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Board of directors

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William H. Groner (Bill) has dedicated his career to advocating for justice, fostering connection, and promoting societal harmony. Bill spent 35 years as a trial lawyer, most notably representing over 10,000 Ground Zero responders exposed to toxic dust while cleaning up the site after 9/11. The near-decade-long lawsuit, labeled “the most complex mass tort in history,” gave Bill a singular window into humanity’s resilience, selflessness, and positivity in the face of adversity.

Inspired by the lessons learned from his Ground Zero clients, Bill founded SSAM Alternative Dispute Resolution (SSAM ADR) in 2016, a mediation company committed to transforming the negativity of litigation into the positivity of resolution by emphasizing trust, empathy, respect, and communication. His experiences in hundreds of negotiations, mediations, and trials reinforced his belief in the power of finding common ground, a principle that continues to guide his work.

After retiring from the law, Bill turned his focus to initiatives aimed at fostering intrapersonal and interpersonal connection to enhance individual well-being and promote societal harmony. In 2023, he co-founded the Civil Dialogue Project at Binghamton University, which has helped create a campus culture of more peaceful and productive discourse. In 2024, Bill earned a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, deepening his understanding of how positive connections contribute to human flourishing. Later that year, he co-founded the Positive Connection Initiative (PCI), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that teaches, advocates for, and investigates the role of positive connections in fostering well-being and prosocial behavior.

Bill’s work has been featured extensively through speaking engagements and media appearances. He also co-authored the critically acclaimed book, 9/12: The Epic Battle of the First Responders (2019), a firsthand account of the responders’ fight for justice after 9/11. Bill previously served as an adjunct professor at Boston University School of Law and continues to share his expertise through workshops, lectures, and thought leadership.

With a lifelong commitment to empowering individuals and strengthening communities, Bill’s mission remains centered on helping people cultivate meaningful connections, deepen understanding of themselves and others, and navigate the complexities of today’s world with empathy and respect.

Brian T. Rose has served as Vice President of Student Affairs at Binghamton University since January 2008 and oversees both student affairs and auxiliary services. Prior to his arrival at Binghamton, Brian spent 17 years at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey where he served in various capacities in student affairs, university counsel and central administration. Brian began his professional career as an attorney in private practice within the real estate department of the Philadelphia firm of Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young before transitioning to higher education.

Brian teaches a graduate course in higher education law within Binghamton’s College of Community and Public Affairs and has also led undergraduate seminars in First Amendment Law, Higher Education Policy, Urban Planning and Privacy and the Law. Brian is a volunteer with the Middlestates Commission on Higher Education where he has been particularly active in reviews of college and university mergers.

Brian is currently serving on the Town of Union Master Planning Committee and has previously served on the Lourdes Hospital Board of Trustees (2015-2024), the Board of Directors of the Broome County Industrial Development Authority (2019-2022), the Phelps Museum Board of Directors (2018-2020) and the Maine-Endwell Little League Board of Directors (2010-2015).

Originally from Old Orchard Beach Maine, Brian earned his bachelor’s degree in history and international relations from the University of Pennsylvania and his juris doctor from Georgetown University Law Center. Brian and his wife Kirsten reside in Endwell NY where they raised their two children Matthew (Cincinnati OH) and Meredith (Greenwich CT).

The founder of Positive-Ed Consulting, Erin has spent her career focused on the best methods of unlocking potential. As an educator, she has worked tirelessly with individuals, groups, and teams to help them recognize, develop, and apply their strengths to reach their goals.

Erin’s main passion is in creating positive cultural change in institutions through implementing viewpoint diversity. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious MAPP program with a capstone project on viewpoint diversity that earned a mark of distinction, she went back to the classroom to apply her work. Erin founded Positive-Ed Consulting to share her ideas and practices with others in order to make a bigger and better difference in the world.

David Jaffe is currently the Chair of two charities. FARE, co-founded by David, is the largest organization supporting food allergy research, education and advocacy. SubjectToClimate, also started by David, provides educators with resources to teach about climate change. In addition, he is an angel investor and advisor to early stage entrepreneurs and investors.

Until his retirement in 2019, David was the Chairman and CEO of Ascena Retail Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 retailer of apparel for women and tween girls. Ascena generated $7 billion in annual sales, operated over 4,500 stores across the U.S. and Canada and employed 65,000 associates through its eight distinct brands: Ann Taylor, Loft, Lou & Grey, Lane Bryant, Justice, dressbarn, maurices and Catherines.

David’s previous experience was as a General Partner of Chemical Venture Partners, a private equity firm, and as a portfolio manager at Merrill Lynch. He received a MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and his BS/BA from the Wharton School/University of Pennsylvania. In 2020-21 he was a Fellow at Harvard’s Advance Leadership Initiative.

David is a Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and a member of the Latin American Region Trustee’s Council of The Nature Conservancy.

He and his wife have four grown children and alternate their time between NYC and New Canaan, CT.

Bill Groner

President and Co-founder

Brian Rose

Vice President

Erin McLaughlin

Secretary

David Jaffe

Treasurer

Staff

Trevor Fornara

Development Manager and Co-founder

Sahar Emambakhsh

Director of Operations and External Affairs

Emmett Anderson

Executive Producer,
PCI Podcast

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Trevor is fascinated by the ways people connect—what draws us together, what pushes us apart, and how we can design environments that encourage real engagement. As a co-founder and Development Manager of Positive Connection Initiative, Trevor works on research and educational programs that explore connection through multiple lenses: the psychology of connection, its pathways and benefits, and its role in fostering human flourishing and prosocial behavior.

Before PCI, Trevor led civic education initiatives at Binghamton University, designing programs that helped students engage across political divides. As a fellow at the university’s Center for Civic Engagement, Trevor worked with Bill Groner to launch the Civil Dialogue Project. As an undergraduate, he started Happy Medium, a nonpartisan student-run magazine and publishing group that won multiple university awards for its impact on campus and in the local community. Through Happy Medium, Trevor negotiated between partisan student organizations to create the university’s Summit on Political Engagement, a cross-party coalition dedicated to advancing student dialogue and voter engagement.

Sahar brings a heart for connection and a mind for systems to her role as Director of Operations and External Affairs at Positive Connection Initiative. With a background spanning education, employee experience, and mission-driven consulting, she supports PCI’s strategic operations, outreach, and content development.

At PCI, Sahar helps lead the organization’s growth and day-to-day function, overseeing external communications, supporting educational partnerships, and guiding the implementation of programs that foster meaningful human connection.

Sahar began her career as a middle school math teacher before spending nearly a decade at SAP, where she led global initiatives to improve employee well-being and workplace culture. She has also consulted on organizational health with Eudaimonic by Design and co-founded a Persian-inspired handmade goods business rooted in culture and storytelling.

She holds a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Mathematics and Psychology from the University of Michigan. In her free time, Sahar enjoys reading, practicing yoga, crafting with her Cricut, and dancing to Persian music.

Emmett is the executive producer of PCI’s new podcast. With a background in multimedia production and a knack for technology, Emmett uses his editing skills to bring PCI to a broader audience.

Emmett began editing videos at the age of 10 and later went on to study film and new media at Wheaton College. As an undergraduate student, he revived podcasting at the college’s student-run radio station, WCCS, by outfitting the production studio with new technology and providing education to new podcasters. While studying film, Emmett also took to the process of photo making. He became a teaching assistant for photography classes, making technological improvements to the studio and providing one-on-one assistance to students. Following senior year, Emmett moved to Brooklyn, NY, to join a small documentary production company as an office production assistant. Now he begins his latest venture as a podcast producer!

In his free time, Emmett likes to explore New York and watch HBO’s Hacks and The Rehearsal.

Our team

Board of directors

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Staff

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