Upcoming Global Washington Events

The next Global Impact Collective community networking event is just three weeks away. We are pleased to announce the speakers below for this event on “Regenerative Agriculture: Driving Value for Farmers, Businesses, and Communities.”  

We hope you can join us for networking, inspiration, and meaningful conversations.

RSVP HERE

Speakers

Bonny Lau, Chief Product Officer, Vayda

Bonny is the Chief Product Officer at Vayda, bringing two decades of experience building technology products across industries. At Vayda, she’s helping farms increase productivity and profitability through regenerative practices with a diverse team of experienced operators, agronomists, and technologists. Previously, she was the head of product at Glowforge, a Series E connected hardware startup. She led products in verticals ranging from real estate, insurance to education at Zillow and Google. Bonny began her career at Microsoft in the Pacific Northwest, where she continues to live with her family.

Richard Moe, Principal Technical Program Manager, Digital Innovation Group, Opportunity International

Since joining Opportunity International in October 2024, Rich has led digital innovation initiatives where he oversees technical program implementation, drives product excellence, and focuses on scaling innovative digital solutions, including RegenAg tools. OI’s AgFinance initiative is piloting a new regenerative agriculture training curriculum in East Africa and developing demonstration plots to understand their real impact. Moe’s career includes executive and leadership positions at Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and various gaming studios including GameHouse, Atari, and Humongous Entertainment. Rich holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management and a BA in South Asian Studies from the University of Washington.

Paul Shoemaker, Executive Director of Carnation Farms

Paul serves as the executive director of Carnation Farms, a community-based hub for regenerative food and agriculture that educates and empowers the work of culinary, food, and farming professionals. Paul works to create a thriving regional food system by connecting farmers and culinary professionals around shared values of regenerative food, health and equity. He is also the founding president of Social Venture Partners International — the largest global network of individual donors, philanthropists, foundations, and social innovators who want to invest in progressive change on a global scale. He is a global thought leader and consultant on activating social change agents and increasing civic impact.

Melissa Spear, Executive Director, Tilth Alliance

Melissa has served as Tilth Alliance’s executive director since December 2018. She has led non-profits working in environmental conservation and sustainability for over 20 years, serving on the Steering Committee of Working Lands Alliance advocating on behalf of Connecticut’s agricultural community for over a decade. Organic and regenerative agriculture have become her passion since moving to Washington and taking the reins at Tilth Alliance. She is on the governing council of the Coalition for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture (CORA), supporting the broad adoption of organic and regenerative practices by producers and gardeners of all types at all scales throughout Washington State. She is also on the Farmer Advisory Committee of the Organic Trade Association and the Policy Committee of the Organic Farmers Association as well as a member of Washington’s Food Policy Forum.  Melissa has an MBA from IESE business school in Barcelona and a Masters in Forest Science from the Yale School of the Environment.

Agenda

5:00 – 5:30 pm: Networking, drinks, food 

5:30 – 6:30 pm: Panel discussion and questions

6:30 – 8:00 pm: Networking, drinks, food

RSVP HERE

AI and Global Development: From “Art of the Possible” to Action

May 20 | 4:00–7:00 PM | Gates Discovery Center

Event Overview:

As AI rapidly reshapes industries and governance around the world, global development organizations face an urgent need to engage with these technologies—not as distant possibilities, but as immediate tools for action. This conversation will bring together leaders from the AI and global development sectors to explore how organizations can move from curiosity to practical application.

We’ll dig into real-world use cases, the emerging data culture within governments in the Global South, and what nonprofits can do now to leverage AI tools responsibly and navigate issues such as data security and inequity. With a focus on accessible tools for programming and internal readiness, this session offers a grounded conversation on how organizations can responsibly and effectively bridge the gap between potential and practice—turning AI into a force for sustainable social impact.

Featured Speaker:

Lauren Woodman, CEO, DataKind

Dr. Prabu Selvam, Emergency Medical Officer, Americares