Speakers

Abigail Disney

Emmy-winning Documentary Filmmaker, Activist, and Philanthropist

Abigail E. Disney is an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker and activist. Her latest film, “The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales,” co-directed with Kathleen Hughes, made its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. She advocates for real changes to the ways capitalism operates in today’s world.  

 As a philanthropist she has worked with organizations supporting peace building, gender justice and systemic cultural change. She is Chair and Co-Founder of Level Forward, and founder of Peace is Loud and the Daphne Foundation. 

Adrian K. Haugabrook

Executive Vice President and Managing Director of The Social Impact Collective, Southern New Hampshire University

Dr. Adrian K. Haugabrook is Executive Vice President and Managing Director for the Social Impact Collective at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) in Manchester, New Hampshire, one of the largest non-profit universities in the U.S. with 0ver 180,000 students and recognized as one of the country’s most innovative organizations. In this role, he provides executive leadership and strategic guidance in advancing SNHUs equity and social mobility agendas by leveraging existing offerings and innovations to learners across the globe. He has committed his over three-decade career to influencing access, equity, and opportunity for people by leading strategy, growth, policy, and change initiatives in global higher education and nonprofit sectors. He is a frequent speaker on change, innovation, and the future of higher education and was a featured speaker at TED 2021. His TED Talk, “3 Ways to Lower the Barriers to Higher Education” garnered 1M views within the first six weeks of its release.

Dr. Haugabrook is on the board of directors of Upswing (Austin, TX), an education technology company and was a 2021-2022 Designer in Residence with the Education Design Lab (Washington, DC). He also sits on the national boards of Complete College America, the Postsecondary National Policy Institute; and the Ascend National Advisory of the Aspen Institute. He also served as National Board Chair for the National AfterSchool Association, Spark, and Co-Chair of the College Board, National Advisory Committee on the Future of African American Education. He also recently served on the City Year Boston and New Hampshire Advisory Boards. He is a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and an ordained Baptist Deacon, in service at The Historic Myrtle Baptist Church (West Newton, MA).

A former scholarship athlete and U.S. military “brat,” Dr. Haugabrook received his doctorate from the University of Massachusetts Boston, masters from Georgia Southwestern State University and his bachelor’s from the University of West Georgia. 

Adrian Vega

Executive Director, Education Partnership of the Permian Basin

Dr. Adrian Vega is the Executive Director for the Education Partnership of the Permian Basin, a collective impact organization serving the regions of West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico.  EPPB seeks to ensure that students in the Permian Basin perform at the highest level and earn degrees or credentials with workforce value.  As a backbone organizations EPPB’s mission is to help improve education outcomes for all students in the Permian Basin from cradle to career.  Before becoming Executive Director, Dr. Vega served in various school districts across the state of Texas and Arizona for 20 years.  Dr. Vega began his career in the Dallas Independent School District, where he served as a bilingual teacher, elementary school assistant principal, instructional coach, and professional developer.  Dr. Vega also served as a middle school principal in the Tyler Independent School District, where he brought Project Based Learning and Project Lead the Way to Boulter Middle School.  While serving in the Ector County ISD, Dr. Vega was the founding principal of New Tech Odessa High School, an all-academic, college-prep, project-based learning high school.  After serving in ECISD, Dr. Vega became the Deputy Superintendent for the Tucson Unified School District, in Tucson, Arizona.  Returning to Texas, Dr. Vega served as the Superintendent of Schools of the San Benito CISD, in San Benito, Texas.  Dr. Vega has been married to Kathryn Vega since 1999.  He and his wife are the proud parents of their son Avery, a recent graduate from The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business, and their daughter Della Lane, an education major at The University of Texas at San Antonio.  

Ahva Sadeghi

Co-Founder and CEO, Symba

Ahva Sadeghi is a passionate social entrepreneur and the Co-Founder and CEO of Symba, an award winning and venture-backed tech startup on the future of work. Ahva is an economist and researcher focused on remote work and workforce development. Ahva currently is a member of the Forbes Human Resources Council. Through Symba, Ahva has helped power over 10,000 new job opportunities from internships, apprenticeships at Fortune 500 companies and leading nonprofits. Symba was named a leader in the future of work by Forbes and is proud to be a certified women-owned business.  

Prior to launching Symba, Ahva worked at the US Department of State in the Human Rights Bureau and completed a civil rights fellowship with Congressman John Lewis in Atlanta. She was recently named Forbes 30 Under 30, a Tory Burch Fellow, and a Global Entrepreneur Scholar by the US Department of State. 

Ahva currently serves on the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Chicago and volunteers as a mentor for Students Rising Above. Ahva completed her graduate studies at the London School of Economics and received her BA from the University of Arizona Honors College. In her spare time, Ahva enjoys playing the cello and is a certified yoga instructor.  

Alex Avila

Co-Founder of Black Brown Collective

Alex Avila is a Professor of English and Digital Media Arts. Consult with several non-profits in San Bernardino. Entrepreneur, Grant Writer, Marketing & Branding specialist, Website and Graphic Designer, Public Speaker, Grassroots Organizer, Playwriter, Developer, Podcaster, Author of 9 books, and documentarian. 

Alex Edgar

UC Berkeley Student, Director of UC Berkeley’s Vote Coalition

Alex Edgar is a second-year at UC Berkeley studying Political Behavior with minors in Public Policy, Political Economy, and Education. He is passionate about developing policy solutions to pressing social problems in order to create education systems and democratic institutions that are more responsive to the will and needs of the American people. More than anything, he loves working with his peers to inspire Generation Z to become the most civically engaged generation in American history. They motivate him to work for a better future and to serve his communities by advocating for the rights of those in need. As Director of UC Berkeley’s Vote Coalition, he successfully spearheaded a fight to secure an on-campus polling location in 2022 and acquired over $70,000 in grants for civic programming. He also coordinates civic engagement efforts and leads voting rights and civic education policy advocacy for over 280,000 students across all nine undergraduate UC campuses for the UC Student Association. In recognition of his civic work, Alex was the 2023 recipient of the John Lewis Youth Leadership Award by the California Secretary of State Shirley Weber. Through his various roles, Alex has become a strong student voice in the youth vote space, being published in Forbes, featured in a CBS News Bay Area segment, and speaking about voting rights and civic education across the country.  

Alexia Korberg

Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Alexia Korberg (they/them) is a partner in the Litigation Department and Deputy Chair of the M&A Litigation Practice Group, where they specialize in complex civil litigation. They represent clients in high-stakes commercial disputes across a range of industries, including private equity, media, banking, technology, and biomedicine. Alexia has significant trial experience and practices in both state and federal courts, including at the appellate levels, and in arbitration.  

In addition to their robust commercial practice, Alexia has also developed a nationally-recognized constitutional impact litigation practice and has litigated several consequential pro bono matters in courts throughout the country—including, most recently, at the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. 

Alexia’s first career was in private equity, and they apply their concomitant understanding of finance, securities, and business to all of their commercial representations. 

Alexia was named a 2021 “Young Lawyer of the Year” by The American Lawyer for their nationally prominent work as a tireless defender of women’s reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ people and immigrants, as well as their high-profile litigation achievements and commitment to improving the legal profession. The New York Law Journal named Alexia a “Rising Star” in 2020; the New York State Bar Association presented them with the “Outstanding Young Lawyer” award in 2020; Benchmark Litigation named them to the “40 & Under Hot List” each of the past three years; Lawdragon named them to the “500 Leading Litigators in America” list in 2022; the LGBT Bar Association recognized them as one of the “Best 40 LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40” in 2019; and the American Bar Association honored Alexia with its “On the Rise Top 40 Young Lawyers” award in 2018. 

Alisha Hines

Director of Research, Center for Scholars & Storytellers UCLA

Dr. Alisha J. Hines is the Director of Research at UCLA's Center for Scholars and Storytellers. In this role, Dr. Hines uses her extensive research expertise to frame and direct projects from design to dissemination on topics related to the impact of media on adolescent mental health and diversity, equity, and inclusion across the entertainment industry. She also leverages research and storytelling to direct organizational strategies in the private and philanthropic sectors. Dr. Hines, a historian by training, has earned several fellowships and awards for her academic research and writing. She earned her PhD in History & African American Studies from Duke University and is a former faculty member of Wake Forest University's History Department. 

Amber Roth

Executive Director, Worker Education & Resource Center

For the past 23 years, Amber Roth, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, has devoted her career to serving hard-to-reach populations and underserved communities. During this time, Amber has led critical initiatives and developed programs that drive system change and impact by increasing access to housing, healthcare, and employment for underserved individuals and families. Amber has over 18 years of leadership experience and non-profit management where she has led teams to develop and implement innovative services and training programs in homeless response services and workforce development. She also has extensive knowledge and experience in clinical interventions, program development, organizational assessment, cultural transformation, change management, strategic planning, capacity building, and leadership development. Amber is currently the Executive Director of the Worker Education & Resource Center (WERC). She also participates on the Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership Executive Steering Committee, Co-chairs the Employment Committee, and is a member of the Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship- Public Sector Subcommittee. Amber is passionate about creating service delivery systems and developing a workforce that aims to create healthy communities, instill hope and build connections that improve and save lives.  

Amy Jones

Director for Education and Human Services Policy, U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce

Mrs. Jones oversees all aspects of education and workforce development policy for Chairwoman Virginia Foxx of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Prior to assuming this role, Mrs. Jones specialized in higher education and student loan policy and other legal issues arising in education policy for the committee. Previously, she was an attorney at Dean Blakey, where she handled issues important to the higher education community and the student loan industry. Mrs. Jones also clerked at the Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education. Mrs. Jones received both her B.A. in political science and justice and her J.D. from American University.

Ana Luz Gonzalez Vasquez

Project Manager, UCLA

Dr. Gonzalez-Vasquez has 17 years of experience conducting quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation projects. In 2010, she co-authored a ground-breaking report on the prevalence of wage theft and workplace violations among low-wage workers in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. She also co-authored the first comprehensive study on transportation network companies in Los Angeles. At the Labor Center, she is leading the expansion of the Labor Center’s workforce development area of work, with a focus on building a high road economy and prosperity for all through research, education, evaluation, and coalition and movement building. Dr. Gonzalez-Vasquez connects the Labor Center’s work to statewide systemic change initiatives making the workforce development system more accessible and easy to navigate for worker organizations serving marginalized communities in California. Recently, she co-led the development and implementation of the HRTP initiative in California, and has co-produced documents on the HRTP framework and model. Prior to joining the Labor Center, Dr. Gonzalez-Vasquez was the Project Coordinator of the UC Irvine Community and Labor Project. At UCI, she conducted a wage theft study on low-wage workers in Orange County and was a lecturer at the Law School. Dr. Gonzalez-Vasquez earned a dual B.A. in Economics and Social Science with a specialization in Public and Community Service and a minor in Spanish from UCI. She earned her Master’s and Ph.D. in Urban Planning from UCLA.  

Andre Perry

Senior Fellow, Brookings Metro

Andre M. Perry is a Senior Fellow at Brookings Metro, a scholar-in-residence at American University, and a professor of practice of economics at Washington University. A nationally known and respected commentator on race, structural inequality, and education, Perry is the author of the book “Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities,” which is currently available wherever books are sold. Perry is a regular contributor to MSNBC and has been published by numerous national media outlets, including The New York Times, The Nation, The Washington Post, TheRoot.com and CNN.com. Perry has also made appearances on HBO, CNN, PBS, National Public Radio, NBC, and ABC. Perry’s research focuses on race and structural inequality, education, and economic inclusion. Perry’s recent scholarship at Brookings has analyzed Black-majority cities and institutions in America, focusing on valuable assets worthy of increased investment.

Perry's pioneering work on asset devaluation has made him a go to researcher for policymakers, community development professionals and civil rights groups. Perry co-authored the groundbreaking 2018 Brookings Institution report “The Devaluation of Assets in Black Neighborhoods” and has presented its findings on the price of home in Black neighborhoods across the country, including to the U.S. House Financial Services Committee. He has extended that report’s focus on housing in Black neighborhoods to include other assets such as businesses, schools and banks.

Prior to his work at Brookings, Perry has been a founding dean, professor, award-winning journalist, and activist in the field of education. In 2015, Perry served on Louisiana Governor-elect John Bel Edwards’ K-12 education transition committee, as well as on New Orleans Mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu’s transition team as its co-chair for education in 2010. In 2013, Perry founded the College of Urban Education at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Mich. Preceding his stint in Michigan, Perry was an associate professor of educational leadership at the University of New Orleans and served as CEO of the Capital One-University of New Orleans Charter Network.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Perry earned his Ph.D. in education policy and leadership from the University of Maryland College Park.

Andrés Tapia

Senior Client Partner, Korn Ferry

Andrés Tapia is a senior client partner at Korn Ferry and the consulting firm’s global diversity and inclusion strategist.

He has been one of the leading voices in shaping a contemporary, next-generation approach to diversity and inclusion. That approach is global, deeply integrated into talent systems, and focused on enabling marketplace success.

Throughout Europe, Asia, North America, and his native Latin America, Andrés has helped clients shape enterprise-wide diversity and inclusion business cases and strategies. He has done that work in a wide range of industries—including financial services, technology, health care, retail, manufacturing, government, education, and the nonprofit sector—with dozens of Global 500 organizations as well as non-U.S. multinationals in Brazil, South Korea, and India.

He has more than 25 years of experience as a C-suite management consultant, diversity executive, organizational development and training professional, and journalist. He is also the author of The Inclusion Paradox: The Obama Era and the Transformation of Global Diversity and the co-author of Auténtico: The Definitive Guide to Latino Career Success and of the recently released The 5 Disciplines of Inclusive Leadership: Unleashing the Power of All of Us.

A frequently sought-after speaker, Andrés has given presentations on the topic of diversity and inclusion to audiences globally. His writing has been published in major dailies throughout the United States and Latin America, including contributions to the New America Media wire service and the Huffington Post.

He has received numerous leadership and diversity awards and has served on a number of boards, including current roles on the boards of Leadership Greater Chicago and Ravinia Festival, where he chairs the diversity, equity, and inclusion committee and sits on the executive committee. He has also previously served on editorial board of Diversity Executive magazine, the corporate advisory board for the Bentley University Center for Women and Business, and the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE).

He is married to Lori, a musician, and they have a grown daughter, Marisela, who is a professional flamenco dancer. He lives in the Chicago area.

Andy Tonsing

Director of Postsecondary Education, Stand Together

Andy Tonsing is Director of Postsecondary Education at Stand Together. He is an experienced philanthropic and business leader in advancing innovative postsecondary education models that help individuals achieve their full potential. He has a background in international education and online learning start-ups, including helping to establish the Pioneer Research Program, one of the premier academic summer programs in the US.” 

Aneesh Raman

VP and Head of the Opportunity Project, LinkedIn

Ángel García Donjuán

Student Advisory Council Member, Young Invincibles

Ángel is a first-generation Mexican-American college student. He was born and raised in West Dallas and has dedicated himself to various issues relevant to communities of color in inner city Dallas. He's previously worked with the Dallas Campaign Activity and Management Program (CAMP) Fellowship on various school board elections as well as with Mi Familia Vota on education issues in the Texas Legislature. After college, he looks to work in bilingual education and education policy. 

Ann Marr

Executive Vice President of Global Human Resources, World Wide Technology

Ann Cuiellette Marr is currently Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources for World Wide Technology.  WWT is a $16B global technology solutions provider, delivering business and technology outcomes in industry, technology and services.. Ann oversees all global human resources functions (talent acquisition, strategic staffing, policy development, benefits and compensation, government compliance, training, employee development, immigration and communications).  Ann also manages the company’s diversity efforts (Diversity & Inclusion, Supplier Diversity and Small Business Enterprise) and has managed tremendous growth over the years.  Ann has successfully spearheaded the company’s multiple selections for the 100 Best Companies to Work For, globally.  Ann is President of the WWT Charitable Foundation and is very active in the community.  Ann previously held positions with Anheuser-Busch and Enterprise Holdings.​

Ann serves on the board of directors for World Wide Technology, the Board of Trustees for Maryville University, Greater St. Louis, Inc., the St. Louis Police Foundation, Gateway Arch Park Foundation, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and Cass Information Systems.  Ann also completed the Deloitte Center for Board Effectiveness Program.​​

Ann has been recognized for her leadership and business influence by many organizations, some of which include Who’s Who in Black St. Louis, Corporate Executive of the Year by the St. Louis American Newspaper, 50 Most Powerful Minority Women in Business by the Minority Enterprise Advocate magazine, 25 Most Influential Business Women and Top Diverse Business Leaders by the St. Louis Business Journal and the recipient of the Leadership Award by the Great Place to Work Institute. And most recently, The 2022 Employee Experience Leader of the Year by Impact Awards.  Ann is a published Author of a New Orleans cookbook - Classic Creole – A Celebration of Food & Family.​​

Ann received a B.A. in Business & Human Resources Management from Webster University (the Walker School of Business & Technology), St. Louis, MO.​​

A native of New Orleans, Ann and her husband Craig have two daughters, and two granddaughters.​

Annalisa Holcombe

Senior Vice President of Advancement, Western Governors University

As President, Annalisa is responsible for leading WGU Advancement’s purpose of building financial support to reinvigorate WGU’s promise of higher education for all by connecting individuals, corporations, and foundations to the university and its students. Holcombe brings more than 15 years of experience in higher education, fundraising, and community relations to WGU Advancement.   

 Prior to leading WGU Advancement, Holcombe served her alma mater, Westminster College in Salt Lake City, in a variety of roles. Most recently, she was Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer. In this role, she helped lead Westminster to its highest-grossing fundraising year in its history and was responsible for the creation of its community relations department.   

 Holcombe holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Westminster College and a juris doctorate from the University of Utah College of Law. She lives in Salt Lake City with her family and in her spare time enjoys mentoring and coaching teams and individuals in her community to build trust, achieve dreams, and cultivate joy.  

Antony Bugg-Levine

Co-Head of Community Impact, Lafayette Square

Antony Bugg-Levine is a Managing Director and Co-Head of Community Impact at Lafayette Square, with a focus on developing partnerships and impactful services that drive change for communities served by the firm. Antony is a pioneer within the modern impact investing movement, with over 25 years of industry experience. 

Antony designed and led The Rockefeller Foundation’s impact investing initiative and oversaw its Program Related Investments portfolio from 2007-2011. He convened the 2007 meeting that coined the phrase “impact investing” and in 2009, co-founded the Global Impact Investing Network. He also co-authored “Impact Investing: Transforming How We Make Money While Making a Difference,” the first book on impact investing, in 2011. Antony has spent the past 10 years as CEO of the Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), one of the largest Community Development Financial Institutions in the United States.   

Antony holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale, a Master of Public Affairs from Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs and has served as an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School. He was selected as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and named one of the 50 most powerful and influential people in the US nonprofit sector by Nonprofit Times in 2018-2020. He currently serves on the Boards of the Global Impact Investing Network and Community Connections for Youth. 

April Chou

Chief Strategic Growth Officer, OneTen

April Chou is currently the Chief Strategic Growth Officer of OneTen, focusing on the organization’s powerful mission of family-sustaining careers for Black talent.

April has built and led high-performing teams in both the social sector and philanthropy. Previously, she served as Vice President and the Interim Head of Education for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, where she led the education program and its philanthropic investments. April was the Chief Growth and Operating Officer of KIPP Northern California Public Schools, where she partnered with educators, families, and local communities to create and support high-quality schools. She was also a Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund, focused on investing in and creating a community of education entrepreneurs to address opportunity gaps for students. April began her career with McKinsey & Company, advising clients in the US, China, and Singapore.

April has served as a trusted advisor and executive coach to clients working in education, economic mobility, and philanthropy. April currently serves on the boards of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation and Behavioral Insights US. She is a moderator for the Aspen Institute, a Pahara-Aspen Fellow and an alumna of Leadership San Francisco. April received her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs and holds an MBA and Masters in Education from Stanford University. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and their two sons.

Ashley Hemmy

Director Corporate Social Responsibility, American Student Assistance

Ashley Hemmy is the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at American Student Assistance (ASA), where she oversees ASA’s philanthropic giving initiatives to support ASA’s mission to help students, as early as middle school, explore careers and plan for their futures.  Prior to this role, she taught fifth grade for seven years in Virginia and in New Orleans, where she served as a Teach for America corps member. Ashley holds a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Florida, a M.Ed in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Virginia, a post-master’s certificate in school leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently an Ed.D candidate in Organizational Learning & Leadership at Vanderbilt University.  

Bertina Ceccarelli

Chief Executive Officer, NPower

Bertina is on a mission to advance racial and gender equity in the tech industry and disrupt the status quo to build a more inclusive workplace. As the CEO of NPower, one of the most successful non-profits in North America committed to helping young adults and military-connected individuals launch tech careers, she to breaks down barriers to social and economic mobility. She is endlessly inspired by the life journeys of NPower alumni, and by the forward-looking corporate employers who see brilliance where others see limitations. Under her leadership NPower has grown its budget five-fold in the last six years and today serves over 2,000 individuals annually.  

As a leader, she understands that any organization devoted to advancing diversity and equity must itself model an inclusive workplace, providing opportunities for growth and leadership at all levels. Bertina has been intentional about building a team of extraordinary colleagues who bring their deep professional expertise as well as their personal experiences to the mission. NPower’s team demonstrates how the power of diversity delivers better solutions.  

She embraced the mission of NPower after a long career in the corporate sector and with a deeply personal set of motivations. Growing up in a working-class family and the first to graduate from high school, getting a college degree was not a forgone conclusion. It was only through the coaching and counseling of adults who took the time to care that she was set on a very different path, earning a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at U.C. Berkeley and an MBA from Harvard Business School. It brings her joy to help others connect with their pathway, and to inspire a new generation of leaders to operate at the intersection of good business and better humanity. 

Bertina’s commitment to helping others break social and economic mobility barriers has led to her involvement in strategic alliance organizations, including Founding member of TechPACT 

Brandon Nicholson

Chief Executive Officer, The Hidden Genius Project

An Oakland native, Brandon Nicholson is Chief Executive Officer of The Hidden Genius Project.  He has dedicated his life to promoting equity in the public realm, particularly in the education space.  In his previous stint as a senior evaluator and consultant, Brandon conducted research, evaluation, and consulted on a range of projects related to intersections of education policy and workforce and economic development.  It was there that he began to recognize the potential for technology to bolster the domestic and global economy as Black populations (and others) gain more equitable access to growth sectors.  Brandon has conducted substantial research in the areas of education and youth development, with a particular focus on issues of equity and access in K-12 education for high-potential populations.  He has considerable experience investigating linkages among race, class, and youth development.

Brian Dixon

Managing Partner, Kapor Capital

A partner at Kapor Capital, Brian Dixon is one of the first and youngest African American partners at a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. 

He is committed to making sure entrepreneurs of all backgrounds have access to advice and capital for their businesses to succeed. 

Brian joined Kapor Capital as an intern and worked his way up to partners over the past 10 years. He is a Kauffman Fellow, a Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) Fellow, and a two-time founder of tech startups. 

Brian has shared his investment experience on more than 50 stages, delivering presentations at TechCrunch Disrupt, SXSW, and SOCAP, among other events and gatherings. He has also been featured on NPR, and his achievements have been recognized by a number of organizations, including Business Insider, which named him one of the 46 Most Important African Americans in Technology in 2014. 

He has an MBA from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College and a bachelor’s degree in computer and information science from Northeastern University. 

Brian Gonzalez

Executive Director of Government Partnerships and Initiatives, Intel

Brian Gonzalez is the Executive Director for Government Partnerships & Initiatives (GPI) within Intel’s Global Government Affairs Group. His team drives Intel’s Digital Readiness Programs globally as part of Intel’s commitment to engage governments in 30 countries and 30,000 institutions to empower more than 30 million people with AI skills training by 2030. 

Brian started at Intel headquarters in Santa Clara, California, in 2000 and has taken on a range of global leadership roles driving large-scale national programs to accelerate outcomes through technology adoption. In 2003, he relocated to Europe, where he was the Regional Manager for Intel’s public sector engagement, and in 2006 he took on the role of Country Manager of Spain and Portugal. In 2010, he returned to Santa Clara to lead Intel’s Global Education Solutions Team. In 2018, Brian relocated to Washington DC as a Senior Director for US public sector innovation policy. He returned to Santa Clara to take on his current global role in 2021. 

Brian is a frequent speaker on the impact of Industry 4.0 on transformational education programs, technology infrastructure for improved outcomes, and global collaboration as a core competency of high-performance teams. He has traveled to over 100 countries to engage and assist government officials, academic leaders, teachers, and parents in improving student outcomes. Brian was awarded an Intel Achievement Award for contributing to global education transformation. 

Brian received a degree in Business Administration from Villanova University and an MBA in International Business at the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird). 

Caitlyn Brazill

Chief Development Officer, Per Scholas

As Chief Development Officer, Caitlyn is responsible for leading strategic development and execution of Per Scholas’ sustainability and growth model. Her team supports every Per Scholas market to create multi-faceted relationships with donors, companies, foundations and government agencies to power Per Scholas’ mission. In less than five years, Caitlyn has helped increase Per Scholas budget from $10M to $50M annually, providing the resources needed to quadruple annual impact. Caitlyn has more than 15 years of experience in the public and non-profit sector, including as Senior Vice President for Strategic Partnerships at CAMBA, Director of Policy and Communications at NYU’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy and Director of Research and Policy at the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs’ Office of Financial Empowerment. She has expertise in fundraising and communications, program evaluation and design, research, policy advocacy, and organizational development.  

Caitlyn has focused on economic mobility throughout her career through a diverse set of policy domains, including asset building, housing, workforce and youth development. Caitlyn was an Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at New York University from 2005-2018, and including developing and teaching a graduate level course on Wealth and Inequality.  

Caitlyn earned her Master’s in Public Administration at NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service and lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and three children.

Candice Dixon

Executive Director, NPower’s Command Shift Coalition

Candice Dixon is a non-profit leader with more than 15 years of experience supporting local (Atlanta) and national and international organizations. Her work has centered on community building, health equity, human trafficking, gender equity, and programming empowering women and girls. Candice currently serves as the Executive Director for NPower’s Command Shift, a national consortium of women and allies that advocate for strategies that invest in and inspire the advancement of young women of color in tech careers. Through this work and otherwise, Candice has raised more than $20 million for local and national nonprofits. She is a committed community leader, having volunteered for Whitefoord.org, United Way of Greater Atlanta, and Leadership Atlanta’s LEAD Atlanta Program. She is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and was recognized as one of Atlanta’s 40 under 40 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and 2022 member of  Provoke Media’s Innovator 25 class.  

Caroline Treschitta

Policy Analyst, National Skills Coalition

As a Policy Analyst at National Skills Coalition, Caroline Treschitta collaborates with federal and state policy staff and network organizers to support the advancement of NSC’s skills training platform with Congress and the administration. As part of the government affairs team, Caroline provides in-depth policy analysis of new and proposed federal policies to partners across the country and national organizations/coalition partners, including the House-passed WIOA reauthorization in 2022; the bipartisan infrastructure law including the Digital Equity Act and Broadband Employment Access and Deployment program; legislation to expand Pell Grants to short term, high quality training programs; and appropriations legislation. She has worked at NSC since 2019 and lives in Washington, DC.  

Chantae Recasner

Equity Research Manager of the Advanced Analytics Team, Western Governors University

As the Equity Research Manager on the Advanced Analytics team at Western Governors University, Dr. Chantae Recasner is responsible for driving and supporting research to help advance WGU’s efforts to close inequitable attainment gaps across student groups. She leads faculty research fellows with the support of a team of data and research scientists to help drive contribution to WGU’s Academic Equity Compendium. 

Prior to joining WGU, Dr. Recasner served as Dean for Academic Success at Northeast Lakeview College, one of five independently accredited colleges in the Alamo Colleges District, which serves over 90,000 students with more than 70% identifying as historically minoritized.  Her supervisory areas included Distance Learning/Instructional Innovation, Library Services, Academic Support, Dual Credit, and Grants & Scholarships. With her leadership, NLC became the District’s fifth Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). She also founded Women Leaders of NLC, a student group established to nurture the leadership skills of women of color.  

Dr. Recasner’s career spans 19 years, and she has served K12 and higher education in various roles and always with a commitment to growing stronger, more equitable communities. She is steadfast in her efforts to eliminate barriers to resources, systems, and/or institutions—especially for those historically ostracized and oppressed.  She earned her PhD in Education from the University of Cincinnati, and her three master’s degrees are from The Ohio State University in Business Operational Excellence, Teaching & Learning, and African American & African Studies. She earned her BA in English from Loyola University New Orleans.  

Dr. Recasner is also currently Vice Chair of the Steering Committee and Executive Council Member of the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET) and an Evaluator for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).   

Cheryl Oldham

Vice President of Education and Workforce Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Senior Vice President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

Cheryl A. Oldham is vice president of education and workforce policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. In her role with the Foundation, she serves on the senior leadership team informing the strategic direction of the Foundation in addition to leading education and workforce—the underpinnings of American competitiveness and prosperity. Oldham sets the vision and manages a multi-million-dollar program of work around early childhood education and childcare; K-12 education; and post-secondary education, skills, and training. 

She has 25 years of experience in public policy development and implementation as well as in project management and government relations. Her previous experience includes serving for eight years in President George W. Bush’s administration. 

The president designated Oldham as acting assistant secretary for postsecondary education at the U.S. Department of Education while she also served as chief of staff to the undersecretary. The secretary of education appointed Oldham executive director of the Commission on the Future of Higher Education—the first of its kind to look at needed reforms in higher education related to accessibility, affordability, and accountability. The Commission produced a seminal report titled, A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education. 

Oldham was appointed by Governor Glenn Youngkin to the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia. She also serves on the Achieve Workforce Fund Advisory Board and Strategic Education Inc.’s Hire Board. 

Oldham received her Juris Doctor from St. Mary’s University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from Texas Christian University. She resides in Alexandria, Virginia with her two sons, Jeffrey and Dylan. 

Corey Mohn

President and CEO, CAPS Network

Corey is the President and Executive Director of CAPS Network, empowering high school students to fast-forward into their future through real-world business projects and the development of professional skills.  Prior to CAPS, Corey served as Director of Statewide Programs for the Kansas Center for Entrepreneurship. 

In July 2015, CAPS launched CAPS Network, a consortium of school programs committed to this model of profession-based education. CAPS Network has grown to include 100 affiliate programs, including over 170 school districts across 23 states and four countries.   

Cortni Grange

Student at University of Colorado Denver & Advisor, The Aspen Institute

Cortni (He/Him/His), a 1st generation Jamaican-American, and proud alumnus of Florida A&M University’s School of Business & Industry. Professionally, Cortni is a dot-connector, who can identify and build bridges around inclusionary blind spots. He has dedicated his career to maximizing the business impact associated with equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I)

Cortni’s eclectic background in technology, enterprise sales, nonprofit leadership, educational innovation, mental health, and entrepreneurship is what shapes his lens as a subject matter expert in ED&I. Having seen the business world through many vantage points, Cortni sees ED&I as a bridge that connects cultural authenticity to business growth- embracing “different” enhances the customer experience (internally & externally), and ultimately makes the organization more valuable.

Outside of career Cortni is an advocate for all things wellness, a lover of exploring new cultures, and an avid melophile (music is his love language). You can find Cortni involved in everything from teaching mindful meditation, to organizing camping trips for inner-city youth via Camping 2 Connect. Cortni is the father of a precocious 6 (going on 60) year-old named Jameson, the eldest of 29 cousins, and an undefeated jerk chicken competition champion.

Dalila Wilson-Scott

Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Comcast Corporation & President, Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation 

Dalila Wilson-Scott serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of Comcast Corporation and President of the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation. In this role, Dalila oversees all Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion initiatives and philanthropic strategy for the corporation with a focus on advancing digital equity through Project UP, and the company’s $100 million pledge to advance social justice and equality.   

Dalila also leads Comcast’s community impact initiatives, working across the organization to provide strategic leadership for all corporate social responsibility programs, including employee engagement and volunteerism. In addition, Dalila oversees efforts to utilize Comcast’s world-class media platforms to bring greater attention to the work of our philanthropic partners, where in 2020, she shepherded over $500 million in support to nonprofit partners – deepening Comcast’s commitment to creating a more connected and equitable world.  

Prior to joining Comcast, Dalila served as Head of Global Philanthropy and President of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation. In this role, she led the firm’s philanthropic and economic opportunity initiatives, including the firm’s $100 million commitment to Detroit’s recovery, while helping to set the company’s overall corporate responsibility strategy.  

Currently, Dalila serves on the boards of Main Line Health, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern NJ, City Year, CodePath, and the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc. Dalila has been named one of the “Most Powerful Women in Cable” by Cablefax Magazine; one of the “Most Powerful Women in Business” by Black Enterprise; and an “Innovative Rising Star: Building Communities” by Forbes Magazine. Most recently, she was recognized by ColorComm as one of the "28 Black Women in Communications Making History Now;” and named a “2022 Wonder Woman” by Multichannel News.  

Dalila earned an MBA in Finance and Management from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business and a B.A. in Economics from New York University’s College of Arts and Science. 

Daniel Cervantes

Senior Vice President of National Expansion & Strategic Initiatives, Skills for America's Future

Daniel is a founding senior member and current SVP of National Expansion & Strategic Initiatives for Skills for America’s Future (“Skills”), operated out of Chicago, IL. In his role, Daniel is responsible for spearheading the launch of 25 replication sites, resulting in 500,000 job placements, using a jobs-first model over 10 years across the U.S. Prior to his current role, Daniel served as the SVP of Programs for the Chicago affiliate, responsible for overall strategy and management of the delivery of Skills’ programs and services for job seekers. His entry into Skills was as VP of Finance & Administration. Prior to Skills, he held financial leadership roles at The Chicago Public Education Fund, KPMG, and Gatorade. 

Daniel serves on the board of the Leadership Council for Loyola University’s Baumhart Center and Territory NFP. Daniel also is a founding Mentor with The Ladder, a career accelerator for Black and Latino Innovators. Daniel earned his MBA from Loyola University Chicago and undergraduate from DePaul University. He is a 2016 Fellow of the University of Chicago’s Civic Leadership Academy. 

Deshaun Mars

Vice President of Global Philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase

Deshaun Mars is a Vice President of Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase. Part of the Jobs & Skills portfolio, Deshaun supports the firm's strategic economic development investments to help create an inclusive economy, develop high-quality career pathways aligned to local labor market needs, and prepare workers for the in-demand careers of the future. 

Deshaun has over a decade of economic development, business, and urban education experience that spans the private, non-profit, and government sectors. 

Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase, Deshaun led the pandemic recovery efforts for businesses at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and the business outreach efforts for the NYC Department of Small Business Services. Deshaun began his career in urban education, working directly with students in high schools and colleges in New York City. 

 A graduate of Brown University, Deshaun is a proud New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn. 

Devon Miner

Director of Solutions Design & Delivery, Jobs for the Future 

Devon is a Director of Solutions Design & Delivery and Co-Chair of Jobs for the Future’s (JFF) “Language Matters” work. Devon’s work focuses on launching, scaling, and leading initiatives that support workforce intermediaries and boards, education and workforce development systems, nonprofit organizations, and business and industry. His work focuses on integrating educational opportunities, workforce initiatives, and economic partnerships to help individuals who have been systematically marginalized transition through postsecondary education into quality jobs that pay family sustaining wages. As JFF’s Language Matters Co-Chair, Devon advances organizational efforts to reexamine the words we use in public content and develop momentum for more equitable alternatives. 

Diamond Spratling

founder and Executive Director, Girl + Environment

Don Graves

Deputy Secretary, Department of Commerce

Don Graves is the 19th Deputy Secretary of Commerce.  

Graves brings decades of experience in the private sector, government, and nonprofits to the Department of Commerce. Most recently, he served as Counselor to President Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. Prior to that, Graves served as Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Responsibility and Community Relations at KeyBank. In this role, Graves led KeyBank’s corporate responsibility team, including the bank’s $16.5 billion National Community Benefits Plan, the bank’s sustainability work, stakeholder engagement, and outreach, and oversaw the KeyBank Foundation and the First Niagara Foundation.   

During the Obama-Biden Administration, Graves served as Counselor and Domestic and Economic Policy Director for then-Vice President Biden. He was previously appointed by President Barack Obama as Executive Director of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness and led the federal government’s efforts in the economic recovery of the city of Detroit. Graves also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Small Business, Community Development, and Housing Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he oversaw the CDFI Fund, the $4 billion Small Business Lending Fund, and the $1.5 billion State Small Business Credit Initiative. He was also the U.S. Federal Representative to the G7 Task Force on Social Impact Investment.   

He has served on the Board of Directors of the MetroHealth Foundation, the FDIC’s Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion, the Board of Trustees of the Community Reinvestment Fund, the Policy Advisory Board of the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware, the Board of Visitors of the Cuyahoga Community College, the Advisory Board of the Commission on Economic Inclusion, and as Co-Chair of Cleveland Rising. 

Graves has a rich family history connected to the Commerce Department. His four-times great grandparents built a successful horse and buggy taxi business in Washington that once stood at the site of the Department’s headquarters. Their son went on to own a premier hotel just blocks away and become one of our nation’s first Black patent-holders through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.   

Graves holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from Williams College and a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he received the Dean’s Award. He is a fellow of the National Association of Public Administration. Graves is married and has two children. 

Drew Magliozzi

Chief Executive Officer, Mainstay

For more than a decade, Drew Magliozzi has designed and built technology for higher education to help students learn and succeed. He currently serves as CEO of Mainstay (formerly AdmitHub), a student engagement platform powered by behaviorally intelligent chatbots that has helped Georgia State University, Arizona State University, the CommonApp, and many other colleges and organizations support student success at scale. A frequent commentator on issues of equity and innovation in higher education, Magliozzi has spoken at the ASU GSV Summit, AACRAO, and the AI Assistant Summit. His writing has been published in Inside Higher Ed. Andrew is a graduate of Harvard College and Hack Reactor. 

Dwana Franklin-Davis

Chief Executive Officer, Reboot Representation

Dwana Franklin-Davis is the Chief Executive Officer of Reboot Representation. She is a visionary, collaborative and compelling executive leading the Tech Coalition in closing the gender gap in tech by doubling the number of Black, Latinx, and Native American women earning bachelor’s degrees in computing by 2025. Dwana joined Reboot Representation after 13 years at Mastercard, where she contributed to innovative, leading-edge efforts as a senior software engineer and as a project lead before ascending to senior leadership roles. She spent five and a half years in Vice President positions and has brought immense value as a leader, mentor, decision maker, and team member. She also acted as the St. Louis Chapter President for the Black Data Processing Associates, which is focused on enabling the upward mobility of African Americans and other underrepresented groups in technology fields, for nearly two years. 

Eleni Papadakis

Executive Director, Washington Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board

Eleni Papadakis has served as the Executive Director of the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, more commonly known as the Workforce Board, since 2007. Business, labor, and government stakeholders are equally represented on this tri-partite board, which oversees 16 different state and federal funding streams in the state’s comprehensive workforce development system. 

Eleni came to Washington with more than 25 years of experience in the workforce development arena–from service delivery through state and federal policy work. She came to Washington from Commonwealth Corporation, a Massachusetts quasi-public corporation, where she established the Center for Workforce Innovation, a research and demonstration arm of the state’s workforce development system, and a national consulting organization on economic and workforce development strategies. Leading up to that role, Eleni oversaw the development and implementation of numerous state-wide and regional initiatives for special population groups and targeted industry sectors, including healthcare, biotechnology, fiber optics, manufacturing, financial services, telecommunications, and software. She also helped facilitate Massachusetts’ development of a state plan to eradicate healthcare workforce shortages. 

Eleni has also worked in business–including operating her own small business, a bistro-entertainment venue–and lead a multi-service community-based organization for 9 years. Eleni holds a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Assumption College and Bachelors in Psychology from Clark University, both in Worcester, Massachusetts. 

Ellie Bertani

President and Chief Executive Officer, GitLab Foundation

Ellie Bertani is President and CEO of GitLab Foundation, a private foundation founded in September 2022 with the mission of improving lifetime earnings and economic mobility of workers worldwide. With a background in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors, she brings a shared value, cross-sectoral approach to drive sustainable impact.  

Prior to joining GitLab Foundation, Ellie spent ten years in the private sector, with roles at Wells Fargo and Walmart. Much of her work focused on frontline worker economic stability and mobility, and included work on instant access to earned pay, scheduling predictability, removing hiring barriers, and developing internal learning and career pathing programs. In 2020 Ellie was awarded Walmart’s highest recognition, the Sam Walton Entrepreneurship Award, for the development of LiveBetterU, the largest free educational benefits program in the US, and Walmart’s most successful diversity & inclusion program.  

Earlier in her career, Ellie spent nearly ten years in the nonprofit and public sector, including positions with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. State Department, Third Sector Capital Partners, and Rotary International. She received her Master of Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and her MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. She loves comedy, karaoke, and being kept on her toes by her husband and three crazy boys. 

Eloy Ortiz Oakley

President and CEO, College Futures Foundation

Eloy Ortiz Oakley is an American educator, leader and advisor. He is considered a leading voice on improving equity in higher education and for positioning institutions for the global shifts in the workforce and the future of learning.

Oakley is President and CEO of the College Futures Foundation where he leads California’s premiere philanthropic and advocacy organization focused on improving college credential attainment for Californians of all backgrounds. Previously he served as Chancellor of the California Community Colleges for six years where he led the nation’s largest and most diverse system of higher education. In 2021, while on a sabbatical, he served as Senior Advisor to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and the Biden Administration where he supported the development and communication of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda for Higher Education and the America’s College Promise proposal. Under his leadership the California community colleges were positioned as a vital source for maintaining global competitiveness of the California workforce. Oakley’s work included the establishment of the California College Promise, the design and implementation of the systems’ strategic vision, the Vision for Success, the elimination of standardized testing, the reform of remedial education, the adoption of a student-centered funding formula, the reform of state-based financial aid for community college students and the design and launch of California’s first public fully online competency-based education college.

Oakley serves on the board of MDRC. He advises various education related companies such as Guild Education, OpenClassrooms, Handshake and Certree. Oakley has also served on the University of California Board of Regents.

For his leadership, Oakley has been recognized with the 2014 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award, as a 2016 President Barack Obama White House Champion of Change, the 2018 Higher Education Dive President of the Year, the 2018 Roybal Foundation Medal of Courage in Education and the 2021 Diverse Champions Award.

Emily Rusca

Managing Director of Policy & Programs, Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University

Emily Rusca is the Managing Director of Policy and Programs at Education Systems Center (EdSystems) at Northern Illinois University. Since joining the EdSystems team initially as an Education Pioneers fellow in the summer of 2015, Emily’s portfolio has spanned the full breadth of EdSystems’ focus areas, from college and career pathways to data engagement. She leads the team’s State policy portfolio by facilitating interagency and statewide structures, cultivating and managing relationships with State agency partners and fellow policy organizations, exploring national best practices and representing Illinois in cross-state learning opportunities, and collaborating with team members to identify where implementation and innovation work across Illinois can inform new opportunities for effective policy. 

Emily previously managed the U.S. State Department-sponsored Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study grant program for a high school exchange nonprofit in San Francisco, and has additional background in international development, city planning, and gender equity work. She holds a Bachelor’s in International Development from University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan.

Emmeca Strother

IT System Administrator, Opportunity@Work

Emmeca serves as an Information Technology System Administrator for Opportunity at Work; a nonprofit on a mission to rewire the labor market. In this role, Emmeca provides technical support management, supports cloud-based systems, and creates implementation plans for tool onboarding with a focus on standard operating procedures.   

Before Opportunity at Work, Emmeca has experience working in a variety of roles that have become a vehicle for where she is today. To name a few; Little Caesars, T-Mobile, and Apple. She has contracted with Pinterest as an asset recovery technician where she recovered an estimated 2 million dollars in assets. The role she's most proud of is when being the owner of The Audacity Club, a virtual empowerment space, from 2020-2021.  

Emmeca grew up believing anything was possible as long she believed and worked hard for it. Her mom and grandma also taught her the value of community and how to build relationships that have stayed with her throughout her life journey.  

Erik Brynjolfsson

Director, Stanford Digital Economy Lab & Professor and Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI

Erik Brynjolfsson is the Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Professor and Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI), and Director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. He also is the Ralph Landau Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), Professor by Courtesy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Stanford Department of Economics, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

One of the most-cited authors on the economics of information, Brynjolfsson was among the first researchers to measure productivity contributions of IT and the complementary role of organizational capital and other intangibles. He has done pioneering research on digital commerce, the Long Tail, bundling and pricing models, intangible assets and the effects of IT on business strategy, productivity and performance.

Brynjolfsson speaks globally and is the author of nine books including, with co-author Andrew McAfee, best-seller The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies, and Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing Our Digital Future as well as over 100 academic articles and five patents. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harvard University in applied mathematics and decision sciences and a PhD from MIT in managerial economics. His papers can be found at https://www.brynjolfsson.com/research

Fernando Rodriguez-Villa

Co-Founder and CEO, AdeptID

Fernando is a veteran of machine learning ventures whose passion for improving job mobility comes from his own unconventional career transitions. He was the commercial lead and founding team member at TellusLabs, a satellite analytics venture which was acquired by Indigo Ag in 2018. At Indigo, he served as Director, International Strategy. Previously, he drove EMEA expansion for Knewton, an adaptive learning company. He began his career in investment banking at J.P. Morgan covering Financial Institutions. He holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College. 

He’s a member of the Board of Trustees at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (“BFIT”) in Boston. 

Big (6’6″) reader… mostly sci-fi and historical fiction. Talk to him about the Celtics, Arsenal, or guitar. 

Gayatri Jane Agnew

Senior Director and Head of Accessibility Center of Excellence, Walmart

Gayatri Agnew comes to Walmart having worked in the public sector with both government and non-profit organizations and found her way to business because of her desire to work on impact at scale. She is committed to shared value and believes businesses can be a force for good in society. Raised by a single mom in California she knows firsthand that access to education and good jobs change lives – and she is proud of the way Walmart unlocks opportunity for so many of our associates. Gayatri serves on the leadership team of Walmart’s Global Culture, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office where she leads the Global Accessibility Center of Excellence, focused on serving customers and employees with disabilities. She previous served on the leadership team for Walmart’s Global Responsibility division where she led strategy and philanthropy for Walmart’s efforts on economic mobility. Gayatri’s personal mission is for more people to find purpose through the way they earn a living. She is a Presidential Leadership Scholar and an Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow working on changing corporate culture for working moms. She is active in the community serving on the Bentonville City Council as well as serving as chair for the Vote Mama Foundation. In 2020 she created Mother’s Monday, celebrated on the first Monday after Mother’s Day, and now hosted by Path Forward. When not engaged in work or in civic life she can be found hiking, singing karaoke, enjoying the local farmers market, and crafting at home – She is her two children, Rohan and Kamala in Bentonville Arkansas. 

Geneva Wiki

Director of Belonging, Meaning, Well-being, and Purpose, Aspen Institute

Geneva Wiki, citizen of the Yurok Nation of northern California, brings extensive experience in social change to the Aspen Institute’s Forum for Community Solutions, having held leadership roles in philanthropy, education, and Tribal government. Previously the Deputy Executive Director of the Yurok Tribe, Geneva founded and led a community-designed early college high school, and served as the Executive Director of the Wild Rivers Community Foundation. Most recently a Senior Program Manager at The California Endowment, Geneva was responsible for leading a statewide investment strategy to advance Native American health and racial equity. In that role, Geneva worked closely with the Opportunity Youth Forum as a funding partner, and was engaged with the Del Norte and Tribal lands Opportunity Youth collaborative, resulting in improved education, work and leadership pathways for youth and young adults in rural and Tribal California. Geneva brings training and experience in collaborative facilitation, human-centered design, systems-thinking, and generative somatics to the role of Director of Belonging, Meaning, Well-Being and Purpose. 

Greg Cheney

Washington State Representative

Rep. Greg Cheney is serving his first term representing Southwest Washington's 18th Legislative District. 

Greg, who was raised in Clark County and is a longtime resident of Battle Ground, is an attorney focused on helping small to medium-sized businesses and providing indigent representation to low-income Washingtonians in need of legal support. He is also a small business owner. 

As a member of the Legislature, Greg is focused on: 

• Keeping taxes low and cutting government waste. 
• Eliminating regulations that hurt small businesses and negatively impact job growth. 
• Fixing the Blake decision to recriminalize drugs, while incentivizing treatment-based care over incarceration. 
• Increasing funding for, and improving the delivery of, mental health services. 
• Working on regional transportation solutions and reducing congestion. 

The 18th District lawmaker is currently serving on four House committees – State Government (Ranking Member), Capital Budget, Civil Rights and Judiciary, Regulated Substances and Gaming. 

Greg previously served as a Congressional aide prior to attending law school. In his law practice Greg handles complex business disputes in federal and state court. In addition, he contracts with numerous local jurisdictions to provide indigent defense, particularly in the mental health area. 

Hamoon Ekhtiari

Founder and CEO, FutureFitAI

A lover of all things blueberry and/or avocado, Hamoon Ekhtiari is the Founder & CEO of FutureFit AI, an AI-powered GPS for your Career. Previously, he was the Director of Strategy and Innovation for the Executive Vice President at a $30B telecom and technology company where he led the future of work strategy for the enterprise. Prior to that, Hamoon was the Founding Director of a leadership, skills, and innovation academy at one of the world's largest urban innovation hubs. He has also founded a social enterprise, helped build Deloitte's consulting business in the Caribbean, and taught as adjunct faculty. Hamoon is a member of the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference, an AdR Fellow at the University of Cambridge, a recipient of University of Waterloo's Alumni Achievement Medal, and a Canada Millennium Scholar. He is passionate about unlocking the potential of people, organizations, and societies to imagine and build more audacious futures. 

Hilary Pennington

Executive Vice President of Programs, Ford Foundation

Hilary Pennington is the foundation's executive vice president for program. She oversees all of our programs globally, working closely across programs and offices to ensure strategic, meaningful, and well-aligned global grantmaking. She also oversees the foundation’s BUILD program, and the Office of Strategy and Learning. Before assuming her current role, she served as the foundation’s vice president for Education, Creativity, and Free Expression. 

A national expert on postsecondary education and intergenerational change, Hilary joined the foundation in 2013. Earlier, she was an independent consultant whose clients included the Next American University project of the New America Foundation and Arizona State University. She also led the Generations Initiative, a project funded by national foundations to develop effective responses to the dramatic demographic shifts occurring in the United States.

Between 2006 and 2012, Hilary served as director of education, postsecondary success, and special initiatives at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where she guided grant programs across the country and worldwide. Before joining Gates, she was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and president and CEO of Jobs for the Future, a research and policy development organization she co-founded. In 22 years with JFF, Hilary helped the organization become one of the most influential in the country on issues of education, youth transitions, workforce development, and future work requirements. She also served on President Bill Clinton’s transition team and as co-chair of his administration’s presidential advisory committee on technology.

Hilary serves on the boards of Bard College, the Center for Effective Philanthropy, and Giving Tuesday, and she is a member of the Trinity Church Vestry. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Management and Yale College, and she holds a graduate degree in social anthropology from Oxford University and a master’s degree in theological studies from the Episcopal Divinity School. In 2000, she was a fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. 

James Rhee

Founder, The Red Helicopter and former CEO, Ashley Stewart

James Rhee is an acclaimed impact investor, founder, CEO, goodwill strategist, community connector, and educator. He empowers people, brands, and organizations by marrying capital and creativity through operationalized  purpose. He is an award-winning thought leader on topics such as multidimensional transformation, the intersection of capital, race, and gender, the future of capitalism, and values-based investing and leadership. His newest venture, red helicopter, is forging systemic alliances through the principles of kindness and math to shape a more sustainable form of capitalism. His work has been featured on by TED Conference, Brene Brown, and the leading global media outlets and platforms. He is a soon-to-be-published author.  

Through business, James has created impact across multiple industries and peoples. As an investor, chairman, and first-time CEO (from 2013-2020), James & the female leaders of Ashley Stewart led the reinvention of a company, which was facing almost certain liquidation in 2013, to a place of unprecedented success. The story of the remarkable transformation and re-imagination of Ashley Stewart, one of America’s largest clothing brands serving plus-sized Black women, offers a glimpse into the future of organizations and ecosystem behavior. The story is proof of how trust and joy, grounded in math and amplified by authentic voices and digital excellence, can overcome impossible odds and fuel individual and enterprise-wide innovation. It is a tangible example of the power of diverse ecosystems, as well as a commentary on a potential way forward for achieving multi-stakeholder goals. At its core, it is the story of an unlikely friendship between the son of Korean immigrants, who had previously spent his career managing billions of dollars of private equity capital at two elite firms, and a predominantly Black female employee group who placed their mutual trust in each other, learned from one another, and then proceeded to quietly shock the world. 

Through red helicopter, James’ philosophies and methodologies are connecting entrepreneurs with civic leaders, students with CEOs, investors with professors. James serves as the Johnson Chair of Entrepreneurship, Professor of Entrepreneurship, and Senior Adviser to the Center for Women, Gender, and Global Leadership, at Howard University. He is also Executive-in-Residence and Strategic Advisor at the MIT Leadership Center and Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He also teaches a class at Duke Law School entitled, “The Way It All Works: Investing, Negotiating, and Operating in the Real World” a course that teaches the systems of money, life, and joy. Before all of this, James was a high school teacher and an editor of the Harvard Law Review.  

James serves as a founding member of the Advisory Council of JPMorgan Chase’s Advancing Black Pathways and a member of the Governing Committee of the CEO Action for Racial Equity. He is a newly elected charter member of Ashoka’s Entrepreneur-to-Entrepreneur Network, which brings together high-impact entrepreneurs from the business sector with the world’s most powerful social entrepreneurs at Ashoka. James formerly served on the Board of Directors of National Retail Federation, where he served as Chair of the Innovation Committee and earned their Power Player Award, given to the industry’s most influential CEOs. For his life work, the New York Urban League awarded him its Frederick Douglass Award. 

He works with the most forward-thinking leaders and organizations on creating sustainable and systemic change during inflection points. He is an honors graduate of both Harvard College and Harvard Law School. 

More about James Rhee:James Rhee’s Ted Talk: The Value of Kindness at Work  

James Turnage-Lannan

Senior Program Manager of Inclusive Economic Opportunity, Unity

James is a Senior Program Manager for Inclusive Economic Opportunity at Unity Technologies. Before that, he worked in content production, helping to create tutorials and live learning sessions on Unity development. His passion for games led him to earning his Bachelor’s degree in Game Art & Design. As a lifelong consumer of games and entertainment, he's excited to be in the position of helping underrepresented creators break into the real-time 3D industry.

Jason A. Tyszko  

Vice President, Center for Education and Workforce  

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation  

Jason A. Tyszko is a vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation where he advances policies and programs that enhance the career readiness of youth and adult learners and strengthen economic competitiveness. Jason oversees the Chamber Foundation’s workforce development portfolio, including the Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) initiative as well as JEDx, the T3 Innovation Network, JobSIDE, EPIC, Talent Finance, and economic security initiatives. 

Jason’s prior experience focused on coordinating interagency education, workforce, and economic development initiatives. In 2009, he served as a policy adviser to Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration.  In addition, Tyszko was deputy chief of staff and senior policy adviser to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.  

Tyszko received his Master of Arts from the University of Chicago and his Bachelor of Arts from DePaul University. 

Jaylen Smith

Mayor, City of Earle, Arkansas

Jaylen Smith a native of Earle Arkansas for 18 years, is the newly elected Mayor of the city of Earle, AR. elected in December of 2022. Prior to becoming mayor, Smith served as President of Earle High School’s Student Government Association; class president; a member of career and technical student organization Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America, and acted as President of Student Voice.   

He is currently known and globally recognized as the youngest African American mayor in the history of the United States Government and this momentous achievement has opened doors for appearances on the Jennifer Hudson Show, the Towanna Murphy Show and the Roland Martin's show, amongst others.

Mayor Jaylen Smith currently lives in Earle, AR where he is surrounded by the love, respect and support of his family and a team of governmental colleagues. Faith and focus are priorities for Mayor Smith therefore he believes that individuals are never too young to want to make a difference in their communities and looks forward to working on building a better chapter for Earle during his term. 

Jean Eddy

President and CEO, American Student Assistance® (ASA)

Jean is the President and CEO of American Student Assistance, where she works with the Board of Directors and the senior management team to develop and drive the overall strategic direction of the organization in fulfillment of ASA’s mission. Having served on the Board of ASA® for 20 years and holding numerous positions in higher education leadership throughout her career, Jean is deeply committed to helping kids – as early as middle school – know themselves, know their options, and make informed choices about their education and career goals. She is known for building student-focused infrastructures at higher education institutions, and she is an outstanding communicator with internal and external audiences. 

Jeff Maggioncalda

Chief Executive Officer, Coursera

Jeff Maggioncalda is CEO of Coursera, the global online learning platform helping people build career-relevant skills and unlock economic opportunity in a world of accelerating change. He joined Coursera as CEO in June 2017 and since then helped the company grow to more than 110 million learners and 7,000 businesses, governments, and academic institutions, served by high-quality learning content from over 300 of the world’s top universities and companies in high-demand fields such as business, technology, and data science. He previously served for 18 years as the founding CEO at Financial Engines Inc, a company co-founded by economist and Nobel Prize winner William Sharpe. Mr. Maggioncalda has also worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company and Cornerstone Research and continues to serve as a director of Silicon Valley Bank, Inc.  

Jennifer Kozicki

Partner and Co-Head of Global Liquid Credit

Ms. Kozicki is a Partner in the Ares Credit Group, Co-Head of Global Liquid Credit. She additionally serves as a member of the Ares Credit Group's U.S. Liquid Credit Investment Committee. Ms. Kozicki began her career at Ares as a member of the Private Equity Group. Prior to joining Ares in 1999, she was a member of the European Leveraged Finance Group at Merrill Lynch & Co. in London. Previously, Ms. Kozicki worked in the Global Leveraged Finance Group at Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York, where she focused on the origination and structuring of high yield bond and mezzanine financing transactions across a number of industries. Ms. Kozicki holds a B.S. from the New York University Stern School of Business in Finance and International Business. 

Jina Krause-Vilmar

President and CEO, Upwardly Global

An expert on refugee and immigrant economic inclusion, Jina Krause-Vilmar brings more than 15 years of experience in the for-profit and non-profit sectors to Upwardly Global. As President and CEO of Upwardly Global, she oversees the organization’s workforce operations in the United States and abroad. She also leads its policy & advocacy efforts domestically and internationally. Under Jina’s leadership, Upwardly Global has expanded its impact by helping a growing number of immigrant and refugee professionals restart their careers in the United States and expanded its operations to Warsaw, Poland.

Before Upwardly Global, Jina spearheaded efforts at two leading international and humanitarian organizations to craft and implement solutions to enable women refugees to safely access economic opportunity in partnership from the government, the United Nations, and corporations. Previously, Jina started the Near East Foundation’s refugee portfolio in Jordan and Lebanon, advising the U.S. Department of State and USAID on Iraq and Syria response, initiating the One Refugee Response, and leading its women’s empowerment work.

Jina has also served as a consultant for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and co-chaired, alongside UN Women, an international network of agencies to advance women and girls. Previously, she also worked for the International Rescue Committee, Chemonics, and Women for Women International. She has been interviewed on MSNBC, CNBC, the New York Times, the Huffington Post, and the Guardian and published in CNN, Times Magazine, and other news outlets.

Jina was born and raised in Texas. Coming from an immigrant family, she was raised by her mother, where Jina learned that circumstance, color, and gender do not define someone’s worth or potential. Later, Jina earned a Bachelor’s degree in Government from the University of Texas at Austin, earned her MSc in Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics, and a certificate in political studies from University of Aix-Marseille.

Jina currently calls New York City home, where she lives with her husband and children.

Joel Vargas

Vice President of Programs, Jobs for the Future

Joel Vargas is a vice president of programs at JFF. He oversees programs focused on improving learning systems and outcomes, advancing the application of research and analytics, and inclusive regional economic development. 

Joel has also advanced state policies and local practices that promote improved high school and postsecondary outcomes for underserved students. He has helped policymakers and intermediary organizations develop state and federal policies that incorporate college and career experiences into high school. 

Since joining JFF in 2002, Joel has designed and implemented a research and state policy agenda for implementing early college designs; created policy frameworks, tools, and model legislation; written and edited white papers, books, research reports, and national publications; provided technical assistance to state task forces and policy working groups; served on national advisory groups; and organized national policy conferences. 

In 2015, he launched JFF’s West Coast office, which has supported the efforts of leaders of regional networks to advance cross-sector strategies for improving the economic mobility of low-income youth and adults. 

Jocelyn Caldwell

Vice President of Workforce Strategy and Organizational Growth, Walmart

Jocelyn currently leads the workforce strategy and organizational growth team that defines and optimizes the workforce & organization required to execute on Walmart’s business strategy.  Previously, she held the position of  Talent Partner for Sam’s Club, where she led, defined and drove the talent strategy for their associates. ​

Jocelyn joined Walmart from TIAA where she held the position of  Vice President, Talent Acquisition and Workforce Strategy and HR Strategy and Planning, she led Talent Acquisition operations and compliance, contingent worker program, early talent and campus recruiting, diversity TA and affinity programs, internal mobility, candidate experience, employment brand and strategic workforce planning and analytics.  She also was responsible for identifying and leading transformation initiatives to increase efficiency and effectiveness, while reducing costs and risks across TIAA.  Prior to joining TIAA, Jocelyn helped to build the university-wide institutional effectiveness capability at Howard University.  Jocelyn also held a series of positions of increasing responsibility and complexity during her tenure at The South Carolina Retirement Systems, Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel and General Electric. She is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and Project Management Professional. ​​

Jocelyn and her husband, Darryl, have two sons and currently reside in Columbia, South Carolina​

She has served on the advisory board for Center of Applied Business Analytics at the University of South Carolina, the Clemson University Black Alumni Council, and the Clemson University Board of Visitors. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Smart Set, and was formally a member of Jack and Jill.  Jocelyn and her husband, Darryl, have two sons and currently reside in Columbia, South Carolina​

John L.S. Simpkins

President and CEO, MDC

John works with the entire MDC team to set strategy, shape our portfolio of work, and engage with partners and the public around the urgent challenge of eliminating disparities to build a South where all people can thrive.  

Before coming to MDC in 2020, John held various leadership roles in efforts to promote equity, access, and inclusion at the state, national, and international level. Most recently he was Vice President of the Aspen Global Leadership Network at the Aspen Institute, where he mobilized the more than 3,000 Fellows around the world to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant economic effects.  

A constitutional scholar and practicing attorney, John served in the Obama Administration as deputy general counsel for the White House Office of Management and Budget and general counsel for the U.S. Agency for International Development. After leaving government service, he joined Prisma Health as an executive and led collaborative, evidence-based efforts to promote health innovation, access, and equity in South Carolina’s largest private-sector employer. While serving in this role, Simpkins facilitated community conversations throughout the Upstate on racial equity in healthcare, housing, and education.  

John grew up and attended public schools in Lexington, S.C.  After beginning his legal career in Washington, D.C, he returned to his home state as a faculty member in political science and Associate Director of the Richard Riley Institute at Furman University, where he focused on youth leadership, public school education practice and policy, and diversity programming for community and business leaders. He also was an assistant professor and director of diversity initiatives at the Charleston School of Law.  

“The South belongs to all of us, and it matters a great deal to me. Through the work of MDC and our community partners throughout the region, we seek to be a model not just for the South, but for the rest of the country, and perhaps the rest of the world.” 

Simpkins received his AB in government from Harvard College and a JD and LLM in international and comparative law from Duke University School of Law. He is a Senior Lecturer at Duke Law School and is a member of the Liberty Fellowship, a program in the Aspen Global Leadership Network dedicated to moving South Carolina forward.  

Jonathan Johnson

Founder and CEO, Rooted School Foundation

Jonathan Johnson is the founder and CEO of Rooted School Foundation. Rooted School is a non-profit network of four schools across four states and other projects focused on increasing upward mobility for youth faster than local projections. Prior to his current role, Jonathan founded Rooted School New Orleans, a 9th-12th grade public charter high school located in New Orleans, Louisiana that provides its students a chance to earn a college acceptance in one hand and an entry-level career job offer in the other. Rooted School has been recognized by organizations like the Center for Reinventing Public Education and Transcend Education as one of the most innovative public school models in the U.S. Jonathan also manages "The $50 Study" in partnership with The University of Tennessee–Knoxville, The Center for Guaranteed Income, and school partners which is the first, only, and most extensive randomized control trial exploring the impact of direct cash transfers to youth using schools as the disbursement vehicle. Also an Aspen Economic Opportunity Program Fellow, Jonathan began his teaching career at KIPP Central Academy in New Orleans as an 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Chapman University in Religious Studies and in his spare time, Jonathan enjoys skiing, winemaking, and cooking.

Judy Morse

CEO, Urban League of Louisiana

Judy Reese Morse serves as President & CEO of Urban League of Louisiana where she leads the largest African American-led, African American-serving civil rights organization in Louisiana which promotes economic self-reliance, parity, racial equity and civil rights for African Americans and others. As President & CEO, Ms. Morse leads an executive team that oversees education and youth development, workforce development, entrepreneurship, policy and advocacy. Ms. Morse created the statewide Empowerment and Policy Conference in partnership with the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, designed and developed the SEE CHANGE Collective, a signature regional initiative that serves as a policy and practice catalyst to close the racial wealth gap for African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, and has helped create a health equity footprint that creates policies and programs that address health disparities for African Americans in Louisiana. Ms. Morse is the former Deputy Mayor for the City of New Orleans. Ms. Morse has served at all three levels of government, working early in her career in Washington, DC on Capitol Hill for Congresswoman Lindy Boggs. Ms. Morse would later work in the Louisiana Lieutenant Governor’s Office as Chief of Staff for Mitch Landrieu and then as a Deputy Mayor in the Landrieu Administration. During her time in Washington, DC, Ms. Morse worked at National Public Radio as Director of New Audience Development and Director of Corporate Communications. Prior to her time at NPR, Ms. Morse worked at WWL-TV New Orleans gaining experience in production and management. ​

Julie Clark

Program Manager, Tyson Upward Academy

Julie has partnered with multiple manufacturing corporations implementing workplace literacy opportunities throughout the U.S. Her work has included the support and development of AEFLA funded programs, building IET's and implementing training programs for non-native speakers, refugees and immigrants. She endeavors to lead solutions seeking conversations to implement sustainable programs for the evolution of adult learners. She's  interested in  building barrier free opportunities with servant minded collaborators. 

Julie Lammers

Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Corporate Social Responsibility, American Student Assistance (ASA)

Julie leads ASA’s corporate social responsibility, government relations and advocacy efforts on both the federal and state level, helping to build relationships with elected officials and promote ASA’s legislative priorities. In addition, Julie oversees the Education and Career Planning Division of ASA® which provides direct college and career-based services to kids through in-school programing and community-based centers. Julie has been at ASA since March 2010. Prior to ASA, Julie spent more than nine years as Congressional Aide to Senator Edward M. Kennedy and his successor, Senator Paul Kirk, Jr. The focus of Julie’s work was managing public outreach to constituent groups on national policy related to education, the arts, environment and welfare issues. Julie is a graduate of Northeastern University, the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University, Suffolk University Law School, and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar. 

Julio Bermudez

Logistics Coordinator, Son of a Saint

Creating connections that can benefit mentees in the Son of a Saint program. 

"Young people have the largest ability to create change in the community. It is important that young people feel they have a voice. Youth in the city need to participate in programs that create safe environments for their well-being." 

Karin Kimbrough

Chief Economist, LinkedIn Corporation

Karin Kimbrough is the chief economist at LinkedIn Corp. Prior to joining the LinkedIn Corporation in 2020, she served as the Assistant Treasurer for Google and the Managing Director and Head of Macroeconomic Policy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In addition, Kimbrough worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as a Vice President and Director for the Financial Stability Monitoring Function in the Markets Group from 2005-2014. She serves on the board of directors for Fannie Mae, is an advisor to 3x5 Partners, and serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Academic Advisory Council and the Economic Advisory Panel of the New York Fed. She holds a bachelor's degree from Stanford University, a master’s from Harvard and a PhD from the University of Oxford. 

Karishma Merchant

Associate Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, Jobs for the Future

Karishma Merchant is the Associate Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at Jobs for the Future. She leads JFF’s nonpartisan policy team as it engages with federal and state education and workforce policymakers and practitioners to craft policies that drive equitable economic advancement for all. 

Before joining JFF, Karishma spent nearly a decade on Capitol Hill, first as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Michael F. Bennet and then as senior education and workforce policy advisor for U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, for whom she oversaw education, child welfare, and labor policy issues. 

Karishma has worked on the reauthorizations of the Every Student Succeeds Act, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, the Child Care Development Block Grant, the Workforce Opportunity and Innovation Act, and the Higher Education Act, as well as federal appropriations. 

Before that, she was a researcher for the Tennessee Consortium on Research, Evaluation, and Development and earlier worked at the Tennessee Department of Education. 

She began her career as a high school social studies teacher in Washington, DC. 

Karishma serves as a member of the board of the Virginia Council of Women and on the city of Alexandria, Virginia’s Economic Opportunities Commission. 

Karishma holds a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, a master’s in teaching from American University, and a master’s in public policy with a focus on education policy from Vanderbilt University. In 2019, she completed the University of Virginia Sorensen Institute’s Political Leaders Program. 

Kelly Mitchell

Founder and Principal Consultant, Inclusive Design Group

Kelly Mitchell is the founder and principal consultant of Inclusive Design Group, an equity focused education to workforce consulting organization, and has over a decade of experience in K-12 education, workforce development, leadership, and improving equitable outcomes with communities.   

Prior to starting Inclusive Design Group, Kelly was a Pathways Director with The Attainment Network and the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Coordinator for the state of Colorado. In that role she supported connections between industry and education and the development of work-based learning programs in K-12. Kelly has also served as a teacher, program manager, and administrator in K-12 schools. 

Kelly was born and raised in Colorado and earned her bachelor’s degree in Statistics from Colorado State University and her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Denver. As part of her work, Kelly utilizes the perspective of her spirited elementary schooler, Hazel. 

Kimberly Merritt

Vice President of Learning Enterprise, Arizona State Universtiy

Kimberly Merritt is an educational architect, committed to creating high-quality, innovative learning design connecting career, community and technology. She currently serves as Vice President and Deputy for the newly launched Arizona State University, Learning Enterprise. She most recently served as founding Executive Director of ASU Local, a hybrid college program, was a teacher and leader in the design and launch of many of the Da Vinci Schools award winning innovative school models and the Transforming Learning Collaborative’s National School Design Incubator. She has collaborated with leading industries, colleges and community organizations to re-imagine how school, work and life intertwine in scalable, sustainable models. These models consistently reflect the need to ensure inclusivity, innovative structural design and success for all learners.   Kimberly earned her Bachelor’s degree from California State University, Dominguez Hills and her teaching credential and MEd from Pepperdine University. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Pepperdine University. 

Kristine Reeves

Washington State Representative

Kristine Reeves is currently a third-term WA State Representative. First elected in 2017, Kristine was the first African American woman elected to the Washington State House in 18 years and the only woman in the legislature with children under 5. She resigned in 2019 to run for Congress in WA-10. After coming in 3rd in a 19-way primary, Kristine went on to serve as the WA Senior Advisor for the Biden-Harris campaign, then was selected to join the Open Society Foundation “Leadership in Government” Fellowship, where she founded the Political Equity Project. Motivated by her lived experience and challenged by the continued inequities for women, and women of color in particular, once elected to public service, Kristine was inspired to launch a program focused on providing individual leadership and governance supports, organizational tools, and DEI change management resources to combat systemic oppression and exclusion in public policy development and political institutions as places of work. 

While in the state house, Kristine has been instrumental in championing issues for women and children, working families, veterans, and the environment. As an economic developer, Kristine championed nation-leading legislation on childcare reform, environmental justice, and consumer protection efforts. Kristine brings a lived experience to her work as a first-generation college graduate, former foster youth, and someone who's experienced homelessness to ensure we are fighting for a future that includes us all. 

Founding the legislature's first Black Legislators Caucus, Kristine now serves as its Vice Chair. Kristine also serves as the Vice Chair of the Consumer Protection and Business Committee, Vice Chair for Natural Resources on the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and a member of the Regulated Substances and Gaming Committee. Outside the citizen legislature, Kristine is the principal consultant and CEO of a small strategic planning and project management firm and a doctoratoral student in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Kristine lives with her husband, Camron, and their two elementary-age children in Federal Way, WA.    

Kristy Drutman

Founder, Brown Girl Green & Co-Founder, Green Jobs Board

Kristy Drutman, otherwise known as “Browngirl Green” is a speaker, consultant, media producer, and environmental educator passionate about working at the intersections between media, diversity, and environmentalism.  

As a young entrepreneur, Kristy has educated hundreds of thousands of people across the globe about modern-day environmental issues through speeches and media content as well as facilitates workshops centered around environmental media and storytelling in cities across the United States.  

Kristy is also the Co-Founder of the Green Jobs Board, a climate tech start-up bridging the equity and inclusion gap within the green economy through conversations, resources, and pathways to bring more diverse talent into the environmental field. 

Larry Hogan

Former Governor, Maryland

Laura Ward

Senior Director of Workforce Solutions, Merit

As Merit's Senior Director for Workforce Solutions, Laura Ward coordinates Verified Identity, credentials, and technology implementations with state agencies and complex workforce ecosystems across the country. Guided by her policy and regulatory expertise, partners rebuild depleted labor pools - connecting skilled workers to training programs and quality, in-demand jobs. 

Laura draws on her previous experience as Senior Vice President of Talent Development for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. She helped employers develop robust talent pipelines, eliminating barriers to education and employment. 

Supported by investments from the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, Lumina Foundation, and the National Skills Coalition, Laura led regional and statewide postsecondary completion, workforce development, and policy initiatives. 

Laura holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management and a Master of Science in Counseling from Missouri State University 

Leslie Payne

Initiative Director, The Irvine Foundation

Leslie leads the Better Careers Initiative at the James Irvine Foundation, a workforce development portfolio that focuses on job training and access as tools for community accountability and repair. She is passionate about shared ownership models as a way of advancing Irvine’s North Star of ensuring low-wage Californians have the power to advance economically. 

Libuse Binder

Strategy Consultant, Jobs for the Future

Libuse has been a catalyst for needed system change for over 20 years. In her first career as a middle school teacher, she taught English, while also writing the book Ten Ways to Change the World in Your Twenties. These experiences began to hone her approach and philosophies in how to bring needed systems change to our education and workforce systems. As the Founder and Managing Partner of AMP Consulting Group, Libuse currently provides strategic and analytic insights to nonprofits, advocates, elected leaders in the state legislature, and the executive branch of state government that include her expertise in pathways development, community engagement, student supports, coalition building, strategic communications, research, and data analysis. 

As the Executive Director of an education advocacy organization in Washington state, she championed policy that gave more students opportunities to earn dual credit, gave students more time with school counselors, fully funded K12 education in Washington, and funded free college for many of Washington's students, propelling one of the state’s most influential issue advocacy organizations onto the national stage. Her full immersion in the ecosystem of education policy and electoral politics includes her leadership of several coalitions, including the campaign to pass a statewide charter school law in Washington, a campaign to fully fund basic education, and a campaign to automatically enroll eligible students in dual credit opportunities, also known as Automatic Academic Acceleration (AA). The Academic Acceleration policy was the first of its kind in the nation, and Libuse continues to advise across the country on the policy considerations of AA, as well as the policy's implementation implications and best practices, as others strive to replicate its benefits and positive impacts for students.   

In 2018, Libuse was named to the fourth cohort of the Policy Innovators in Education (PIE) Leadership Institute, a yearlong program focused on leading change in complex political climates. She has also been twice named PIE's gamechanger of the year. 

Linsey Davis

Anchor, ABC News and Author

Linsey Davis is currently an anchor for ABC News Live Prime, which is ABC News Live’s first-ever streaming evening newscast, and weekend World News Tonight on Sundays. She is a correspondent filing reports for World News Tonight, Good Morning America, 20/20 and Nightline. 

Throughout the 2020 presidential election cycle, Davis was at the forefront of ABC News’ coverage, beginning with all eight nights of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions to co-anchoring major political events such as two presidential debates, the vice presidential debate, presidential election coverage and Inauguration Day. She showcased her tough, but fair moderating skills at ABC News’ Democratic presidential debates in September, 2019 and February, 2020, holding candidates accountable on racial inequality and other key issues. 

Additionally, Davis has conducted interviews with major influential figures, politicians and health officials including Hillary Clinton, Mike Pence, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates and a powerful exclusive interview with Myon Burrell, a Minneapolis inmate who said he was wrongfully convicted for murder. In June, 2020, as the racial divide in America and the protests against police brutality were growing, Davis led the first roundtable discussion with Black female mayors of Atlanta, Georgia, Washington, D.C., Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Tacoma, Washington. Davis also anchored the documentary Homegrown Hate: The War Among Us, which shed a spotlight on the issue of domestic terrorism and hate-inspired violence in the United States. 

Davis has covered news stories around the globe, including the Las Vegas massacre, Harvey Weinstein allegations and subsequent MeToo Movement, Boston Marathon bombing, Nairobi Mall massacre and several of President Obama’s trips overseas. Her coverage ranges from the 2016 presidential election to social injustice and various natural disasters, including the earthquake in Haiti and multiple hurricanes. 

Davis got the only interview with comedian Bill Cosby in the wake of dozens of sexual assault allegations. Leading up to the Iowa caucuses, she interviewed the spouses of seven of the presidential candidates as part of a series called “Running Mates.” 

In 2009, Davis reported on the miracle on the Hudson and Michael Jackson’s death. That same year, she also made waves with her Nightline report “Single Black Female.” The story, which went viral, examined why African American women are the least likely of any race or gender to walk down the aisle. 

Davis joined ABC News as a New York-based correspondent for ABC NewsOne, the network’s affiliate news service. Before joining the network in June 2007, Davis was anchor of the weekend evening newscasts at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis. She started out as a reporter in 2003 and, during her time there, reported from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, from Torino for the 2006 Winter Olympics and from Athens for the 2004 Summer Olympics. From 2001-2003, she was a reporter at WJRT-TV, the ABC owned station in Flint, Michigan. Davis has received several honors for her reporting, including two Emmy® Awards and a regional Edward R. Murrow Award. 

Her children's book, The World is Awake, became a bestseller in February 2019; in August 2019, Davis released her second book, One Big Heart, which also became a bestseller. Davis’ third book, Stay This Way Forever, was released in February 2021. 

Davis earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Virginia and a Master of Arts degree in communications from New York University. 

Lisa Christensen

Director, McKinsey and Company’s Learning Design Center of Excellence

Lisa Christensen serves as the Director of McKinsey and Company’s Learning Design Center of Excellence. In her role, Lisa leads and develops a global team of design experts working to innovate the next generation of exceptional learning design, as they build learning programs to serve both McKinsey’s colleagues and clients. Lisa founded and leads McKinsey’s Learning Research and Innovation lab, a future-focused research and experimentation team translating academic research into best-practice applications that fuel learning for the Firm. 

Before joining McKinsey, Lisa was a senior leader at a boutique learning design firm, partnering with clients in a variety of industries to tackle their biggest learning and leadership development challenges. In addition to her work as a designer, Lisa is an accomplished facilitator and author. 

Livia Lam

Program Officer of Future of Work(ers), Ford Foundation

Livia Lam is a program officer on the Future of Work(ers) team. She leads the policy portfolio, which aims to support new policies and regulations at the federal, state, and local levels that increasingly protect worker rights and advance social protections. 

Livia brings over two decades of experience developing and shaping economic policies to successful implementation. She has served more than 10 years in Congress, including as U.S. Senator Patty Murray’s legislative director and as senior labor policy advisor for the Committee on Education and Labor chairman George Miller. Here, she was the key architect and champion of a legislative proposal to reauthorize the nation’s federal job training programs, which led to the successful passage of the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act. 

In the Senate, Livia served as a labor policy advisor for the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee chairs, Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Tom Harkin. She began her career in Congress as outreach director and legislative assistant to Senator Maria Cantwell. 

Livia’s extensive policy background also includes researching education and labor issues at the Center for Work-Life Policy and the Learning Policy Institute. As a resident senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, her work on redesigning workforce policy has been published in the California Law Review, Market Watch, The Hill, Real Clear Policy, Morning Consult and Law360. 

She has also led government affairs in both the private and the public sector on federal policy. Livia was deputy director for Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor under President Barack Obama, a senior vice president at the public affairs consulting firm Strategies 360, and senior manager of community and government affairs at SEIU 775. 

Livia holds a PhD in public and urban policy from The New School and a masters in public administration from Seattle University. 

Liz Kufour

Southern Program Coordinator, Young Invincibles

Liz Kufour is the Southern Program Coordinator for Young Invincibles. Liz assumes this role after starting with Texas’ inaugural cohort of the Young Advocates program, serving on the Youth Advisory Board, and working as a "super advocate" for a year. 

As the Southern Program Coordinator, Liz plays a critical role in engaging young adults to have a voice in our four policy areas. Programmatically, this includes coordinating health insurance literacy trainings around the state and supporting our young adult engagement programs. She also supports our youth-led local actions - from town hall events to conferences - designed to build a stronger young adult base for our campaigns. 

Liz graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in African and African Diaspora Studies and a B.B.A. in Management. Of YI’s core areas, Liz feels closely connected to our higher education work, and she intends to use her time at YI to expand her understanding of the intricacies of higher education in order to effect lasting and sustainable change for young adults within Texas. Throughout her time at YI, she hopes to become more hands-on in the preparation of the next generation of young advocates and impact future leaders in a similar fashion that YI impacted her. 

Liz is passionate about empowering marginalized groups and providing resources to underserved communities. She intends to pursue a dual JD/MBA degree, focusing on public policy and social entrepreneurship in the near future. In her free time, Liz enjoys analyzing Lil Wayne lyrics, discovering hidden gems on Netflix, and volunteering within her community. 

Marjorie D. Parker

President and CEO, JobsFirstNYC

Marjorie D. Parker serves as the President and CEO of JobsFirstNYC. Marjorie has more than 25 years of experience overseeing adult and youth services initiatives and consulting for nonprofit organizations. Marjorie served as deputy executive director before assuming leadership of JobsFirstNYC in 2017. Prior to joining JobsFirstNYC, she was the deputy executive director of programs at Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow. Marjorie has also held positions at the CUNY Research Foundation and New York City Department of Youth and Community Development. She serves as the current Board Chair of Reconnect NYC. Marjorie holds a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, a Certificate in Executive Education from the Senior Leaders Program at Columbia Business School, and a Certificate in Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management from Harvard Business School. Marjorie was named one of Robin Hood’s 2022 Power Fund Leaders and has recently been honored as a Crain’s New York Business 2023 Notable Black Leader.

Marshaun Hymon

Senior Director of Learning and Advisory Services, Grads of Life

Dr. Marshaun R. Hymon is the Senior Director of Learning and Advisory Services at Grade of Life. He leads the learning design, learning delivery, client engagement, and project management teams. He serves the OneTen Coalition to drive the hiring and advancement of Black Americans without a four-year degree. Prior to joining Grads of Life, he served as a non-profit program leader and has consulted in a variety of industries such as environmental justice, tech., entertainment, construction, advertising, and interior design. 

Dr. Hymon is excited about the recent release of the Book, "The Business of Choir," where he served as a contributing author. In this book he wrote the DEI chapter entitled, "Diversity in your Organization's DNA." He is an avid podcaster and sponsors the "DARE Diversity in Music" series for the Savannah, GA based, Music (ed) Matters Podcast. 

Dr. Hymon earned a Bachelor of Music in Choral Music Education from Florida State University and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of West Florida. He earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of California, Los Angeles. His research interests are race in America and identity development. He began his career as a public school music educator and is an advocate of arts in education. 

Matt Sigelman

President, Burning Glass Institute

Matt Sigelman is President of the Burning Glass Institute, Chairman of Lightcast, and a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Social Policy.  Matt has dedicated his career to unlocking new avenues for mobility, opportunity, and equity through skills.  Situated at the intersection of work and learning, the Burning Glass Institute advances data-driven research and practice for the future of work and the future of workers.  

Previously, as CEO of KKR-backed Lightcast, Matt and his team invented the field of real-time labor market data, a breakthrough innovation that transformed the way employers, education institutions, policy makers, and workers understand, plan for, and connect with the world of work. By mining billions of job openings and career histories, Matt led the company to become the global authority on the market for talent.  

Previously, Matt worked at McKinsey & Company and at Capital One.  He writes widely on the job market and is consulted frequently by public officials and global media.  Matt holds an AB from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard and is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.   

Megan Leonhardt

Senior Writer, Fortune

Megan Leonhardt is a New York City-based senior writer at Fortune, covering workplace, money, and economic issues. As part of her beat, Megan analyzes how everyday consumers and businesses navigate financial challenges and emerging trends. Prior to her role at Fortune, Megan worked as a senior money reporter at CNBC, as well as previously holding reporting roles at MONEY Magazine, WealthManagement.com, and Law360. She is a graduate of the E.W. Scripps School at Ohio University. 

Michael Grossman

Managing Director, Social Finance

Michael is a Managing Director at Social Finance, where he leads its impact investing work. 

Prior to joining Social Finance, Michael established and directed New Island Capital’s mission-oriented private credit business. While at New Island, his teams originated and structured market-rate credit transactions in the renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, water, natural foods, education, and financial inclusion sectors in the U.S. and emerging markets. 

Michael also managed the international impact investing portfolio at the Calvert Social Investment Foundation, worked as a Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company’s Social Sector Office, and was the first head of Africa at the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. government agency, where he developed large scale public-private partnerships to support inclusive economic growth in Madagascar, Mali, Benin, Senegal, and Morocco. 

Michael began his career at Citibank, where he served as Managing Director and Citigroup Country Officer in Tunisia, overseeing day-to-day management of the company’s corporate and retail banking operations. While at Citibank, he worked as Managing Director and Citigroup Country Officer in Senegal and Senior Operations Officer in Morocco. Michael also helped create Citibank’s African regional finance and capital markets business based in the Ivory Coast. 

Michael holds an M.S. in Finance from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and a B.S. from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He is a Chevalier in Senegal’s National Order of the Lion. 

Michelle Armstrong

Managing Director and Head of Philanthropy, Ares Foundation

Ms. Armstrong is a Managing Director and Head of Philanthropy in the Ares Human Resources Department and is a member of the Ares Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. Prior to joining Ares in 2021, Ms. Armstrong was a Manager at the Project Management Institute (PMI), where she led partner engagement and philanthropic investments for the PMI Educational Foundation to advance key priorities in youth and education, nonprofit capacity building and workforce readiness globally. Previously, Ms. Armstrong was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs, where she specialized in venture philanthropy and high-engagement giving to ensure the educational attainment of less advantaged youth and to broker school and community partnerships in under-resourced settings. In addition, Ms. Armstrong was a Manager at MetLife, where she developed and executed strategies for aligned giving and involvement for both its foundation and corporate social responsibility initiatives and worked as a Researcher at the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools & Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University and Center for Children and Technology, a division of Education Development Center, Inc. Ms. Armstrong holds an A.B. from Harvard University in Anthropology and an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University in Sociology and Education with a concentration in Educational Policy.  

Misti Ruthven

Director of Education and Training Innovation, State of Colorado, Governor's Office

As Colorado's Talent Development Officer and member of Governor Polis’ team, Misti Ruthven, has been a state leader in Colorado for the past 25 years. She’s passionate and dedicated to transforming economic mobility opportunities for Coloradans. In previous roles she was executive director of Student Pathways for the Colorado Department of Education, leading the initiatives connecting K-12 programs with the next steps beyond high school. Prior to joining CDE in 2012, she held the position of College Access Director for the Colorado Department of Higher Education. Misti is considered a national subject matter expert on work and experiential learning innovation, college and career readiness, paying for college and successfully transitioning underserved students to college. Her work has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the White House and highlighted in the Denver Post, Chicago Tribune and Inside Higher Education.  

Molly Bashay

Policy Advisor of Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor

Molly Bashay is a policy advisor in the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) within the U.S. Department of Labor. Her portfolio ranges from infrastructure and unemployment insurance to climate and youth policy. Molly is a staunch advocate for economic justice and the policies and programs that deliver tangible results--namely, long-term careers, high wages, economic security, and peace of mind--to workers and their families. Prior to joining ETA, she worked with nonprofits large and small, leading initiatives on digital equity, the future of work, community and economic development, eliminating student debt, and embedding equity throughout the education-to-workforce pipeline. Molly received her master’s degree in European Union social and economic public policy and a bachelor’s degree in government and environmental policy. 

Monica Munn

Chief Social Impact Officer, World Education Services

Monica Munn joined World Education Services (WES) in 2019, bringing over a decade of experience leading social impact and economic development initiatives in the philanthropic, social enterprise, and private sectors. As Chief Social Impact Officer, Monica oversees WES’ social impact and philanthropic initiatives, including the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, funding partnerships, and corporate philanthropy. Previously, Monica held several positions at the Rockefeller Foundation and worked at Next Street, a social enterprise that drives equitable economic and community development. She currently serves on the steering committee of the Workforce Matters Funders Network.  

Muhsinah Morris

CEO, Metaversity

Meet the first ever Metaversity Director, Dr. Muhsinah Lateefah Morris.  A BS chemistry graduate of the HBCU Clark Atlanta University.  She obtained an MS & PhD from the Harvard of the South, Emory University in Biomolecular Chemistry. Dr. Morris has been part of and leading Morehouse’s Metaversity project since the Spring of 2021.  She’s won awards for Teaching Excellence at Morehouse College, Best Emerging Technology and Innovation from CBRE, First Place Unconventional Innovation in Industry by T-Mobile, and Educator of the Year for 2022 by STEM Women Atlanta. She resides in McDonough GA with her husband and five sons. One of her sons has autism and she advocates for the entire autism community as a member of the Community Advisory Council and advocacy Ambassadors for Autism Speaks.  She’s a VR pioneer in education and is transforming learning globally.  She is affectionately known as Dr. M.O.M. (Molder of Minds) by all her students.  She continues to mold the minds of educators and students globally in the Metaverse.  She is a member of the XR Advisory Council for the XR Association and Futurist Council for Jobs for the Future (JFF).  Her goal is to authentically transform the educational system for our future leaders using immersive technologies in the Metaverse. She currently trains both pre-service and in-service educators on how to create and optimize their own institutional Metaverse Culture.  More recently, she founded Metaverse United, LLC where she helps people find where they belong in the embodiment of the internet called the Metaverse.  Learn more at UnitetheMetaverse.com. 

Natalia Lyckowski

Global Neurodiversity Advancement Leader, IBM

Natalia is a Business Transformation Analyst, the Global Neurodiversity Advancement leader and the leader of Global Neurodiversity @ IBM Business Resource Group Co-Chair. Natalie is a proud neurodivergent (ND) and parent of an autistic IT Professional, Nat enables businesses to see the value in embracing ND talent to attain highly skilled and dedicated professionals that may otherwise be overlooked. 

Nat has driven culture change, improving trust and allyship through: 

• Global Acceptance Training across > 30 Countries
• Speaking Engagements > 10,000 Audience
• Youth Self Advocacy Initiatives > 2,500 Audience 

Nikole Hannah-Jones

Pulitzer Prize-Winner, 1619 Project & Staff Writer, The New York Times Magazine

Nikole Hannah-Jones is the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. The book version of The 1619 Project was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. Hannah-Jones has spent her career investigating racial inequality and injustice, and her reporting has earned her the MacArthur Fellowship, known as the Genius grant, a Peabody Award, two George Polk Awards and the National Magazine Award three times. She also serves as the Knight Chair of Race and Journalism at Howard University, where she is founding the Center for Journalism & Democracy. Hannah-Jones is also the co-founder of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, which seeks to increase the number of investigative reporters and editors of color, and this year she opened the1619 Freedom School, a free, afterschool literacy program in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. Hannah-Jones holds a Master of Arts in Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned her BA in History and African-American studies from the University of Notre Dame.

Noelle Russell

Global AI Solutions Lead - Cloud First, Data & AI  Enterprise LLM & Generative AI CoE Industry Lead, Accenture

Noelle Russell is a multi-award-winning technologist with an entrepreneurial spirit who specializes in helping companies with emerging technology, cloud, AI and Web 3.0. She has led teams at NPR, Microsoft, IBM, AWS and Amazon Alexa, and is a consistent champion for Data and AI literacy.  

She has built over 100 conversational AI applications since 2014 and has over 2 million unique users on Amazon Alexa. She also influenced almost $1 billion in revenue for Microsoft AI during her tenure there speaking to Fortune 500 executives, running whiteboarding technical sessions, and leading internal hackathons for her customers.  

In the last year, she was awarded the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for Artificial Intelligence (for the 2nd year) as well as VentureBeat’s Women in AI Responsibility and Ethics award. 

Paul Fain

Journalist

Paul Fain writes The Job, a newsletter about connections between education and work. He also recently helped found a new weekly publication, Work Shift, which features in-depth reporting on workforce issues. For the last decade, Fain was a reporter and editor at Inside Higher Ed. He oversaw the news outlet's coverage of nontraditional students, policy, and more. Fain also was the founding host of the successful podcast, The Key with Inside Higher Ed, and managed IHE's coverage of the pandemic in 2020.  

Before IHE, Fain was a senior reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education, where he covered leadership and finance for more than six years. A former staff writer for C-Ville Weekly in Charlottesville, Va., Fain has written for The New York Times and contributed chapters for books on innovation in higher education, published by the Harvard University Press and the Stanford University Press. A graduate of the University of Delaware, he is a native of Dayton, Ohio, and currently lives in Takoma Park, Md. 

Portia Wu

Secretary, Maryland Department of Labor

Portia Wu serves as the Secretary of Labor for the State of Maryland. The Labor Office is an economic driver for the state by providing businesses, the workforce, and the consuming public with customer-focused regulatory, employment, and training services. Labor safeguards Maryland's work environments through partnership, outreach, and educational programs that encourage ongoing workplace safety and health improvements.

Secretary Wu is an experienced leader who has spent her career developing and implementing policies that benefit America’s workers. Before joining the Moore Administration, Secretary Wu was Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training at the United States Department of Labor (DOL). During her time at DOL, Secretary Wu led the implementation of the bipartisan Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2015, which reformed federal workforce programs and instituted new accountability and reporting measures.

Before joining DOL, Secretary Wu served at the White House Domestic Policy Council as Special Assistant and Senior Policy Advisor to President Barack Obama for Labor and Workforce from 2011 to 2014. Before joining the Obama Administration, Wu also served as Labor Policy Director for the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Throughout her career, Secretary Wu has overseen federal programs providing employment services and job training for millions of individuals annually.

She received a Master’s Degree in Comparative Literature from Cornell University and her Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School. 

Priyanka Sharma

Vice President, World Education

As vice president of World Education, a global nonprofit advancing equity through education, Priyanka Sharma oversees the organization’s U.S. portfolio and centers of expertise, including the EdTech Center, National College Transition Network, New England Literacy Resource Center, and the Massachusetts SABES Centers for Program Support and English Language Arts. Priyanka guides projects on postsecondary career readiness, technology integration, digital transformation, and digital skills development. She co-leads Digital US, a national initiative with a cross-sector approach to design a learn-and-work ecosystem that fosters digital resilience for all learner-workers.  

With a deep commitment to social justice and community involvement, Priyanka Sharma brings an equity-based approach to the US portfolio of World Education’s projects by centering learner-workers’ voices in systems design and deploying human-centered design in program planning and implementation. Priyanka continues to develop and lead innovative projects that advance digital equity and leverage technology to increase the reach and impact of education and workforce programs. www.worlded.org 

Rachel Lipson

Senior Policy Advisor, CHIPS Program Office at the Department of Commerce

Rachel Lipson is a Senior Policy Advisor in the CHIPS Program Office at the U.S. Department of Commerce where she focuses on workforce and economic development. Prior to joining the Department, Rachel co-founded and directed Harvard’s Project on Workforce, an interdisciplinary policy and research initiative focused on topics at the intersection of education and the labor market. Previously, Rachel worked on economic policy and human capital in roles across the social sector, including at the World Bank, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Obama for America, and Year Up. Her writing has been published in publications including the Boston Globe, Washington Post’s Wonkblog, Newsweek, The Hill, Forbes, and RealClearPolicy and her research has been featured by C-SPAN, Bloomberg, NPR, the Economist, CNBC, and MIT Technology Review. Rachel is an alumna of Harvard College and the joint MBA/MPP program with Harvard Business School and Kennedy School of Government where she was a Rubenstein Fellow. She was awarded the Kennedy School’s Frederick Fischer Prize for outstanding research on social policy for her work on California’s Community College system and the Harvard Certificate of Distinction and Excellence in Teaching. She is the co-editor of the forthcoming Harvard Education Press volume America’s Hidden Economic Engines: How Community Colleges Can Drive Shared Prosperity. 

Rachel Korberg

Executive Director and Co-Founder, Families and Workers Fund

Rachel Korberg is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Families and Workers Fund, a coalition of more than 25 diverse philanthropies working together to build a more equitable U.S. economy that uplifts all. Co-chaired by Ford Foundation President Darren Walker and Schmidt Futures CEO Eric Braverman, the $65 million fund invests and builds strategic partnerships to advance good jobs and deliver equitable, effective public benefits. It has a special focus on climate and infrastructure careers. Rachel is also President of the Board of the Stonewall Community Foundation, New York City’s public foundation dedicated to strengthening the LGBTQ+ community and movement.  

Previously, Rachel served in program leadership roles at the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation and worked in impact investing and global humanitarian response. Her commentary has appeared in, or her work has been profiled by, the New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, Fortune, TechCrunch, and more. Rachel was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar in 2023 and a New York Times DealBook Groundbreaker in 2022, and she received a Stevie Award for female nonprofit executive of the year in 2021. She has a MPP from Yale University and also brings lived experience to her leadership of the Families and Workers Fund as a working parent, survivor of workplace sexual harassment, and a family member who has seen loved ones navigate the inadequate public benefits system and a job market that too often writes off those who don’t hold college degrees. 

Raymond Pitts

Infrastructure Group Manager, Enterprise Operations & Technology 

Raymond Pitts serves as the Global Distributed Storage Build Head and Horizontal Storage Operations Manager in EO&T. 

The Storage Build and Horizontal Services organization is responsible for offering horizontal “build” provisioning, solution services for Storage, Engineering and Data Protection Services. This is a mass-market solution designed to satisfy the needs of as many horizontal and vertical organizations in Citi Technology Infrastructure.   

In his current role, Raymond is responsible for leading Horizontal Storage as a Service (SaaS) solutions across multiple Citi teams (Networking, Operations, Server Builds) by people with different end-goals and needs for 19 initiatives. He oversees Storage Build Services team that installs Engineering Certified solutions for SAN and NAS Storage environments in support of client Production requirements in CTI Data Centers and Tech rooms globally.  He also serves as Storage, Engineering and Data Protection Services Product Manager that helps deploy products and applications on a strategic roadmap. 

Prior to Citi, Raymond served as a Senior Program Manager at Perot Systems and served in senior roles at AT&T Global Services.   

Raymond is a US Army Veteran. 

Re'kal Hooker

Living School

I would like to be a leader in my community and I would also like to know how to write grants.

"As a future teacher, and leader for the Black community, I want to be apart of the change and I know NOYA will be that step for me." 

Richard Reeves

Senior Fellow in Economic Studies, Brookings Institution

Richard V. Reeves is a senior fellow in Economic Studies, where he holds the John C. and Nancy D. Whitehead Chair and leads the Boys and Men Project. His research focuses on boys and men, inequality, and social mobility. 

Richard’s publications for Brookings include his latest book Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It (2022) and 2017's Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do about It. He is a contributor to The Atlantic, National Affairs, Democracy Journal, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Richard is also the author of John Stuart Mill – Victorian Firebrand, an intellectual biography of the British liberal philosopher and politician. 

Richard sits on the Board of Jobs for the Future, and is an adviser to the American Family Survey, and to the Equity Center at the University of Virginia. He has previously served as a consultant to the Opportunity Insights team led by Prof Raj Chetty at Harvard University (2018), and as a member of the Government of Canada's Ministerial Advisory Committee on Poverty (2017-2018). 

Richard’s previous roles include: director of Demos, the London-based political think-tank; director of futures at the Work Foundation; principal policy advisor to the Minister for Welfare Reform; social affairs editor of the The Observer; research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research; economics correspondent for The Guardian; and a researcher at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. He is also a former European Business Speaker of the Year. 

Roberto Rodriguez

Assistant Secretary of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, U.S. Department of Education

Roberto J. Rodríguez currently serves as Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Education, where he leads the development and review of the Department’s budget and advises the Secretary on all matters related to policy development, implementation, and review. Roberto’s distinguished career in public service includes senior government roles in the White House, as Deputy Assistant for Education to President Barack Obama, and in the U.S. Senate, as Chief Counsel to the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy. 

Most recently, Rodríguez served as President and CEO of Teach Plus where he built an equity-driven teacher leadership movement that engaged thousands of teachers to shape public policy and instructional practice to deliver greater opportunity for students. 

A Michigan native, Rodríguez holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor and a Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

Saket Soni

Activist, Community Organizer, & Executive Director and Co-Founder, Resilience Force 

An activist and community organizer, Saket is the executive director of Resilience Force, which organizes migrant workers to clean up natural disasters. He is recognized as a national expert on post-disaster economies, immigrant rights, and the future of work. Saket was profiled as an “architect of the next labor movement” in USA Today, and has testified before Congress, and at the United Nations. His advocacy efforts have been featured in The New Yorker, TIME Magazine, and on NPR and the front page of The New York Times. His writings have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Hill, The Nation, Latino Journal, Talking Points Memo, and CNN.com. 

Saket rose to national prominence by directing a people’s campaign to free 500 Indian workers who were coerced into coming to the U.S. and forced into labor camps.  His account of the heroic efforts of the Indian workers, and himself, are the subject of his forthcoming book, THE GREAT ESCAPE. 

Sarah Cacicio

Director, Adult Literacy and Learning Impact Network

Scott Cheney

Chief Executive Officer, Credential Engine

Scott Cheney is Credential Engine’s CEO where he leads the organization’s efforts to bring transparency to the full range of credentials, competencies, quality indicators, outcome measures, and links to job skills, and support the development of new tools and services to meet the needs of students, workers, employers and others. He has over 30 years of experience in the development of workers’ skills to meet economic needs.  Prior to Credential Engine, he served as the Policy Director for Workforce, Postsecondary Education and Economic Development for Senator Patty Murray and the Senate HELP Committee.  He has also worked with the National Alliance of Business, ASTD, the US Chamber of Commerce, and many foundations, economic development organizations, and states.  Scott started this career with a grant from Dr. Seuss to lead adult literacy work in San Diego. 

Serena Holthe

Senior Director of Programs and Strategy, American Youth Policy Forum

Serena joined the American Youth Policy Forum as Senior Director of Programs and Strategy in July 2021. She has internal and external facing responsibilities, ranging from organizational leadership and strategy, project management, team leadership, communications, finance, development and fundraising, and relationship-building. 

Previously, Serena served as Senior Staff Attorney at the National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC). Her work primarily focused on outreach, training, and technical assistance to improve the provision and quality of post-disposition and reentry legal representation for delinquency court-involved youth. She developed training programs, publications, and policy strategies to address collateral consequences for youth involved in the legal system, reintegration of youth into their communities and schools, racial and ethnic disparities at the deep end of the system, and juvenile record clearance. 

Prior to joining NJDC, Serena worked at the Center for Children & Youth Justice in Seattle, where she managed a civil legal services program to help youth surmount hurdles to their successful transition into adulthood. Serena also assisted in policy reform efforts to expand juvenile record clearance laws, broaden extended foster care, and create governmental supports for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. Before moving to Seattle, she was an Assistant Public Defender in Baltimore City and a Staff Attorney at Maryland Legal Aid. 

Serena earned her Juris Doctorate from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, graduating with magna cum laude honors. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. 

Shawn Avery

President and CEO, Hampton Roads Workforce Council

Mr. Shawn Avery currently serves as the President and CEO of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council.  In this role, he provides leadership for strategic initiatives, partner and community relations, business and industry development, industry sector activities, educational initiatives, and management and oversight for the largest Workforce Development Board in the Commonwealth of Virginia.   He comes to the Hampton Roads Workforce Council after serving as Vice President for the Peninsula Council for Workforce Development, where he provided leadership for the Councils’ Private / Public Partnership Division.  In addition, he has held the positions of Senior Manager of Development and Community Affairs for Opportunity Inc., Manager of the Peninsula Workforce Development Center and Grants Specialist for Thomas Nelson Community College.  

Mr. Avery holds a Master of Business Administration from Florida Tech and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Christopher Newport University.   He has received Certificate of Studies in Economic Development from Virginia Tech and the University of North Carolina.   

Mr. Avery is the recipient of the MLK Community Leaders Award in 2023, Inside Business Top Forty under 40 in Hampton Roads award, as well as an Expanding Workforce Opportunities Award and a Chancellor’s Award from the Virginia Community College System, and the Community Builders Award from the Hampton Roads Community Action Program.    

Mr. Avery currently serves on various Board and Commissions, including the GO Virginia Regional Council, Hampton Roads Chamber, and the Hampton Roads Alliance.    

Sophia Kianni

Climate and Environmental Activist

Sophia Kianni is a climate and environmental activist, specializing in media and strategy. Her passion for environmental advocacy began after she witnessed the devastating effect pollution was having on her parents’ home country, Iran. She is the founder and executive director of Climate Cardinals, an international nonprofit with over 5,500 volunteers translating climate information into more than 100 languages. She was recently selected to represent the United States as the youngest member on the inaugural United Nations Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. She is also the host of the New Fashion Initiative Podcast, interviewing everyone from sustainability leaders at Lush Cosmetics and Mara Hoffman to politicians like Tom Steyer. 

Sophia’s activism has been featured in news outlets including Forbes, CNN, The Guardian, CNBC, and even on the front page of The Washington Post. She was previously a fellow with PBS NewsHour and has written for news outlets such as MTV News, BuzzFeed, Teen Vogue, Refinery 29, and Cosmopolitan. Sophia has been publicly commended by the Congressional Committee on the Climate Crisis and the United Nations Foundation for her advocacy. She is an adamant public speaker and has spoken to people around the world from Doha, Qatar to Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

Sophie Ruddock

Chief Operating Officer, Multiverse

Sophie Ruddock is the COO of Multiverse, a company with the mission to accelerate incredible careers and develop a diverse group of future leaders through innovative apprenticeship programs. Prior to joining Multiverse, Sophie was an early pioneer of impact investment at Social Finance, bringing together business, investors and the government to generate meaningful social change and capital returns. She is passionate about social justice reform, and sits on the board of the prison coaching non-profit, Spark Inside. 

Stephanie Reisner

President and CEO, GPS Education Partners

Stephanie Reisner is the President/CEO of GPS Education Partners (GPS Ed). Her passion is to advance work-based learning and increase equitable access to high-demand career pathways for all students. Her efforts to strengthen connections between businesses and educators ensure that the next generation of our workforce is well-equipped to thrive and strengthen their communities.

Stephanie graduated from Carroll University with a Bachelor's degree in Communications, Org Development and Business. Prior to GPS Ed, she served as VP of Human Resources at Generac Power Systems for 16 years. While there, she piloted and advanced the innovative GPS Education Partners work-based learning model.

Under her leadership, the nonprofit has experienced significant growth and impact through the organization’s Wisconsin-based, Education Center & Youth Apprenticeship Program as well as the expansion of its work-based learning Intermediary Services; launching programs in Ohio, Oregon, Minnesota, Texas, California, and Illinois. GPS Ed continues to extend its programs, certificate offerings, and program reach to take on the growing education and workforce gap at a national level.​

Stephanie Reisner is the President/CEO of GPS Education Partners (GPS Ed). Her passion is to advance work-based learning and increase equitable access to high-demand career pathways for all students. Her efforts to strengthen connections between businesses and educators ensure that the next generation of our workforce is well-equipped to thrive and strengthen their communities.

Stephanie graduated from Carroll University with a Bachelor's degree in Communications, Org Development and Business. Prior to GPS Ed, she served as VP of Human Resources at Generac Power Systems for 16 years. While there, she piloted and advanced the innovative GPS Education Partners work-based learning model. Under her leadership, the nonprofit has experienced significant growth and impact through the organization’s Wisconsin-based, Education Center & Youth Apprenticeship Program as well as the expansion of its work-based learning Intermediary Services; launching programs in Ohio, Oregon, Minnesota, Texas, California, and Illinois. GPS Ed continues to extend its programs, certificate offerings, and program reach to take on the growing education and workforce gap at a national level.

Steve Hatfield

Global Future of Work Leader, Deloitte

Steve is a principal with Deloitte Consulting and serves as the global leader for Future of Work for the firm. He has more than 20 years of experience advising global organizations on issues of strategy, innovation, organization, people, culture, and change. Hatfield has advised business leaders on a multitude of initiatives including activating strategy, defining a preferred future, addressing workforce trends, implementing agile and resilient operating models, and transforming culture oriented to growth, innovation, and agility. Hatfield has significant experience in bringing to life the ongoing trends impacting the future of work, workforce, and workplace. He is a regular speaker and author on the future of work and is currently on the Deloitte leadership team shaping the research and marketplace dialogue on future workforce and workplace trends and issues. He has a master’s in social change and development from Johns Hopkins and an MBA from Wharton, and is based in Boston. 

Steve Lohr

Reporter on Technology and Economics, New York Times

Steve Lohr covers technology, economics and work force issues for The New York Times. He was part of the team awarded the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting in 2013. He was a foreign correspondent for a decade and served as an editor. He is the author of “Data-ism,” which examines the field of data science and decision making (Harper Business, 2015). He is also the author of a history of software and computer programming, “Go To” (Basic Books, 2001). 

Susanne Tedrick

Co-Author, Innovating for Diversity & Author, Women of Color in Tech

Susanne Tedrick is dedicated to expanding the professional opportunities of women and people of color within the tech industry. She is the co-author of Innovating for Diversity and  author of Women of Color in Tech. She currently serves as a coalition member of NPower’s Command Shift initiative and formerly served as the chair of CompTIA’s Advancing Tech Talent and Diversity Executive Council. 

Susanne currently works as a technical trainer in cloud computing for Microsoft’s client skilling program and is an Executive MBA candidate at the NYU Stern School of Business. She holds a BPhilCom in Communication Systems from Northwestern University. 

Tammy Thieman

Director of Career Choice, Amazon

Tammy leads Amazon’s Career Choice Program globally. Currently available in 14 countries with over 130,000 participants, Career Choice is Amazon’s education program focused on upskilling hourly employees regardless of where they are in the education and career journey.  Employees can enroll in a variety of programs including: language learning, high school completion, certificate based skills development programming and bachelor’s degrees across 400 local and national education providers 

During her nearly seven-year tenure at Amazon, Tammy has been focused on upskilling initiatives which has included launching Amazon’s first Department of Labor registered Apprenticeship program focused on building technical skills for Amazon Web Services.    

Tammy began her career as an active duty Army officer and recently retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the US Army Reserve where she was the Pacific Northwest leader for Command and General Staff College. 

Tammy and her family live in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Taylor Shead

CEO and Founder, Stemuli Studios

Taylor Shead is the award-winning CEO and Founder of Stemuli Studios and is the 94th Black woman in history to have raised over $1M in venture capital. She’s best known for making school as fun as your favorite video game by creating a 3D immersive game-based learning platform. This year, Dallas Business Journal ranked Taylor one of the top 25 women in business and D Magazine selected her as a cover model to represent the most influential business leaders in Dallas Fort Worth. Taylor has spent the last 10 years supporting underserved students in Pathways to Technology Early College High School Programs across the country. This gives her ground level data and experience in preparing underrepresented young Black and Brown men and women for the workforce and partnering with industry leaders to increase engagement between the company and these learners.

Taylor Stockton

Chief Operating Officer, FutureFitAI

Taylor Stockton is the Chief Operating Officer of FutureFit AI, driving the company's mission of using data and AI to better connect talent and opportunity. Taylor has spent his entire career working in the education and workforce development sector, including as the Chief of Staff of an innovative network of schools preparing youth with the skills for the 21st-century workforce, working at Google to help craft the company's global education strategy, and working as a strategy consultant focused on addressing skills gap in the economy. Taylor received his MBA from Harvard Business School and is also the Co-Founder of Pathway Ventures, which focuses on supporting new models of economic mobility in the future of work. 

Tequilla Brownie 

Chief Executive Officer, The New Teacher Project

Tequilla Brownie is the Chief Executive Officer of TNTP where she leads all aspects of the organization’s strategy, operations and growth as it seeks to disrupt education inequities and position students for success from the classroom to careers of the future, ensuring America delivers on its promise of education being the great equalizer. 

A sought-after speaker for global conferences like South by Southwest, a Pahara Fellow, and among the first names listed on Brightbeam's top 30 list of education influencers, Tequilla is a beacon of insight, inclusion and inspiration within K-12 education. Her own personal journey from Arkansas public schools to a career start in social work to CEO of TNTP gives her a unique perspective on what it takes for educators and students alike to succeed in American schools. 

Prior to becoming CEO, Tequilla led TNTP’s strategy, policy, and community coalitions division as Executive Vice President. She also served as both an EVP and Vice President in the Client and Consulting team, leading TNTP’s work with school districts to design and implement integrated approaches to talent and academic strategy. Before joining TNTP, Tequilla worked nearly a decade in Memphis City Schools, overseeing the district-wide effort to improve student outcomes by increasing teacher effectiveness. Working alongside TNTP’s staff, Tequilla helped build community support for quality education and drove human capital reforms that led to significant policy changes. Tequilla is also a licensed therapist and worked as a school social worker, where her focus was on supporting students’ and families’ efforts to improve academic and social outcomes. 

Tequilla holds a BA in Psychology from Yale University, an MA in Social Work from the University of Tennessee–Knoxville, and an Ed.D in Education Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Memphis. Her dissertation was on the policy implications surrounding teacher evaluation and effectiveness. She frequently presents to key state legislatures and other leaders and education stakeholders at the national and local level to drive important policy changes related to educational equity. 

Tequilla lends her expertise as a board member for several local and national organizations including Stand for Children, ForwARd Arkansas, The MindTrust, and Memphis Seeding Success. In addition to serving as a Senior Fellow of FutureEd at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy, Tequilla is also a founding Leadership Committee member and former Board Member of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC). 

Terrell Blount 

Executive Director, Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network (FICGN)

Terrell A. Blount is a dynamic motivational speaker, compassionate mentor, and visionary leader for individuals impacted by the legal system. As the co-founder and Executive Director of the Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network (FICGN), a national nonprofit organization with over 1,500 formerly incarcerated scholars across 45 U.S. states and several other countries, he helps system-impacted people attain higher education and achieve career success through support services, community organizing and advocacy.

Terrell brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his work, not only as a leader of the world's largest network of formerly incarcerated professionals but also as a directly impacted person who has participated in postsecondary education both while incarcerated and in reentry. His extensive background in policy change and advocacy, program administration, philanthropy, technical assistance, and college reentry programs positions him as a well-rounded expert in the field.

Terrell earned a Bachelor of the Arts in Communication and a Master in Public Administration, both from Rutgers University. With his diverse skill set, unwavering commitment, and lived experience, Terrell is a driving force in creating positive change for system-impacted individuals and their communities. 

Terrence Cummings

Chief Opportunity Officer, Guild Education

Terrence Cummings is the Chief Opportunity Officer at Guild, where he is accountable for driving economic mobility for Guild's learners, members, and employees. He previously served as the company's Senior Vice President of Member Services and Strategy, and before that led the company's employer partnerships teams. Prior to Guild, Terrence led product, marketing, partnerships, engineering, and analytics teams across a range of startup companies, and was previously a consultant at McKinsey & Company. He holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado. After stints in Boston and San Francisco, he now lives in Denver with his wife and son.

Tim Taylor

Co-Founder and President, America Succeeds

Tim Taylor is the Co-Founder and President of America Succeeds, bringing a unique background of executive, nonprofit, and public policy experience to the organization. Prior to launching America Succeeds, he served as the founding President of Colorado Succeeds. 

Tim began his career on Capitol Hill as a Senior Legislative Assistant to Congressman Saxby Chambliss (GA). After relocating to Colorado in 1998, he served as an independent political consultant, Director of Public Relations and Government Affairs for the Colorado Health Care Association, and founder of Open Fairways—a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk and underprivileged children through the game of golf and its core values of honor, etiquette, and respect. 

Tim is a fellow of the 14th class of the Aspen- Pahara Education Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. He was named one of Getting Smart’s “60 People Shaping the Future of K-12 Education”, has appeared on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, and served as a critical reader for the upcoming Good to Great and K-12 Education monograph by author Jim Collins. 

Tim is a graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Virginia and earned a Master’s degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University. He is an avid outdoorsman and live music junkie. Tim lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife Clare, son Macon, daughter Ellie and a Boykin Spaniel. 

Tom Vander Ark

Chief Executive Officer, Getting Smart

Tom Vander Ark is an advocate for innovations in learning. As CEO of Getting Smart, he advises schools, districts, networks, foundations and learning organizations on the path forward. A prolific writer and speaker, Tom is author of Getting Smart, Smart Cities That Work for Everyone, Smart Parents, Better Together, The Power of Place and Difference Making at the Heart of Learning. He has published thousands of articles, co-authored and contributed to more than 50 books and white papers. He writes regularly on GettingSmart.com, and contributes to Forbes.

Previously, Tom served as the first Executive Director of Education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He also served as a public school superintendent in Washington state and has extensive private sector experience. Tom is a Director of Digital Learning Institute, Education Board Partners, 4.0, Latinx Education Collaborative, Mastery Transcript Consortium and eduInnovation. He is also an advisor to numerous schools, startups and impact projects. 

Tom has presented at a variety of national conferences, including SXSWEdu, Aurora Institute Symposium, and ASU/GSV. He has also presented at international conferences including The World Bank, The Digital Education Show Middle East and Bett Show. 

Tom received the Distinguished Achievement Medal and graduated from the Colorado School of Mines. He earned an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Denver, and continues his education online.  

Tyra Mariani

President, Schultz Family Foundation

As president of the Schultz Family Foundation and head of philanthropy at Emes Project LLC, Tyra partners with Howard and Sheri Schultz to accelerate the family’s work to address inequality by unlocking greater opportunities for individuals and communities in America facing obstacles to economic and social mobility.  

Prior to her current roles, Tyra served as president and chief operating officer of New America, where she partnered with the Board and CEO to transform the organization into a new kind of think tank committed to exploring new and more effective ways of solving public problems.  

Tyra served in the Obama administration as deputy chief of staff for the US secretary of education and then chief of staff for the US deputy secretary of education. In these roles, she helped shape policies and programs impacting education from early learning to college. She led complex interagency and cross-departmental teams that took several Administration priorities from vision to strategy and implementation. Tyra was recognized as a key problem-solving partner to the Department’s senior leadership, helping them to overcome bureaucracy and accelerate their work and the agency’s priorities.  

Prior to joining the Department of Education, Tyra launched entrepreneurial efforts to develop and support leaders in education as the founder of the Greater New Orleans Region of New Leaders. In this role, she developed and successfully executed a strategy to drive academic gains in schools led by New Leaders principals in post-Katrina New Orleans. Prior to New Leaders, Tyra served as budget director for Chicago Public Schools (CPS), overseeing the $5 billion budget of the third largest school district in the country. As a member of the Broad Residency in Urban Education, Tyra led efforts that addressed overcrowding and increased the quality of principal candidates within CPS.  

Tyra began her career in the private sector, with roles at Kraft Foods Corporate and McKinsey & Company. She was co-valedictorian and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Howard University and has a master’s in business from Stanford University. She serves on the board of directors of Howard University, Fidelity Charitable, and Jobs for the Future (JFF). 

Valerie Jarrett

Chief Executive Officer, the Barack Obama Foundation 

Valerie Jarrett is Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of the Barack Obama Foundation. She is also a Senior Distinguished Fellow at The University of Chicago Law School. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling book Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward, published in April 2019.  

She serves as Board Chairman of Civic Nation and Co-Chair of The United State of Women. Jarrett serves on the boards of Walgreens Boot Alliance, Inc., Ralph Lauren Corporation, Lyft, Inc., Sweetgreen, Ariel Investments, The University of Chicago, Sesame Street Workshop and the Economic Club of Chicago. Jarrett also serves on the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women Advisory Board.  

Ms. Jarrett was the Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama from 2009-2017 making her the longest serving senior advisor in history. She oversaw the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and Chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls. Ms. Jarrett worked throughout her tenure at the White House to mobilize elected officials, business and community leaders, and diverse groups of advocates. She led the Obama Administration’s efforts to expand and strengthen access to the middle class, and boost American businesses and our economy. She championed the creation of equality and opportunity for all Americans, and economically and politically empowering women in the United States and around the world. She oversaw the Administration’s advocacy for workplace policies that empower working families, including equal pay, raising the minimum wage, paid leave, paid sick days, workplace flexibility, and affordable childcare, and led the campaigns to reform our criminal justice system, end sexual assault, and reduce gun violence.  

Ms. Jarrett has a background in both the public and private sectors. She previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of The Habitat Company in Chicago, the Commissioner of Planning and Development for the city of Chicago, Deputy Chief of Staff for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and practiced law for ten years in the private and public sector. She also served as the director of numerous corporate and not-for-profit boards including leadership positions as Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Stock Exchange, Chairman of the University of Chicago Medical Center Board of Trustees, Vice Chairman of the University of Chicago Board of Trustees, Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Chair of Chicago Transit Board. 

Ms. Jarrett has also received numerous awards and honorary degrees, including TIME’s “100 Most Influential People” Award.  

Jarrett received her B.A. from Stanford University in1978 and her J.D. from University of Michigan Law School in 1981.   

Willie Wittezehler

Author, Filmmaker, and Creative Director, Roadtrip Nation

Professional road-tripper Willie Wittezehler has produced and directed Roadtrip Nation’s award-winning documentaries and been behind the lens for over 200 interviews with inspiring people from all walks of life. With over 60,000 miles clocked in Roadtrip Nation’s Green RV, he’s now set foot in 49 of the 50 United States (someday he’ll make it to North Dakota!). He also co-authored the New York Times bestselling book "Roadmap: The Get-It-Together Guide for Figuring Out What To Do With Your Life." 

Zakiya Scott

Strategist, Wonder: Strategies for Good

Zakiya Scott is a Southern Black queer writer and editor, youth advocate, and communications strategist who believes in the transformative power of storytelling to uproot racist systems, transform culture, and ultimately change the world. 

With roots in North Carolina’s community newspapers and radio programs, she moved to Oakland to fuse her passion for writing and storytelling with her desire to realize more justice and empathy. She found herself in a familial community as a communications and media intern at the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. Zakiya went on to work at Fenton, where she provided media relations, messaging and strategic communications support to grassroots nonprofits and foundations within the firm’s social justice practice.  

Most recently, she worked at Blackbird to further the communications strategies of the Movement for Black Lives — a coalition of more than 50 organizations committed to fighting for Black liberation and community, institutional, cultural, and systems transformation. 

Zenetta Zepeda

Student at University of Colorado Denver & Advisor, The Aspen Institute

Zenetta Zepeda is Sicangu Lakota and Navajo of the Deeshchii’nii Clan on her mother’s side, and Vietnamese on her father’s side. She grew up in Denver, Colorado and was raised in the powwow circle with predominantly Lakota views. Currently, she is a senior at the University of Colorado Denver studying on a Pre-Health track with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Behavioral & Cognitive Neuroscience. She is also pursuing a certification in Environmental Stewardship of Indigenous Lands and a certification in American Indian studies. Zenetta serves as an advisor to The Aspen Institute's Youth and Young Adult Wellbeing Measure Project, a collaborative effort between researchers, community leaders, and led by youth and young adults with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Forum For Community Solutions, and Fresh Tracks. She will be the first in her direct lineage on either side of her family to attend and graduate a four-year university. Her goal it to obtain and MD.Ph.D and transform the STEM and medical fields into inclusive, accessible environments for all minorities of sex, race, religion, and gender because a position of longitude and latitude should not determine access to basic human rights.