Lisa Dent is an advocate for living artists and cultural workers. Her background includes work in film, theater and the visual arts as a curator, gallerist, writer, production designer and creative producer. She is the former Executive Director of Artspace New Haven, a nonprofit for contemporary art. 

As the president of New Haven Promise, Patricia Melton has overseen the disbursement of more than $25 million to more than 2,200 city students. Melton established career and civic launch programs to assist students in securing nearly 1,000 paid internships and full-time positions in the New Haven.

Adam Christoferson is the founder and director of Musical Intervention™, a clinical and community-based music program striving to promote empathy, transform lives, and inspire the world one song at a time

Neville Wisdom is the Head Designer and Owner of the Neville Wisdom clothing label based in New Haven, Connecticut. Neville began designing and creating clothing at the age of fifteen, and learned many aspects of the trade from watching a local tailor in his small rural town in Jamaica.

Dr. Sana Shaikh is an immigrant and child of immigrants, a mother of two, an English language-learner, and a changemaker. She has her mother’s spirit, her father’s dry wit, and a passion for bringing people together, using relationships to anchor diversity, equity, inclusion efforts, scaling meaningful organizational change management initiatives, and fostering intellectual curiosity and learning within and among teams. 

Laila Smith is a senior at New Haven Academy and the proud owner of Lai Photography and Video LLC where she photographs families and films weddings. She also specializes in lifestyle portraits. Laila also had original photographic work showcased in an exhibition titled The View From Here at the Yale Center for British Art in the Fall of 2021

Jeffrey S. Bravin has been employed at the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford, CT since 2002.  He is currently the Executive Director responsible for oversight of the school.  He reports directly to the Board of Directors with responsibility for carrying out the vision, mission and goals of ASD. 

Laura Pirie AIA, NOMA, LFA, has engaged for the past 30 years in a quiet but determined revolution to change the way architects work with their clients and the built environment. Laura’s unique methodology expands and demystifies the design process and invites clients and communities to be deeply involved in the conception and development of their places.

Jason Few is President and CEO of FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL). FuelCell Energy is a global leader in manufacturing stationary fuel cell energy platforms for decarbonizing power and producing hydrogen through our proprietary fuel cell technology. FuelCell Energy’s purpose is to enable a world empowered by clean energy. For more than 30 years, he has been a business leader, entrepreneur, and technology leader across various industries, often all at once.

Trained as a primary care physician, Dr. Mehul Dalal left the traditional career path to work on the big things that impact our health. Early in his medical training he arrived at the unshakable conclusion that more than any pill he could prescribe, it was peoples’ circumstances that shaped their health.

In a career dedicated to mission, Andrea advocates for improving the lives of those in need. Andrea effectively and strategically leads complex organizations and engages a wide variety of stakeholders in meeting and exceeding expectations.

Nelly is a renowned Data leader and an outspoken advocate for African financial inclusion and the potential of blockchain to transform the continent. In 2020, she launched her start-up Ejara.io: Africa's first non-custodial cryptocurrency wallet and mobile investment platform uniquely tailored for Francophone Africa and the diaspora.

Maia Cook is an undergraduate student researcher at Yale University. Currently, she is conducting empirical research on the 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United. She hopes to produce quantitative data to prove that when legislators accept money from sectional lobbyist groups and defect from the preferences of their constituents, they end up hurting black, indigenous, and latine groups. Her interest in Citizens United began when she worked on her first political campaign in 2020. 

Jonathan Q. Berryman, educator, scholar, musician is a veteran of the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) having served for more than 20 years in a variety of capacities.  During his tenure as an educator in the NHPS, Jonathan has had the privilege of teaching at Fair Haven Middle School, Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School, and Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School.

Shawn Rochester is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Minority Equality Opportunities Acquisition Inc. (MEOA). Prior to joining the company, he was chief executive officer of Good Steward LLC and PHD Enterprises, where he provided advice and counsel to Fortune 100 executives and senior managers on creating a more inclusive and equitable economic framework to expand supplier diversity initiatives and the deployment of investment capital.

 Louis L. Reed is the Sr. Director of Membership and Partnerships for the REFORM Alliance. He brings to the REFORM Alliance years of experience in government, criminal justice expertise, policy advocacy, public health, and personal impact, serving nearly 14 years in federal prison and several years on supervision.