Team

Nicholas Pardon, founder and CEO, is an entrepreneur, curator, and investor. Since starting his first profitable venture at 14 — an online community for teens, which launched in the early days of the dot-com boom — he’s established dozens of successful businesses. As an avid art collector and supporter of cultural institutions, Nicholas’ drive to connect and create fuels all of Pardon’s ventures. He resides in Greater Los Angeles, but can often be found in Palm Springs, Denver, and New York City.

An entrepreneur, strategist, and adventurer at heart, Nathaniel serves as Pardon’s Managing Director. Having built two recruiting companies and run people operations in multiple contexts — including for a presidential campaign — Nathaniel joined Pardon to establish the family office. He brings a rich background in executive search, organizational design, and management consulting. His focus on clarity and integrity underpins the choreography required to manage the Venture Studio’s diverse portfolio of brands and businesses. Originally from Pittsburgh, he now lives in the Hudson Valley.

Liz’s multifaceted professional experience and love for entrepreneurship make her uniquely suited to help steer Pardon’s collection of portfolio companies through their stages of growth. Over the course of her career, she has worked in public accounting at EY, led teams at high-growth startups, and even built her own cookie company. As a passionate storyteller, Liz merges metrics with engaging narratives to help teams understand their financials and drive better business performance. Liz holds her master’s in accounting and bachelor’s in Finance from Wake Forest University, her CPA, and CMA.

As a Senior Director for the People team, Erica plays an integral role in cultivating and promoting the culture of connection and optimism that characterizes Pardon. Before joining the organization, she led a similar division at a luxury hospitality start-up and worked in the aerospace industry, among other stops. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, a Master’s in Organizational Leadership, and is a Society for Human Resources Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). Her work ensures Pardon is an organization where everyone belongs.

Cultivating strategic relationships and recognizing quality have been the cornerstone of every professional role Gloria has held. Her previous roles include maintaining investor relations for luxury real estate funds and producing once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences, among other things. She has led business development and strategy, handled mergers and acquisitions, and helped organizations expand into new markets. Gloria’s passion for exploration and discovery keeps her on the move, and Pardon benefits from her ability to identify valuable opportunities across the world.

Mike brings close to two decades of professional media experience to Pardon. Since graduating from Rutgers University with a degree in journalism, he’s held writing, reporting, and editing positions for print, broadcast, and digital publishing outfits. He’s responsible for the high editorial standards in place across Pardon’s media ventures. A natural creative, Mike is driven by the desire to spread insight and joy through clever, impactful, and engaging ventures.

A veteran entrepreneur, Josh co-founded Sett, a creative agency for household brands, and Pedro & Tailor, a lifestyle label, before joining the Pardon team. He plays a key role in the family office when it comes to vision shaping, strategy, and execution. Josh’s inclusive approach to initiatives stems from a childhood immersed in different cultures and ways of life in Miami. He brings an eye for opportunity, a keen understanding of hospitality, and years of professional marketing experience to Pardon.

Amina brings her depth of experience and an aptitude for delivering complex data monetization platforms and systems to Pardon. As a proponent of cross-functional collaboration between Product and Engineering, she fosters connection and instills a sense of clarity throughout the ecosystem. A former founder of a professional services start-up that specialized in product delivery and data streaming platforms, Amina exemplifies the entrepreneurial drive that hums throughout Pardon.

An artist, designer, and muralist from Monterrey, Mexico, Charlo Garcia Walterbach — who now resides in Denver, Colorado — serves both as Pardon’s Head of Visual Design and as a resident artist. A former editorial designer for The Council of Arts and Culture in Mexico and principal designer for The SPACE Collection in Orange County, California, Charlo gives the Venture Studio a masterful eye for visual storytelling. His exuberance and joy are embedded into his art and in the ventures Pardon launches.