CEOs You Should Know Boston iHeartMedia Boston

An educational technology, digital health, and social impact entrepreneur, Michael London has created more than one billion dollars in company value throughout his career. Michael’s belief that "student mental health is the defining higher education issue of our time" led him to create Uwill. Founded in 2020 to assist campus counseling centers as they faced overwhelming student demand for mental health support, Uwill has quickly earned the reputation as the leading student mental health and wellness solution, now serving more than 2 million students at 300+ colleges across the county.

Michael has spent a career building and advising new education ventures, nonprofits and educational institutions.  In 2013, he founded Examity, a leader in learning validation and online proctoring. Prior, Michael led Bloomberg Institute, an EdTech start-up funded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. His earlier successes include the cofounding of College Coach and founding of EdAssist, both acquired by Bright Horizons Family Solutions. In 2019, he was a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award and held a position on the Governor’s Commission for Digital Education and Lifelong Learning. Michael is a current Trustee at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a member of the behavioral health committee. He is also a Member of the Advisory Board at Babson College where he graduated with honors.  In addition, he received his MBA from Boston University. Michael is also a published author of a book with advice for parents navigating the college admissions process. 

About Uwill:

Uwill is a teletherapy platform that connects college and university students with experienced mental health professionals. Students receive support from a licensed counselor of their choice in any format they like – video, chat, messaging, or phone. It’s a leading mental health and wellness solution for colleges and students, providing free immediate access to teletherapy and mental health crisis.

Uwill’s mission is to expand mental health access and services to colleges by leveraging technology-enabled models validated in recent years. 

If you’re a student seeking support, Uwill offers an immediate appointment with a licensed counselor, direct crisis connections, wellness events, and more.

Leonard Spada is the founder of Spada Law Group LLC. Upon graduating from Boston College Law School in 1991, Len accepted a prestigious one-year appointment as a Judicial Law Clerk for the justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court. It was during this time that Len worked closely with the Judges of the Superior Court assisting them in deciding matters that came before the court in both civil and criminal trials. The clerkship was a valuable opportunity for Len to learn the practice of law from some of the finest legal minds in Massachusetts.

Upon completing his judicial clerkship, Len accepted a position as an Assistant District Attorney for Suffolk County, Massachusetts. During his tenure as an Assistant District Attorney, Len was Lead Trial Counsel in over 100 jury trials as he prosecuted a wide range of misdemeanor and felony criminal cases.

In 1995, Len entered private practice, joining the prominent Boston law firm Peabody & Arnold, where his practice focused exclusively on representing large insurance companies. During this time Len handled all aspects of defending personal injury lawsuits from the pre-trial discovery phase up to and including trial. It was here that Len gained valuable insight into the inner workings of how insurance companies investigate, value, defend, and ultimately settle lawsuits brought by injured individuals.

In August of 1998, Len, along with his partner, Vincent Zullo, formed Spada & Zullo in order to use his skills and insider insurance industry knowledge to begin representing injured individuals. Over the next 18 years, Spada & Zullo successfully represented thousands of individuals who had been injured due to other’s negligence, collecting tens of millions of dollars in settlement for their clients along the way. Len was responsible for all aspects of litigation and trial work at Spada & Zullo. Tragically, in June 2016, Len’s partner and dear friend, Vincent Zullo, passed away unexpectedly and Len reorganized Spada & Zullo, into Spada Law Group LLC.

Len has been named a Massachusetts Super Lawyer as published in Boston Magazine for 10 consecutive years (2013-2022) in the area of Personal Injury Law. Super Lawyers rates lawyers across the country and recognizes no more than the top 5 percent of lawyers in each state. Attorneys are selected using a patented rigorous, multiphase process that includes independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations. Len also has a “Superb” rating of “10” on Avvo.com, which rates attorney based in part on public data collected on each attorney. In 2021 len was selected and listed in Boston Magazine inauguaral list of the Best Lawyers in the region. Len is a proud member of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. Len is also a frequent faculty member at Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, where he teaches young lawyers various litigation skills, including taking depositions. Len is also the author of What You Need To Know About Your Massachusetts Car Accident Case: Before You Make Any Legal Decisions

Len is committed to giving back to the communities Spada Law Group serves. Toward that goal Spada Law has...

Denise Woodard is the Founder and CEO of Partake Foods, the allergy-friendly company that was inspired by her daughter’s experience with food allergies. Key moments this year include that Partake Foods announced it became a Certified B Corporation, and launched a collab with Ben & Jerry’s! Created in 2016, Denise started the business by self-distributing (selling cookies out of her car around NYC) and self-funding (depleting her 401K and selling her engagement ring). To date, the company has raised more than $20M from investors including HER, Rihanna, Circle Up Growth Partners, FF2032 and Marcy Venture Partners (Jay-Z’s venture capital firm). Partake was named #45 on the Inc 5000 list in 2022. Denise was the first Black woman to raise more than $1 Million publicly for a CPG food startup. As a Black woman, Denise is passionate about raising awareness of Black and female entrepreneurship and increasing opportunities for underrepresented people seeking careers in the food and beverage industry. In 2020, Denise founded Black Futures in Food & Beverage, an annual fellowship program that mentors HBCU students and helps them secure internships and jobs at the program’s end. Prior to launching Partake, Denise spent a decade in consumer-packaged goods at various Fortune 100 companies. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jeremy, and daughter, Vivienne. She graduated with her BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Arizona State University.

Stephen has devoted his career to supporting the educational promise of all, from the youngest children to high school students and adult learners -- working to realize his vision and belief that everyone at every age deserves a great education. Stephen was named CEO of Bright Horizons in January 2018, and over the last decade, he has held leadership positions throughout the organization including President, Chief Development Officer, and Managing Director, Europe, based in London. He joined Bright Horizons in 2006 through the acquisition of College Coach®, a company he co-founded and led. Previously, Stephen held roles at Fidelity Ventures and Arthur D. Little.

In addition to the Bright Horizons Board of Directors, Stephen serves on the boards of the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children in both the U.S. and the UK and co-chairs the Bright Horizons Diversity and Inclusion Council. A Massachusetts native, Stephen is a graduate of Babson College and Harvard Business School.

Anuj Khanna is a Partner of CapitalView Investment Partners. Mr. Khanna is responsible for deal origination, transaction execution, portfolio management, fundraising, and administration of the firm’s operations. He has over 12 years of investing and other relevant experience and has sat on the board of directors of eight portfolio companies.

Prior to co-founding CapitalView Investment Partners in 2017, Mr. Khanna was a Principal with American Capital Special Situations, having joined in 2007 as a Senior Associate. Mr. Khanna was involved with and served on the board of directors of the following American Capital portfolio companies: Service Experts, NECCO Realty Investments, Halex Corporation, Unwired Technology, and Unique Fabricating, among others.

Prior to joining American Capital, Mr. Khanna was an Associate in the Restructuring Group at Evercore Partners and an Investment Banking Analyst at UBS Los Angeles.

Mr. Khanna received an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, a J.D. from Northwestern University’s School of Law, and a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Mark Eldridge is the CEO and founder of ALKU, a nationally ranked niche based staffing and consulting firm based in Andover. Mark has been in the staffing and consulting industry since he graduated college. Through his experience, Mark noticed a need for reliable, highly specialized resource services and solutions; this observation led to the launch of ALKU in 2008! During ALKU’s years in business, its unique Have Fun Working Hard® culture and exponential growth have been recognized with several prestigious awards. The company operates on the simple belief that if you give the right people the correct tools, everything else will fall into place. Mark’s laser focus on personnel development has helped ALKU create more than 20 revenue teams and best-in-class corporate infrastructure.