarian cancer. Ms. Page has spent her entire career in health care and has a passion for emerging technologies that advance the efforts in personalized medicine. In addition, Ms. Page serves as a board member for Sword Diagnostics in the Chicago area, and is actively involved in the local community where she serves as a board member for the Austin Chamber Commerce SIG, the Advisory Board for the Austin Technology Incubator, BBVA Compass Bank and the Austin Technology Council. In 2010 Ms. Page was recognized by Forbes Woman and Business Week for her work in the healthcare sector. In 2012, Ms. Page was a finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in central Texas and was recognized as one of the top 20 business leaders in the Austin area.
Chris Steiner joined Austin Ventures in 2008 and focuses on growth equity and later stage investing. Prior to joining Austin Ventures, Chris was a manager in the Transaction Services group of KPMG. Chris began his principal investment career with Wind Point Partners, a Chicago-based private equity investment firm with $2 billion under management. Chris received his MBA from Harvard Business School. He also has an MS in Accounting and a BA in Business Administration from Rhodes College. Chris is a certified public accountant and a CFA charterholder. Chris serves as board chair of I Live Here, I Give Here (ILHIGH), a nonprofit focused on raising awareness and providing education about the importance of personal philanthropy.
As the Global Program Director for Whole Foods Market’s foundation, Whole Planet Foundation, Steve is responsible for overseeing a portfolio of microfinance projects in more than 50 countries. Before joining the Foundation, Steve served in the Peace Corps working alongside rural Guatemalan farmers in an effort to improve their livelihoods. Active in the Austin Social Entrepreneur scene, he has become a member of the Innovation + Advisory Board and co-founder of Center61.