Ali Compassion Summit 2025

The inaugural Ali Compassion Summit is the launch event for the Muhammad Ali Index, a groundbreaking initiative from the Muhammad Ali Center designed to measure and inspire compassion across U.S. cities, providing a data-driven approach to addressing the root causes of discrimination, hate, and extremism.

The event takes place within the headquarters of New York City nonprofit idealist, one day before what would have been Muhammad Ali’s 83rd birthday.

View the official run of show and list of panelists below.

Run of Show (all subject to change)

10:00 AM – 10:15 AM: Arrivals, Networking and Refreshments

• Guests arrive and network over light refreshments.
• Music by DJ CherishtheLuv
• Welcome by Ami Dar – Founder and Executive Director of Idealist.org

10:15 AM – 10:50 AM: Press Conference

• Introducing The Muhammad Ali Index and The Compassion Report.
  • Lonnie Ali – Chair of the Muhammad Ali Index; Cofounder & Vice Chair of the Muhammad Ali Center
  • DeVone Holt – President & CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center
  • Farah Pandith – Muhammad Ali Center Global Peace Laureate
  • Simon Cohen – Lead of the Muhammad Ali Index Project

• A presentation on key findings and actionable recommendations from The Compassion Report
  • Robb Henzi – Partner + Head of Social Impact Practice at sparks & honey
  • Dani Thibodeau – Vice President of Cultural Strategy at sparks & honey

10:50 AM – 11:05 AM: Break, Networking and Media Interviews

• Opportunity for individual press interviews and networking.

11:05 AM – 11:35 AM: Panel 1 – The Local Lens: Focus on Compassionate Action in Cities

• Moderator: Mayor Greg Fischer – Mayor of Louisville (2011-2022)
• Panelists:
• Eric Castillo – Associate Vice Chancellor for Arts, Culture, and Community Impact at the Alamo Community Colleges District
• Eric Rosand – Executive Director of the Strong Cities Network
• David Kramer – Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute
• Discussion of findings of The Compassion Report and relevance on a local level

11:35 AM – 12:05 PM: Panel 2 – Win-Win: Making the Business Case for Compassion

• Moderator: Seth Cohen – Chief Impact Officer of Forbes
• Panelists:
• Sol Erdman – Founder of the Center for Collaborative Democracy
• Jessie Tarlov – Co-host of The Five on FOX News
• Liam Elkind – Cofounder of Invisible Hands
• Exploring the financial and economic opportunities of compassion-driven initiatives.

12:05 PM – 12:35 PM: Panel 3 – Future Frontiers: Trends in Technology, Sports, and Culture Shaping Compassion

• Moderator: Roger McClendon – Executive Director of the Green Sports Alliance
• Panelists:
• Carrera Kurnik – Cultural Strategist at sparks & honey
• AY Young – Producer, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur
• Christopher Graves – Founder of The Resonance Code LLC
• Chelsea Miller – CEO of CPM Global
• Exploring how digital platforms and youth voices can drive movements of compassion.

12:35 PM – 12:50 PM: Interactive Session – Doing the Roadwork: Working Towards Greatness

• Moderator: Erin Herbert – Vice President of Education & Programming at the Muhammad Ali Center
• Panelists:
• Dr Jeni Stepanek – President & Founding Chair of the Mattie Stepanek Peace Foundation
• Jon Ramer – Cofounder of the Compassion Games
• Audience members and speakers share quick commitments or reflections

12:50 PM – 12:55 PM: Closing Remarks and Call to Action

• Lonnie Ali – Closing
• DeVone Holt – Next steps for the Muhammad Ali Index.

12:55 PM – 1:00 PM: Photos and Departures

• Group photo opportunity and final networking.
• Music by DJ CherishtheLuv

Lonnie Ali, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, completed her BA degree at Vanderbilt University in Nashville in 1978. After graduation, Lonnie began her business career with Kraft Foods, Inc. She continued her studies at UCLA’s Graduate School of Management and received an MBA in 1986.

After her marriage to Muhammad Ali in November 1986, she assumed responsibility and management of his business affairs. In 1992, she formally incorporated Greatest of All Time, Inc. (GOAT Inc.) to centralize and license her husband’s intellectual properties for commercial purposes. She served as Vice President and Treasurer of GOAT, Inc. until the sale of the company in 2006. During her tenure, Lonnie managed the company’s daily operations and accompanied Muhammad on business trips and humanitarian initiatives, domestically and around the world. After the sale of GOAT, Lonnie was asked to serve on the management board of the newly formed Muhammad Ali Enterprises.

In 1997, Lonnie and Muhammad helped launch the Muhammad Ali Parkinson’s Center (MAPC) in Phoenix. Lonnie and her husband unveiled the Muhammad and Lonnie Ali Pavilion in 2009, which houses the Muhammad Ali Parkinson’s Center at Barrow Neurological Institute.

She and her husband opened the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville in November of 2005, where she serves as a Lifetime Director and as Vice Chair of the Center’s Board.
Lonnie has been active in various charitable causes, including advocating for children’s rights and Parkinson’s disease research. From 2010 to 2013, Lonnie served on the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.

Lonnie was the 2010 recipient of AARP’s Inspire Award, was named in 2012 as one of Arizona’s 48 Most Intriguing Women, and was inducted into The National Consortium for Academics and Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. She has also been honored by The Foundation of Wesley Woods with the Key to a Cure Award, Child Help, and the HollyRod Foundation. Lonnie received the Keep Memory Alive Caregiver Hero Award from the Cleveland Clinic’s Keep Memory Alive Power of Love® Gala and, most recently, the M.T Kasalu Women of Honor Award, presented by LIZADEEL in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

DeVone Holt, the Muhammad Ali Center President and CEO, brings a unique set of experiences and expertise to the Center that includes his most recent position as Chief External Affairs Officer at Goodwill Industries of Kentucky. During his five years at Goodwill, Holt championed the development of a $120 million Opportunity Campus in one of Louisville’s most under-resourced communities. The 20-acre campus includes a $50 million 125,000 square-foot resource center and the first hospital to be opened in Louisville’s inner-city in more than 150 years.
As a Louisville native and Eastern Kentucky graduate, Holt brings nearly 30 years of experience in public relations, brand management, government affairs, strategic communications and fundraising to the Muhammad Ali Center.

At Goodwill, he was responsible for the nonprofit organization’s marketing, communications, public relations, fundraising and government affairs. He also served as Superintendent of Kentucky’s very first high school for adults, which Goodwill opened in 2022 after a successful multi-year legislative lobbying and fundraising campaign led by Holt.
Previously, he served as the National Director of Customer Engagement for ResCare Workforce Services and Special Assistant to the Superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools. In those roles, he functioned as the lead external affairs officer for both organizations and introduced a collection of innovative solutions to help maintain their respective status as the nation’s largest workforce services provider and America’s 28th largest school district.

Holt was hired by the Muhammad Ali Center board of directors after a rigorous vetting process and a recommendation from the center’s selection committee. He is the first Louisvillian to be named President and CEO of the Ali Center.

As the former West Louisville Economic Development Director for Louisville’s chamber of commerce, Holt’s previous work helped create approximately $400 million in new business investments and more than 1,000 new jobs for the city’s inner-city community. He also served as lead host of the former Saturday Morning Solutions radio show for 10 years and authored the book, Hip Hop Slop: The Impact of Dysfunctional Culture.

Farah Pandith is the Muhammad Ali Global Peace Laureate and the creator and catalyst behind the Ali Index on Compassion. A celebrated author, foreign policy strategist, and pioneering expert in countering violent extremism (CVE), she challenges conventional thinking and inspires action, building cross-sector programs globally. As the first-ever Special Representative to Muslim Communities under Secretaries Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, she reshaped global engagement strategies, fostering cross-cultural understanding and resilience against extremist ideologies. Her influential book, How We Win, presents cutting-edge strategies harnessing innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration to combat hate and extremism worldwide. Farah has served under Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush at the National Security Council, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Over the last decade, she served as a member of U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Advisory Council, and chaired its Countering Violent Extremism Task Force. Farah was a senior fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government including at the Institute of Politics. Additionally, she was senior advisor at the Anti-Defamation League and the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, contributing her expertise to shaping critical initiatives in soft power and countering division.

Currently a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, Farah serves on several prominent boards, including Mercy Corps, The Asian American Foundation, and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. Her media presence as a sought-after commentator highlights her expertise in leveraging soft power and cultural intelligence to address today’s most pressing challenges. She has also spearheaded innovative projects such as The Universal Title: Muhammad Ali’s Spiritual Journey podcast and serves as an advisory board member for PBS’s American Muslims: A History Revealed. Recognized for her service and leadership, she is featured in a permanent exhibit at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, as well as in The Network, a permanent exhibit in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.

In 2020, Farah was named the inaugural Muhammad Ali Global Peace Laureate, a testament to her unwavering commitment to empathy, compassion, and collaboration as tools for global change. In this role she has helped spark action to embody Muhammad Ali’s humanitarian legacy including the Muhammad Ali Index, which measures and inspires compassionate action worldwide. Farah’s dynamic leadership and vision continue to shape critical global conversations, empowering individuals, communities, and policymakers to advance courageously for a more inclusive and peaceful world.

Erin E. Herbert is the Vice President of Education and Programming at the Muhammad Ali Center, where she has been employed since 2011. Erin serves on the executive leadership team and oversees the Center’s educational initiatives for local, national, and global audiences.

Prior to joining the Center, she was the Education and Events Manager for the World Affairs Council of Kentucky (WAC). During her time with WAC, Erin was chosen as one of 50 Americans to participate in the U.S. Department of State’s “Young Leaders Dialogue with America” program to foster cross-cultural dialogue on transatlantic security, the environment, and diversity. Previously, Erin was the Lead Case Manager for the African Community Center, a refugee resettlement agency in Denver, CO and a Program Manager for Junior Achievement of the Rocky Mountains. In addition, she spent her first year out of college serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with Kentucky Refugee Ministries.

Erin serves on the Alumni Leadership Council for Hanover College and the Board of Directors of Metro United Way. She holds a master’s degree in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Louisville, a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from Hanover College, and a certificate in Nonprofit Financial Management from Cornell University. Erin and her husband, Derek, are the proud parents of one daughter.

Simon Cohen is a peace activist, keynote speaker and communications expert. Inspired to spread messages of hope in the mainstream media, Simon set up the strategic communications agency Global Tolerance in 2003, aged 24. He grew the company to become the world’s leading agency in social change, representing HH Dalai Lama, HM King Charles III, The Gallup Organization, HH The Karmapa, US Department of State, Gandhi’s grandson and TED, overseeing the global launch of the Charter for Compassion.

Simon then famously gave away the £1m company for the riches of family life, through a new exit strategy for entrepreneurs. He is on the faculty for the Amani Institute, and teaches leadership to global social entrepreneurs in Brazil, Kenya and India. A moral and social commentator in the international media, Simon is a contributor to the Harvard Business Review and Entrepreneur magazine. Simon is an international keynote speaker, and has given talks on leadership and values at the UN, UNESCO, World Economic Forum, Cannes Lions, Worldwide Meeting on Human Values, Universal Forum of Cultures, as well as scores of universities and schools around the world.

Simon is Vice President of the Mattie Stepanek Peace Foundation and sits on various nonprofit boards and advisory groups, including Global Compassion Coalition, Boma Global, American Refugee Committee (now Alight) and Charter for Compassion International.

Robb Henzi – Partner and Head of Policy & Philanthropy Practice, sparks & honey

Over his 8.5 years at sparks & honey, Robb has helped build and grow its cultural strategy discipline, helping to transform private and public sector organizations via strategic foresight, human and cultural intelligence, and brand and growth strategy; developing new capabilities to expand client possibilities; and helping to drive growth opportunities for the organization.  He also leads s&h’s Social Impact Practice, working with public and private organizations – from government agencies to major foundations and think tanks, Fortune 500 to non-profits.

Dani Thibodeau – Vice President of Cultural Strategy, sparks & honey

Dani Thibodeau is a Vice President of Cultural Strategy at sparks & honey, a trends, strategy, and foresight consultancy within Omnicom Media Group. Prior to joining sparks & honey, Dani led primary research at Bustle Digital Group, where she developed expertise in UX, youth culture, and values-driven messaging. Her experience also includes teaching graduate-level UX research at New York Institute of Technology, developing communications strategy for NBCU, and leading multicultural creative brand strategy for Target and Marriott. Dani is passionate about helping clients understand how and where they can lead cultural conversations to achieve their business goals.

DJ Cherishtheluv / Cynthia Cherish Malaran – DJ / Producer / Philanthropist

DJ CherishTheLuv, notably the first woman ever to DJ on Broadway, is a Fil-Am NYC-born Broadway Producer, Host, Author, Composer for Netflix, and has performed alongside countless music legends. Dubbed “Music Missionary” on HuffPost, her mission is to help people express themselves, via words, art, movement and sound. Her latest projects include co-producing David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s Here Lies Love, performing as Artist in Residence at Lincoln Center and for the MTV Video Music Awards, and is currently scoring a film using only the sounds of a cancer patient’s MRI.

Mayor Greg Fischer – Former Louisville Mayor (2011-2023)

Greg Fischer was elected Louisville’s 50th mayor in 2010 and completed his third and final term in office on January 1, 2023.

Mayor Fischer was elected by the mayors of America to be president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2020. Governing Magazine named Mayor Fischer Public Official of the Year in 2013. A 2016 Politico survey named him as the most innovative mayor in America.

Louisville was named a Top 15 city for attracting millennials and an International Model City of Compassion five times. Fischer received the Charter for Compassion Leadership Award in 2014.

A vocal advocate for Louisvillian Muhammad Ali, Fischer is the co-creator and executive producer of the film, City of Ali, and led the effort to rename the city’s airport to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.

Mayor Fischer is a national award-winning entrepreneur who started and invested in dozens of businesses, including SerVend International and Iceberg Ventures, a private investment firm.

Dr. Eric Castillo – Associate Vice Chancellor for Arts, Culture, and Community Impact, Alamo Community Colleges District

Dr. Eric Castillo (he/him/él) is a second-generation Xicano from Yanaguana/San Antonio, Texas, a social justice practitioner, and scholar helping to create a just, compassionate, and liberated world. Committed to the lifelong practice of solidarity and peacemaking, he co-leads and co-creates opportunities where people can collectively flourish and work towards positive and sustainable social change. His community organizing background focuses on immigration, education equity, and racial justice and he facilitates community healing circles, truth, healing, and transformation programs, along with various community-focused projects such as the First Peoples Project of Yanaguana, CompassionateUSA, and the Black Westside History Project.

Dr. Castillo received his Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of New Mexico and was an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship and Middle Eastern Studies Faculty Fellowship recipient. He recently held a Racial Healing Practitioner Fellowship with the National Compadres Network, funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. He currently serves Associate Vice Chancellor for Arts, Culture, and Community Impact at the Alamo Community Colleges District.

David Kramer – Executive Director, George W. Bush Institute

David J. Kramer serves as the Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute and is a leading expert on Russia and Ukraine.

Kramer serves as the Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute. Prior to joining the Bush Institute, he taught at Florida International University’s Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, where he also was Senior Fellow in the Václav Havel Program for Human Rights and Diplomacy and Director for European and Eurasian Affairs.

Before moving to Miami, Kramer worked in Washington, DC for 24 years, including as Senior Director for Human Rights and Democracy with The McCain Institute for International Leadership; President of Freedom House; and Senior Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Kramer also served eight years in the U.S. Department of State during the George W. Bush administration, including as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs (responsible for Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus affairs as well as regional non-proliferation issues); Professional Staff Member in the Secretary’s Office of Policy Planning; and Senior Advisor to the Undersecretary for Global Affairs. He also was Executive Director of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy in Washington. He is author of the book, Back to Containment: Dealing with Putin’s Regime.

Kramer chairs the board of the Free Russia Foundation and serves on the board of the International Republican Institute. He also serves as a member of the Advisory Council for the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States; for Refugees International; for Foreign Policy for America; and is a Contributing Editor at The American Purpose. A native of Massachusetts, Kramer received his M.A. in Soviet studies from Harvard University and his B.A. in Soviet Studies and Political Science from Tufts University.

Seth Cohen – Chief Impact Officer, Forbes

As Chief Impact Officer of Forbes, Seth guides the Forbes global team in engaging worldwide audiences through content, experiences, communities, and initiatives that advance prosperity, opportunity, and inclusivity. Seth also works across the Forbes editorial and business teams to identify and implement creative ways that Forbes can partner with a diverse range of businesses, philanthropic partners, and NGOs to achieve positive local, national and global social impact through entrepreneurship and action.

Before joining Forbes, Seth had over 20 years of experience at the intersection of philanthropy, business and impact. Seth is the founder of Applied Optimism, an entrepreneurial global impact consultancy that has worked with some of the world’s leading philanthropies and media brands. Prior to Applied Optimism, Seth spent over seven years as the Senior Director of Schusterman Family Philanthropies, a global foundation focused on empowering young adults and igniting entrepreneurial solutions to complex social challenges. At Schusterman, Seth oversaw a range of philanthropic initiatives in the US, Europe, and Middle East, including the development of REALITY, a global travel experience that focused community building and leadership development. Prior to Schusterman, Seth had a 13+ year career as a highly recognized corporate attorney, most recently a partner at the international law firm of Holland & Knight.

Sol Erdman – President and Founder, Center for Collaborative Democracy

Sol Erdman founded the Center for Collaborative Democracy (CCD) to bypass Washington’s dysfunctions and reach constructive agreements on America’s toughest challenges. CCD is spearheading the Grand Bargain Project, which is designed to unite Americans — left, right and center; young and old; white and of color; coastal and heartland — around a practical plan to promote broad prosperity, restore our country’s fiscal health and attain climate stability.

Erdman’s expertise and passion for resolving ideological conflict emerged at midlife when, working with two founders of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation, he gathered evidence on how to overcome our political system’s structural flaws. His articles on how to bridge seemingly irreconcilable differences have appeared in Barrons, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, the National Civic Review and the Los Angeles Times.

Erdman’s first career was at Oppenheimer & Company, where he rose to senior vice president and head of options arbitrage. He has a BA in theoretical mathematics from Cornell and an MBA from Harvard.

Jessica Tarlov – Political Strategist, Fox News

Jessica Tarlov is the liberal co-host of The Five on FOX News, the most watched show on cable. In addition to co-hosting The Five, Jessica plays an integral role in special coverage for the network and is a fixture on election nights and important events including State of the Union addresses.

She is also the Head of Research and Insights at Bustle Digital Group (BDG), the largest millennial women’s digital publisher in America. Her group conducts custom research into what drives purchase habits, brand consideration and overall opinions for consumers across BDG properties.

Jessica co-hosts a new podcast with NYU Professor Scott Galloway called Raging Moderates, which is focused on the moderate voters that decide American elections. She holds a PhD and two Master degrees in political science from the London School of Economics, is a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations, and is an alum of the US-Japan Leadership Program and British American Project. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two daughters.

Liam Elkind – Co-Founder, Invisible Hands

Liam Elkind is the co-founder of Invisible Hands, a nonprofit that has recruited over 15,000 volunteers to deliver food, medicine, and other essentials to those most in need. His work leading Invisible Hands has been featured by Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, Andrea Mitchell Reports, Vogue, the Associated Press, Men’s Health, the New Yorker, and the New York Times, among others.

He has received the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award, a Webby Award, the George H. W. Bush Daily Points of Light Award, and the Manhattan Institute’s Civil Society Award, and was recognized as one of 2020’s top philanthropists by Town & Country Magazine alongside Dr. Anthony Fauci and Oprah Winfrey. He is a recent graduate of Yale University and is earning his PhD as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, studying how campaign finance reform can make government more responsive. He is passionate about the intersection of philanthropy and government, and the life-changing power of community service.

Roger McClendon – Executive Director, Green Sports Alliance

Liam Elkind is the co-founder of Invisible Hands, a nonprofit that has recruited over 15,000 volunteers to deliver food, medicine, and other essentials to those most in need. His work leading Invisible Hands has been featured by Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, Andrea Mitchell Reports, Vogue, the Associated Press, Men’s Health, the New Yorker, and the New York Times, among others.

He has received the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award, a Webby Award, the George H. W. Bush Daily Points of Light Award, and the Manhattan Institute’s Civil Society Award, and was recognized as one of 2020’s top philanthropists by Town & Country Magazine alongside Dr. Anthony Fauci and Oprah Winfrey. He is a recent graduate of Yale University and is earning his PhD as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, studying how campaign finance reform can make government more responsive. He is passionate about the intersection of philanthropy and government, and the life-changing power of community service.

Carrera Kurnik – Cultural Strategist, sparks & honey

Carrera is a cultural strategist at sparks & honey and a socio-cultural anthropologist trained at Columbia University, specializing in foresight strategy and tracking trends in human behavior. Carrera’s insights—featured at CES, in Popular Science, and on CNN—combine cultural analysis with strategic foresight, offering a compelling approach to decoding behavior and helping people navigate and shape the future.

AY Young – Producer / Songwriter / Entrepreneur

AY Young stands at the forefront of the intersection between entertainment and global sustainability. As a producer, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur, he has electrified audiences worldwide with over 950 concerts he has performed and powered entirely by renewable energy through his pioneering initiative, the Battery Tour. This groundbreaking concert series not only entertains but actively funds and deploys sustainable energy solutions to communities in need.

Recognized as one of the 17 United Nations Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals, AY’s influence extends far beyond the music industry. Now, AY is on The Road to 1000—an ambitious journey to perform 1,000 concerts powered by renewable energy by Green Sports Day on October 6, 2025. This initiative, supported by partnerships like the Green Sports Alliance, will set a Guinness World Record and serve as a beacon for how music and sustainability can drive global impact.

AY is also channeling his passion into “Project 17,” an ambitious album created in collaboration with some of the world’s most influential artists. Each of the 17 tracks is dedicated to one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, featuring guest performances and supported by corporate partners like General Motors, Samsung, and BNP Paribas. Proceeds from the album fund NGOs working to advance these goals, further aligning AY’s music with meaningful action.

With a unique blend of artistry and advocacy, AY has become a global voice for sustainable development. Through live performances, storytelling, and creative partnerships, he inspires audiences to believe that “everyone is an outlet for change” and proves that music can be a powerful vehicle for building a sustainable future.

Christopher Graves – Founder, The Resonance Code LLC

Christopher Graves combines more than 40 years’ experience across three domains on three continents, including: news media; communications & influence; and behavioral science. Graves deploys behavioral science to address the “wicked problems” facing humanity, from climate change risk, to health behaviors, to disinformation.

Chris served as network news chief for both CNBC Asia and CNBC Europe and spent 18 years with The Wall Street Journal. He then served as Regional CEO (APAC), then Global Global CEO and Chair for Ogilvy Public Relations. While at Ogilvy, he founded the Ogilvy Center for Behavioral Science. Graves co-invented a behavioral science research methodology to reveal the Sensemaking Genome™ of individuals at scale to better decode and predict behavior.This innovation has now won seven global awards.

Christopher was awarded a prestigious Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Residency in 2016 for his work in behavioral science in communications. He was elected life member to the Council on Foreign Relations in 2010. Graves actively contributes to publications such as the Harvard Business Review and appears on television news as a guest expert.

Chelsea Miller – Co-Founder, Freedom March NYC

After working in the Obama White House in 2016, Chelsea Miller Co-Founded Freedom March NYC, one of the largest youth-led civil rights organizations in the country. Organizing movements in person and online, Chelsea is globally recognized for her ability to use storytelling and digital media to reach multicultural and multigenerational audiences. In her role as the CEO of CPM Global, she’s worked with companies, organizations, and universities across the world to help launch social impact campaigns and sustainable initiatives.

Her work has been featured in Forbes, Rolling Stone, Vogue, CNN, Financial Times, and more. Chelsea was honored as the Voice of Justice on the Oprah Winfrey Network and received the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award. She has appeared on programs like ABC’s Soul of a Nation now on Hulu and Making Black America on PBS, amplifying the stories of movements in the digital age. In 2024, Chelsea executive produced Sounds of Change, a docuseries that highlights the voices of some of the last living survivors of the Civil Rights Movement. Chelsea was appointed as an Executive Member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (the governing body of the Webby Awards and Anthem Awards) as a judge for social impact campaigns in media. Most recently, she was named to the Black Enterprise 40 Under 40 list for her work in media and social impact.