Riaz Surti hails from a Muslim/South Asian background. Diversity and inclusion, therefore, have been front and center for him as he founded a series of businesses in the food space, including his latest venture of 13 years, Hearthy Foods, based in downtown Los Angeles. The source of inspiration for Hearthy Foods was Surti’s mother, who was unable to enjoy Indian staples like roti because of her diabetes. The result was an innovative flour company – Hearthy Foods – that utilizes fruits and vegetables to make flours as a healthier alternative to everyday baking mixes found in major grocery aisles. At Hearthy Foods, Surti has further ensured a diverse base when hiring and retaining employees. His employees come from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds – Black, Latino, Arab, Jewish and South Asian. He has created an open and welcoming workplace culture.

Jake Athey leads Acquia’s go-to-market motion for its digital asset management (DAM) and product information management (PIM) solutions. An expert on DAM and PIM, Jake is responsible for evangelizing the solutions and their ability to fuel productive digital customer experiences. He brings together first-hand understanding of evolving customer requirements with expertise in martech and commerce platforms, making him a trusted advisor on DAM, PIM, and DXP topics for organizations across industries.

Stephen Kosslyn, Ph.D., previously was the Founding Dean and Chief Academic Officer at Minerva University. Before that, he was the director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. Prior to that, he was chair of the Department of Psychology, Dean of Social Science, and Lindsley Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He also served as co-director of the Mind of the Market Lab at Harvard Business School and was on the staff of the Neurology department at Mass. General Hospital.

T. Scott Clendaniel has been a pioneer and leader in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence since his career began in 1986. Scott’s employers/ clients have included 3M, Ameritrade, Biogen, Booz Allen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, FDIC, Mercedes, Morgan Stanley, The Los Angeles Times and a host of other marquee names. He sits on several boards of directors and is constantly mentoring the next generation. Additionally, he has been a guest lecturer at both Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland.

Subhan Ali is a Product Lead at NVIDIA. Previously, he was a Product Manager at eBay where he built Machine Learning models that improved trust on the platform. Subhan was also a Data Scientist at Symantec on the Customer Retention Analytics team for the Norton and LifeLock consumer security products.

Dr. Cornel West, affectionately known to many as Brother West, is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary. Dr. West teaches on the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as well as courses in Philosophy of Religion, African American Critical Thought, and a wide range of subjects - including but by no means limited to - the classics, philosophy, politics, cultural theory, literature, and music. He has a passion to communicate to a vast variety of public in order to keep alive the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. – a legacy of telling the truth and bearing witness to love and justice. At the heart of this event with Dr. Cornel West were speakers who not only represented the pinnacle of intellectual thought but also embodied the spirit of community service. Professor Dr. Hassanah El-Yacoubi, an esteemed scholar, shared insights that illuminated minds and inspired hearts. Dr. Soboh, Chairman of the Shura Council, brought his wealth of experience and deep understanding of community dynamics to the fore. L

Eddie is a proud son of Mexican immigrants. He is passionate about dismantling the capitalist institutions that perpetuate the marginalization of our most vulnerable communities. Eddie earned a Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Riverside majoring in International Affairs. He has years of experience working for several municipalities and the California State Assembly. With his free time Eddie enjoys spending time with his wife, hiking with his dogs, working out, and reading. His favorite quote and words to live by are, ” Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.”– Frantz Fanon.

Bjorn Holte is a Serial Entrepreneur and inventor. Master in Marketing, specializing on the Internet. Raised more than $11,5 mil in funding. Founded several companies (Norway, US, China), 3 exits, received over a million in grants, 10 patents, and love the challenges of building companies.

Zaineb is a thought leader based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, emerging from a background in film, education, and alignment yoga. She has completed 500 hours of yoga teacher training and is right around the corner from 1,000 hours of teaching. She is passionate about integrating intellectual and spiritual techniques into her roles creating a hybrid dynamic of the commonly understood “Mind-Body-Spirit” connection in relationship to our day-to-day questions and opportunities.

Mihai Patru is an Entrepreneur in Residence on Social Entrepreneurship at the Office of Technology Partnerships, University of California in Riverside. Prior, he was a Senior Fellow at the School of Public Policy, University of California in Riverside, where he designed and launched the first social entrepreneurship pre-accelerator at the University, SEED Lab. He serves as Executive Director of Caravanserai Project, a hybrid mission-driven venture he co-founded in 2016 which focuses on identifying, mobilizing and supporting change makers along their journeys. He founded Mozaïque, a social business working with artisans around the world to develop mechanisms meant to increase their financial predictability. He was involved in various capacities with numerous social impact ventures as part of initiatives like Echoing Green, European Social Innovation Challenge and Mentor Capital Networks. He started his professional career as a diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania serving in different capacities including advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Deputy Minister for Global Affairs. In 2015, he joined the Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins University, as Senior Fellow, and was the recipient of the U.S. State Department Transatlantic Diplomatic Fellowship (2013/2014 cohort). He completed his graduate work at Central European University in Budapest (MA '10) and Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies in Washington DC (MIPP '17).