UBS Optimus Foundation, Corporate Voice of Mental Health Award accepted by Liza Green

Liza is Head of Programs, Optimus and Volunteering, in the Social Impact & Philanthropy group at UBS. She oversees the bank’s philanthropic programming under the Optimus Foundation brand in the region and employee volunteering. The Social Impact & Philanthropy team guide clients, colleagues, and communities to unlock the potential of impact and philanthropic giving to achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes.

Liza has over 15 years’ experience in strategic philanthropy, Foundation development and employee and client engagement. Before joining UBS, she held leadership positions in corporate citizenship at Credit Suisse, including Global Head of Corporate Citizenship and Foundations, Executive Director of the Credit Suisse Americas Foundation and Executive Director of the Credit Suisse APAC Foundation.

Liza is also the Co-Founder of New Day Asia, a HK-based giving circle that supported projects helping women and girls in crisis across the region from 2007 to 2020. She currently serves as Director on the US board of EMpower, the Emerging Markets Foundation.

Liza relocated to New York in 2023 following 22 years living and working in Hong Kong.

Tom Kitt, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, arranger, orchestrator, and producer

Has written the music for six Broadway shows: Next to Normal (Tony Award, Olivier Nomination), If/Then (Tony Nomination), Almost Famous (Tony Nomination), Flying Over Sunset (Tony Nomination), High Fidelity, and Bring it On, The Musical. His work for the stage has also been seen Off Broadway at Second Stage (Next to Normal, Superhero), The Public Theater (The Visitor, Shakespeare in the Park) and he has worked at some of the most prestigious regional theaters including The Old Globe, Arena Stage, Berkeley Rep, The Signature Theater, and ART. In addition, Tom’s Broadway credits as an orchestrator, arranger, and music supervisor include: Next to Normal (Tony Award), Hell’s Kitchen (Tony Nomination, Grammy Award), The SpongeBob Musical (Tony Nomination), Jagged Little Pill (Tony Nomination, Grammy Award), Almost Famous, Head Over Heels, Everyday Rapture, American Idiot, and Redwood. Tom has also been active in the world of film and TV. As one of the vocal arrangers working on the Pitch Perfect films, Tom most notably helped create the classic “Riff-off.” Tom also served as music supervisor/arranger/orchestrator for Grease Live, and contributed songs for Royal Pains, Penny Dreadful, and Sesame Street. He also provided music supervision for the NBC series, Rise and served as a Supervising Music Producer on the Bobby Lopez/Kristen Anderson-Lopez/Steven Levenson/Thomas Kail musical television series Up Here.  And he is known for his three original opening numbers for The Tony Awards, “This Party’s for You” in 2024, written with Amanda Green for Ariana Debose, “Live” in 2019, written with David Javerbaum for James Corden, and the Emmy Award winning “Bigger” in 2013, written with Lin-Manuel Miranda for Neil Patrick Harris. Tom is also proud that his musical adaptation of Freaky Friday, co-written with Bridget Carpenter and Brian Yorkey was turned into an original movie musical for Disney Channel and made its UK debut at HOME, Manchester in the fall of 2025.

Stephanie Pacheco, 2024–2025 National Youth Poet Laureate

Stephanie Pacheco is a multi-hyphenate storyteller, performer, and advocate from the South Bronx. She is the 8th U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate and has served as both the NYC and NYS Youth Poet Laureate before earning the national title. Stephanie is a long-time advocate for equity in arts and education, organizing with The Healing Centered Schools Task Force and Alliance for Quality Education since her teen years.
Stephanie is a playwright, recently completing her debut artivist play “On The Other Side” with Broadway Advocacy Coalition. Stephanie has been highlighted by The Today Show, NPR, and CBS for her poetry and advocacy, and has performed at The Barclays Center, Lincoln Center, The Apollo Theater, The Kennedy Center, and more. Stephanie’s intention is to free others by freeing herself — one poem, play, and performance at a time.

Young People’s Chorus of New York City Francisco J. Núñez, Artistic Director and Founder