2021 HATCH Big Sky Bios

Larycia Hawkins is a professor of Politics, Race, & Religion at the University of Virginia. Her story is documented in A NYT Magazine feature, “The Professor Wore a Hijab in Solidarity—Then Lost Her Job”. Hawkins was recognized by the Washington Post as “one of 12 major religious newsmakers — and stories — from the past decade who stood out, in part or in full, because of their beliefs or religious traditions.” She is the subject of the award winning documentary film, “Same God” (Midgett Productions). Her activism, which she terms 'embodied solidarity' continues alongside her academic work.

I thrive when living an artful existence creating solutions for an optimistic future. My work centers around comprehensive design, systems thinking, illustration and the arts. Iv’e contributed concept design-work to the automotive, gaming, theme park, movie and tech. industries for 25 years. It’s my love of nature, experience with manufacturing and interest in bettering humanity that inspired me to found Eqogo, a robust platform to evaluate and rate products on their social, environmental and quality attributes. I seek to make the pursuit of transparency a contagion for irreversible change.

Renay centers people as an impact strategist driven by catalyzing change & leveraging the power of partnerships to shift unjust systems. Renay advises leadership of fortune 500 corporations & has implemented social impact programs globally; created Rhetoric to Action, a series of conversations to mobilize collective action for racial justice; led grant diversification efforts for the Japan Foundation; facilitated sessions at the UN and the US Department of State; teaches Personal Leadership to sustainability MBA students; and serves on several nonprofit boards. Renay lives in PA.

Kim is a social entrepreneur, advocate, and innovator who is serving as the Global Director of Social Innovation for Steelcase. Steelcase is an innovative, 105-year-old international design and manufacturing company for office furniture, architectural and technology products. Kim has a passion for building a culture of equity, opportunity and partnering with organizations to lead transformational impact around the world. She has scaled innovation and designed social impact programs over multiple sectors and continues to look for changemakers to accelerate and amplify globally.

Dr. Oluseyi is an inventor, educator, author, humanitarian, and TV personality. He is also Astrophysicist and Space Science Education Lead for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. Hakeem is passionate about improving lives through advancing knowledge, science, empowering underserved populations, and promoting understanding of the universe between peoples. He is a professor at the Florida Institute of Tech, and a contributor to Discovery Channel and National Geographic. In 2002 Hakeem began visiting African schools to inspire students, and was selected as a TED Global Fellow.

Pashon Murray is a United Nations FAO Food Hero, entrepreneur, activist, and educator. She has been working towards sustainable solutions for 17 years. In 2010 she co-founded Detroit Dirt, a revolutionary compost company that provides organics diversion and food waste to resource solutions. Pashon began receiving national recognition and featured in Ads for Ford, Shinola, Pabst, and MasterCard, she also has been in magazines such as Forbes, Food & Wine, Vogue, Entrepreneurs, Newsweek named the former MIT Media Lab Fellow "13 Women in Business To Bet On"

I have been hosting people in collaborative environments for the purposes of social change for over a decade. My purpose is to convene and connect nonprofit leaders, for-profit social entrepreneurs, grant-makers, impact investors and all other agents of positive change, thereby building the ecosystem for the social sector and creating greater opportunities for international social and economic justice.

Khara Jabola-Carolus is the executive director of the Hawai'i State Commission on the Status of Women, a feminist government agency that works to restore the egalitarian status of women. She is the only millennial to direct a statewide government agency in Hawai'i. She also holds a law degree with a specialization in Native Hawaiian rights, and a personal interest in reviving the art of Filipino traditional garments.

Ania is a Broker and Co-Founder of The Big Sky Real Estate Company. She is a problem-solver with a commitment to people and organizations she believes in. Past professions include public relations, advertising, publishing and journalism. She enjoys collaborating with various non-profit causes that impact youth, the environment, arts & education. She has an eye for good ideas and a notebook full of her own.

David Block is constantly pushing the boundaries of live electronic music. Playing, composing, and conducting his own electronic symphony live on stage, his performances are brimming and layered with human emotion, world exploration, and sacred sounds. Whether performing by himself, or with his live band, “The Human Experience”, David always delivers an emotionally charged show. For over a decade, David has been exploring the intersection of mindfulness and music while amassing over 100 million streams and inspiring people around the world.

Known for her unique ability to connect people to their deepest held beliefs and inspire courageous action, Lucy has devoted herself to the science and practice of how people change. She is a social psychologist, master facilitator, and thought-leader with an emphasis on individual and systems level transformation. Lucy works in partnership with trail-blazing individuals and organizations to unlock humanity’s potential and bring paradigm shifting change to the world.

Philomena V. Mantella is President at Grand Valley State University. Her entrepreneurial disposition and her drive to expand access to the university quickly became evident. She brings more than three decades of higher education experience to her role. She not only leads where she is, she develops transformational collaborations with other institutions. She strategically designs partnerships to improve pathways for diverse learners across their lifetimes and enterprises. Building collaboration across sectors and focuses institutional integrity for the noble cause of education are core values.

Lisa is the Manager of Science & Innovation at the 5 Gyres Institute. She is a microplastics researcher, lifelong sailor, and is passionate about keeping waterways clean for wildlife and people. Lisa has worked in the microplastics field since 2014, first sailing on a tall ship researching microplastics in the South Salish Sea. Currently, Lisa is also a PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto, where she researches sources, fate and effects of microfibers in the environment. Born and raised in Toronto, Lisa grew up swimming and sailing on the Great Lakes and holds a deep love of the water.

Rose Stuckey Kirk is Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer for Verizon. She is responsible for the company’s CSR investment strategy and programmatic buildout as well as overseeing the strategic direction for all of Verizon’s social impact marketing activity.

Kat is a “classically trained songstress in the folk-jazz-indie-electro fusion arts.” Her art form doesn’t end there: Kat is interested in how music can be used as a vehicle for social change. Successful as a solo musician, and also part of the band Gone, Gone, Beyond, she is focused on helping accelerate solutions for the U.N. sustainable development goals. Learn & listen more: http://www.katfactormusic.com/musics

Ryland Engelhart is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Kiss the Ground, and is the producer of Kiss The Ground -- the film on Netflix. He has spent the past 15 years as an entrepreneur and love-activist, working in hospitality and building a "triple bottom line" business of organic plant-based restaurants called Cafe Gratitude and Gracias Madre in Southern CA. He is also a co-creator of the award-winning, inspirational documentary film called “May I Be Frank.”

Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg is Executive Director of Rise at Schmidt Futures. Previously she was Director of African Women in Agricultural Research & Development which works towards inclusive, agriculture-driven prosperity for the African continent. She was an Assistant Professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco and also founded Akili Dada, a leadership incubator investing in high-achieving young African women changemakers. Born in Kenya, she is an enthusiastic extrovert who enjoys enjoy facilitating strategic connections towards meaningful transformation, especially for Africa.

Atti is a leader and advocate for equity in philanthropy. As the African Visionary Fund’s co-CEO, she is focused on supporting the personal and organizational growth of African visionaries and their innovative work. Prior to joining the AVFund, Atti founded and led Seeds of Africa, a nonprofit developing the educational foundation for the next generation of Ethiopia’s leaders.
Atti writes about power dynamics and racial Injustice in philanthropy, she holds a BA in Sustainable Development from Columbia University. Atti currently resides in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with her husband.

John Cangelosi has been an educator for 24 years and has spent the last 14 years teaching science and technology at a Maine high school. In the classroom, John strives to incorporate technology into his classes where students program Raspberry Pi mini-computers to interface with sensors and actuators, engineer wind blades and floating turbines, and use various robotics and 3D printing platforms. John has also been an instructor and facilitator in a NSF funded institute that encourages participation from groups underrepresented in the STEM fields and this is what has brought him to HATCH.

Jeffrey was born in Chicago, was raised in Germany and the UK, worked in the film industry in NYC, and has lived in Prague since 1999. He is co-founder and CEO of his third company, Mosaic, which builds high resolution camera systems for 3D scanning and modeling the world. Jeffrey has been a pioneer in 360º imaging since 2005 and holds a Guinness World Record for creating the world's largest 360º image (London 320 Gigapixels) in 2013. He has a passion for documenting the world in unprecedented detail.

Cary James taught at Bangor High School for 20 years. His students have excelled in national and international science competitions including the 2010 National Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP),the 2011 Bjorn von Euler Innovation in Water Scholarship, and the 2016 first place INTEL Science Talent Search “Global Good” award. He has a passion for improving the quality of water for people in developing countries and has focused student research on water sanitation, conservation, and remediation. Currently he mentors students through the Stormwater Management Research Team (SMART) program.

Formally, the 4th Grade Head Learner at Big Sky School District since 2000, he recently graduated from 4th grade and has taken on the role of MS/HS Lead Facilitator of Creativity and Innovation. When not in the classroom, he leads an outdoor summer camp, untangles his son’s fishing line, and guides his wife Kristin down various regional waterways. Join him on his journey

I grew up in a very small town in Iowa- left to New York City at 18. I spent a decade opening W hotels as their Culture Ambassador, then left to become the doorman at the infamous Rosebar in Manhattan, then eventually opening my own place called Kind Regards on NYC Lower East Side. I began writing poetry at that time, on the sides of NYC buildings, under the street art handle Fairytales For the Fatherless. Eventually, I turned to writing songs. David, Kat, Mel and I started the band Gone Gone Beyond three years ago and are currently touring the world in support of our album 2030.

Yarrow is the Founder of HATCH and H360.ai, is an Aspen Institute Fellow, RSA Fellow, and named 2015 top 100 creatives in the U.S. by Origins. He is a pioneer of social networking and has been building communities for twenty years. He’s directed projects with Richard Branson, The Rock, P Diddy, and more. In 1999, Yarrow created an online network – The Hero Project, which grew to 1.5 Million users and was acquired by FOX. In 2004, Yarrow founded HATCH, connecting global influencers to accelerate solutions for the UN’s SDGs. In 2016 Yarrow founded H360.ai, an A.I. driven collaboration platform.

For more than a decade, serial entrepreneur, Laura Wallendal, has led companies to their highest growth potential. She's currently the General Manager of Thesis, a leading cryptocurrency and blockchain venture studio, building products that put control back in the hands of the individual. An advocate for financial freedom and empowering communities through technology, Laura speaks frequently around the world about the future of finance.

Jackie is an international speaker, facilitator, serial entrepreneur and pioneer in the area of flow. She is the co-founder of the Flow Consciousness Institute, which holds cutting edge trainings, retreats, leads workshops and delivers transformational experiences worldwide, and Shiine, an early stage tech start-up supporting underserved communities with mental health.

She is an advisor for several social impact-focused non-profits and startups and serves on the board of directors for SOSF/Evolutionary Leaders Circle, an esteemed community of notable consciousness thought leaders.

Plastics in global environments threaten planetary systems and human health, requiring the cooperation of public, private and governments to use all available science to solve the problem. After leading over 20 expeditions across the world's oceans, we've put our published research to work to impact policy and corporate decision making. From the US federal ban on microbeads to the upcoming UN Global Treaty on Plastic Pollution, legislative solutions are emerging. Corporations are stepping in with innovative products and packaging. 5 Gyres is here to provide leadership and guidance.

A leader in education & equity-centered design, Daniel works to advance justice through education & community engagement. Currently the President of the Steelcase Foundation, he has led WMCAT where he worked towards equity and innovation in Michigan, and was the co-founder and principal of GR University Prep. Elected to serve as a Trustee of Grand Rapids Community College, Daniel has served on many local boards, 2 governor-appointed statewide councils, & a number of national initiatives. Daniel’s work around racial equity & opportunity is what drives his work throughout our community.

Aryeh-Or is a multi-hyphenate creative with over 15 years of professional experience throughout the multimedia entertainment and advertising industries. Though film and television have garnered him the most attention thus far, Aryeh-Or has also played music all his life and is currently recording multiple solo and collaborative projects. No matter what the medium or outlet for his creative expression, Aryeh-Or’s missioin and primary goal is “to uplift, inspire and empower both the individual and collective consciousness through art.”

Desirae Harp is a member of the Mishewal Wappo tribe from the central coast of California, and she is a descendant of the Diné Nation from the Southwest. She is a classically trained opera singer and songwriter, cultural bearer/activist, and educator. She is the founder of the Mishewal Ona*staTis language revitalization program, and she is the lead organizer of the run4salmon campaign and prayer journey to restore the California water ways, salmon runs, and indigenous ways of life.

Charity is an activist, creative, decolonial practitioner, and two-time Olympian, earning a bronze medal in the 2016 Olympic Games. She facilitates decolonial workshops, healing, and curriculum creation with “Decolonize Together”. Charity is the youth engagement coordinator for the BC Black History Awareness Society, where she creates safe and empowering spaces where BIPOC can feel seen and heard. Charity’s work can be found in the Royal BC Museum in the creation of the Hope Meets Action: Echoes Through The Black Continuum exhibit.

Pamphinette Buisa is a Black activist, community organizer, and Olympian. She is a facilitator and member of the collective "Decolonize Together" which is a collective of Black and Indigenous women who offer decolonial and inclusivity workshops, healing and curriculum creation. She is presently completing a bachelor's degree in Political Science with a focus on social justice and intersectionality. At the local level, she has co-organized fundraisers raising over $30 000 during the COVID-19 pandemic to support the needs of folks in disenfranchised communities whose needs have not been adequate

Chris Harris is a senior program officer in Entrepreneurship for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where he manages the Central Standards grant initiative and leads rural entrepreneurship strategies in the Heartland. Chris is a lifelong rural resident from Kansas where he works with non-profits across the region to address persistent systemic rural challenges.

Lucero is a curious feminist, social movements advocate, and cultivator of partnerships. These days, Lucero works in gender integration, specializing in gender analysis, curriculum design, and gender-transformative programming, focused on supporting organizations in the academic, non-profit, and donor sectors. She has extensive experience supporting partners to position gender equality and girls’ and women’s rights at the center of international development. Born in Chile, and raised all over Latin America, Lucero is increasingly thinking of herself as a New Yorker.

Ada is an established thought leader at the intersection of philanthropy, equity and global economic development. As Senior Advisor for Program Strategy and Investment at Pivotal Ventures, founded by Melinda Gates, she directs high level engagement and strategies to advance social progress in the United States. Specifically, in the areas of adolescent mental health and accelerating the power and influence women and girls of color. Ada brings over 20 years of experience working on social impact globally and domestically.

Dr. Chera Reid is co-Executive Director of the Center for Evaluation Innovation and chief designer and champion of its Evaluation Roundtable, a philanthropic learning and evaluation platform that moves in service of racial equity and justice. Chera is an experienced grantmaker and strategist, having guided the Kresge Foundation to become an intentional learning organization rooted in values of equity and opportunity. She brings a longstanding focus on expanding educational and career opportunities for low-income and students of color, having held leadership positions at MDRC, America Needs You

Lyla June is an Indigenous musician, scholar and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages. Her dynamic, multi-genre presentation style has engaged audiences across the globe towards personal, collective and ecological healing. She blends studies in Human Ecology at Stanford, graduate work in Indigenous Pedagogy, and the traditional worldview she grew up with to inform her music, perspectives and solutions. Her current doctoral research focuses on Indigenous food systems revitalization.

I have mentored research students for nearly 30 years, taught AP & IB Biology, Environmental Science, and IB Marine Science, and lead student groups to various national parks during the Summer for an annual outdoor experience. I have 4 grown children and live in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks.

Hometown: Columbus, MS
Family: Husband, 4 grown children, 2 grandchildren and 2 dogs.
Degrees: B.S. in Biology, M.S. in Teacher Leadership
Career: This is year 25 for me as an educator.
I have a passion for students and the sciences and love an opportunity to bring the two together, especially outdoors. My greatest accomplishments are the young people who have become successful and active members of our community as they pursue their own passions. In my last few years of teaching, I hope to support and encourage new teachers to stay in a field where they are desperately needed.

Elizabeth Doyle serves as the Executive Associate for Presidential Initiatives, Inclusion and Equity at Grand Valley State University. In this role, she engages the community to activate ideas aligned with the university's vision and strategy. She’s energized by the signature approach for this work, which begins with incorporating multiple voices and experiences into every collaboration. Elizabeth has a master's in educational leadership and was the first in her family to graduate from college. She's passionate about creating relevant and equitable learning experiences in higher education.

Nikki is an Indigenous activist, academic, and media maker, as well as an environmental educator and deep ecology healer. She is the creator and director of “Decolonize Together” a collective of black and Indigenous women who offer decolonial and inclusivity workshops, healing and curriculum creation. She holds a masters degree in Indigenous Governance and is currently completing her Ph.D. on emerging visual media technology as it relates to Indigenous ontology for climate change mitigation strategies. A TEDx speaker, her most recent presentation is entitled “Decolonization is for Everyone”.

Elke is a writer, consultant, community builder, and storyteller. She can be found with her family in Montana, leading custom tours in Alaska, or traveling. She is a member of the HATCH executive board.

Zineb is the co-founder of two charitable organizations, Youth x Youth & the Weaving Lab. Youth x Youth is a movement to radically reimagine the future of education with the goal of accelerating the process of young people influencing, designing, and transforming their education. The Weaving Lab is global organization with the mission of advancing the field of weaving, understood as the practice of interconnecting ideas, people, projects, organizations, places, and ecologies to enhance system change.

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D, is Chief of Staff and Vice President for Inclusion and Equity at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. Committed to shared leadership, he joins efforts to focus responsibility for educational equity with institutions and transform systems that historically exclude some communities. With his commitment to social mobility, he supports innovative efforts to create more inclusive campus climates by centering diverse voices. Grand Valley has adopted a social justice and intersectional framework that works for campus and community change.

Sarah Henry is the Executive Director for the Global Center for Gender Equality at Stanford University. As Executive Director, she is working cross-university to build out a global Center focused on addressing root causes of inequality. Since, 2015 Sarah has served as a Senior Strategy Advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to strategically and intentionally incorporate a gender equality perspective across the foundation. Sarah has more than 15 years of experience focused on the intersection of development, gender equality, global health, organizational strategy and impact.

Courtney’s life is filled with educational, entrepreneurial and leadership pursuits, balanced with family, friends and working to make a difference. Diagnosed with breast cancer at 36,Courtney provides peer support in Los Angeles and beyond. Elected to the board Directors of MDC Holdings, a NYSE homebuilding company in 2019,she is a leader in the company’s ESG planning. Courtney serves on the Board of Directors of the Cayton Children’s Museum co-chairs the Capital and the Equity and Free Access campaigns. She is on the National boards of Sharsheret, BBYO, ROSIES Foundation and the Mizel Instit

Lynn Casey is a passionate futurist and Culturist-at-large for leading companies around the globe. As a keen observer of the desires and drivers that shift human behavior, she is a sought after speaker and thought leader across many industries. Her greatest joys are in deep cultural immersion around the globe, learning from and sharing the heartfelt stories that shape the human experience.

Natalie Rekstad leads a purpose-driven life as the Founder and CEO of Black Fox Philanthropy, a leading fundraising strategy firm serving global NGOs that exists to accelerate the social sector’s effectiveness in solving complex problems on a global scale. As a B Corp social enterprise, Black Fox Philanthropy measures the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit.

Ty Hobson-Powell (26) is a native Washingtonian and lifelong community advocate. After graduating HS at 13, getting a B.A at 15 and getting his M.A at 17, Ty leaned into public service fully. He has worked with DC's Office of Youth Programs, UDC and now serves as the Founder and Director of Policy for Concerned Citizens Demanding Change.

Gracefully degrading, a dream chaser and boomerang catcher. I like environments where questions are more important than the answers.

NASA Datanaut, International Space Apps Ambassador, Visiting Professor at FH Salzburg, the University of Applied Sciences, and Advisor and Mentor at the AI Data Lab at Howard University.

Day job is an entrepreneur building some cool frontier technology using AI and machine learning as well as advisor, mentor, and investor in startups. RSA Fellow and one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s 50 Most Daring Entrepreneurs.

Christine Lai is a cross-sector collaboration catalyst connecting capital, ideas, opportunities, and people for positive social change. She currently works in the space of funders, foundations, and the future.

As a “free agent,” she works in-between institutions, organizations, initiatives, and projects in service of the collective to benefit the many vs. just a few. She supports foundations/funders with their community and learning strategies, to ensure they are in right relationship with the individuals/organizations they support, guiding giving through co-learning and participatory process

Warrior Love Productions founder, Melissa Jun Rowley, is an award-winning journalist and serial entrepreneur. She leads all things related to content development and business development. An advocate of tech for good, she built the humanitarian project, The Toolbox, with Peter Gabriel. She also created entrepreneurship programs for the UK government and Lebanon. In addition to being an expert technology commentator for BBC News, she’s written for Fast Company, Forbes, TechCrunch, Business Insider, NBC News, The Guardian, and Rolling Stone. In another life, Melissa was a field producer for CNN

I am an experienced, strategic self-starter who wants to make a positive difference in the world. I effectively use my years of leadership experience at Businessweek, Inc, Fast Company, Tides, GLEF and SOCAP to inform my work now as the CEO of KatapultX. Marrying my passion for education, technology, people I'm actively helping businesses to be forces for good on a global scale. As Editor of WomenAdvancing.org (my side hustle) I'm elevating the voices and work of women around the world. I'm a senior advisor for OzoneX and sit on the Boards of CORO and Bambini Yoga.

Chris Ategeka is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist. He is the founder and CEO of UCOT a company with a unique model creating solutions for the unintended consequences of technology. His forthcoming book, deals with the same subject. Ategeka also founded Health Access Corps, which uses local talent to combat the shortage of healthcare services in underserved areas of Africa. He is Forbes 30 Under 30, an Ashoka Fellow, TED Fellow, and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. In 2021, UC Berkeley honored Ategeka with an Award for Excellence by a young alumni.

Kimberly Bryant is the Founder and CEO of Black Girls CODE, a non-profit organization dedicated to “changing the face of technology” by introducing girls of color (ages 7-17) to the field of technology and computer science with a concentration on entrepreneurial concepts.
Since 2011 Kimberly has helped Black Girls CODE grow from a local grassroots to an initiative reaching over 30,000 girls across the world.

Otho Kerr is the Director of Impact Investing at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He is charged with catalyzing capital providers to invest in underserved communities. Otho has helped to shape the impact investing sector as a founding partner and Chief Operating Officer for Encourage Capital and as Chief Investment Officer for Acumen. Otho has worked in finance for over 30 years, beginning with Goldman Sachs. He began his professional career as an attorney with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. Otho received a BA from Dartmouth College, where he received the Barrett Cup, given to the outstand

Sheryl is an explorer, facilitator & immigration lawyer who helps people navigate their journey to the US. Her legal career is consistent with a greater purpose: building bridges across differences to cultivate curiosity, spark joy & model the possibility of thriving in harmony. In 2018, she drove over 10,000 miles through 20 countries from Germany to Mongolia in a little car painted by graffiti artists along the way, hosting gatherings with immigrants, refugees & generational citizens to explore culture & identity in the context of migration. One day she’ll write a book about her adventures!

Joey Borgogna is a producer and advisor at the intersection of art, philanthropy, culture, and community, whose work is inspired by humanitarian and cultural expeditions spanning 21 countries on 5 continents.

He currently serves as Director of the Speranza Foundation where he manages the the Lincoln City Fellowship, a one-year, non-residential grant program for individual artists.

I'm driven to make the world a better place. I believe thoughtfully designed technology paired with individual opportunity can improve our world and make us all dream better. I saw the power of technology to do good in the world as a Navy pilot. I was driven to bring good technology into our lives as a test pilot, and then through quantum computing. I want us to focus on individual opportunities to push forward our ambitions. And I love working with great opportunities to fund companies doing just that.

Asiaha Butler is a longtime resident of Greater Englewood and is determined to uplift, inspire and change the perception of her neighborhood, which is often seen as a death trap. In November of 2010, she mobilized residents and co-founded the Resident Association of Greater Englewood also known as R.A.G.E., which she currently serves as Executive Director. The mission of R.A.G.E is to mobilize people and resources to force a change in the community. Butler recently founded her own real estate development company to ensure that housing development in Englewood happens from the bottom up.

Andre M. Perry is a Senior Fellow with the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, a scholar-in-residence at American University, and a columnist for the Hechinger Report. Perry is the author of the new book “Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities,” which is currently available wherever books are sold. A nationally known and respected commentator on race, structural inequality, and education, Perry is a regular contributor to MSNBC and has been published by The New York Times, The Nation, The Washington Post, TheRoot.com and CNN.com.

Performer,writer,mother and social justice warrior Naomi works nationally and internationally using art to promote peace and empower individuals particularly woman and girls to find their voice and use it.Founder,Executive director of The Advot Project a nonprofit that uses theatre to teach communication skills and relationships.Advot works in high schools, juvenile detention lock up facilities,foster care placement homes and community centers.Naomi has performed her one woman show on domestic violence “Flowers Aren’t Enough “over 2000 times globally.
Listen, Act,Change it’s as simple as that

Kerah is an effervescent mom|activist|actor|dancer|singer. She earned a BA in Performing Arts from Mary Washington University, and managed their 1400 seat theater before entering the world of User Experience Design by becoming UTSA's Webmaster, ultimately finding her way to Google. Kerah and her teams were granted multiple patents and won multiple design awards, including The Webby Award for the premier launch of Google News (for which she was the sole designer). Of note, she also won the title of "United Airlines' 1992 Philadelphia Flight Attendant of the Year" and was CEO of a dance company.

Driven by curiosity about what is possible when we challenge the status quo, Ruthi is passionate about addressing complex social challenges through innovation, community organizing, and collective action. Ruthi grew the simple concept of improving nutrition in food banks from local food drives in San Diego, CA to nationwide implementation in the charitable food network. An advocate of social justice and health equity, Ruthi leads community efforts to enact policy, systems, and environmental changes aimed at impacting social determinants of health for underserved populations.

By day, I'm a marketer & technologist and am the VP of Brand & Product Marketing at Duda. Prior to joining Duda, I was at GoDaddy for nearly six years and headed up content and community efforts globally. I've worked in startups and big companies and have developed marketing, customer community and evangelist programs for a number of brands you've heard of. I currently live in the Bay Area with HATCHer Lisa Stone and our family. We spend a lot of time in the Black Rock Desert, and we just got a converted 4x4 ambulance / rolling karaoke rig named ELeanoR that we use for our camping adventures.

Lara Stein is the Co-Founder and CEO of Boma Global. Lara was the Executive Director of Women’s March Global. Previously Ms. Stein was MD Global Development at Singularity University, responsible for SU's global expansion and implementation of vision and strategy. Lara was the founder of the TEDx program at the TED Conferences, creating and leading the effort to bring TED to the world by developing a program that granted free licenses to third parties to organize independent TED-like events. Equality Now. She is a visiting lecturer at Princeton, and advisor to We are Family Foundation.

Elyse’s background as an artist and teacher led her to Pixar where she spent 22 years. She developed and over-saw Pixar University and Pixar’s Exhibition Program and Archives. She created and curated the Pixar Gallery and the acclaimed traveling exhibitions Pixar 20 Years of Animation and the Science Behind Pixar. In 2015 Elyse’s passion to connect students to real world careers was realized when she led the team that created Pixar in a Box. In 2019 Elyse left Pixar to focus fully on educational equity and is now the CEO/Co-Founder of X in a Box. Elyse continues to be a practicing artist.

Jay is the Executive Director and CEO at Full Circle Fund. Throughout his career, Jay has been able to work for dynamic and forward-thinking organizations across the country and has always committed his time to mission-driven organizations dedicated to making positive change. His specialties include non-profit management, corporate partnership/business development, program development, evaluation and feedback, database administration and organizational optimization. Prior to joining Full Circle Fund, Jay was the Senior Vice President at buildOn, an international nonprofit working to break the