Martha’s Vineyard

Miishe Addy is co-Founder and CEO of Jetstream Africa, an e-logistics and financing company headquartered in Tema, Ghana.  Selected by the World Economic Forum as a 2024 global “Tech Pioneer”, Jetstream is the largest e-logistics company in Africa for cross-border trade, by capital raised and number of customers financed. Miishe started her career as a top-ranked strategy analyst for Bain & Company in New York, practiced transactional law at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and has consulted global development organizations, including TechnoServe and Global Partnerships. Addy was recognized by the Project Management Institute as one of the top 50 next-generation project managers globally, and by Forbes Woman Africa as a New Wealth Creator. Miishe earned an honors BA in Philosophy from Harvard College, and a JD from Stanford Law School. She lives with her family in Ghana and Nigeria.

Steven is the Chair of the Oakland Roots SC and Oakland Soul SC, a community-focused, purpose-driven pro soccer club in Oakland. The Oakland Roots began playing in the USL Championship in 2021 and the Oakland Soul will begin playing in 2023. The role integrates multiple elements from his experience including entrepreneurship, leadership, community impact, and sports. He hopes that the staff, ownership, and squad represent the diversity of Oakland and set an example of using sport as a platform for social impact. Steven spent seven years at GoDaddy, the last three as the chief product officer, helping grow the company from 10 million to 18 million total customers; from 2 million to 8 million international customers; from $1B to over $3B in revenue; from a private to a public company; and from domain-centric to a full line of products and services for entrepreneurs. Steven started GoDaddy’s California offices when he sold his start-up Outright to the company in 2012, becoming Chief Product Officer in 2016. Earlier in his career, Steven spent over a decade in a variety of leadership roles helping Intuit grow its consumer and small business divisions after joining in 1996 when he sold them Insure – Market, an online insurance marketplace he co-founded. He serves on the Boards of Avantax (AVTA) and Xero (XRO.AX). He is also Chair of the Bay Area Glass Institute, a non-profit glass studio. Steven became NACD Directorship Certified in 2021. He loves spending time with his wife Allison and their son, Jackson, at many sports and arts events. Steven earned an M.B.A. from Stanford where he was recognized as an Arjay Miller Scholar and a B.A. in physics from the University of North Carolina where he was a Morehead-Cain Scholar and a co-captain of the fencing team.

Alvin Bowles | Vice President, Global Business Group, Americas Alvin Bowles, VP, Global Business Group, Americas, leads Meta’s sales organization in the United States, Canada and Latin America. His team works with the largest and most influential advertisers and agencies in the Americas, helping them grow their business and connect with consumers in innovative and effective ways across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Marketplace. Since joining Meta in 2015, Alvin has held several leadership positions across the company, leading the Advertising Technology Division, Global Marketing Solutions Partnerships, Business Ecosystem Partnerships, and Global Partnerships & Engineering. Alvin holds an MBA from Harvard University, a BBA from the University of Michigan, and sits on the boards of Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE: RHP) and the Partnership of New York.  He is an active member of the alumni network for both schools and is active in various community and philanthropic organizations.  

Melissa L. Bradley is a tri-sector leader with over 30 years of experience in finance, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Melissa is the founder and the driving force behind 1863 Ventures. 1863 Ventures is a platform that delivers content, capital, and connections to New Majority entrepreneurs. The goal is to foster responsible entrepreneurship, reshape the support and narrative around their potential and needs, and drive meaningful change in the entrepreneurial landscape. Her vision is to be a trusted source for, and leading provider of business knowledge, capital, tools, and support for New Majority businesses in the US to help companies scale and support $100B in new wealth by 2030. She is also an exited founder, a board member of Eat the Change, and a trustee of the Nathan Cummings Foundation. Melissa’s influence extends beyond her entrepreneurial ventures; she is a CNBC CEO Council member, Milken Institute Inclusive Capitalism Executive Council member, and Goldman Sachs’ One Million Black Women Advisory Council member. In addition to her entrepreneurial ventures, Melissa is a distinguished Professor of Practice at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. In 2022, she was awarded the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Alliance Excellence Award for Impact, named to the Forbes 50 Over 50 list for social entrepreneurship and the Washington Business Journal’s Power 100 list. In 2024, Melissa was selected to receive the John Carroll Award, recognizing volunteer and civic achievement amongst 200k+ Georgetown alumni worldwide. Over the last two years, she was commended with the Entrepreneurship Faculty Excellence Award, the Joseph F. LeMoine Award for Undergraduate and Graduate Teaching Excellence, the Peter W. Gonzalez, Jr. Award for Excellence in Adjunct Faculty Teaching, and The Ideas Worth Teaching Award, which celebrates exceptional courses that are preparing future business leaders to tackle society’s largest challenges and create a more inclusive, just, and sustainable version of capitalism. Melissa’s public sector experience includes membership in the National Advisory Council on Innovation at Entrepreneurship (NACIE) and the Small Business Administration’s Investment Capital Advisory Committee (ICAC). She has held presidential appointments to the Department of Treasury under President Clinton and AmeriCorps, the Department of Education, and the White House Social Innovation Fund under President Obama.

Euler Bropleh is the Founder and Managing Partner of VestedWorld, an early-stage fund manager that aims to catalyze growth and development in some of the most underserved markets around the world. VestedWorld leverages its deep knowledge and networks to identify businesses that can play a role in transforming industries and communities where they invest. They have invested in African startups addressing critical social and market needs in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and other countries across the continent. Euler is a Liberian native who left the country during the Liberian Civil War. Therefore, he understands firsthand how conflict, instability, and lack of economic growth can impact the lives of people in developing countries. Before founding VestedWorld, Euler had experience working at leading law firms Latham & Watkins and Vedder Price P.C., where he represented Fortune 100 companies, venture capital and private equity firms, and emerging businesses worldwide. This laid the foundation for his work as an angel investor. Euler attended Emory University where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in International Studies. He then attended the University of St. Andrews where he earned his MSc in International Strategy and Economics and was a Bobby Jones Scholar. Following his time at the University of St. Andrews, Euler attended the University of Chicago Law School. Here he earned his JD, was a Donald E. Egan Scholar, and received the Ann Watson Barber Service Award. Euler splits his time between Accra, Ghana, and Chicago, IL. He serves on the Board of the African Leadership Foundation (which supports the African Leadership Academy and the African Leadership University), mothers2mothers, AgriCorps, Ingenuity, and The Field Museum.  

Maya’s career showcases a strong dedication to inclusive, community-driven product and business strategy across the tech, entertainment, and venture capital industries. She has dedicated her career to forming and championing partnerships that influence how companies engage and build with the communities they serve. Currently serving as Head of Product Equity Partnerships at Meta, Maya integrates the lived experiences, preferences, and feedback of Meta’s diverse, global audience into product development. She collaborates closely with user experience (UXR), design, and product teams to ensure the use of equitable, co-creation practices. Maya then partners with underheard and often minoritized communities to influence internal team strategies, helping teams avoid biases and build inclusive features where possible. In her early years at Meta, Maya served as a program manager and launched Meta’s first nationwide program focused on equity in education: CodeFWD. She also developed and launched The Black Mural Project with Iddris Sandu and Lebron James’ I Promise School to expose students to augmented reality. Over the course of her 7-year career at Meta, Maya led inclusive partnerships for the launch of Facebook Campus, and established diverse consumer go-to-market and product strategies for Instagram, WhatsApp, and SparkAR. Before joining Meta, Maya’s career spanned multiple industries. She worked in emerging and minority talent representation at Sony Music Entertainment, managed the women-owned, emerging portfolio at Ramius Capital Group, LLC and worked in business development at Omaze raising funds for charities through impactful campaigns like “Phenomenal Woman” and “Nasty Woman”. Maya holds a B.A. in International Relations & Global Business from the University of Southern California and resides in Long Beach, CA. She enjoys scuba diving, exploring Mesoamerican ruins, and watching beach sunsets both locally and abroad.

Kerry is an accomplished HR business executive with experience in strategic planning, talent acquisition, performance management and organizational transformation. She was most recently, Chief People Officer at Bombas. Previously, she was CHRO at Endeavor, a global leader in entertainment, sports and fashion, where she was an important member of the executive team that took Endeavor public on the NYSE. Prior to that, Kerry was CHRO at Under Armour; the Global Head of Human Resources with Christie’s International; and EVP, HR for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Kerry started her career in HR at the McDonnell Douglas Corporation (the Boeing Company), then worked at Exxon, Motorola and IBM. Her transition to the sports and entertainment industry began when she joined ESPN as SVP, HR, followed by other roles at Disney including Head of HR at Hong Kong Disneyland.  Kerry is currently an independent board director and serves on the compensation committee at both Redfin (NASDAQ) and Lyra Health. Kerry graduated from Lincoln University in Missouri with a BS in Public Administration, Washington University with an MA in Human Resources Management, and McGill University with an MS in Management. She also earned a certificate from INSEAD’s International Masters in Practicing Management Program in Fontainebleau, France.  

Jon Chapman, CEO of PlayVS  As CEO of PlayVS, Jon is focused on scaling the company while expanding its offerings so that students everywhere can experience the competition, community and inclusivity of esports. Prior to joining PlayVS, Jon served as President and Co-founder of EVERFI,  having led the company from a startup to a thriving global organization with more than 500 employees serving some of the top corporations and organizations in the world. During his tenure, he was instrumental in each phase of EVERFI’s growth, including co-leading four funding rounds totaling $251M and the acquisition of three organizations. He also led the company’s expansion into the United Kingdom through the acquisition of EdComs in 2019. While serving as the President of EVERFI’s Enterprise and International divisions, Jon ran a multi-faceted team that led partnerships with hundreds of the biggest global brands. EVERFI was acquired for $750M in December 2021 by Blackbaud, (NASDAQ: BLKB), the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good.  

MiAngel Cody is lead counsel for The DEcarceration Collective – a 100% woman-powered law firm fighting to free people sentenced to life in prison for drugs and to end the policies that put them there. Attorney Cody has defended hundreds of people in federal court and won freedom for 47 prisoners serving life sentences for drug offenses, including 6 successful presidential clemencies. Notably, she co-counseled the historic #90DaysOfFreedom Campaign. In three short months, Ms. Cody and her co-counsel won freedom for 17 federal prisoners sentenced to life without parole for drugs. She is a 2014 recipient of the Federal Bar Association’s National Younger Federal Lawyer of the Year Award. In 2019, the American Constitution Society named her a “Legal Legend” and Essence Magazine named Ms. Cody a “Top 100 Changemaker in America.” Before launching her own defense firm, Ms. Cody worked as a corporate litigator and Chicago Federal Defender. Prior to becoming a lawyer, she was a capital investigator who spent seven years listening to death row prisoners in Louisiana and Georgia. She believes the Sixth Amendment demands the highest caliber of representation for those with the least financial means, especially when their freedom or life is at stake. As a writer and producer, Ms. Cody curates stories that expose the trauma and survivorship of those trapped in America’s criminal courts. She has seen incarcerated fathers and mothers kiss children goodbye. She’s watched judges lament that mandatory sentencing laws left them hamstrung with no discretion. She’s seen people leave prison with no ID card, no home, no medicine, no methadone, no health insurance, no bus card, no education & no job prospects. She has stood with many people as they were sent into cages. And she’s received desperate calls when those same people returned from prison with nothing. Ultimately, she’s witnessed a system dehumanize humans and, in doing so, become dehumanized itself. MiAngel Cody’s work has been featured in Essence Magazine, the New York Times, MSNBC, Chicago Tribune, Amazon’s Audible Series and CNN.

Nikki Clifton leads UPS’s global philanthropy, social impact, and international community affairs, leveraging the company’s partnerships and logistical acumen to respond to the world’s most pressing social, humanitarian, and environmental needs. Bringing nearly three decades of litigation, legislative affairs, and philanthropic expertise to her role, Nikki oversees The UPS Foundation’s work delivering health and humanitarian aid, eliminating systemic barriers to economic opportunity, building local capacity, and advancing sustainability around the world. Nikki has been instrumental in several signature initiatives at UPS. She coordinated the company’s anti-human trafficking awareness and advocacy initiatives to create the largest training initiative in the private logistics industry. Under her leadership, The UPS Foundation advanced the in-kind distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and cold chain freezers to underserved countries, a global effort that called on UPS’s airline, drone, and ground network. Nikki is overseeing a strategic overhaul of The UPS Foundation to align the company’s philanthropic strategy more closely with UPS’s strengths and priorities and to center its work on equity and justice. Nikki is adept at catalyzing change and building coalitions across the aisle, sectors, and geographies. In her previous Vice President role for Global Public Affairs, she led UPS’s workforce policy, legislative advocacy, and external affairs engagement with members of Congress and the states’ attorneys general. Pri or to government affairs, she served as Labor & Employment Counsel at UPS. During that time, she served on the UPS/IBT National Negotiating Committee, supporting contract negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and developed the UPS La bor Negotiations School. She has also worked for Delta Air Lines as a labor and employment litigator and practiced labor and employment law with two Atlanta law firms. Throughout her career and in her personal life, Nikki has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to creating equitable access to opportunity, especially for those in marginalized and underserved communities. She is active in multiple community and civic organizations, including as inaugural National 4 – H Luminary, and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, and Points of Light. She was appointed to the Department of Transportation Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACVFA). Nikki earned her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in communications from Howard University and her J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law. She is a member of the Georgia Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. She lives in Falls Church, Virginia with her husband, four children, and their Goldendoodle.

Aimée is the founder and CEO of Braven which works to ensure underrepresented college students develop the skills, confidence, experiences and networks to get strong first jobs after graduation. She founded Braven based on her deep belief that our next generation of leaders will emerge from everywhere. Aimée spent the majority of her career at Teach For America. She held various senior leadership roles, including leading the organization’s groundbreaking work around its human capital and diversity efforts. Earlier in her career, Aimée taught sixth grade, led the Breakthrough/Summerbridge New Orleans site, and worked for the national organization. She is a recipient of The 1954 Project’s 2021 Luminary Awards, a 2020 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, 2019 Obama Foundation Fellow, Pahara – Aspen fellow, a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, a Braddock Scholar, a Draper Richards Foundation Entrepreneur, and a Camelback Ventures Fellow. A graduate of Mt. Holyoke College, Aimée resides in Chicago with her husband and three children.

Nneka Eze is a Managing Partner at VestedWorld, an Africa-focused venture capital firm backing founders building category-creating companies delivering real products and services to real African consumers, enabled by tech. VestedWorld has over 30 portfolio companies in East and West Africa. Nneka has deep experience and knowledge of mass market African consumers in rural and urban areas based on 15 years of living and working in and across Africa. She believes deeply in the firm’s north star — that Africa can become the next East Asia. Prior to VestedWorld, Nneka founded the Nigerian office of a global strategy consulting firm after helping scale the business across Africa, and was co-lead of the Global Agriculture & Food Security Practice working with global and Africa-based FMCG companies, governments, and non-profits on market entry, product, and impact strategies. She was previously a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company in Washington, DC. She serves on the boards of the Impact Investors’ Foundation of Nigeria, Nigeria’s National Advisory Board for Impact Investing, The Resolution Project, and AMP Health. Nneka holds an AB in economics cum laude from Harvard College and speaks intermediate French. She is a Kauffman Fellow in Class 28.

Meg is a global healthcare strategist, investor, academic, and author. She has worked in every domain of healthcare from front-line patient care through the Fortune 500 while serving on the faculty at Columbia University. Currently, Meg serves as a senior advisor to several firms including Goldman Sachs and Wellspring Capital while also managing her own public health growth fund at Grey Ghost Capital. Megwas the CEO and managing partner at Letter One, a $25 billion international private equity firm. She led L1’s Health’s inaugural investment vehicle focused on biopharma and healthcare services allocating over~$4.7B in three years in pharma services and animal health. Prior to that, she spent twenty years ascending corporate America working for much prominent healthcare companiesincludingCardinal Health, Medco, Pfizer, and Merck. Currently, Meg is a member of the board of directors at TenetHealthaleading Fortune 200 healthcare services company and a founder of K2HealthVenturesa’s life science investment fund. She is the founder of Greg Ghost Capitalwithequity investments into cyber security (Circle-AI), blockchain (Chronicled), and mental health (Mindbloom). Meg obtained a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) at New York Medical College, focusing on health policy and the social determinants of health. She earned a Master of Public Health from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Nursing from Fairfield University. Currently, Megteaches Strategy and “The Business of Healthcare” at Columbia University in New York. Her book “Ascending Davos: A career journey from the emergency room to the board room” has won several book awards.

Rich Gotham is in his 20th season with the 17 – time world Champion Boston Celtics and his 15th season as team President. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of the Celtics business operations including sales, marketing, customer service, corporate partnerships, business development, game entertainment, community engagement, communications, public relations, broadcast partnerships, arena relations, and real estate matters. In addition, he works closely with Celtics ownership, basketball operations staff, and the NBA on basketball-related matters, as well as team and league initiatives. He succeeds Arnold “Red” Auerbach as Celtics team President and serves on the NBA Board of Governors. Prior to being named Team President, Rich served as the team’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Since joining the Celtics in 2003, Rich has been recognized for leading the team to new heights off the court while growing team revenues by over 400%. Under his leadership the team has established new records for attendance, ticket sales, sponsorship, merchandise, and television ratings, contributing to the team’s first NBA Championship in twenty – two years in 2008, as well as seven division titles, six Eastern Conference Finals, and three NBA Finals appearances. In addition, he led negotiations for the construction and naming rights for the new state-of-the-art Red Auerbach training center in partnership with New Balance, as well as a long-term lease extension with the TD Garden. Rich also negotiated a long-term media rights and equity partnership with Comcast SportsNet, one of the largest such deals in NBA league history. Rich and the Celtics have been widely recognized as thought leaders in the business of sports. During the 2008 – 2009 season, the Celtics were recognized as the top franchise in all of professional sports by The Sports Business Journal. With over 20 million social media followers, the Celtics have pioneered sports digital marketing and fan engagement, aggregating one of the largest digital following in all of North American Sports. Under Rich’s guidance, the Celtics have significantly increased their efforts to help children in need throughout New Eng land and their programs have been recognized by The White House and US Department of Education. With over 200 events and 140 player appearances annually, Celtics initiatives impact over 20,00 0 children each year. In addition, Rich is very active in multiple charitable and fundraising initiatives on behalf of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, for which he is a board member. Along with team ownership, Rich spearheaded the formation of Boston Celtics United, a $25 million fund , addressing social justice and social equality initiatives in and around Boston. Rich joined the Celtics after a fifteen-year career in the tech industry, including five years with the global internet media company, Lycos, where he served as Vice President of Sales and Business Development and was responsible for generating revenues in excess of $300 million annually. While at Lycos, he was part of a senior – management team that exceeded Wall Street analyst expectations for revenue and profitability growth for nineteen (19) consecutive quarters and played an integral role in helping to grow the Lycos Network into the most visited website on the Internet in 2001. In addition, he sat on the Board of Directors for the Internet Advertising Bureau participating in the creation of multiple new Internet advertising standards that are still in place today. In addition to his duties with the Celtics, Rich currently serves as a board member for The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and The Make-A-Wish Foundation. He also serves as a Trustee at Providence College, his alma mater.

Oneshia Herring is NFHA’s Senior Vice President and Counsel for Consulting and Compliance. She leads the organization’s efforts to provide high-impact consulting and compliance services to financial institutions, housing providers, federal and state government agencies, insurance companies, and other entities. She specializes in helping institutions identify, evaluate, and mitigate fair housing and fair lending risks by using data driven analytics to inform legal reviews, recommendations, strategies, and programs designed to increase homeownership and access to credit for marginalized communities. Oneshia has extensive experience in fair lending and fair housing, as well as in civil rights enforcement and compliance more broadly. Prior to joining NFHA, Oneshia spent nearly a decade at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) working in the Civil Rights Division as Senior Counsel in the Office of the Assistant Attorney General and Senior Trial Attorney in the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section, where she led initiatives to advance the Division’s priorities and handled several high-profile fair housing and fair lending matters resulting in several million dollars in relief to aggrieved persons. She was also Deputy Director in the Office for Civil Rights, Office of Justice Programs, where she worked to ensure that federal funds are being used to promote equity and are not financing illegal discrimination. Moreover, she is the Immediate Past Chair of the DOJ Association of Black Attorneys (DOJABA). Before DOJ, Oneshia was Senior Policy Counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), a policy and research institution that works to protect homeownership and family wealth by fighting abusive lending practices toward low-income persons and communities of color. CRL is also an affiliate of the nation’s largest CFDI, Self-Help. Oneshia played a critical role in drafting and negotiating legislative efforts to combat foreclosure at the state level and worked on federal issues surrounding predatory small dollar lending and loss mitigation mortgage issues. Oneshia started her career on Capitol Hill as a Congressional Fellow with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, where she served as Counsel for the U.S. Senate Housing, Banking and Urban Affairs Committee. Additionally, Oneshia worked as Counsel with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Appellate Review Sector and as a Legal Intern in Microsoft’s Legal and Corporate Affairs Division. A National Bar Association 40 Under 40 Award recipient, Oneshia is involved with several civic organizations including the National Bar Association, Washington Bar Association, National Association of Consumer Advocates, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Oneshia is also a member of the North Carolina State Bar and a professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law. Oneshia holds a B.S. from the Florida State University, where she was a Florida Bright Futures Scholar. She also holds an M.A. from the University of Central Florida and a J.D. from the North Carolina Central University School of Law.

Marc M. Howard is one of the country’s leading voices and advocates for restoring humanity to the American criminal punishment system. He is a Professor of Government and law and the Director of the Prisons and Justice Initiative at Georgetown University, which he founded in 2016. Under Howard’s leadership, the Prisons and Justice Initiative provides educational opportunities for incarcerated individuals and hosts reentry programs for returning citizens. He is also the Founder and president of the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice, a non-profit organization that launched in 2020 and allows members of free society to connect with people in prisons in order to discover firsthand our common humanity and advocate for systemic change. Howard’s scholarly research addresses the deep challenges of contemporary democracy and the tragedy of criminal justice and prisons in America. The author of three books and dozens of academic articles, his work has received numerous awards. His most recent book is Unusually Cruel: Prisons, Punishment, and the Real American Exceptionalism. Howard is also a prize-winning teacher, whose “Prisons and Punishment” course has become one of the most sought-after courses at Georgetown. The students in his “ Making an Eexoneree” course — co-taught with his childhood friend, Marty Tankleff, who was himself wrongfully imprisoned for almost 18 years — re-investigate likely wrongful conviction cases and create documentaries that suggest innocence and advocate for exonerations. Their project has already contributed to the exonerations and releases of Valentino Dixon, Eric Riddick, Keith Washington, Arlando “Tray” Jones III, and Kenneth Bond, with more to come. Howard is also a prize-winning teacher, whose “Prisons and Punishment” course has become one of the most sought-after courses at Georgetown. The students in his “ Making an Exoneree ” course — co-taught with his childhood friend, Marty Tankleff, who was himself wrongfully imprisoned for almost 18 years — re-investigate likely wrongful conviction cases and create documentaries that suggest innocence and advocate for exonerations. Their project has already contributed to the exonerations and releases of Valentino Dixon, Eric Riddick, Keith Washington , Arlando “Tray” Jones III, and Kenneth Bond, with more to come

Francis Hyatt is Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) of Liberty Mutual Insurance. In his role, he works to ensure that sustainability is integrated into Liberty Mutual’s commercial, retail and investments businesses. He partners with colleagues to ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion are woven into the company’s strategies and that climate resiliency is incorporated into Liberty’s community impact. As part of his work to advance the climate transition within Liberty, Francis spearheads climate initiatives, including the company’s greenhouse gas emissions reductions, the Liberty Mutual Climate Transition Center and a robust reporting and disclosures program. For more than 30 years, Francis has helped shape a wide range of leadership and workforce strategies at Liberty. Prior to becoming Liberty’s first CSO in 2019, he led the company’s global talent and total rewards programs. Francis serves on the boards of Nobody’s Children and Lazarus House Ministries; he is also on the board and chairs the investment committee of Boston Healthcare for the Homeless. In addition, he is a member of the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, where he chairs the Environmental, Social and Governance Reporting Advisory Board and is a member of the Corporate Eco Forum. Francis holds a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School, a Bachelor of Science in Business from Bentley University and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar.

Theodore (Ted) R. Johnson is a senior advisor at New America, where he leads its Us@250 initiative. He is also a contributing columnist for The Washington Post and a retired naval officer. His research and writing primarily explore the role that race plays in electoral politics and democratic culture, and its influence on the national narrative and the American identity. Johnson is a retired U.S. Navy Commander following a two-decade career that included service as a White House fellow and speechwriter to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His forthcoming book, “If We Are Brave”, will be published in October. A native of North Carolina, Johnson is a proud HBCU graduate, holding a BS in mathematics from Hampton University as well as an ALM from Harvard University and a Doctor of Law and Policy from Northeastern University

With more than two decades of experience in financial services, Sekou Kaalund knows firsthand the ability financial services institutions have to invest in, influence, and enact meaningful change in communities. Kaalund joined U.S. Bank in December 2022 as Executive Vice President and Head of Branch and Small Business banking, overseeing the organization’s 2,200+ branches across 26 states. Prior to joining U.S. Bank, he spent the last 15 years at JPMorgan Chase in a variety of staff and line leadership roles across institutional and retail businesses, where he has developed market strategies, managed strategic business transactions, and led complex organizations. Most recently Kaalund was the head of Chase Consumer Banking for the Northeast Division, overseeing $375 billion in deposits and investments. Kaalund has a strong track record developing talent, forming inclusive teams, and leveraging a vast network to connect people with opportunities all while achieving revenue growth and developing highly profitable client relationships in start-up, turn around, and scale businesses. As a part of JPMorgan’s Corporate and Investment Bank, Kaalund managed some of the largest, complex firmwide relationships with Asset Managers and Hedge Funds. He also was the Americas Head of Sales for Public & Corporate Pensions and joined JPMorgan in 2007 as Global Head of Private Equity Fund Services Business Development. Kaalund’s commitment to impact coupled with his experience building businesses led to his involvement in launching Advancing Black Pathways, the first global corporate initiative that leveraged a data-driven strategic framework to develop scalable programs to reduce the racial wealth gap. The success of this initiative – which included hiring thousands of black students, providing millions of dollars in capital to black businesses, and reaching over one million individuals with financial health content – led to a historic five-year firm-wide $30B commitment to advance racial equity. Kaalund previously held roles at Citi and at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where he was a commissioned bank examiner. His contributions have been recognized by several organizations, including INROADS 2023 Alumni of the Year; Harlem Educational Activities Fund 2023 Gala Honoree; LA Urban League 2023 Corporate Partner Award Recipient; NABA 2022 President’s Award for Leadership and Excellence; Ebony Magazine’s 2020 Power 100 list, “Titans of Industry”; World of Money 2019 Wall Street Legacy Award. He has been featured in publications, including BBC, Forbes, NBC, CNBC, Black Enterprise, and Essence.

As President of the second largest higher education institution in New Jersey, Dr. Jonathan Koppell leads 27,000 faculty, staff, and students towards the university’s mission of delivering transformational opportunities for students of all backgrounds. Montclair is a research doctoral institution ranked in the top tier of US universities, a minority-majority and Hispanic-Serving Institution, and is nationally recognized for social mobility. Since joining in 2021, Koppell has overseen record enrollment and retention, strategic re-imagination of colleges, and deepened community relationships to make a true difference in the region. Prior to Montclair, Koppell served as dean of Arizona State University’s Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions. Koppell earned a doctoral degree in political science from the University of California – Berkeley and a bachelor’s in government from Harvard. He is a nationally recognized scholar of global governance and public administration.

Adam Leipzig’s work focuses on quality and profitable international media built on strong business fundamentals; establishing supportive opportunities for content creators; and sharing skills and knowledge to expand access and careers for upcoming generations. He has worked with more than 10,000 creative artists in film, theatre, television, music, dance, poetry, literature, performance, photography, and design. As senior executive at Walt Disney Studios, president of National Geographic Films, and working independently, Adam has been a producer, distributor, or supervising executive on 35 films that have disrupted expectations, including March of the Penguins, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Dead Poets Society , Titus and The Way Back. A Plastic Ocean, one of his recent documentaries, has inspired more than 100 new laws around the world; and he is currently producing the romantic film Sicilian Holiday. Adam’s movies have won or been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, 11 BAFTA Awards, 2 Golden Globes, 2 Em mys, 2 Directors Guild Awards, 4 Sundance Awards and 4 Independent Spirit Awards. Collectively, his projects have generated over $2 billion in revenue on $300 million production spending, and twice he has been responsible for the “most profitable picture of the year.” Adam is CEO of MediaU , the first entertainment industry ed-tech platform. MediaU provides online film, television, and media training centered around accelerating careers and scalable mento ring. MediaU’s courses are facilitated by currently working media professionals in order to give participants active community and hirable skills. Adam serves as professional faculty at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, where he teaches in both the MBA and Executive Education programs. He is the author of two books published by Macmillan, Filmmaking in Action and Inside Track for Independent Filmmakers. Adam publishes the digital magazine Cultural Daily, a curated forum for culture and creativity, which has published more than 4,000 writers, including 1,500 poets; and DCReport , a not – for – profit investigative news and perspective service, co – founded by Pulitzer Prize – winning reporter David Cay Johnston.

Dr. Bettina L. Love is an award-winning author and the William F. Russell Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her writing, research, teaching, and educational advocacy work meet at the intersection of disrupting education reform and strengthening public education through abolitionist teaching, antiracism, Black joy, and educational reparations. You can preorder her new book Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal wherever books are sold. The aim of Dr. Love’s scholarship is twofold: firstly, to advance how the field of education understands and critiques school reform and the systemic and structural racism of public education within the U.S.; and secondly, to advocate for abolitionist approaches in the field of education that seek new possibilities for eliminating educational harm. In the pursuit of making her scholarship a reality, she works with activists, communities, youth, families, and school districts to build communal, civically-engaged schools rooted in the aspirations of abolitionist strategies that love and affirm Black and Brown children. Towards that end, in 2020, Dr. Love co-founded the Abolitionist Teaching Network (ATN). ATN’s mission is to develop and support teachers and parents to fight injustice within their schools and communities. To date, ATN has granted over $250,000 to abolitionists around the country. She is also the creator of the Hip Hop civics curriculum GET FREE. Dr. Love is also a founding member of the Old 4th Ward Economic Security Task Force with the Atlanta City Council. The goal of the task force is to bring guaranteed income and income stability to Black women residents living in Atlanta. In 2022, the Task Force launched the program In Her Hands, distributing more than $15 million to Black women living in Georgia. In Her Hands is one of the largest guaranteed income pilot programs in the U.S. As part of its 50th anniversary in 2022, the Kennedy Center named Dr. Love one of the Next 50 Leaders who are making the world a more inspired, inclusive, and compassionate place. Dr. Love is a sought-after public speaker on a range of topics, including abolitionist teaching, education reform, anti-racism, Hip Hop education, Black girlhood, queer youth, educational reparations, Hip Hop feminism, art-based education to foster youth civic engagement, and issues of diversity and inclusion. In 2014, she was invited to the White House Research Conference on Girls. For her work in the field of Hip Hop education, in 2016, Dr. Love was named the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellow at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. In April of 2017, Dr. Love participated in a one-on-one public lecture with late feminist icon, bell hooks, focused on the liberatory education practices of Black and Brown children. In 2018, Georgia’s House of Representatives presented Dr. Love with a resolution for her impact on the field of education. She has also provided commentary for various news outlets including NPR, PBS, Ed Week, The Guardian, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  She is the author of the books We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom and Hip Hop’s Li’l Sistas Speak: Negotiating Hip Hop Identities and Politics in the New South. Her work has appeared in numerous books and journals, including Educational Researcher, Urban Education, The Urban Review, and the Journal of LGBT Youth. 

Lynn Mahoney is the 14^th person and first woman to serve as president of San Francisco State University. President Mahoney is on the board of directors for both the Bay Area Council and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the Bay Area Higher Education Council, the San Francisco Workforce Investment Board and the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025 Advisory Committee. She was also appointed to serve on San Francisco’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force and named one of San Francisco Business Times’ Most Admired CEOs in 2024. Her scholarly work and teaching have focused on United States history, women’s history, feminism, race studies, and ethnicity.

Larry Miller, Chairman of the Jordan Brand Advisory Board Jordan Brand, a division of Nike, Inc. Larry Miller is the Chairman of the Jordan Brand Advisory Board, a division of Nike Inc. Miller originally joined Nike in 1997 as Vice President of U.S. Apparel. He then served as Vice President and General Manager of Nike Basketball. Miller helped launch the Jordan Brand at Nike in 1999 before becoming President of the Portland Trail Blazers from 2007 to 2012, after which he returned to Jordan Brand. Under his leadership, Jordan Brand has grown from a $200 million basketball shoe company to a $4 billion athletic footwear and apparel firm. Miller graduated with honors from Temple University in 1980 and earned an MBA from LaSalle University. He has served on the board of directors at Self Enhancement Inc. A passionate advocate for education and mentorship, he’s taken leadership roles with the Urban League and Junior Achievement in the past. Born in Philadelphia, he lives in Portland, OR. His memoir, JUMP, My Secret Journey from the Streets to the Boardroom was published by William Morrow/ Harper Collins in 2022. Co-authored with his daughter Laila Lacy, JUMP details Miller’s ascent from the streets of West Philadelphia to some of the highest distinctions of the corporate world

Brian Murray, Ph.D., is the director of the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University, which accelerates solutions to critical energy and environmental challenges. Murray is also a research professor at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and the Sanford School of Public Policy. He has led the Nicholas Institute since 2021, when the organization was created by the merger of the Duke University Energy Initiative and Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. Murray is widely recognized for his research on the economics of energy policy, particularly as it relates to efforts to mitigate climate change risk. His research on the design of economic incentive mechanisms for decarbonizing the economy such as carbon pricing, directed tax credits, and policies affecting the markets for renewable energy and sustainable land use has been published extensively.  He has also engaged in public scholarship as a regular contributor to Forbes, a frequent guest on broadcast media, and speaker to professional groups and more general audiences. Murray is among the original designers of an innovative approach for containing prices in carbon markets that was adopted by California and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) cap-and-trade programs and served on a National Academy of Science panel to examine the effects of the U.S. federal tax code on energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. He was a convening lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report on greenhouse gas mitigation from land use change. Prior to working at Duke, Murray served as director of the Center for Regulatory Economics and Policy Research at RTI International. Murray earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance at the University of Delaware and a master’s degree and doctoral degree in resource economics and policy at Duke University. In 2015, Murray was a Fulbright Scholar in Environment and Economy at Canada’s University of Ottawa.  

Dr. Toddi Steelman is Vice President and Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability at Duke University. She is the administrative and academic lead for the Duke Climate Commitment—a university wide initiative to unite Duke’s education, research, operations, and public service missions to engage the entire community in the pursuit of climate change solutions. She previously served as Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment (2018-2023). An AAAS Fellow, she is best known as a wildland fire expert and has brought her expertise to bear in a variety of venues including the Royal Society (UK), National Academy of Sciences (US) and as an invited keynote speaker in Portugal, Canada, Germany, Australia, and the United States. She a past-President of the International Association of Wildland Fire. Her research agenda has focused on understanding community responses to wildfire, wildland fire communication and how communities and agencies interact for more effective wildfire management on large, interjurisdictionally complex wildfires.  The author of four books, Steelman has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, as well as opinion and editorial pieces in Nature, the Globe and Mail, The Hill and the Los Angeles Times. 

Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. Jesse Climenko Clinical Professor of Law Director, Criminal Justice Institute

Board Memberships

• Governing Trustee, The Dana Farber Cancer Institute(2011 – Present) United States
• Member, Committee for Public Counsel Services(2011 – Present) United States

Representative Publications

• Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr., Classical Racialism, Justice Story, and Margaret Morgan’s Journey from Freedom to Slavery: The Story ofPrigg v. Pennsylvania, in Race Law Stories 59 (Rachel F. Moran & Devon Wayne Carbado eds., 2008).

• Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr., Multiple Ironies: Brown at 50, 47  L.J.29 (2003).

• Ronald Sullivan, Forgotten Insurrection Clause of 14th Amendment Used to Force GOP Members of Congress to Defend Actions on Jan. 6, com (May 11, 2022).

• Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., In a flawed system, a Black prosecutor wonders if she’s pursuing justice or being complicit,  Po., Feb. 4, 2022.

• Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr., The Rittenhouse Trial: A Legal Scholar Responds, Quillette, Nov. 23, 2021.

Lieutenant General (ret) Nadja West is the 44th Surgeon General of the U.S. Army and the former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command (USAMEDCOM). In 2015 West became the first African American woman in the Army’s history to achieve the rank of Lieutenant General, and the highest-ranking woman graduate of the United States Military Academy. A graduate of The George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, West completed residencies in Family Medicine and Dermatology and has held various clinical, operational and leadership positions throughout her more than 30-year career as a Soldier. In her culminating assignment as the Surgeon General and CG of USAMEDCOM, West managed a budget of $11 billion and led the Army Medical Department consisting of more than 130,000 dedicated healthcare professionals comprised of Active, Guard and Reserve Soldiers, Department of the Army Civilians, contractors and volunteers serving around the globe. In addition to West’s military awards, decorations and honors, she also received the Monumental Alumni Award from The George Washington University, and was inducted into the U.S. Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame. In 2022 West was awarded the West Point Association of Graduates Distinguished Graduate Award, the first year a woman graduate has ever been honored with such a recognition. West was a Hauser Leader at the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership 2019-2021, and is currently a Distinguished Fellow of the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics. She serves on the boards for several nonprofit, public, private and academic institutions and organizations. In 2022 West joined the United States Military Academy Board of Visitors as a Presidential appointee.