2022 Honorees

Tim Chi

Co-founder of WeddingWire and CEO of The Knot Worldwide

Timothy Chi is the co-founder of WeddingWire and CEO of The Knot Worldwide, a leading global wedding planning company.

As a groom in 2005, Chi experienced first hand how difficult it was to execute on his wedding plans. As a technologist, he couldn’t find an online resource that would help him plan more efficiently. Together with his co-founders, Chi threw four desks into his empty living room in Chevy Chase, Maryland and WeddingWire was born in 2007. The founding team set out to utilize their collective experience in technology to build a technology-forward company that would revolutionize the wedding and event industry.

Since founding WeddingWire, Chi led the company from an internet start-up to a multimillion-dollar leader in the wedding planning industry. Chi also led the acquisition of Wedding Planner, the corresponding category leader across Europe and Latin America, the international expansion of the WeddingWire brand in India, and the merger of WeddingWire and The Knot in December 2018 to create The Knot Worldwide.

Comprised of over 1,700 employees across the world, The Knot Worldwide operates in 16 countries in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia, and delivers leading wedding marketplaces, wedding websites, planning tools and registry services to millions of engaged couples each year.

Previously, Chi co-founded Blackboard Inc. in 1998. While at Blackboard, Chi pioneered many of Blackboard’s product and strategic initiatives, helping the company grow to over 600 employees and a valuation of over $750 Million.

Chi holds a B.S. degree in Operations Research/Industrial Engineering from Cornell University and a Master’s of Science degree in Engineering Management from Tufts University. Chi is a member of the Young President’s Organization in Washington, D.C.

Bonnie Fogel

Founder & Executive Director of Imagination Stage

Bonnie Fogel is the Founder of Imagination Stage (1979) a role she embraced when she stepped down from full-time engagement as the Executive Director in 2021.

As Executive Director, she led the development of Imagination Stage from a scrappy community-based operation to a significant Theatre for Young Audiences with a national reputation for excellence in artistry and educational content. Now in its 42nd year, Imagination Stage serves some 100,000 children, families, and teachers annually through its main stage and other performances and its comprehensive education program.

She was also instrumental in the establishment of Imagination Stage DC (in 2003). As the executive head of the organizations, she was responsibility for advancing the vision and mission of Imagination Stage (MD and DC) by leading and overseeing all aspects of the organization.

She worked closely with artistic and educational colleagues to ensure programming goals advanced the Company’s mission and vision while personally prioritizing efficient daily operation and administration, advocacy (political and entrepreneurial) strategic planning, fundraising, marketing, community relations, and governance by engaging boards of trustees, elected and appointed government officials, donors, and other community partners to support organization objectives.

Jeff Galvin

CEO & Founder, American Gene Technologies, LLC.

Jeff is a biotech pioneer who’s passionate about curing humanity’s most deadly diseases through gene therapy.

He’s starting with finding a cure for HIV. He sees the human cell as a biological computer, with DNA as its software operating system. Just like in man made computers, a cell’s operating system sometimes contains glitches or errors that make the cell function differently than intended. Those malfunctions can result in life-threatening diseases. The best way to cure those diseases is by fixing the underlying DNA — literally tweaking the cell’s software code to eliminate the glitch.

That vision, and the techniques for repairing a cell’s DNA, continually drive Jeff and AGT toward more innovation.

Haroon Mokhtarzada

Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Truebill

Haroon is a Harvard Law grad turned serial entrepreneur and angel investor. He was the founder and CEO of Webs.com, a popular website creation platform that grew to 50 million users before being acquired by Vistaprint for over $100M. After Webs, Haroon cofounded Truebill in 2015. As CEO, Haroon grew Truebill into a leading personal finance app, topping 2.5 million members and over $100M in annual recurring revenue before being acquired by Rocket Companies in 2021.

Haroon has a passion for technology startups, innovation, global change, and elegant problem solving. He has personally invested in over 100 technology startups including early-stage investments in Instacart, Carta, Relativity Space, PlutoTV, and more. Haroon is a 2021 Henry Crown Fellow and has participated on several boards including the American Express Open Digital Advisory Board and the United Nations Global Entrepreneurs Council.