Our Team

It sounded like the start of a bad joke when I first heard it; “two lawyers, two doctors, an army officer and a uni student” all it was missing was the typical “walk into a bar...”.  However, the more the Bright team comes together, the more I see how our diversity of experience, culture, and education provides us unique abilities not commonly found in business or tech circles.  A team of six, woman-led, living in three countries, speaking 28 languages (some of them admittedly poorly), most of whom have spent the last twenty years on the front lines of humanitarian issues, bio-medical research, disease outbreak, data-law, armed conflict, and most importantly the degradation of social media. 

Taryn's experience the insight to identify solutions to the most complex of ethical dilemmas

Assembled by our CEO, Taryn Ward, the Bright team came together under her shared vision of a community where facts matter, discussion is encouraged, and people are held accountable for their actions.  A place where members are free to voice their opinions and positions without fear of being personally attacked or bullied; a place with authentic human connection.  Taryn’s leadership in humanitarian organizations, especially those concerned with the Syrian Refugee Crisis and its impact on women, has given her the insight to identify solutions to the most complex of ethical dilemmas.

Our doctors! Mina and Steve give Bright the ideas and concepts to pursue the truth through facts.  Masters of scientific approaches, they have innovated systems that will propel our discourse based on evidence, not feeling or political stance.  Mina serves as our Chief Research Officer after specializing in research on how viruses invade the immune system.  She is passionate about stopping the spread of harmful misinformation, especially in the medical fields where poorly researched positions can lead to crisis. 

Steve specializes in emerging and reemerging diseases, a veteran of the public health sector where he most recently was part of the team that identified the SARS Coronavirus and developed the world’s first Ebola vaccine.  His experience with multiple startups makes him a perfect fit as the Bright Chief of Staff.

The Chief Information Officer, Jay, is the brains behind our ideas to leverage data and technologies to foster genuine human connections.  As a lawyer, data strategist, and privacy advocate, Jay is an expert on the most current trends and technologies that give our members unparalleled security and privacy.  He is also lead for our “No Bots!” concepts that pledge to make the Bright experience as human as possible!

Our Chief Communications Officer, Margot, is a modern-languages university student with a history of volunteer service in underprivileged countries.  Margot specializes in adapting Bright to ensure that we are modern, intuitive, and generationally accessible.  She is the driving force behind all of our brilliant marketing and new member outreach initiatives!

I am humbled to serve as the Bright COO.  After a 20-year career in the military with mission-focused organizations, I can say with confidence that Bright is the most focused and collaborative team of which I have ever been a part.  My experience includes critical and results-focused approaches to implement cutting-edge network technologies and security.

Our team is working hard every day to make Bright the best digital social community in the world.  The team’s education and diversity of experience have given us the tools to confront some of the toughest tech and social problems. We cannot wait to see where this journey takes us! Two lawyers, two doctors, an army officer, and a uni student!