2024 Conference Banner

2024 Conference Speakers

Featured Speakers

Additional Speakers

Michelle Burns
Executive Vice President – Global Coffee, Social Impact & Sustainability, Starbucks

Michelle BurnsMichelle Burns is executive vice president of Global Coffee and Sustainability for Starbucks. In her role, Michelle drives the company’s strategy to support a thriving business, driving its best-in-class ethical sourcing program and building on the tradition of great coffee which has set Starbucks apart for more than 50 years. She leads a global team of industry experts responsible for sourcing, developing and roasting coffee; advancing coffee R&D and innovative farming practices; developing and executing programs, initiatives and partnerships to support Starbucks environmental and farmer promises through the lens of coffee, tea and cocoa communities; and driving partner and customer engagement, education and experiences to bring coffee storytelling to life – all with the aspiration of ensuring a sustainable future of coffee for all. Prior to joining Starbucks, Michelle worked in sales and distribution in the Natural Foods Industry where she first found her passion for coffee. After an expedition to the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard Norway in 2018 and her many conversations with farmers around the world over the course of her career, that passion has grown to include a desire and sense of responsibility to care for the future of our food supply and the many people who grow it. Michelle has a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the University of Iowa. Following a great Starbucks journey living in many cities across the country, Michelle, her husband and two children enjoy calling Seattle home. She starts every day in a Starbucks store.

To top icon

Steve Davis
Partnerships Senior Advisor & Interim Director of Philanthropic Partnerships, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Steve DavisSteve Davis oversees the Philanthropic Partnerships Team and serves as the interim executive director of Gates Philanthropic Partners. He is also a lecturer at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, serves as a co-chair of the G7 Triple I Initiative to promote impact investing in global health, and sits on several boards and commissions. He recently served as a senior advisor for The Rockefeller Foundation and McKinsey & Company, and earlier served as executive strategic advisor and interim director of the China Country Office for the Gates Foundation. He formerly served as co-chair of the WHO Digital Health Technical Advisory Group; as a distinguished fellow of the World Economic Forum; as president and CEO of PATH, a leading global health innovation organization; as director of social innovation at McKinsey; as CEO of Corbis, a digital media pioneer; and an attorney at K&L Gates. Steve has degrees from Princeton University, the University of Washington, and Columbia Law School.

To top icon

Kate Behncken
CVP, Global Head of Microsoft Philanthropies

Kate BehnckenKate leads Microsoft Philanthropies, a global team that brings together corporate social responsibility, sales and engineering functions to support the social sector and skilling programs at scale. Focused on global initiatives with strong local execution, she and her team partner with nonprofits, IGOs, governments, civil society, and the private sector to accelerate the equitable adoption of AI for people, social impact organizations, and communities around the world.

The team advances this mission through the Technology for Social Impact business model, providing nonprofits with relevant, innovative and affordable technology solutions to help advance their missions and support scalable and sustainable impact. Recognizing the critical role of upskilling and reskilling in the new AI economy, the team partners with the organizations in each country’s ecosystem best equipped to provide AI and digital skills training at scale for users, developers, and organizational leaders. Kate’s portfolio includes a broad range of direct local community engagement initiatives, ensuring that global strategies adapt to meet local needs and strengthen communities.

Previously, Kate was Associate General Counsel and Chief of Staff to Microsoft President and Vice Chair. She began her Microsoft career in Australia and worked in legal roles across APAC and EMEA.

Kate serves on the board of Titletown Tech and is Vice Chair of Generation Unlimited (UNICEF).

To top icon

Adesuwa Ifedi
Africa Senior Vice President, Heifer International

Adesuwa IfediAdesuwa Ifedi serves as Africa Senior Vice President for Heifer International where she works to catalyse ground-up innovation that will transform the way smallholder farmers and farming communities live and do business and thereby contribute to ending hunger and poverty in Africa.

A BOP development and scale expert with strong board management and fundraising skills, Ms Ifedi has also developed partnerships that have pulled together millions of dollars from the public and private sector to support transformational programs at scale in underserved communities in Africa. As a strong advocate for BOP innovation, she has also initiated and led the largest technology-enabled education transformation program in Africa which is currently serving over one million at-risk children in public schools and more recently pioneered a platform that mobilizes funding for local innovators supporting smallholder farmers across Africa.

Adesuwa Ifedi has had a rich career spanning over 28 years across agriculture, education, finance, research, entrepreneurship and tech enabled innovation. She has worked to support several global INGOs and social enterprises find local relevance and localise their business model to meet the demand for services in the global south.

Passionate about making markets work for the poor, she has focused on building systems and structures that enable organizations to thrive and deliver efficient and effective results at the bottom of the pyramid, with limited resources. Mrs Ifedi has also worked extensively as a business consultant supporting hundreds of start-ups and emerging businesses.

A strategic thinker who is also adapt at operationalizing strategy and building strong diverse teams, Mrs Ifedi has built consensus in very hostile situations between global and local players as well as public and private sector players. Driven by her passion for development in the global south, she has spent the last 20 years making markets work for low-income families by working to provide access to innovation, finance and life skills.

She has a background in Economics and Statistics, an MBA from Lagos Business School and a Post Graduate in Entrepreneurship from Boston University. She is also a Full Bright Scholar and A Hubert Humphrey fellow from Boston University where she focused on innovation that drives development for the bottom of the pyramid.

To top icon

Beth Kanter
Trainer, Thought Leader

Beth Kanter

Beth Kanter is an internationally recognized thought leader and trainer in digital transformation and well-being in the nonprofit workplace. She is the co-author of the award-winning Happy Healthy Nonprofit: Impact without Burnout and co-author with Allison Fine of The Smart Nonprofit.  Named one of the most influential women in technology by Fast Company and recipient of the NTEN Lifetime Achievement Award, she has over three decades of experience in designing and delivering training programs for nonprofits and foundations. As a sought-after keynote speaker and workshop leader, she has presented at nonprofit conferences around the world to thousands of nonprofits. Learn more about Beth at www.bethkanter.org.

To top icon

Esther Mwaura-Muirur
Global Advocacy Director, Landesa / Stand for Her Land Campaign

Esther Mwaura-MuiruEsther Mwaura-Muiru serves as the Global Advocacy Director for the Stand for Her Land campaign, building a movement with global networks to close the implementation gap for women’s land rights. Previously, she served as the Global leader for the Women land Rights Portfolio at International Land Coalition and as the National Coordinator of GROOTS Kenya (Grassroots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood), a grassroots women movement of more than 3000 self-help groups from rural and urban communities living in poverty across Kenya. Over the years, Esther’s has demonstrated great expertise in development and management of community led models that influence good governance in health, land, water, climate change and agriculture sectors. Esther is passionate about the empowerment of women living in poverty and margins of development to exercise and claim their human rights. To her, Secure Land Tenure and control of valuable assets including natural resources is an important gateway for development world to achieve gender and economic justice, end violence against women and girls, lay important building blocks to achieve sustainable development including towards halting negative impacts of climate change & recurrent disasters and, give women voice and agency.

To top icon

Freddy Nkosi
Acting Vice President, Partnerships & Impact; Senior Director, Global Programs (West and Central Africa), VillageReach

Freddy NkosiFreddy Nkosi is a seasoned global health leader with a proven track record of driving impact in complex environments. Serving as Senior Director, West and Central Africa at VillageReach since April 2024, Freddy oversees strategic initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes in the region. He is also the Acting Vice President, Partnerships and Impact. Freddy has extensive experience in the development sector having worked with organizations like Mott MacDonald and international NGOs, developing deep expertise in stakeholder engagement, governance and program management. Freddy holds an MBA and certifications in management, project management and monitoring and evaluation. He served on the Gavi CSO Constituency Steering Committee between 2019 – 2021, contributing to global health governance and demonstrating his commitment to collaboration.

To top icon

Alice-Shobe
Global Director, Amazon Community Impact

Alice ShobeAlice Shobe leads Amazon’s community impact work around the world. In this role, Alice oversees the teams working on housing equity, education, food security, and disaster relief across the company. Alice joined Amazon in 2017 to launch Amazon’s community social impact programs. Under her leadership, Amazon has developed keystone community investment programs including Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund, a $3.6B commitment to create equitable and inclusive housing in the company’s headquarter regions, Amazon Future Engineer, Disaster Relief by Amazon, and Community Delivery. These programs have collectively improved the lives of millions of young people and families around the globe. Prior to Amazon, Alice worked in public, nonprofit, and philanthropic sector leadership roles to address complex social issues including homelessness, affordable housing, and equitable community development. Alice previously served as the CEO of four nonprofit organizations in Washington State (Bellwether Housing, Building Changes, Philanthropy Northwest, and Impact Capital) and as Director of Sound Families, a $40-million-dollar public-private partnership created by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which ultimately tripled the supply of housing for homeless families in three counties. She started her career as a city planner in suburban Seattle, Washington. Alice currently serves on the board of Jobs for the Future, which drives the transformation of the American workforce and education systems and the American Institute for Boys and Men. Alice is an Annie E. Casey Foundation Children and Family fellow. She has a BA in Urban Policy from Michigan State University.

To top icon

Akhtar Badshah
Distinguished Practitioner & Senior Lecturer, University of Washington; Chief Catalyst, Catalytic Innovators Group; Author, The Purpose Mindset

Akhtar Badshah

Dr. Badshah is Chief Catalyst at Catalytic Innovators Group where he advises organizations and individuals to catalyze their strategy focused on social and philanthropic investments. He also conducts Purpose Mindset leadership Workshops with organizations to help individuals articulate their strengths and values and craft their purpose statement. Dr. Badshah is the Distinguished Practitioner at University of Washington at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, the Business School, at the Bothell campus and a faculty advisor at the START Center in the Department of Global Health. He is the founder and curator of  Accelerating Social Transformation, a mid-career professional development certificate course on social impact. Dr. Badshah is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience in international development, managing a corporate philanthropic program and co-founding a global nonprofit for social enterprise.  

Dr. Badshah led Microsoft’s philanthropic efforts for ten years, where he administered the company’s community investment and employee contributions.  He was instrumental in launching both Unlimited Potential and Youth Spark – the company’s focus to bring digital technology to the underserved communities and youth all over the world. His most recent book Purpose Mindset: How Microsoft Inspires Employees and Alumni to Change the World, was recently published by HarperCollins Leadership.  In May 2020 Dr. Badshah and his colleagues launched Restart Partners funded by the Department of Commerce, WA State and supported by Facebook to increase confidence in mask adoption and vaccines and help restart the economy. Dr. Badshah serves on the boards of Altruist Nonprofit Accelerator, CROP, Global Washington, Microsoft Alumni Network, National Museum and Center for Service,  Restart Partners and The Indus Entrepreneurs, Seattle Chapter. He is an accomplished artist and a doctoral graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Badshah and family are very active philanthropists in the Seattle area. 

To top icon

Tim Prewitt
President & CEO, The Hunger Project

Tim PrewittTim Prewitt is an international executive, CEO and board member with more than 20 years of experience leading global teams to deliver impact at scale, through agricultural development, social enterprises, gender empowerment, impact investment, community-led development, and policy reform. He joined The Hunger Project as President and CEO in 2021, and formerly served as CEO of International Development Enterprises. Tim has lived and worked in China, Romania, Nigeria, Kosovo, the UK and Afghanistan, and has experience in more than 30 countries. He is a highly regarded speaker on agriculture, poverty and economic development, and has spoken at the World Economic Forum, Clinton Global Initiative, and World Food Prize.

To top icon

Atul Tandon
CEO, Opportunity International

Atul Tandon

Atul Tandon is the CEO of Opportunity International, a global nonprofit focused on helping people living at the bottom of the economic pyramid with the means to build sustainable livelihoods and combat poverty. In 2023, Opportunity and its local partners released over $1.85 billion of capital and served 20 million people across 31 countries, equipping them with financial resource and wraparound services, to help grow their informal businesses and smallholder farms, build incomes, educate their children, and live better. In addition, Opportunity’s network financed over 7,056 low-cost private schools providing quality education to over 1.9 million children.

Tandon joined Opportunity in 2016, as its CEO, after a successful international career designing, building, and scaling some of the world’s largest banking networks and nonprofit organizations. He previously held global leadership roles at Citibank, World Vision, and United Way Worldwide. He has brought this same leadership and vision to Opportunity’s international network, shepherding the organization through a period of innovation, growth, and increased impact.

Tandon grew up in India, earned an MBA from the University of Delhi, and holds a certificate in governance from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. His leadership has been celebrated with numerous recognitions, including the 2019 Global Leadership award, Life & News’ Transformational Leader of the Year award, and the 2021 NonProfit PRO Lifetime Achievement Award honoring his decades of service to families living in extreme poverty.

To top icon

Janet Tinsley
Chief Global Impact Officer, Water.org

Janet TinsleyJanet Tinsley is the Chief Global Impact Officer at Water.org. She oversees Water.org’s core business of driving and scaling impact in access to water and sanitation through financing. She leads Water.org’s regional teams, lines of business, and global program operations in support of Water.org’s vision to bring lasting safe water and sanitation solutions to all.

Janet has been with Water.org since 2012, and during her tenure she has been instrumental in scaling impact, developing organizational strategy, and developing talent. She has 30 years’ experience in the international development sector, including working on projects in small business development, education, and water and sanitation.

To top icon

Victoria Vrana
CEO, GlobalGiving

Victoria VranaVictoria Vrana is a senior leader in innovation and philanthropy at the helm of GlobalGiving. Victoria joined GlobalGiving from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she served as Deputy Director of Philanthropic Partnerships, overseeing portfolios in policy, data, and everyday giving. Previously, Victoria held positions with Venture Philanthropy Partners, the Morino Institute, and Millennium Communications. Early in her career, she directed Network of East-West Women Online, the first online network linking women’s rights activists and NGOs in post-Soviet countries with global counterparts. Victoria studied in Germany and Hungary and has a degree in comparative literature from the University of California, Davis. Victoria is recognized as an honoree of the Nonprofit Times Power and Influence Top 50, and currently serves on the board of advisors for the Gates Foundation Alumni Network, as well as on the board of directors of the Washington Area Women’s Foundation and the Paypal Giving Fund. She lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband, is an incredibly proud mom to three amazing daughters, and gets out to the forest and beach as much as possible.

To top icon

Additional Speakers

Erik Arnold
Former Global Chief Technology Officer, Tech for Social Impact, Microsoft Philanthropies

Erik ArnoldErik Arnold has a passion for applying technology solutions to the nonprofit sector. Most recently, he served as the General Manager and Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft Philanthropies. Erik led end-to-end engineering strategy and execution for Microsoft’s nonprofit products in the Tech for Social Impact team, including the Nonprofit Common Data Model, Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit, Community Training, and AI solutions. Over his career, he also led product and tech strategy for nonprofits, IGOs, and private sector startups. Raised in Port Townsend and living in Seattle since the early 1990s, Erik is active in local, national, and international technology communities. He sits on the board of directors of Evergreen Goodwill Industries, Global Impact, Global Washington, and on the technology advisory boards for a variety of social impact organizations in both the public and private sectors.

To top icon

Laura Baerwolf
Chief Operating Officer, Mona Foundation

Laura Baerwolf Laura Baerwolf is an experienced administrator with a Master’s degree in Public Health and over two decades of experience in education for development. She began her professional career at FHP International where she rose to Director for administrative services. Her interest in education and community development led to her long-time engagement with the Northwest Regional Training Institute, eventually serving as a regional coordinator and on its Board of Directors, and more recently with the Regional Bahá’í Council of the Northwestern States which oversees the institute’s operations. Laura joined Mona Foundation in 2019 and currently serves as its Chief Operating Officer. She is passionate about Mona’s mission to alleviate poverty through education and gender equality and sees this work as the culmination of her life-long commitment to serving humanity.

To top icon

Roberto Baeza
Advocacy & Strategy Director, The Hunger Project-Mexico

Roberto BaezaRoberto Baeza, Advocacy and Strategy Director at The Hunger Project-Mexico, is a passionate advocate for human rights with over 15 years of experience in the social sector. Roberto has championed national and global campaigns focused on advancing gender and inclusion, sexual and reproductive rights, gender equality, LGBT+ Rights, local development and democracy and governance. Robert regularly represents The Hunger Project and the Government of Mexico at international and regional gatherings, including the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, Generation Equality Forum, International Conference on Population and Development. Roberto was actively involved with creating the Regional Civil Society Participation Mechanism for the Forums of LAC Countries of Agenda 2030, which allows civil society organizations to have a voice in Agenda 2030. Roberto lives and works in Mexico City.

To top icon

Karen Bergin
Senior Director Of Employee Engagement And Disaster Response, Microsoft

Karen BerginKaren empowers thousands of Microsoft employees to give millions of dollars to thousands of causes that matter to them and the company. In 2023, this collective generosity—with Microsoft matching donations—generated $250 million, supporting 35,000 nonprofits. Employees also contributed over a million volunteer hours, equivalent to 117 years, to nonprofits around the corner and around the world.

As the Senior Director of Microsoft’s Employee Engagement and Disaster Response, Karen leads a team that helps employees to empower global nonprofits and communities through digital transformation and AI, aiming to advance inclusive economic growth on a large scale.

Karen’s journey with Microsoft began in 1998 as the UK’s first in-house PR specialist, where she quickly grew an award-winning Corporate Affairs team that held the title of “Best UK Technology PR” for four consecutive years. In 2005, she launched her own corporate reputation management consultancy, guiding executives at major firms like BT, Dell, HSBC, and Microsoft. She returned to Microsoft to lead PR in Australia prior to relocating to the Redmond HQ in 2008, where she oversaw global citizenship PR before taking on her current leadership role.

Passionate about community impact, Karen serves as Vice Chair of ArtsFund, strengthening the arts and culture sector in Puget Sound, Washington, and as a board member of the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE).

To top icon

James Bernard
Co-Founder, Global Impact Collective

James Bernard

James Bernard founded the Global Impact Collective with several partners in early 2024. The Collective is a strategy + design firm focused on bringing human-centered design to sustainability and social impact issues for clients working in food systems, the environment, and global health.

James brings more than 30 years of experience leading organizations in a range of sectors and industries. He’s a globally recognized expert on cross-sector collaborations and has developed dozens of successful and sustainable partnerships between companies, social sector organizations, and governments. He believes strongly that no single organization can solve the serious issues facing humanity and the planet today; collaboration is critical.

Prior to founding the Global Impact Collective, James built and led Resonance Impact Advisors, an impact-focused consultancy housed within a boutique consulting firm. Over six years in the role, James built the business from scratch to a thriving, multi-million-dollar P&L with more than 20 employees and blue-chip clients such as PepsiCo, Unilever, Microsoft, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Cargill, the Walton Family Foundation, and Oxfam International. James also spent more than 15 years at Microsoft, where he led an organization focused on global education/workforce development programs and partnerships. Through his work, the company was able to help millions of teachers and school leaders more effectively use technology for innovative education. Earlier in his career, James held numerous marketing, PR, and communications roles at Golin-Harris International, Microsoft Xbox, World Learning, and Brookfield Zoo.

James has traveled to and worked in more than 50 countries and is a frequent speaker on the power of partnerships. He is on the Board of Directors of Cultural Vistas, a global non-profit organization focused on cultural exchange and leadership for mid-career professionals. He lives in Seattle with his family.

To top icon

Debi Blizard
Principal of Social Impact, Intentional Futures

Debi BlizardDebi leads the Social Impact practice at Intentional Futures (iF), an “idea to impact” consultancy based in Seattle. Debi is passionate about helping mission-driven organizations translate good intentions into purposeful strategies and impactful actions. She draws from over 15 years experience in consumer insights, brand communications, systems thinking and innovation design across the private / public / nonprofit sectors. She has led global research and strategy projects across NA, EU, and APAC. Debi is a big believer that storytelling is a powerful and often overlooked tool for driving social change at scale. Centering marginalized voices in stories which bring people together around a shared problem is a common thread across much of her work for clients including: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Paul G. Allen Foundation, The World Bank, Microsoft, Philips, Patagonia. Debi lives in North Seattle with her middle-aged husband, two young children, and senior cat.

To top icon

Jennifer Butte-Dahl
Senior Director, APCO Impact

Jennifer Butte-DahlJen Butte-Dahl, a senior director with APCO Impact based in Seattle, is an accomplished architect of initiatives, organizations, and alliances that tackle critical global challenges and span both continents and sectoral boundaries. 

A people and results-focused leader, she has a track record of transforming ideas into action, navigating complexity, creating structure from scratch, building coalitions, and achieving real results in bureaucratic institutions as well as in fast-paced entrepreneurial environments.  Two decades of international assignments have placed Ms. Butte-Dahl throughout the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas working within and between the worlds of business, government, politics, philanthropy, academia and international and non-governmental organizations. 

Early in her career, Ms. Butte-Dahl set up a nonprofit focused on entrepreneurship in post-apartheid South Africa and later opened a sales support office for a large technology company in the United Arab Emirates. During her career with the U.S. Government, she worked in the U.S. Department of State, on Capitol Hill, and across the Interagency as a senior advisor to U.S government officials and high-level presidential envoys. More recently, Ms. Butte-Dahl founded a mid-career graduate program at the University of Washington, launched a multi-million dollar public-private initiative that harnesses digital platforms and global connectivity to build meaningful relationships between young people in the United States, Middle East and North Africa, and led the policy education team on a presidential exploratory effort. 

Ms. Butte-Dahl serves on the advisory council of the Stevens Initiative and as an affiliate faculty member at the University of Washington’s Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Management from Purdue University and a master’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. 

To top icon

Mikki Draggoo
Partner, Stronger Stories

Mikki DraggooAs a Partner at Stronger Stories, Mikki supports entrepreneurial leaders of change to build compelling stories that turn strategy into action. Stronger Stories is a B Corp that combines story science with consultancy and training and is trusted by clients such as the UNDP, the UK Government’s Innovation agency, World Skills, Wiley & Sons, and TRAFFIC. Throughout her two-decade career, Mikki has advised, coached and written for dozens of executives and public figures. In fact, she first met Stronger Stories as a client herself, when she led the corporate affairs function at The City & Guilds of London Institute, an international skills education charity. Her previous roles also include Vice President of Marketing at a tech education start-up, and consulting for H+K Strategies as well as boutique communications firms in Seattle. She earned her master’s with distinction in International Strategy & Diplomacy from the London School of Economics and dual bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Creative Writing from the University of Washington. She lives in Seattle and currently volunteers with Girl Scouts of Western Washington and The Tilden School.

To top icon

Ingrid Embree
Managing Director, GlobalGiving

Ingrid EmbreeIngrid works with prospective corporate and institutional partners to help them meet their global citizenship goals. GlobalGiving’s Corporate Partnerships Team assists with cross-border grantmaking, disaster relief, employee engagement, and cause-related campaigns. Ingrid loves the fact that there’s a job that so perfectly melds global corporate strategy, social impact, and technology. Before joining GlobalGiving, she was chief development officer at Hispanic College Fund and worked in software and public affairs. She has a degree in Marketing and International Management from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Ingrid is the child of refugee immigrants from Latvia, and sings ancient Latvian folk songs in an a cappella group.

To top icon

Michele Frix
Executive Vice President, Seattle Foundation

Michele FrixMichele champions organizational excellence, cross-team collaboration and guides Seattle Foundation’s strategic planning across the team, Board and community. As a member of the Leadership Team, she advises the CEO on key strategies and partnerships to scale impact and achieve our goals.

Personal Philanthropic Interests and Passions:

  • Global giving and philanthropy
  • Women and girls empowerment
  • Gender equity and reproductive justice
  • Human rights

Michele has a deep history at the foundation, previously working with Seattle Foundation’s key partner on global philanthropy, Seattle International Foundation (SIF). During her seven years with SIF, she launched initiatives and built programs with stakeholders to address poverty and inequality around the globe. She led their grantmaking strategy, overseeing more than $17 million in grants in over 65 countries. Prior to SIF, Michele worked as a Research Analyst for the Technology and Social Change Group at the University of Washington’s Information School, conducting field research on Microsoft Community Affair’s social investments in employability and technology for marginalized communities throughout Latin America.

Michele is a board member of Splash (an international nonprofit committed to providing clean water for kids across Asia and Africa), as well as the Henry M. Jackson Foundation and Seattle International Foundation. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies, with a minor in Human Rights. In 2015, Michele was named an American Express NGen Fellow, and a member of the inaugural class of Henry M. Jackson Leadership Fellows. In 2017, she represented Seattle in the Young American Leadership Program at Harvard Business School. Michele is also a Security Fellow at the Truman National Security Project.

Michele came on as chief of staff for Seattle Foundation in 2016.

To top icon

Shruti Goel
co-CEO, Upaya Social Ventures

Shruti GoellShruti is a firm believer in the potential of market-based solutions for providing a better life to those living in vulnerable situations. She has over 16 years’ experience in International Development, working with firms such as the Palladium Group, Population Council and Intellecap, designing and implementing high impact programmes across public health, livelihoods, water and sanitation in Asia for partners like USAID, World Bank among others. She was the portfolio lead for FCDO funded IMPACT Programme to address ecosystem level barriers to impact investing in South Asia and Africa. She is on the advisory council of CGAP-IDH program Accelerating Business to Empower Rural Women in Agriculture (ABERA).

Shruti holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Delhi University, a Masters in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and a certification in Impact Finance Innovations from the Said Business School, Oxford University.

To top icon

Peter Hynes
WVUS WASH Senior Manager, World Vision

Peter HynesPeter has worked on the WASH team at WVUS for over nine years. He has managed numerous country WASH programs in East Africa, Asia, and the Middle East and has a special focus on WASH in Healthcare facilities. He currently provides leadership to the other WASH program managers at WVUS and supports the Kenya WASH program with their country WASH program.

To top icon

Mahnaz Javid
Mona Foundation President and CEO

Mahnaz Javid

Mahnaz has a doctorate in Educational Leadership. She taught as an adjunct faculty at the University of Washington Computer and software systems and worked at Microsoft for several years before joining Avanade, a high-tech consultancy in Seattle, as the Sr. Vice President of Talent Acquisition. In September of 2017 and after 20 years in Academia and the high-tech industry, Mahnaz left Avanade to commit herself full time to the critical mission of Mona Foundation as its CEO and President.

Mahnaz is one of the founding members of Mona Foundation, is passionate about social justice and access to education for all, particularly for women and girls, and has been involved in learning about social and economic development projects around the world since the 1990s.

“Philanthropy speaks to the core of our humanity. It defines who we are and shapes us to be the best we can be.”

To top icon

Linda Low
Director, APCO Worldwide

Linda LowLinda Low is a Director at APCO Worldwide. She specializes in communications and advocacy for social impact providing strategic counsel to corporate foundations and INGOs. Previously, Linda led communications and advocacy for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent in response to natural and human-made disasters, migration crises and global health emergencies. In the U.S., she has transformed communications functions at government agencies in service to communities. Linda is a Board member at Build 2 Lead, a non-profit organization advancing educational outcomes in partnership with students of color. She is also president of the Global Partners in Peace Rotary Club convening conflict resolution and development practitioners across 20 countries. Linda holds a Master of International Development Policy from Duke University and is a former Peace Fellow at the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center.

To top icon

Ruth Mensah
FAST Regional Manager, West Africa, VisionFund International

Ruth MensahRuth is the Regional Manager for the FAST product (Finance to Accelerate Saving Groups Transformation) in West Africa at VisionFund International, overseeing operations in Senegal, Ghana, Mali, and the DRC. With over 8 years of experience in Digital and Inclusive Finance, Ruth has led more than 20 impactful projects financed by organizations such as the World Bank and United Nations, focusing on inclusive financial solutions for underserved communities.

Previously, Ruth served as Head of Capacity Building at PHB Development, where they specialized in project management, governance, and capacity building for stakeholders in the digital finance ecosystem. She also held roles as a financial analyst at the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) and as a public development officer at Positive Planet.

Ruth holds a Master’s in Global Risk Management from KEDGE Business School Bordeaux and a Bachelor’s in Finance from BEM Dakar.

To top icon

Jane Meseck
Former Senior Director of Global Programs, Microsoft Philanthropies

Jane MeseckJane has served the nonprofit and humanitarian sectors for 30 years. Formerly Sr. Director for Microsoft Philanthropies, Jane was a leader in Microsoft’s social impact work for over 24 years. As Microsoft’s Global Lead for Humanitarian she led programs and partnerships supporting international humanitarian organizations and the communities they serve, respond, and rebuild from crisis. Jane has been a fixture in the nonprofit tech segment, leading Microsoft’s effort to help nonprofits and humanitarian organizations adopt and use technology for mission. She led Microsoft technology donations for over 20 years scaling donations to 235 countries and $1B FMV. She helped create NTEN and supported TechSoup’s growth as the premier global online nonprofit resource. In 2017, Jane helped create Microsoft’s Tech for Social Impact team bringing together the best of Microsoft’s commercial ecosystem with renowned philanthropy programs. In July 2020, Jane formed a new Philanthropies’ team to help expand humanitarian efforts to empower humanitarian organizations and crisis affected communities thru technology, including AI for Humanitarian Action. In 2018, Jane received NTEN’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing her role in shaping the field of nonprofit technology. Jane currently serves on the Board of Directors of USA for UNHCR and GlobalWA, continuing her personal mission to support humanitarian and global development nonprofits.

To top icon

Kathleen Morris
Executive Director, International Rescue Committee Washington

Kathleen MorrisKathleen Morris is the Executive Director for IRC Washington supporting offices in Seattle and Spokane. With 17 years of experience as a leader in humanitarian and human services, Kathleen is known for her inclusive leadership style and unwavering commitment to providing high-quality, trauma-informed, and equitable services to immigrants and refugees as they rebuild their lives in the United States. Kathleen joined the IRC in 2008 as the Program Manager for the Washington Anti-Trafficking Response Network. She served as Senior Program Manager at IRC from 2016 to 2018, where she provided leadership for multiple IRC Seattle programs, including the launch of the Family Wellness Program to serve survivors of domestic violence and other harm, and expansion of IRC’s Youth, New Roots, and Health Empowerment programs. From 2018 to 2023, Kathleen was the Deputy Director for Programs for IRC Washington and was responsible for growing program offerings for refugees and immigrants to include expansive Health & Wellness programming, including Mental Health and Psychosocial Supports; Services for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children; and Children’s Legal Services. Kathleen received her law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law and is a proud University of Washington Husky alum. She is a Seattle sports fan, enjoys travel, and spending time with her friends and family.

To top icon

Marie Leonce Murebwayire
Technical Program Manager, World Vision Rwanda

Marie Leonce MurebwayireEng. Marie Leonce Murebwayire is a Civil Engineer with over 8 years of experience in the water sector, academia, and non-governmental organizations. She holds a Master’s Degree in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Rwanda, and a diploma in Leadership Management. She has been serving as the Technical Program Manager for World Vision Rwanda, leading the Health and WASH Technical Program.

Marie Leonce has accumulated extensive experience in urban and rural WASH programming, including the design and construction of water supply systems, as well as preventive and maternal child health. She is passionate about promoting inclusive WASH and gender equality. She enjoys reading, arts, traveling, and loves children. Marie Leonce is a member of the Catholic Church and is married with two children, aged 3 and 6.

To top icon

Maybin Ng’ambi
East Africa Regional WASH Director, World Vision

Maybin Ng’ambiMaybin is a practicing Civil Engineer with over 18 years of progressive experience in the WASH sector. He is currently based in Kigali Rwanda, working as the Regional Program Director for East Africa managing 9 countries. He previously worked for World Vision Zambia where he held several other positions within including that of WASH Specialist, Water Resources and Supply Manager and Zonal WASH Manager and Technical Program Manager for the Zambia WASH program. He was instrumental in designing and implementing a US $50 million five year “Finish the Job” campaign programme. Maybin is passionate about inclusive WASH which focuses on gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), menstrual hygiene management for girls and WASH in health care facility. Maybin was awarded by Drexel University under the Dornsife Scholar an award for developing and mentoring women in leadership focusing on WASH programming.

Maybin holds an International Masters in Water Resources Management from UNESCO IHE Institute for Water Education from Delft, the Netherlands. A Dornsife Scholar with a postgraduate Certificate in International WASH from Desert Research Institute in collaboration with University of Nevada, Reno, USA, he also holds a Bachelor of Science in Irrigation Engineering from the University of Malawi. He enjoys running marathons with Team World Vision and a member of several fitness squads as well as being a keen cyclist.  

To top icon

Carolina Rodríguez
Humanitarian Programs Director, Mercy Corps Colombia

Carolina RodríguezCarolina Rodríguez holds a Bachelor’s degree from Javeriana University (Bogotá, Colombia) and a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies, specializing in gender and human rights, from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She also holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Studies from Georgetown University.

Carolina has worked on issues related to human rights, migration crises, and gender with the Colombian Human Rights Committee in Washington, DC. She also has experience managing safe spaces for Syrian refugee women and displaced women in Iraqi Kurdistan (northern Iraq). Currently, Carolina serves as the Humanitarian Programs Director at Mercy Corps Colombia. In this role, she supports and leads the country strategy for addressing the migration crisis of Venezuelan and returning Colombian populations, as well as the migration crisis in the Darién Gap.

Throughout her work in various humanitarian response programs for refugees, Carolina has consistently applied a gender, differential, and intersectional approach, focusing on strategies to meet the needs of women, youth, and the LGBTIQ+ population. Her efforts aim to facilitate income generation, access to sexual and reproductive rights, emotional recovery, and community empowerment. This approach has had an organizational impact at Mercy Corps Colombia, fostering greater awareness of the importance of cultivating inclusion and diversity within teams.

To top icon

Sara Rogge
Director for Community and Engagement, Virgin Unite

Sara RoggeSara is currently Director for Community and Engagement at Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of the Virgin companies and the Branson family, and was, until recently, a senior advisor on the Philanthropic Partnerships Team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to this position, Sara was deputy director and advisor to the director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s global policy & advocacy division. In this role she worked with the program advocacy and communications team, which leads the foundation’s policy, advocacy and communications work on its global priorities. Prior to joining the foundation, Rogge was vice president at williamsworks, a strategic advocacy consulting firm. Rogge has also spent a significant portion of her career working in both policy and advocacy in Washington, D.C. As deputy policy director for ONE (formerly Debt AIDS Trade Africa – DATA), she managed the organization’s portfolio on trade, agriculture and economic development policy. Prior to joining ONE, Rogge was director for market access in the Office of Industry, Market Access, and Telecommunications at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). In this position, Rogge was part of the market access team for negotiations with Russia, Morocco, Vietnam and the Southern African Customs Union. She also developed U.S. government policy positions in the WTO industrial goods negotiations in the Doha Development Agenda. Rogge has an M.A. in international economics and African studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. from Valparaiso University.

To top icon

Julia Roper
Director, Panorama Strategy

Julia RoperJulia Roper is a Director at Panorama Strategy, a consulting firm that partners with organizations to turn their vision for social impact into a reality. She advises foundations, NGOs, industry leaders, and others on designing and executing strategies to expand programs, forge meaningful collaborations, shape policies, and drive impact. Julia’s global health background includes years spent advancing national health programs in Africa and Asia.

To top icon

Tazin Shadid
Founder, Executive Director, Spreeha Foundation

Tazin ShadidTazin Shadid is an entrepreneur, technologist, and social innovator with a focus on healthcare and social impact. He is the founder and executive director of Spreeha, a non-profit making healthcare more accessible and affordable for all by building a hyper-local, tech-enabled urgent care network that leverages cutting-edge technology, data analytics, and artificial intelligence.

In addition to his role at Spreeha, Tazin Shadid is also the co-founder and CEO of AmarLab, a pioneering health-tech startup that provides at-home diagnostic test services. His work spans over 20 years, including a decade at Microsoft as a Senior Design Strategist building innovative products and services.

Tazin has co-founded several other startups, such as neofarmers, Spider Digital, Cholo Shobai, and Ooroh Venture Studio. He also holds advisory roles with global brands on topics related to design, user experience, leadership, organizational strategy, entrepreneurship, non-profit management, and public health.

To top icon

Sachi Shenoy
CEO, Calidris and Co-founder, Principal of Radiant Data

Sachi Shenoy works for a future in which every human can live a life of dignity, agency, financial security, and meaningful work. Her training spans economics, finance, and data science, and every role in her 25-year career has intersected these disciplines. She co-founded Calidris in 2022, and Radiant Data in 2024, to help mission-driven organizations glean insights from their data and amplify the voices of those they serve. Prior to Calidris she co-founded Upaya Social Ventures, serving as its Executive Director and Chief Impact Officer. She also worked as a foreign exchange trader and helped launch the Morgan Markets platform at JP Morgan Chase, advised the banking industry as a PricewaterhouseCoopers consultant, developed new impact assessment strategies at Unitus, and co-led the first urban microfinance operation for SKS in New Delhi. Sachi holds a BA in Economics and MBA in Finance with high honors from the University of Chicago. She is a survivor, grateful for the opportunity to wear different hats: that of an entrepreneur, life-long learner, disability advocate, musician, investor, and writer.

To top icon

Rina Soni
Executive Director, Heifer India

Rina SoniRina Soni is an experienced financial services professional with over 28 years of work experience in the financial services and development sectors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and an MBA in Finance. After 18 years stint in the corporate world, she made a conscious shift to move into the development sector. She joined Oxfam India where she led the Public Engagement function and steered the organization to utilise the collective skills and knowledge across all areas within the organisation – campaigners, communicators and fundraisers to bring larger scale and power to Oxfam India’s influencing, engaging and fundraising. In her current role at Passing Gifts i.e a Subsidiary of Heifer International, Rina combines her strategic vision with a commitment to technological advancement, empowering marginalized communities and fostering sustainable growth. Her leadership mantra, “One Team, One Dream,” reflects her collaborative approach to achieving shared goals. She is especially focused on building resilient food systems that support smallholder women farmers in adapting to the challenges posed by climate change.

To top icon

Bettina Stix
Director, Right Now Needs and Disaster Relief, Amazon

Bettina StixBettina Stix joined Amazon in 1999. Her career at Amazon started as a books editor. She led international website teams for both Germany and France, was responsible for Global Policy in Customer Service and the expansion and benefits program for Amazon Prime. In 2017, she started Disaster Relief as part of Amazon’s newly formed Amazon in the Community team. In her role, Bettina oversees Amazon’s philanthropic programs for Disaster Relief by Amazon as well as Right Now Needs which seeks to eliminate the impossible choices between food and rent, healthcare or school supplies for families and children in need. Her desire is to leverage Amazons products, logistics and ingenuity to make a difference for our communities around the world.

To top icon

Elizabeth Stokely
Executive Director, Global Washington

Elizabeth StokelyElizabeth has over 16 years of global development experience across a variety of sectors and dozens of countries. She has a deep commitment to cross-sector collaboration for social impact, with a proven track record of mobilizing over $60 million through partnerships with organizations such as Mastercard, USAID, and MetLife. As Director of Strategic Partnerships at Accion International, Elizabeth led a diverse portfolio of global partners for over 7 years, attracting investments in and shaping initiatives focused on financial inclusion, small business development, women’s economic empowerment, and climate resilience. In 2018, she helped secure the largest grant in Accion’s history. Prior to Accion, Elizabeth managed sales and operations at a multi-billion-dollar supply company and led community development programs with the Peace Corps in Loja, Ecuador and Fulbright in Cali, Colombia. At the Inter-American Dialogue, a Western Hemisphere focused think tank, Elizabeth also developed education policy research and grants for a regional network of experts, policymakers, and civil society organizations dedicated to improving education quality throughout Latin America. Elizabeth is Founder and Principal of Stokely Consulting, LLC, a mission-driven management consulting firm. She holds an MBA from USC’s Marshall School of Business, a BA in International Studies and Spanish from Dickinson College, and is fluent in Spanish.

To top icon

Lacey Stone
Chief Development Officer at USA for UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency

Lacey StoneIn her role as Chief Development Officer, Lacey Stone serves as USA for UNHCR’s lead fundraising strategist, providing visionary leadership to advance the organization’s mission and deliver an exemplary supporter experience. Lacey oversees strategies that combine strategic partnership development and fundraising, driving the organization’s global impact through private philanthropy, partnerships, direct response, donor care, and development operations. Lacey has over 18 years of experience in fundraising leadership, including at organizations such as UNICEF USA, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and PATH.

Lacey earned her MA in International Relations from Villanova University, and she holds a dual BA in International Relations and Rhetoric and Communication from the University of Pittsburgh.

To top icon

Jennifer Strachan
CEO, Cinereach

Jennifer StrachanJennifer Strachan is the CEO of Cinereach, a nonprofit multimedia story incubator that harnesses the power of entertainment and storytelling to reshape cultural narratives across mediums. With over 25 years of experience in both public and commercial media, she has a proven track record of creating award-winning content across television, radio, and digital platforms. An Emmy Award-winning executive producer, Jennifer has pioneered innovative projects that captivate audiences, drive engagement, and focus on diversity, community engagement, and the empowerment of underrepresented voices. Her leadership at Cinereach is marked by a commitment to developing compelling entertainment designed to shift culture and build momentum for change.

To top icon

Dr. Anu Taranath
Faculty at University of Washington, Racial Equity Consultant

Dr. Anu TaranathDr. Anu Taranath brings both passion and expertise as a speaker, author, educator, and racial equity consultant. In all her work, she partners with a range of people to deepen conversations on history, harm and healing. A University of Washington Seattle professor for the past 23 years, Dr. Anu knows that the most compelling conversations on race, identity, power, and belonging take place when people feel valued and heard. She has received the Seattle Weekly’s “Best of Seattle” recognition, the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award, and multiple US Fulbright Fellowships to work abroad. As a consultant she has partnered with over 300 clients from National Geographic Society to the Raging Grannies. Her book “Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World” was named a Washington State Book Award Finalist, Newsweek’s Future of Travel Winner in Storytelling, and included in Oprah Magazine’s “Best 26 Travel Books of All Times.” Visit www.anutaranath.com to learn more.

To top icon

Brian Taliesin
Global Director, Living Labs, PATH

Brian TaliesinBrian Taliesin serves as the Global Director for PATH’s Living Labs human centered design platform with a team of 30+ individuals across multiple countries in Africa, accelerating the pace of health innovation by co-creating with health care workers, community members, government stakeholders to rapidly design, test, and scale solutions to longstanding challenges. Mr. Taliesin has over 30 years of experience in product management, user centered design, application development and implementation, including projects with the World Health Organization, Gavi, USAID, CDC, non-government organizations and multinational firms. With a background in health informatics and how people interact with systems and data, Mr. Taliesin also leads the data science practices as part of PATH’s Center of Digital and Data Excellence (CoDE).

To top icon

Sarah Whittemore
Senior Program Officer, Philanthropic Partnerships, Gates Foundation

Sarah WhittemoreSarah Whittemore is a Senior Program Officer on the Philanthropic Partnerships team (PPT) at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, whose mission is to encourage and enable more intentional giving by all. Sarah leads offerings for a signature program of PPT, the Giving Pledge (www.givingpledge.org), which is a public commitment by the world’s wealthiest individuals and couples to give the majority of their wealth to charitable causes. More than 200 individuals/families have taken the Giving Pledge from over 20 countries. In her role, Sarah manages a number of programs and events designed to enable the Giving Pledge community to build relationships, to share with and learn from one another to improve effectiveness of giving, and to exchange ideas about philanthropy.

Prior to her current role, Sarah managed the Program Liaison team in the foundation’s Executive Office. In that role, Sarah worked on the planning and logistics of public activities such as trips, speeches and events for the foundation’s Co-Chairs and CEO. Previously, Sarah was an Associate Program Officer on the US Program Advocacy and Policy team where she provided grantmaking and project support to the team.

Before joining the Gates Foundation, Sarah was a Program Evaluation Associate at EdVestors in Boston, MA. She earned her B.A. in Education Studies from Trinity College and her M.Ed. in International Educational Development from Boston University.

To top icon

David Wu
Former President & CEO, Special Olympics Washington

David WuDavid C. Wu brings to the Special Olympics Washington more than 30 years of professional experience in development, marketing communications and public affairs. Special Olympics is a catalyst for inclusion across the globe. The organization engages 6.7 million participants with intellectual disabilities and partners in more than 193 countries. Prior to joining the Special Olympics Washington, David served as the Chief Development and Membership Officer at the San Diego Zoo Global. In his role, David provided strategic leadership to mobilize multiple revenue streams for sound operational management and financial growth and sustainability, and to engage more people from diverse sectors by cultivating their passion for saving species. He lead an interdisciplinary and innovative division spanning the departments of membership programs, individual and planned gifts, corporate and foundation relations, special events and member and donor services. David also served as Chief Advancement Officer at Woodland Park Zoo, where he provided overall leadership for a highly integrated group of professionals in the fields of communications, development, membership, marketing, and government relations. Is this role he provided overarching leadership for three major campaigns focused on elevating the zoo as a conservation organization, expanding public support, and elevating private support through a $120 million comprehensive campaign. David previously served as Chief Development Officer for PATH, an international nonprofit that transforms global health through innovation. In this role he led PATH in achieving its first $125 million comprehensive campaign and increased private support by 250% in four years. As the Acting VP for Advancement and the Associate Vice President for Campaign and Development Programs at the University of Washington (UW), David provided leadership and direction for a comprehensive campaign with a goal of $2 billion over eight years that ultimately exceeded $2.8 billion. His past service also includes UCLA and Seattle University. David is a former member of both the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the CASE District VII Board of Trustees. He served as a CASE faculty member for the Summer Institute for Fundraising at Dartmouth College and acted as a Visiting Expert with The Chinese University of Hong Kong Philanthropy/Fundraising Resource and Advisory Unit. He is currently a member of two national boards, Global Impact and the Association of American Museums: Development and Membership. David received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Virginia Tech, and his master’s degree in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University.

To top icon

Pippa Zainoeddin
Deputy Director, Philanthropic Partnerships, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Philippa (“Pippa”) Zainoeddin leads strategy development for the Philanthropic Partnerships Team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Philanthropic Partnerships Team works to increase global giving and to help donors direct their generosity where it’s needed most. The team’s flagship program is the Giving Pledge, a promise by the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes. Before joining the Gates Foundation, Pippa served as chief of staff in the Community Affairs division of Freeport-McMoRan, a U.S. mining company with operations in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua. Her favorite parts of her work ranged from shaping the company’s US$100-million-per-year corporate social investment strategy to hiking through remote jungles to partner with Indigenous communities living around the mine. Earlier, she led strategic planning, fundraising and major gifts cultivation at nonprofit organizations focused on increasing education outcomes for underserved youth in New York City, where she was born and raised. Pippa has an undergraduate degree from Wellesley College and the London School of Economics and a master’s degree from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

To top icon