The Collective Impact Forum 2022

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https://collectiveimpactforum.swoogo.com/cias2022/1768983

The Collective Impact Forum, an initiative of FSG and the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions, is hosting the annual Collective Impact Action Summit on April 26-28, 2022. 

Highlights:

  • ​Plenary keynotes featuring Priya Parker (author of The Art of Gathering) in conversation with Melody Barnes (Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions); Rahwa Ghirmatzion (PUSH Buffalo), Tatewin Means (Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation) and Sarah Shanley Hope (The Solutions Project); and Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson (Children’s Defense Fund)
  • Breakout sessions designed for virtual participant engagement, addressing themes of culture and narrative change, shifting power and connecting to community, policy change, data and learning, and sustaining funding and momentum
  • Recordings of over 25 sessions available for attendees to view after the event

 

Monday, April 25, 2022
1:00 PM - 1:15 PM Funder Pre-Conference: Introduction & Overview Funder Pre-Conference Session
1:15 PM - 2:30 PM Panel & Discussion: Power and Philanthropy: Co-Creating Equity Funder Pre-Conference Session
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM Break Funder Pre-Conference Session
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM Panel & Discussion: The Role of Philanthropy as a Facilitator of Collaboration in Polarized Times Funder Pre-Conference Session
4:15 PM - 4:30 PM Funder Pre-Conference: Wrap-Up Funder Pre-Conference Session
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM Welcome Remarks Plenary Session
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Fireside Chat with Priya Parker: The New Era of (Re)gathering (Live Only) Plenary Session
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM Break  
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM A Shared Stewardship Approach to Distribute Leadership and Shift Power to Communities Concurrent How To Session
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM Being Anti-racist at Work: Using Tools to Drive Change Concurrent How To Session
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM Building Inclusive Collective Evaluation Practices Concurrent How To Session
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM Creating Impact Through a Community-Led and Human-Centered Approach Concurrent How To Session
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM Early Care and Education Systems Change in Montgomery County, MD: The Power of Cross-Sector Advocacy Concurrent How To Session
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM Systems Storytelling: Moving Beyond the Hero’s Journey Model to Tell Stories of Complex Change Concurrent How To Session
3:15 PM - 3:30 PM Break  
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM Canary in the Coal Mine: Lessons Learned for the Pandemic from a Disability Justice Lens Concurrent Short Talks
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM Restorative Trust: Healing Connections with Ourselves and Others  Concurrent Short Talks
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM Shifting Tides: Power Building in the Rural South Concurrent Short Talks
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM The Power of Data in Place Based Work Concurrent Short Talks
4:00 PM - 4:15 PM Break  
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM Coaching Office Hours with Deb Halliday Focused on Collective Impact in Rural Communities Coaching Office Hours
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM Coaching Office Hours with Erin McClarty Focused on Building Consensus for Collaboration Coaching Office Hours
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM Coaching Office Hours with Joelle Cook, Caitlin McConnico & Collen McCann Focused on Learning & Evaluation Coaching Office Hours
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM Coaching Office Hours with Lisa Attygalle Focused on Communications in Collective Impact Coaching Office Hours
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM A Whole Systems Approach to Collective Impact: How Two Communities Are Addressing Root Causes to the Climate Crisis Plenary Session
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM Break  
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM Buffalo Refuses to Lose: Transformative Change Through Storytelling Concurrent How To Session
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM Centering Truth Telling in DEI Initiatives Concurrent How To Session
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM People-Powered Economic Systems Change: Building a Wellbeing Economy in Pomona, CA Concurrent How To Session
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM Shifting Deficit Narratives by Returning to Ancestral Abundance and Wealth Concurrent How To Session
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM Tackling Involuntary Retirement Through Collective Impact in South Korea Concurrent How To Session
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM Tracking Systems to Achieve Equitable Outcomes Concurrent How To Session
3:15 PM - 3:30 PM Break  
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM Bottom-Up, Not Top-Down: How Saamuhika Shakti Creates the Change the Community Wants: Moderated by Vignesh Shankar Concurrent Short Talks
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM Moving Mindsets: How to Shape a Strategy Concurrent Short Talks
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM That Quiet Little Voice: Considerations for Design Ethics Concurrent Short Talks
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM The Role of Cross-Sector Collaboration in Resolving Climate Coloniality and Energy Disparity Concurrent Short Talks
4:00 PM - 4:15 PM Break  
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM Coaching Office Hours with Junious Williams Focused on Equity and Collective Impact Coaching Office Hours
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM Coaching Office Hours with Paul Schmitz Coaching Office Hours
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM Coaching Office Hours with Sylvia Cheuy Focused on Collaborative Governance Coaching Office Hours
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM Coaching Office Hours with Victor Tavarez and John Harper Focused on Systems Change Coaching Office Hours
Thursday, April 28, 2022
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Actor Mapping Concurrent Tool Session
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Data for Community Alignment and Shared Measurement Concurrent Tool Session
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Developmental Relationships: A Practical Tool to Maximize Collective Impact Concurrent Tool Session
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Ensuring Representation in a Steering Committee Concurrent Tool Session
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Prioritizing Healing Justice for Sustainable Leadership Concurrent Tool Session
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Service Prototypes: High-Impact, Low-Cost Ways to Design With Communities Concurrent Tool Session
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM The Road to Results: Using SMART Advocacy for Policy and Funding Change Concurrent Tool Session
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM Break  
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM 100% Narrative Strategy: A Case Study in Radical Collaboration Concurrent How To Session
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM Achieving Impact Through (Em)Power(Ed) Relationships by Putting Citizen Civil-Society Into Public Private Partnerships Concurrent How To Session
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM Changing "Soil Conditions" and Mental Models to Achieve Community Impact Concurrent How To Session
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM Diversifying Funding to Sustain Collective Impact Concurrent How To Session
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM Pathways to Creating Collaboration Concurrent How To Session
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM ProsperUs: Convening Community Action Networks to Advance a Cradle-to-Career Strategy Concurrent How To Session
2:45 PM - 3:00 PM Break  
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM Closing Keynote with Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson Plenary Session
Time Zone: (UTC-04:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) [Change Time Zone]
 

 

Keynote Speakers

Melody Barnes
Melody Barnes
MB² Solutions/ Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions and Opportunity Youth Forum
Co-Founder & Principal/ Chair

Melody Barnes is a Co-Founder and Principal of MB² Solutions LLC, a public affairs firm. Barnes serves as an Independent Director on the Boards of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR); Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (NYSE:BHA); Public Policy Advisory Board, Uber; the Marguerite Casey Foundation and Year Up.  Ms. Barnes also chairs the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions and Opportunity Youth Forum.  From January 2009 until January 2012, she was Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.  

As Director of the Domestic Policy Council, Ms. Barnes provided strategic advice to President Obama and worked closely with members of the Cabinet coordinating the domestic policy agenda across the Administration.  Under her leadership, innovative new policies, practices and partnerships were initiated to address significant national challenges, including education, health care and the federal government’s relationship with local governments and communities. 

Until July 2008, Ms. Barnes was the Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress, a progressive research institute and think tank.  From December 1995 until March 2003, Ms. Barnes worked for Senator Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee; she served as his chief counsel from 1998 until she left the Committee in 2003.  Barnes’ experience also includes an appointment as Director of Legislative Affairs for the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and serving as a Principal at the D.C.-based consulting firm, The Raben Group.  Ms. Barnes began her career as an attorney with Shearman & Sterling in New York City.  

Ms. Barnes received her law degree from the University of Michigan in 1989.  In 1986, she received her bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she graduated with honors in history.  Ms. Barnes’ media appearances include This Week with George Stephanopoulos, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Charlie Rose, The PBS NewsHour and Morning Joe.  She currently resides in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, Marland Buckner.


Ebo Barton
Ebo Barton
Performing Spoken Word

Ebo Barton comes from salt— from the moment before worlds converge. In this world, we are still trying to articulate that mixed Black and Filipino, Transgender and Non-Binary, Queer, Artists and Educators not only matter but are precious. In another world, Barton is loved, safe, and valued. The only difference being that the latter is a path they must make themselves. You may have seen Ebo's work in Natasha Marin's Black Imagination and heard in the audiobook read by Grammy and Tony award winner, Daveed Diggs.  You have also seen Ebo's work online on Write About Now, Button Poetry, and All Def Poetry channels.  In 2016, they placed 5th in the World at Individual World Poetry Slam. In 2017, they co-wrote and co-produced the award-winning play, "Rising Up".  In 2018, they played "Invisible One" in Anastacia Renee's "Queer. Mama. Crossroads" and reprised the role in 2019.  Ebo debuted his first published collection of poetry, Insubordinate in 2020.  In 2021, Insubordinate was named a Washington State Book Award Finalist in the Poetry Category and Black Imagination was named a Washington State Award Finalist in the Creative Non-Fiction Category. A leader in arts and activism, Ebo Barton is committed to creating opportunities for others to organize, heal and rejoice.  From curated shows  to educating across the country at various institutions, 2020 Jack Straw Writing Fellow, Ebo Barton's written, performative, and community work demand societal reckoning.


Sheri Brady
Sheri Brady
Children's Defense Fund
Vice President, Strategy and Program

Sheri Brady serves as the Vice President of Strategy and Program of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) where she guides the organization’s programmatic work, ensuring that CDF’s efforts in policy advocacy, service delivery, and movement building are aligned to maximize impact on children’s lives.

Prior to joining CDF, Ms. Brady was the Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions, managing an emerging and expanding body of work focused on supporting community power-building and equity which included overseeing key partnerships focused on building philanthropic field practices around community-centered grantmaking. She was previously the Director of Policy at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, where she provided foundation-wide leadership on policy and advocacy grantmaking.

She serves on the boards of Everyday Democracy, which works to advance deliberative democracy and improve the quality of public life in the United States; Generations United working to improve the lives of children, youth, and older people through intergenerational collaboration; and Women’s Equity Center and Action Network with the mission to provide women of color with tools and resources to facilitate their engagement in the policymaking that affects their daily lives.

She earned her BA in political science from Wheaton College in Norton, MA and her JD from the University of California at Berkeley Law School.


Rahwa Ghirmatzion
Rahwa Ghirmatzion
PUSH Buffalo
Executive Director

Rahwa Ghirmatzion was born in Asmera, Eritrea in the middle of a civil war. She came to Western New York as a refugee at the age of eight with her family, after living in Sudan. She was educated in Buffalo Public Schools and SUNY at Buffalo.In 2018, Rahwa became executive director of PUSH Buffalo, a community organization that works at the grassroots to create and implement a comprehensive revitalization plan for Buffalo’s West Side, with more than $70 million invested in affordable housing rehabilitation, solar installation, green jobs training, weatherization and green infrastructure. Ghirmatzion oversees the organization’s programs and day-to-day operations, which have grown to include housing construction, weatherization, solar installation, job training, and a youth center on Grant Street, as well as outreach and advocacy on public policy on climate justice, housing justice and social issues facing urban communities.Ghirmatzion’s greatest accomplishment to date is being a mom to a beautiful and joyful Black boy.


Tatewin Means
Tatewin Means
Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation
Executive Director

Tatewin Means is from the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota, Oglala Lakota and Inhanktonwan nations in South Dakota. Ms. Means grew up in her Oglala homelands where her father is from. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Stanford University in Environmental Engineering with a minor in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity; JDwith a concentration in Human Rights Law from the University of Minnesota Law School; and Master of Artsdegree in Lakota Leadership and Management from Oglala Lakota College. A longtime advocate for human rights, survivors, children,and families,Tatewin Means served as the Attorney General for the Oglala Sioux Tribe in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation from 2012-2017.In 2018, Tatewin sought the Democraticnomination for South Dakota Attorney General—the first ever Indigenous woman to seek the office of a state Attorney General in the United States. Tatewin served as a German Marshall Fund Marshall Memorial Fellow in 2015 and a 2020 fellow in PolicyLink’s Ambassadorsfor Health Equity fellowship.Currently, Tatewin is a 2022 RockwoodLeadership Institute’sLeading from the Inside OutFellow. Tatewin is the Executive Director of Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, an Indigenous grassrootsorganization in Oglala Territory, seeking liberation for Lakota people through language, lifeways and spirituality.


Priya Parker
Priya Parker

Priya Parker is helping us take a deeper look at how anyone cancreate collective meaning in modern life, one gathering at a time. She is a master facilitator, strategic advisor, acclaimed author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters​, and executive producer and host of the​ ​New York Times​ podcast, ​Together Apart​. Parker ​has spent 15 years helping leaders and communities have complicated conversations about community and identity and vision at moments of transition. Trained in the field of conflict resolution, Parker has worked on race relations on American college campuses and on peace processes in the Arab world, southern Africa, and India.

Parker is a founding member of the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network, a member ofthe World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Values Council and the New Models of Leadership, and a Senior Expert at Mobius Executive Leadership. She studied organizational design at M.I.T., public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and political and social thought at the University of Virginia.

Parker’s ​The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters ​(Riverhead, 2018) has been named a Best Business Book of the year by Amazon, Esquire Magazine, NPR, theFinancial Times, 1-800-CEO-READS and Bloomberg. She has spoken on the TED MainStage, and her TEDx talk on purpose has been viewed over 1 million times. Parker’s work has been featured in numerous outlets including the ​New York Times​, the ​WallStreet Journal​, NPR, TED.com, Forbes.com, Real Simple Magazine, Oprah.com, Bloomberg, Glamour, the Today Show and Morning Joe. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, ​Anand Giridharadas​, and their two children.


Sarah Shanley Hope
Sarah Shanley Hope
The Solutions Project
VP of Brand + Partnerships

Sarah Shanley Hope is the VP of Brand + Partnerships at The Solutions Project following seven years as the organization’s first Executive Director. Under Sarah’s leadership, the organization transformed its mission and culture to center racial and gender equity, launched the field’s first and only award-winning intermediary climate and equity fund, and grew a celebratory, collaborative and inclusive movement for 100% clean energy. Sarah has held executive or leadership roles at the Alliance for Climate Education (now renamed Action for the Climate Emergency), Green For All, Cargill and Best Buy over her 15+ years of experience in brand strategy and social change. She has raised and helped deploy more than $75 million in support of a racial equity and climate solutions agenda over her tenure in the field.

Shanley Hope graduated with an MBA from the University of Minnesota and a BA in political science from Vassar College. She grew up in Buffalo, NY and lives with her husband, daughters and dog in Oakland, CA, where she also sits on the Board of Native Renewables. Sarah’s work has been featured in a range of outlets including the NY Times, People Magazine, and the Daily Show. She has spoken about the vision, strategies and stories of change at the intersection of climate solutions and equity as part of TEDxMidAtlantic, Climate One, the Social Venture Network, Climate Week, and Bioneers.


Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson
Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson
Children's Defense Fund (CDF)
President and CEO

The Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson is president & CEO of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), pursuing the vision of a nation where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their well-being, and communities wieldthe power to ensure they thrive. Since 1973, CDF has been leading the movement to build power for child-centered public policy, informed by racial equity and the lived experience of children and youth.

Dr. Wilson is board chair for the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) and vice chair of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE). He also serves boards for CDF Action Council, Duke Divinity School, the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference and Sojourners.

From 2011 through 2020, Rev. Wilson was president & CEO of Deaconess Foundation, a faith-based philanthropy for child well-being and racial justice in St. Louis. Under his leadership, Deaconess constructed and established the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being, a community action tank engaging more than 15,000 citizens annually. From 2008 through 2018, Dr. Wilson also pastored Saint John’s Church (The Beloved Community), an inter-racial, inner-city congregation related to the United Church of Christ.

After the police killing of Michael Brown, Jr., Wilson and the church hosted the #BlackLivesMatter Freedom Ride to Ferguson and served as the welcome center for #FergusonOctober. In service of community healing, Wilson co-chaired the Ferguson Commission. In 2015, they released the ‘Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equity’Report, calling for sweeping changes in policing, the courts, child well-being and economic mobility.

Dr. Wilson earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Xavier University of Louisiana, Master of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary, and the Doctor of Ministry from Duke University. For his public theology, he was awarded Doctor of Public Service and Doctor of Divinity degreeshonoris causaby Saint Louis University and Eden Theological Seminary, respectively. A member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Starsky is married to Dr. LaToya Smith Wilson, a dentist and child advocate. They are raising four children.

Follow Dr. Wilson’s activism, philanthropy, and ministry at @RevDrStarskyand @ChildDefender.


 

 

Featured Short Talk Speakers

George Aye
George Aye
Greater Good Studio

George Ayeco-founded Greater Good Studio to use design to heal, to be just, to be restorative, Previously, he spent seven years at a global innovation firm before being hired as the first human-centered designer at the Chicago Transit Authority. Since founding Greater Good he guides clients and teams through complex projects that honor reality, creates ownership, and builds power. He speaks frequently across the US and internationally. George holds the position of Full Professor (Adj) at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.


Amber Banks
Amber Banks
Center for Trust and Transformation

Dr. Amber Banks is the CEO and Founder of the Center for Trust and Transformation- a collective dedicated to the advancement of trust as a foundational building block for racial equity and social justice. Amber brings over two decades of experience in education and the social sector as an educator, researcher, facilitator, advisor, entrepreneur, and organizer. Through the Center for Trust and Transformation, Dr. Banks’ work rewrites the narrative on trust to better honor our histories and identities and invites clients to build and repair trust in service of joy, justice, and liberation. Dr. Banks is driven by a commitment to a radical imagination of what’s possible when we work together from a place of trust, repair, and healing.


Maria Bystedt
Maria Bystedt
H&M Foundation

With 20 years' experience in the development sector Maria is responsible for setting the strategic direction for the Inclusive Societies pillar of the H&M Foundation. Further, she heads the foundation's programme in India, addressing the systemic interrelated challenges in the ecosystem surrounding informal waste pickers. The programme takes a holistic approach andincludes nine partner organisations as well as supporting social entrepreneurs and building business opportunities in the circular economy space. Maria joined the H&M Foundation at its inception in 2013 and has previously worked within several international development organisations such as the Swedish UN Association and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Maria holds a bachelor's degree from University of Sussex, BA (Hons) in Social Anthropology with Development Studies, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Social Science Research from Nottingham Trent University.


Federico Cintrón Moscoso
Federico Cintrón Moscoso
El Puente

Federico Cintrón-Moscoso is a Puerto Rican anthropologist, educator and climate justice activist. He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Anthropology from the University of South Florida, and an M.A. in Archaeology from the University of Southampton (U.K.). He is currently the Program Director at El Puente—Latino Climate Action Network, a program that brings together environmental justice and community leaders to mobilize and educate around issues of climate change mitigation and adaptation. He represents El Puente in the Queremos Sol (We Want Sun) coalition, a cross-sector collaboration fighting for an energy path towards self-sufficiency and sustainability based on the use of solar energy, and the promotion of local ownership and economic progress while combating partisan political interference and systemic corruption. Dr. Cintrón also serves on the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee for the San Juan Bay National Estuary Program and is a member of the UNESCO Chair for Peace Education. For the past 18 years he has also been involved in youth development and applied research projects that combine arts, science and culture in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean and has served as an independent consultant on topics related to climate change and participatory resource management. He has taught at the University of Puerto Rico in the School of Education and the School of Social Work, as well as in the Women and Gender Studies Program. In 2015, he received the Washington Association of Professional Anthropologists’ Praxis Award Honorary Mention for leading the public participation process of the El Yunque National Forest’s Plan Management revision. He is currently co-editing a forthcoming book on just transitions for Puerto Rico. Federico is passionate about photography and dedicates his spare time to documenting everyday life, cultural events and political resistance.


Shemeka Frazier Sorrells
Shemeka Frazier Sorrells
A Better Glynn

Shemeka Frazier Sorrells is a co-founder of the organization— A Better Glynn which was founded on the wake of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. A Better Glynn is a nonprofit that exists to identify, educate and equip individuals to be equity-driven decision-makers through civic engagement, policy advocacy and leadership development.

Shemeka holds a BS in psychology from Georgia Southern University and Masters degree in Counseling & Psychology from Troy University. Mrs. Sorrells is a licensed mental health clinician in the state of Georgia and has national credentials as a Project Management Professional (PMP) with 20 years of progressive experience in social services, nonprofit and government leadership.

Aside from her work in the community, Shemeka Frazier Sorrells is a Strategic Consultant within the Systems Improvement unit at Casey Family Programs where she provides leadership and oversight of field-building efforts through relationships with government, business, non profit, community and philanthropy partners to support long term safety and success of children and their families.

Shemeka Frazier Sorrells passions include community advocacy, well-being of youth, children & families and race equity. She resides in Brunswick, Georgia with her husband and daughter.


Rosanne Haggerty
Rosanne Haggerty
Community Solutions

Rosanne Haggerty is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Community Solutions. She is an internationally recognized leader in developing innovative strategies to end homelessness and strengthen communities. Community Solutions assists communities throughout the US and internationally in solving the complex housing problems facing their most vulnerable residents. Their large scale change initiatives include the 100,000 Homes and Built for Zero Campaigns to end chronic and veteran homelessness, and neighborhood partnerships that bring together local residents and institutions to change the conditions that produce homelessness. Earlier, she founded Common Ground Community, a pioneer in the design and development of supportive housing and research-based practices that end homelessness. 

Ms. Haggerty was a Japan Society Public Policy Fellow, and is a MacArthur Foundation Fellow, Ashoka Senior Fellow, Hunt Alternative Fund Prime Mover and the recipient of honors including the Jane Jacobs Medal for New Ideas and Activism from the Rockefeller Foundation, Social Entrepreneur of the year from the Schwab Foundation, Cooper Hewitt/Smithsonian Design Museum’s National Design Award and Independent Sector’s John W. Gardner Leadership Award. She is a graduate of Amherst College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.


Elijah Henderson
Elijah Henderson
A Better Glynn

Elijah “Bobby” Henderson is a co-founder of a Better Glynn, is a Glynn County native, veteran and has over 20 years of experience serving in the ministry. Bobby’s passion is for the people and he uses his knowledge of history, advocacy, and thirst for learning to improve the lives of those around him.

Aside from A Better Glynn, Bobby provides project management and oversight in the pulp and paper industry at Georgia Pacific in Brunswick, GA where he resides with his wife, 6 children and 9 godchildren.


Mia Ives-Rublee
Mia Ives-Rublee
Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress

Mia Ives-Rublee MSW, Director of The Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress, is a disabled transracial adoptee who has dedicated her life’s work to civil rights activism. She began her journey as an adapted athlete, competing internationally in track, road racing, fencing, and crossfit. She obtained her Master’s in Social Work at UNC Chapel Hill and began working with disabled people to help them find work and independence in their communities at the NC Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services. She also worked as a research assistant at UNC Chapel Hill Department of Emergency Medicine. Mia is best known for founding the Women’s March Disability Caucus and organizing the original Women’s March on Washington in 2017. She has worked with Women's March, Families Belong Together, the March on Climate Change, DC Action Lab, Adoptees for Justice, and numerous other progressive organizations. For her work on the Women’s March on Washington, Mia was named by Glamour Magazine as one of 2017’s Women of the Year Award. She was also recognized by She the People as one of 20 Women of Color in Politics to Watch in 2020 and awarded the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award from UNC School of Social Work. As a public speaker, Mia advocates on the national stage for the rights of disabled people, immigrants, and other marginalized communities.

 


Lakshmi Pattabi Raman
Lakshmi Pattabi Raman
Saamuhika Shakti at Center for Social Innovation, The/Nudge Foundation

Lakshmi Pattabi Raman currently serves as Executive Director, Saamuhika Shakti at Center for Social Innovation, The/Nudge Foundation. After a long stint in the corporate sector, Lakshmi moved to the social impact space and joined The/Nudge in 2018.

Lakshmi leads the backbone team for Saamuhika Shakti – a Collective Impact project in solidarity with the waste picker community in Bengaluru, India. She is responsible for facilitating the collective success of the implementing partners in the initiative and growing the network of collaborators for Saamuhika Shakti.

Before joining the social impact sector, Lakshmi has over 15 years of experience in the Corporate sector in various roles including private equity, strategy and finance across organisations like Ascent Capital, Aditya Birla Group and Deloitte where she worked on solving diverse business problems and scaling up solutions.

Lakshmi is a Chartered Accountant and MBA from Indian School of Business.

 


John Richards
John Richards
A Better Glynn

John Richards is a co-founder of A Better Glynn, is a Glynn County native whose background and experience have helped him pour back in the community that raised and shaped him. John received his B.A. in Political Science from Morehouse College and his J.D. from Howard University School of Law. As a licensed attorney and pastor, John helps provide leadership for policy matters and strategic organizing in Glynn County.

John resides in Little Rock, Arkansas with his wife and two children.


Vignesh Shankar
Vignesh Shankar
FSG (Moderator)

Vignesh brings over 16 years of experience across global development, strategy and operations consulting, and financial services. Based in the Mumbai office of FSG, Vignesh works in the inclusive markets, collective impact and shared value approaches. He has led several engagements involving in-depth research, strategy development, and program management across WASH, education, family planning and reproductive health, waste management, and skilling.


Dr. Julie Sweetland
Dr. Julie Sweetland
FrameWorks Institute

Dr. Julie Sweetland is a sociolinguist and a senior advisor at the FrameWorks Institute, a nonprofit that equips change-makers to lead productive public conversations on scientific and social issues. FrameWorks’unique approach to communications research shapes public discourse across the nation and around the world. Their impact was recognized in 2015 with the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, otherwise known as the “organizational genius grant.” Since joining FrameWorks in 2012, Dr. Sweetland has co-constructed and led strategic reframing initiatives on issues like climate change, health equity, and childhood adversity. Julie’s skill in translating framing research into communication strategy has helped advocates, policymakers, and scientists drive social change.

 

 

Position: Co -Founder of ENGAGE,a new social venture for the promotion of volunteerism and service and Ideator of Sharing4Good

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