PRINCIPALS

Michael Davis
Chairman and CEO
Co-Founder, Reach Your Peak
mdavis@reachyourpeak.org

Michael Davis is the Founder and Chairman of Reach Your Peak. After 9 years at Creative Artists Agency in Beverly Hills, this former talent agent left the corporate world and Hollywood behind, and went to Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest point in South America, to start on his dream of climbing Mt. Everest and the Seven Summits.

Michael has always been one to take chances in going after his dreams. In 1990, this Philadelphia native and business school graduate of American University, knowing no one moved out to Los Angeles with the dream of making it big in Hollywood. He immediately landed a job at the powerhouse agency, CAA, and just a few years later was helping to broaden and expand the careers of such established talent like Mike Myers and Courtney Love. As well as developing and shaping the careers of then unknown young artists in the feature film and music worlds such as Jewel and Heather Graham. After guiding these clients and others through many years, and helping them find their own peaks and potential, Michael realized it was time to continue broadening his own life. Michael, a recent ex-smoker whose first hike and camping trip was just three years ago, has spent the last 20 months preparing for and attempting the Seven Summits, the highest peak on each of the seven continents. In each of the six mountains he's attempted so far, he has successfully reached the summit on his first attempt.

As the pinnacle of this endeavor, Mt. Everest, approached, he felt he was in a unique situation. In attempting to become one of the first 30 Americans to have climbed all Seven Summits, he knew it was time to share his experiences and help others reach their own peaks and potential. And with his closest friend of 18 years, Fabian Koss, they developed the idea of Reach Your Peak and began its inception. Michael and Fabian felt that if we can teach youth from a young age to go after their dreams and give back to their communities, they will have a greater sense of self-confidence and responsibility. They will also have a chance at continuing on that process for generations to come, as well as live more truthful and fulfilling lives. Michael has also been an active board member of the Many Hats Institute since its inception.

Fabian A. Koss
Vice Chairman and COO
Co-Founder, Reach Your Peak
fkoss@reachyourpeak.org

Fabian originally from Argentina is the Founder of the Many Hats Institute (MHI). MHI is a not for profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to improving the conditions for children and youth worldwide. Fabian is currently the Youth Liaison in the Office of External relations of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). He was appointed the Youth Liaison immediately following the 1995 IDB-Israel Youth Forum, which was the first time that a multi-lateral Bank brought together young leaders from around the world to discuss youth development issues. Through the Youth Development and Outreach Program, the IDB supports outreach, advocacy and project development activities. Fabian manages a worldwide network of thousands of youth leaders that work on youth-related projects on their respective countries.

Fabian is one of the founders and coordinators of the Inter-American Working Group on Youth Development, a consortium of international donor agencies which seek to increase resource support and promote learning around effective youth development programs in the hemisphere. He has addressed the World Youth Forum of the United Nations in Vienna, Austria in 1996 and in Braga, Portugal I 1998. In 1997, Fabian was awarded the CEMECA award for his continuing commitment to the youth of Central America and the Caribbean. In 2000 the IDB Youth Program he manages received the United Nations World Youth Award for their achievement in implementing the UN World Program of Action for Youth.

Fabian has served as the International Outreach Co-Chairman for the National Capital Chapter of the Red Cross and is on the Board of Directors of the StarMedia Foundation, and Identity Foundation.

Tatiana Gau
Vice Chairman and President
Founding Member Reach Your Peak
tgau@reachyourpeak.org

Tatiana S. Gau is Senior Vice President of Integrity Assurance at America Online, Inc., providing strategic leadership to the development and execution of processes and practices that ensure the integrity of AOL Inc.'s businesses. She oversees the integrity of the user experience, consumer protection, privacy, online safety, accessibility, community standards and policy, and crisis management and coordination for all of the Company's brands.

She has become a key voice in the online industry, working to shape the interactive policy debate in the United States and overseas. Tatiana's mission is to help craft a framework that will guide the online medium into the next millennium in a way that promotes the public interest, as the Internet reshapes business and society.

A frequent public speaker, she has published articles and papers on various Internet policy areas, and has given testimony before the U.S. Senate and the FTC. She is a regular commentator and guest for domestic and international print media, TV and video interviews and programs. Tatiana speaks six languages.

Tatiana is an active philanthropist, personally and professionally, and donates her time and efforts to several non-profit organizations, including her own Foundation. She also serves on the boards of The Many Hats Institute, Washington Parks & People, the Georgetown University Board of Advisors and the Georgetown Alumni Foundation.

Michael McCabe
Director of Programs
Founding Member Reach Your Peak
mmccabe@reachyourpeak.org

Michael McCabe, Vice President of Programs for Youth Service America is a graduate of Georgetown University and received his Master's in Public Administration from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. In his four-year tenure at YSA, Michael has overseen the development of YSA's new strategic plan and expanded its existing programs including National Youth Service Day, SERVEnet.org, and the National Youth Service Network. He has also been instrumental in the development of YSA's new programs including: Global Youth Service Day (engaging 3 million youth in 117 countries), the Youth Civic Action Network/Service Vote 2000, and the President's Student Service Awards.

Prior to YSA, Michael served as the country representative for the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) for Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Venezuela. Michael is also one of the founders and coordinators of the Inter-American Working Group on Youth Development, a consortium of 8 donor agencies which seek to increase resource support and promote learning around effective youth development programs in the hemisphere. Michael previously has worked with organizations including the United Nations Children's Fund as a Program Officer, and as a consultant on youth issues for a number of non-profits and other agencies in the U.S. and internationally including Covenant House/Casa Alianza, U.S. Agency for International Development, and Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos, among others.

Gally Andrea Mayer
Director

Mrs. Mayer is currently working with organizations whose primary focus is the improvement of educational systems in Latin America and the US Hispanic market.

In one such project for the Bush administration Mrs. Mayer is acting as a Senior Consultant to the Gartner Group in an effort to create a better collaboration between the private and the public sectors in educational related issues.

Mrs. Mayer is one of the founders of CDI Americas, a partnership between the Inter American Development Bank, Microsoft, CDI Brazil, and The Cielo Foundation (previously known as the StarMedia Foundation) to create information technology and citizenship schools throughout Latin America.

Mr. Mayer participated in the development of the dot force, a task force created by the Clinton administration to help bridge the digital divide by presenting the problem and potential solutions at a G8 Meeting. The effort involved a three-way collaboration between the public sector, the private sector and non for profit organizations.

Mr. Mayer is a board member of The Many Hats Institute and the Genesis USA Foundation. Gally is also an active volunteer consultant to Tepeyac, a non for profit organization that helps protect human rights for immigrants in New York City, creates after school programs and is an active participant in helping the families of the victims of legal and illegal immigrants that were affected by the tragedy of September 11.

Mrs. Mayer was previously the vice president chief of staff and right hand person to the President and CEO of StarMedia Networks, the leading internet company for Spanish and Portuguese speakers. Previous to that, Gally was an investment banker at Bear Stearns and UBS, where she served as vice president responsible for new business origination and transaction execution for Latin America. Mrs. Mayer holds a B.A./B.S degree in International Business and Finance from Georgetown University.

Cari Ross
Director of Public Relations, Reach Your Peak
Founding Board Member
cross@reachyourpeak.org

Growing up in Los Angeles, California, Cari Ross has been working in public relations for fifteen years. After studying Modern European History at The Claremont Colleges, she began working in Fashion Publicity. In 1988, she changed fields and began working in Entertainment Public Relations.

By 1996, Ross became Senior Vice President of BWR Public Relations. In 1999, she moved to New York to run BWR's New York Office. Ross represents, among others, such talents as Dylan McDermott, Salma Hayek, Sheryl Crow, and Julianna Margulies. She has been involved in such charities as Juvenile Diabetes, The Revlon Run/Walk for Breast Walk, Project ALS, and is an active board member of The C.H.I.M.E. Institute.