Briana Marbury

Executive Director

Briana Marbury is the inaugural Executive Director of the Interledger Foundation (ILF), a nonprofit organization committed to expanding digital financial inclusion to vulnerable populations. ILF invests in organizations, communities, and entrepreneurs working towards the shared goal of enabling interoperable and frictionless payments around the globe.

As Executive Director of ILF since 2020, Briana leads the strategic vision of the organization and has grown ILF from a small team of three to a global workforce of changemakers. Bringing her own firsthand experience with navigating the challenges associated with the lack of equitable financial access, Briana brings her skills, values and lived experience to the crucial work of enabling communities to create and lead their own financial futures.

Before joining ILF, she consulted for 350.org and held financial leadership roles at Repair the World, Uncommon Schools, and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. At each organization, Briana built and grew the financial and operational systems that enabled significant progress towards achieving their mission. Additionally, Briana served as an Education Pioneer Graduate Fellow, exploring ways to increase positive educational outcomes in the nation’s most underserved schools.

Briana holds a BA in Accounting from the University of Michigan, an MBA from Wayne State University, and has completed post-graduate work in strategic leadership at Stanford University. Originally from Detroit, Briana has lived in many cities across the US and has even spent a brief period as a digital nomad. When she’s not exploring new cities, she’s spending time with her pup, Seamus.

Chris Lawrence

Head of Programs

Chris is an experienced nonprofit professional who has spent the last 15 years as a dedicated educator, network builder, and advocate for non-profit organizations. Chris is currently the Head of Programs at the Interledger Foundation. He oversees all aspects of the programatic activity of the foundation.

Erika Drushka

Head of Operations

Erika has spent the last 12 years in social impact and technology organizations, leading teams in pursuit of mission-based goals. An expert cat-herder with a background in advocacy and communications, she uses strategic thinking, process, and collaboration to channel creativity around a project into intentional, focused activity. Prior to joining Interledger Foundation, Erika was a Program Director at Loup Design and Innovation, and a Program Designer and Manager at the Mozilla Foundation. She holds an MA in Intercultural Communication and is a Rockwood Leadership Institute alumnus.

Ginny Barahona

Director of Strategy

Ginny has spent 15 years in international development, partnerships, and social impact. She has worked in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the U.S. across government and private sectors. At Interledger, she focuses on short term and long term organizational goals, and creating plans to get there. She’s dedicated to turning ideas into action that support access, inclusivity, and empowerment.

Alex Lakatos

Technology Lead

Alex has spent the past 11 years working on the Open Web within Browser, Communications, and FinTech organizations. With a background in web technologies and developer advocacy, he's helped organizations build developer-friendly products while engaging with the developer community at large. As the Technology Lead for the Interledger Foundation, he focuses on lowering the barrier to entry into the Interledger ecosystem and drive the adoption of the web standards powering the Interledger Protocol. An avid traveller, it's likely you'll bump into him at developer conferences around the world.

Ayesha Ware

Awardee Support

Ayesha has spent close to 20 years in non-profit and museum education. She previously worked for the New York Hall of Science engaging children and adults in S.T.E.M learning. Prior to that, she worked for the New York Department of Education and The Brooklyn Museum. Ayesha is a novice street photographer and an avid art enthusiast. As Awardee Support for Grant for the Web, Ayesha onboards awardees, shares important project information, and is the liaison between awardees, the GftW program team and partners.

Julaire Hall

Programs Outreach Manager

Julaire is a highly accomplished project and program management professional with 10+ years of extensive experience in planning, executing, and overseeing the successful delivery of programs in government and the global services sector. She’s previously worked for Jamaica’s investment and promotions agency and the private sector-led industry outsourcing association. As Programs Outreach Manager for the Interledger Foundation, Julaire will help build the programmatic aspects of the Foundation. Julaire enjoys traveling and spending time with her daughter. She’s a children’s book author and blogger.

Max Kurapov

Software Developer

As a software developer at the Interledger Foundation, Max builds open source tools and APIs that provide developers & institutions access to the Interledger network. Before joining the Foundation, Max spent 5 years working at startups: one of which a Fintech company, where he was one of the leads on the card payments processing team.

Mohammed Islam

Junior Technical Writer

Mohammed brings 20 years of combined experience in application development, systems integration, and IT operations. On one occasion whilst working out of a former employer’s corporate office and observing a shanty town in the distance from the window, he wondered if his company’s offerings would ever make a difference in the lives of the people he saw. He came to the conclusion that it would not and then bid farewell to the corporate world shortly thereafter. Now as a technical writer at the Interledger Foundation, Mohammed is passionate about enabling creatives, change makers, and innovators in building the pathways for financial inclusion.

Tiffany Rolle

Executive Assistant

Tiffany has taken on several roles before working with the Interledger Foundation. With a degree in Interior Design, 10 years of experience working as a wedding & event planner, and 6 years as a studio manager for photographers, she has learned how to be flexible and navigate various challenges. She works diligently to help make others' personal and professional lives simple so that they may have more time to focus on what's most important while leaving the details up to her. Getting a chance to travel, explore different places, and create memorable moments are some of her favorite things to do.

Vineel Reddy Pindi

Community Manager

Vineel has spent the last 12 years in community building and user engagement across Technology and Creator ecosystems. With a background in Community Strategy and Advocacy, he helped build global programs, campaigns, and events.

As a Community Manager at Interledger Foundation, he focuses on nurturing and growing the Interledger Community. Vineel is passionate about Creator Economy, Creative Problem Solving, Technology, and Design that enable and empower individuals. Before joining the Interledger Foundation, Vineel was the founder at Collab House.