CARE Power Panel Presented by UPS

Jonathan George

Foundation Lead, PepsiCo Foundation

Jonathan George is a 15-year PepsiCo veteran, currently serving as a Foundation Lead for the PepsiCo Foundation. In his current role, Jonathan supports the Foundation’s philanthropic efforts across North America, where he oversees numerous initiatives, including their flagship community college program and disaster relief programs.

Since 2021, Jonathan has led the disaster relief efforts in North America for the PepsiCo Foundation, ensuring the support for markets impacted by disasters. His work has involved multiple partners, such as the American Red Cross, Team Rubicon, World Central Kitchen, Save the Children, and numerous local organizations, making a substantial difference in affected communities.

The community college program, another initiative under Jonathan’s purview, is PepsiCo’s largest community investment, spanning over 20 colleges across the country. It has provided more than $12 million in funding since 2021, supporting over 3,000 scholars from underserved communities.

Prior to his work in North America, Jonathan oversaw the Foundation’s initiatives in the Latin America sector, where he managed a portfolio of more than $20 million in strategic programs focused on Agro, nutrition, safe water access & disaster relief. His work in the Latin America sector included partnerships with key organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).

Before joining the PepsiCo Foundation, Jonathan held several roles of increasing responsibility in PepsiCo’s supply chain and R&D, including new product innovation initiatives with Tropicana and Quaker. With a strong background in both the business and philanthropic sectors, Jonathan brings a wealth of experience to his current role, where he is committed to creating meaningful impact and driving positive change through the PepsiCo Foundation’s initiatives.

Jonathan holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. He and his wife, Sheba, have two sons and live in Dallas, TX.

Katherine Murphy

Sr Manager, Business Continuity, C&S Wholesale Grocers

Katie Murphy is the Senior Manager of Business Continuity at C&S Wholesale Grocers. She monitors threats to the supply chain, coordinates inter-department planning and responses, and coordinates with government partners at the local, state, and federal level to support the food supply chain. Over the past four years she has coordinated responses to over 150 incidents across the United States for a range of hazards, including hurricanes, winter storms, utility incidents, labor issues, internal disruptions, and COVID-19.

Prior to joining C&S Wholesale Grocers, she served as the Emergency Operations Center Director at NYC Emergency Management. In this role, she coordinated internal response teams, managed trainings and exercises, and facilitated post-incident debriefs and improvement planning processes. As EOC Director, Katie restructured operations to better support impacted communities and responders in the field and launched the agency’s annual EOC exercise series; she also fostered emergency management learning across the agency via work groups and mentoring.

In addition, she has worked as a responder for the American Red Cross of Greater New York and consulted for The Chertoff Group.

Katie earned her MPH from Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, focusing on international health and development. She is also a FEMA-certified Master Exercise Practitioner, and a DRI International Certified Business Continuity Professional.

View Katie’s LinkedIn

Verónica Colón Rosario

Executive Director, Puerto Rico Women’s Foundation

Originally from San Lorenzo Puerto Rico, Veronica has over a decade of experience in program management for the public, private, and non-profit sectors. She began her career at the National Institutes of Health before pursuing her master’s in Latin American Studies from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University.

After Georgetown, Veronica joined the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Latin American Program. In this role, she oversaw different projects in the region and managed fundraising strategies. She later joined the National Science Foundation as a Social Scientist for the Directorate of Social and Economic Sciences.

When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, Veronica decided that after 11 years living in DC, it was time to go back home and be at the forefront of the recovery process.

In 2018 she joined the vibrant and emerging start-up ecosystem on the island as a Program Manager at Grupo Guayacán Inc., a non-profit that has supported the entrepreneurial community in Puerto Rico for over 23 years. Two years later she was recruited to launch and serve as the Director of Holberton School Puerto Rico, a software development program born in San Francisco. In this role, she helped strengthen the technology sector on the island by creating partnerships and connecting students with high-profile companies.

Veronica currently lives between San Juan and San Lorenzo, with her two dogs and a few chickens. She enjoys paddle boarding, kayaking, hiking, camping, and refurbishing old furniture.

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