Dessa Bokides is a Global Executive with a rich background in financial services, real estate, technology and Education.  Her experience spans investment banking advisory (at Goldman Sachs) to internal positions as CFO and/or Treasurer at Prologis (a global public REIT), Pitney Bowes (manufacturing and software company) and GMAC (financial services).  She recently returned from Saudi Arabia where she was the CFO/COO for NEOM Tech & Digital, a new 10,500 sq mile sustainable cognitive city in development with an investment of over $1 trillion.  Over the last decade, she has concentrated her efforts on start-ups and private equity backed companies that are either going through substantial change due to regulatory or business model resets, often in the Education space.  Dessa is passionate about the route from education to the workplace and how we adjust to a changing landscape.  She has held the CFO role at private post-secondary institutions including Alta and Galvanize and was a founder of Galileo Global Education, a global post-secondary school that concentrates on employability, personal development, and labor market alignment.  

She is a Qualified Financial Expert and adept at working with management teams to restructure businesses and reset policies.  She has extensive experience working with both public and private Boards and currently sits on the Boards of BankWyse, a digital asset custody bank,  PBS Channel 12, Colorado’s Independent Public Broadcasting Station and the High Line Canal Conservancy, a 71 mile greenway that connects Denver.

She brings to FutureRise a rare combination of global perspective, financial discipline, operational rigor, and deep commitment to strengthening the connection between education and the workforce, ensuring talent development systems are aligned with the evolving needs of employers and communities.