Nextdoor appoints John Hope Bryant and Andrea Wishom to its board of directors

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, October 6, 2020 – Today, Nextdoor, Inc. (nextdoor.com) announced the appointment of John Hope Bryant and Andrea Wishom to its Board of Directors. Mr. Bryant is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE, Inc., Chairman and CEO of Bryant Group Ventures and The Promise Homes Company. Ms. Wishom is the president of Skywalker Holdings LLC, a former Executive Vice President at Harpo Productions and serves on the Boards of Pinterest and Tory Burch.

Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar said, “It is an honor to welcome John and Andrea to Nextdoor. The challenge in this search was selecting from the broad group of incredibly talented and inspiring people that I spoke to. John shares our passion for building community, spending much of his life’s work focused on financial literacy and housing to empower people — particularly those who are underserved — with the opportunity to contribute to and effect change in their communities. And Andrea has spent the last two decades finding creative ways to share powerful stories, bringing people together around the globe.”

Mr. Bryant said, “Neighborhoods are the mechanism of change, and it is critical that we get out of our echo chambers, meet the person who lives next door, and begin recreating the connections that are the foundation of strong, thriving communities. I am thrilled to join the Board to build on Nextdoor’s momentum and continue to bring neighbors around the world together.”

Ms. Wishom said, “In these unprecedented times, Nextdoor has been an extraordinary lifeline for so many people to make real connections with their real neighbors to share critical information, spread acts of kindness and generosity, and provide a forum to share ideas and thoughts.  I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join this organization at a time when inclusivity and equality are relevant for all, in every neighborhood.”

Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar concluded, “Our desire to bring leaders like John and Andrea to our Board underscores the importance of making diverse perspectives a business imperative. As we grow and tell the story of communities around the world, John and Andrea will help us accelerate the power of local, strengthening and lifting neighborhoods everywhere.”

John Hope Bryant is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist who has built more than 40 organizations, entities and companies, including Operation HOPE, the largest non-profit provider of financial literacy and economic empowerment services in the U.S. for youth and adults. Mr. Bryant is also the Chairman and CEO of Bryant Group Ventures and The Promise Homes Company, the largest for-profit minority-controlled owners of institutional-quality, single-family residential rental homes in the U.S.  Mr. Bryant has sat on the Boards of three publicly traded companies, including taking Aeris Commercial Real Estate (Ticker: ACRE) public. Mr. Bryant believes that people who come from underserved communities, such as the ones he grew up in Compton and South Central Los Angeles, California, have unlimited potential to contribute and positively change this world.

Andrea Wishom is the President, Skywalker Holdings LLC and has spent her career telling powerful stories, leading diverse teams and creating successful, high profile projects. Currently she oversees day-to-day operations for various business, philanthropic and creative entities. Her largest project to date is as Vice President of The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a $1 billion first of its kind institution with a focus on visual storytelling, art and film, where she is a key strategic planning and development lead. Prior, as an award-winning media executive, Ms. Wishom joined Skywalker Holdings LLC from Harpo Productions where she spent over two decades launching and developing some of the most successful programming in television history, first for The Oprah Winfrey Show, and later for OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. During this time, she produced some of Oprah’s most memorable and highest-rated programs, including “Oprah’s Farewell at The United Center,” “President Barack and Michelle Obama” and “Oprah Winfrey Presents: Legends who Paved the Way.” When the Oprah Winfrey Show ended in 2011, Ms. Wishom helped transition the company from the daytime juggernaut into a start-up production company that would develop, create and program for OWN, a new cable network.  In addition to her leadership roles at OWN, Ms. Wishom was also Executive Producer of Oprah’s Next Chapter and Super Soul Sunday.

Nextdoor’s Board of Directors also includes Sarah Friar, Bill Gurley, Leslie Kilgore, Mary Meeker, Jason Pressman, Nirav Tolia, David Sze and Christopher Varelas.

 

About Nextdoor, Inc.

Nextdoor is where neighbors come together for trusted connections and the exchange of helpful information, goods and services. We believe by bringing neighbors together, we can cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighborhood they can rely on.

Building connections in the real world is a universal human need. That truth, and the reality that neighborhoods are among the most important communities in our lives, have been guiding principles for Nextdoor since the beginning. Today, neighbors rely on Nextdoor to tap into over  268,000 neighborhoods around the world, including the United States where 1 in 4 U.S. households have been verified on the platform, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Australia and Canada, with many more to come.

We recognize that thriving communities are more than just residents. They’re also made up of the local businesses, nonprofits and public agencies that keep our neighborhoods strong and connected. With more than 50 million local business recommendations from neighbors to date on Nextdoor, it’s easier than ever to take advantage of the possibilities nearby.

Nextdoor is a privately-held company based in San Francisco with backing from prominent investors including Benchmark, Shasta Ventures, Greylock Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Riverwood Capital, Bond, Axel Springer, Comcast Ventures and others. For additional information and images: nextdoor.com/newsroom