Advisory Board
Phillip D. Ellison
Phillip Ellison is an entrepreneurial strategist, cross-sector connector, and ecosystems builder with an equity-based framework. He works on consulting projects through his LLC, Interspace Strategies, and he is a Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Tufts University. Most recently, he worked in government at the Office of the NYC Public Advocate. During this time, he was also the inaugural Civic Innovation Fellow and an Urban Tech Researcher at the Cornell University Tech campus. He joined the mission of Potencia after meeting its Co-Founder Amanda Wang during his time as an Entrepreneurship Coach at Tufts. Earlier in his career, he worked with students and their families from immigrant backgrounds as an educator in New York City nonprofits in public schools. Those experiences grounded his understanding of how important quality English language education is for the economic and social opportunities for immigrant families. He has advised C-Suite corporate executives, entrepreneurs, politicians and government officials, and leaders in academia and philanthropy. He is a member of the Board of Directors for The Dorill Initiative nonprofit.
Su Hnin Pwint
Su previously worked as a product designer for Drift. Su previously worked in other industries, such as B2B Sass, healthcare tech, and other consumer products. Su joined Potencia as a design advisor in 2021 to lead the mobile app design and helped build the new website in 2023. Su has her undergraduate degree in User Experience and Interaction Design from Drexel University. She also pursued her dual master’s degree in Innovation and Management and Human Factors Engineering at Tufts University.
Abdallah Al-Obaidi
Abdallah Al-Obaidi is a former Iraqi refugee who came to the US in 2013 with limited English proficiency. He learned English by reading the dictionary and later became a medical interpreter during his college years. Currently he is the Director of the Young Physician Initiative, YPI, at Tufts University School of Medicine where he currently attends as a medical student.
Bo Jian
As a skilled educator and experienced counselor, Bo follows her passion for providing insights and overseeing projects from the concepts and the framework transfer to meaningful outcomes. After moving to the U.S. with limited English, Bo benefited from Potencia’s support and eventually achieved a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an ongoing Ph.D. from Syracuse University. Bo believes adults have their potential in different stages.