meet the speakers

As a 23-year-old campaign staffer, Matt Bennett helped stage the infamous “Dukakis in a tank" photo-op that helped sink Michael Dukakis' 1988 presidential campaign. Matt would never again put a candidate in a tank (other than a think tank), but now he's a long-serving veteran of many political wars. His pursuit of center-left politics has taken Matt from the campaign trail to the White House, and from the pages of The New York Times to appearances on Meet the Press and 60 Minutes. He worked on both of the presidential campaigns of Bill Clinton, his political hero. He served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs in the Clinton White House, where he was the principal White House liaison to governors and covered issues ranging from disaster response to Medicaid to immigration. Prior to that, Matt traveled with Vice President Al Gore on his White House staff. He was Director of Communications for Wesley Clark's presidential campaign in 2004, and from 2001-2004 he was Director of Public Affairs for Americans for Gun Safety. In 2005, Matt joined his three fellow co-founders in establishing Third Way, believing that there is a tremendous need for fresh thinking and moderate ideas in a time of extreme political immoderation. Matt loves coming to work every day to take on the big questions our country faces with some of the people he respects most in the world. He considers helping to extend marriage equality to gays and lesbians one of Third Way's proudest achievements so far. Matt earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and his bachelor's degree in History from the University of Pennsylvania. But he grew up in Syracuse, and his blood—and loyalties—run Orange. He's been a short-order cook, a room service waiter, a busboy, and a dishwasher, but the high point of Matt's professional life was meeting Nelson Mandela. The literal high point of his life was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Matt lives outside Washington, DC with his wife Susan Lambert. They have two sons in their twenties. Matt also is proud to serve as the Chair of the Board of Sandy Hook Promise, a gun violence prevention and school safety organization.

Mike Berkowitz (he/him) is Co-Founder and Principal at Third Plateau, where he leads the firm’s Democracy practice and works across its Philanthropic Management and Jewish Community Impact portfolios. Mike is an experienced facilitator, strategist, philanthropic advisor, and grantmaker. He specializes in weaving networks, curating philanthropic learning, and developing strategies for addressing complex challenges. A leader in the movement to revitalize U.S. democracy, Mike serves as Executive Director of the Democracy Funders Network, a cross-ideological learning and action community for donors concerned about the health of American democracy. He is also co-founder of Patriots & Pragmatists, a network and convening space through which civic leaders and influencers debate, envision, and realize a brighter future for American democracy. Mike is a 21/64-certified philanthropy consultant and has counseled numerous individual donors, family foundations, institutional foundations, and funder networks on their philanthropic strategies. He is a Senior Advisor to the Pritzker Innovation Fund, which supports the development and advancement of paradigm-shifting ideas to address the world’s most wicked problems, with a primary focus on climate and energy and on U.S. democracy. Mike is also a Senior Advisor to the John Pritzker Family Fund. In that role, he advises the foundation on its strategy, governance, grantmaking, and communications, and helps to oversee its investments in Democracy & Civic Health and Jewish Life. Mike is a board member of Persuasion, a publication and community for people committed to the values of a free society, and is a strategic advisor to A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy, which is organizing and mobilizing the American Jewish community to protect and strengthen American democracy. Prior to founding Third Plateau, Mike served as Senior Vice President for Operations and Strategy at the Bonner Group, Inc., a nonprofit and Democratic political fundraising firm in Washington, DC. Before joining the Bonner Group, he worked at Mammen, Pritchard & Associates, a Democratic direct mail firm on Capitol Hill. Previously, he was the Public Policy Fellow at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Mike has a B.A. in History, magna cum laude, from Brown University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. A native of New York City, Mike lives with his family in Berkeley, California. He enjoys spy thrillers and a good meal in a new city, and is in awe of anyone who can speak more than one language.

A Harvard psychologist, Maya has over 20 years of experience leading global studies based on metaphor elicitation and neuroscientific techniques. She serves as CEO of both FrameShift and Attune LLC, and has created communication strategies for a wide variety of Fortune 500 companies, including Procter & Gamble, Crayola, Frito Lay, Danone, The World Bank, and Kellogg.

Melita Brito Barbosa is passionate about advocacy, civic engagement, and social justice. While attending Boston University from 2019-2023, she studied Sociology and minored in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, aiming to understand the social causes of social issues and a path toward sustainable change for marginalized groups. Her favorite research project, “Feeling Lonely?: Community Formation, Resistance, and Identity Navigation in Marginalized Skateboarding Collectives,” analyzed the role of Boston’s first BIPOC, queer led skate collective in negotiating structures of power and inequality in skate culture. Her current role in Show Up Strong is managing metric goals to help secure continuous funding, and other ad hoc work relating to the empowerment of young Pennsylvanians.

Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl was a member of Rabbinic Leadership Initiative Cohort VII. She serves as the senior rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City, the first woman to lead the large Reform congregation in its 175-year history. Rabbi Buchdahl first joined Central Synagogue as senior cantor in 2006. In 2014, she was chosen by the congregation to be senior rabbi. Rabbi Buchdahl was invested as a cantor in 1999 and also ordained as a rabbi in 2001 by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York where she was a Wexner Graduate fellow (Class VIII). She earned a B.A. in Religious Studies from Yale University in 1994. Born in Korea to a Jewish American father and a Korean Buddhist mother, Rabbi Buchdahl is the first Asian American to be ordained as cantor or rabbi in North America. Prior to her service at Central Synagogue, Rabbi Buchdahl served as associate rabbi/cantor at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, N.Y. Rabbi Buchdahl has been nationally recognized for her innovations in leading worship, which draw large crowds both in the congregation’s historic Main Sanctuary and via live stream and cable broadcast to viewers in more than 100 countries. Rabbi Buchdahl has been featured in dozens of news outlets including the Today Show, NPR, PBS and was listed as one of Newsweek’s “America’s 50 Most Influential Rabbis.” She serves on the boards of Auburn Theological Seminary, Avodah Jewish Service Corps, and the UJA-Federation of NY. Rabbi Buchdahl and her husband Jacob Buchdahl have three children.

It was Lauren's passion for active citizenship, strong public leadership and practical policy-making that led her to Broad Street and the organization that shares her dedication. In 2018, Lauren began her career at C70 as the Chief Program Officer, and in June 2023, she was named President & CEO, the first woman to serve in that role in the organization's 119-year history. Lauren has previously served as the President of the League of Women Voters of Philadelphia, where she focused on rebuilding the organization and equipping volunteers to have a positive impact on elections at the grassroot level. Additionally, Lauren currently serves on the Board of the Forum of Executive Women. She is also a member of Impact100 Philadelphia. Prior to joining C70, Lauren was the Director of Student Affairs & Strategic Operations at Penn's Fels Institute of Government. She spent seven years ensuring that students had excellent internships and job prospects in government, nonprofits, and private firms that serve the public interest. She also secured a number of record-breaking gifts to Fels, in addition to overseeing dozens of events each year and general operations. Before joining Fels, Lauren spent five fun years at the National Constitution Center. During her tenure there, Lauren worked in the education department, where she first began to wish that people would celebrate Constitution Day (September 17th) without being legally obligated to do so. She later joined the Center's senior management team as the Director of Special Projects for the CEO. In that position, Lauren led the team that created the Center's blog, Constitution Daily, and facilitated the creation and adoption of a new five- year strategic plan. Lauren was also a member of the Center's international team, which was responsible for the creation of the Being We the People exhibition and website, as well as a guide to voting in national elections for Afghan citizens, created in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme. Lauren received her bachelor's degree from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she majored in politics, and interned at the International Center for Terrorism Studies. She went on to receive her master's degree from the University of Essex in Colchester, England in Ethics, Politics and Public Policy. Lauren, her husband, their two kids, and their dog Kelce, recently moved uptown to Mt. Airy after nearly twenty years in South Philadelphia.

Ilyse Hogue is a Senior Fellow at New America. In this role, she oversees the Gender, Extremism, and Engagement Project. Trained as an ecologist, Hogue has put those skills to use in understanding and leveraging systems of power: social movements–both left and right—as well as systems of governance and politics. Her career has spanned issues, diving into opportunities for and barriers to collective and societal progress. As a trained scientist, Hogue has always taken a data-driven and research-grounded orientation to effective strategies to advance social change, honing those skills in her time as a leader at MoveOn.org where she led the communications and advocacy efforts for the six-million-plus member organization. Hogue has also served as Senior Advisor to Media Matters for America where she grew a sharp instinct for how narratives move through the information ecosystem before co-founding a SuperPAC designed to expose and counter dark money in politics. Hogue spent close to a decade as President and CEO of NARAL Pro-Choice America (now Reproductive Freedom for All). Under her tenure, the organization tripled in size and Hogue designed and led initiatives to raise the salience of reproductive freedom in political and cultural discourse, dissecting and leveraging how to undercut its potency as a rallying cry for authoritarian forces. Her work resulted in a deep understanding of how embedded gender norms undergird so much of the current social friction. Hogue is the author of The Lie That Binds, a bestselling book about how gender was weaponized in service of an anti-democratic agenda in post–World War II America, and is producing a podcast by the same name. Her work has been published in Newsweek, the Guardian, USA Today, Democracy: Journal of Ideas, the Nation, Harper’s Bazaar, and Teen Vogue Magazine. She’s been a regular guest on cable news, including MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News. Hogue has most recently been at Purpose Campaigns, a global evidence-driven strategy firm, where her focus was on rising authoritarianism around the world and different strategies employed by communities and nation-states to combat the trend. She also serves as a Senior Adviser to Rewiring America, the leading organization supporting scaled adoption of electrification to transform our green economy, create equitable energy security, and reduce financial and health burdens that result from carbon based energy systems. When she’s not obsessing over thorny issues of democracy, power, and purpose, she is collecting rescue animals and coaching her kids’ soccer team. Hogue lives in Washington, DC. Growing up Jewish in Texas, Ilyse maintained connection to her faith through regular Hebrew school, joyous summers at Jewish camps, and frequent trips to Israel to visit her family there. As an adult, she led American teenagers on summer trips to Israel and has served on the Board of her synagogue, Adas Israel, the largest conservative congregation in Washington DC.

Mindy Finn is a civic entrepreneur who has led large-scale campaigns and initiatives to improve politics, polarization, and voting through her extensive non-profit and for-profit work over a twenty year career. She is the Founder and CEO of Citizen Data, a start-up data marketplace for a stronger democracy that uses the power of AI and behavioral science to bridge divides, make critical decisions, and advance solutions to urgent societal challenges. Its products are rooted in a deep belief in the power of every individual and community to play a role in building a more resilient, inclusive democracy and society that fosters human flourishing for all. Prior to Citizen, Finn served as co-founder and executive director of Stand Up Republic, worked on civic engagement programs for Google, Pew, Twitter, and Change.org, and served as a campaign strategist for George W. Bush and Mitt Romney and in legislative roles in the U.S. House and Senate.

Aaron Frank is the Co-founder and President of Focus for Democracy, an organization that guides political donors in making evidence-based investments in initiatives rigorously tested for their effectiveness in preserving our democracy. Since its founding in 2020, Focus for Democracy has directed over $180 million in funding. Aaron manages a private investment partnership, applying his expertise in diligence and strategy to political investing through Focus for Democracy. He holds a JD from Emory Law School, lectures at the University of San Francisco, and has served as a visiting professor at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. He is also the founder and current board President of the California Wildlife Center. Aaron lives in Albany, CA, with his wife Julia and their children, David and Samara.

Joe Goldman is the President of Democracy Fund, an independent, nonpartisan foundation that seeks to create an inclusive multiracial democracy where people are treated fairly, feel they belong, and have a voice. As the foundation’s president, Joe is an outspoken advocate within philanthropy for creating a more effective and powerful field to ensure that our democracy is open, just, resilient, and trustworthy. Joe incubated Democracy Fund for three years inside Omidyar Network — Pierre and Pam Omidyar’s philanthropic investment firm — where he was an Investment Director. He then launched Democracy Fund as a private foundation in 2014, alongside Democracy Fund Voice, a sister 501c4 organization for which he also serves as president. Since its inception, Democracy Fund and Democracy Fund Voice have committed more than $425 million to support organizations that are working to create a more vibrant and diverse public square, free and fair elections, effective and accountable government, and a just and inclusive society. Joe has played a key role in creating and leading several bodies aimed at strengthening and growing the field, including chairing or co-chairing the Trusted Elections Fund, the Partnership for Safe Voting, the Voter Engagement Fund, and the Safe Voting Fund. He also chaired the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group for which he co-authored a series of reports on public attitudes about democracy and authoritarianism. Previously, Joe was Vice President of Citizen Engagement at AmericaSpeaks, where he directed and facilitated large-scale public deliberations across the country, including the Unified New Orleans Planning Process after Hurricane Katrina and the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site after 9/11. Joe has also led citizen engagement programs from inside government, including Mayor Anthony Williams’ Neighborhood Action initiative in Washington, D.C., and the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission’s Common Ground regional planning process in Chicago. Joe was a Public Service Fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he received a master’s degree in public policy. He graduated with honors in political science from Vassar College.

Jonathan Haidt (pronounced “height”) is a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992, and taught for 16 years in the department of psychology at the University of Virginia Haidt’s research examines the intuitive foundations of morality, and how morality varies across cultures––including the cultures of progressive, conservatives, and libertarians. His goal is to help people understand each other, live and work near each other, and even learn from each other despite their moral differences. Haidt has co-founded a variety of organizations and collaborations that apply moral and social psychology toward that end, including HeterodoxAcademy.org, The Constructive Dialogue Institute, and EthicalSystems.org. Haidt is the author of The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, and of The New York Times bestsellers The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, and The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure (co-authored with Greg Lukianoff). He has written more than 100 academic articles, which have been cited nearly 100,000 times. In 2019 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was chosen by Prospect magazine as one of the world’s “Top 50 Thinkers.” He has given four TED talks. Since 2018 he has been studying the contributions of social media to the decline of teen mental health and the rise of political dysfunction. His next book is The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. It will be published by Penguin Press on March 26, 2024.

David M. Halbfinger is the political editor of The New York Times. Until January 2021, he was The Times’s Jerusalem bureau chief, leading its coverage of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Earlier, he spent four years as political and deputy editor of the Metro desk, presidential campaign editor and then deputy national editor, posts in which he helped guide coverage of the New York area, the 2016 presidential campaign and the United States as a whole. As a Times reporter from 1997 to 2013, he ranged from Manhattan and the Bronx to posts as bureau chief in Long Island, Trenton and Atlanta, and as a Hollywood correspondent in Los Angeles. He also covered the 2004 presidential campaign of John Kerry. He was a winner of the Overseas Press Club’s 2018 Kim Wall Award, for the “best story or series of stories on international affairs using creative and dynamic digital storytelling techniques,” for an investigation into the Israeli military’s killing of a Palestinian medic in Gaza. In 2003, he was among several Times reporters who won the Jesse Laventhol Prize for deadline news reporting by a team for coverage of the explosion of the space shuttle Columbia. Before coming to The Times, he worked at The Boston Globe, New York Newsday and The Philadelphia Business Journal. He received a bachelor’s degree in English from Yale. He lives in Montclair, N.J., with his wife and three children.

Megan Lewis is a senior advisor and crucial member of the KANAF and AID communities. She is a co-founder and the executive director of Voting Rights Lab, which she grew from an inspired idea to a vital and transformative leader in the fight to protect, preserve and defend democracy in the United States. She is also the founder of Free and Fair Action, which works to restore trust in American elections, and Free and Fair PAC, which uses cutting-edge research, data and digital tools to elect pro-democracy candidates. Prior to her work in the democracy space, Megan served as the executive vice president of Everytown for Gun Safety, where she managed the design and execution of a successful political and advocacy strategy, with millions of grassroots members and a demonstrated track record of winning legislative, ballot initiative, and electoral campaigns. Megan has a BA from Harvard University, and a JD from NYU Law School. She lives with her husband and three children in New Jersey.

Sarah co-founded Defending Democracy Together, an advocacy organization made up of Republicans, former Republicans, and lifelong conservatives dedicated to defending America’s democratic norms, values, and institutions. DDT’s most notable projects are the Republican Accountability Project, Republican Voters Against Trump, and Republicans for the Rule of Law. The Republican Accountability Project, established in the immediate aftermath of the January 6 attack on the Capitol, prioritizes defending Republican elected officials who stand for America’s democratic values while holding accountable those who align themselves with former president Trump and far-right politicians. Republican Voters Against Trump (RVAT), drew its strength from reaching real people with testimonials collected from others just like them. RVAT’s unique, persuasive outreach strategy made a critical difference in key swing states in the 2020 election - states that handed Joe Biden the presidency. Sarah also serves as founder and publisher of The Bulwark. Founded in late 2018, The Bulwark has grown from a content aggregator to a full publication and media company that has become exceedingly rare in today’s polarized political climate: a moderate, broadly center-right perspective that invites disagreement and debate. Longwell is the President and CEO of Longwell Partners, a full-service communications firm in Washington, D.C., which focuses on solving some of the country’s most intractable problems through cross-partisan coalitions. Prior to founding Longwell Partners, Sarah was Senior Vice President and Partner at Berman and Company, a right-leaning public affairs firm. Sarah graduated from Kenyon College in 2002 with a BS in Political Science. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her family and is a native of Perry County, Pennsylvania.

Kevin Mack has worked in campaign communications and strategy for over 30 years. Kevin managed five election campaigns early in his career, then served as Executive Director of the House/Senate Legislative Caucus in Virginia and as Executive Director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee in Washington, D.C. for three election cycles. After moving to the private sector, Kevin founded a strategic communications company, where he serves as Senior Partner. During that time, Kevin served in a variety of different capacities, most notably running Need to Impeach, a two-year campaign that helped successfully impeach former President Donald Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors. Kevin now serves as the Founder and CEO of The Voter Project and its youth operation called Show Up Strong, where he leads strategy, program management, fundraising, and state/national partner engagement.

Tara McGowan is the founder and publisher of COURIER, a fast-growing left-leaning news network with local newsrooms in ten states. COURIER is building a more informed, engaged, and representative democracy by reaching tens of millions of Americans where they are online with factual, values-driven news that inspires civic participation. A former journalist and political strategist, Tara has seen firsthand how America’s growing information chasm has contributed to increased polarization and the rising threat of authoritarianism. Recognizing the need for a new model of media that exists explicitly to protect and strengthen our fragile democracy, Tara founded COURIER in 2019. COURIER is a network of state newsrooms whose on-the-ground reporters and correspondents deliver factual and empowering pro-democracy news directly to the social newsfeeds and inboxes of communities who have been left behind by traditional media. COURIER is one of the fastest-growing news networks in the country, with over 1.8M online subscribers, over 250K TikTok followers, and an average weekly reach of 12 million Americans online. Earlier in her career, Tara led some of the largest digital advertising and marketing programs supporting progressive causes and candidates in U.S. politics, including at ACRONYM, Priorities USA, NextGen Climate, and as a digital strategist on President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. She studied journalism and political science at NYU and began her career reporting and producing long-form journalism for both 60 Minutes and PBS Frontline.

Kim serves as President of The Klarman Family Foundation where she leads the staff team and works closely with the trustees to develop, implement, and assess strategic priorities. Kim has been with the Foundation for 18 years. Prior roles include Executive Director of the Center for Nonprofit Management at Stonehill College, Executive Director of the Harvard Eating Disorders Center and Vice President of Community Impact for the United Way of Massachusetts Bay. Kim has also worked as an independent strategy consultant assisting Boston-area foundation and nonprofit clients achieve greater impact. A graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, Kim began her career as an analyst in corporate consulting. The Klarman Family Foundation seeks to identify areas of unmet need and to advance solutions to addressing some of society’s most consequential and deep-rooted challenges. Underlying the Foundation’s work is a passionate belief in the promise and importance of creative thinking, strategic leadership, and strong organizations to help bring about change. The Foundation is guided by a commitment to democratic ideals and values, believing that a healthy democracy is fundamental to all other endeavors. The Foundation’s programmatic priorities center around expanding access to vital services and enrichment opportunities in Greater Boston, advancing understanding of the biological basis of health and illness, and supporting the Jewish people and Israel. The Foundation values acting in partnership with other funders to learn and to increase impact.

Jefrey Pollock is the Founding Partner and President of Global Strategy Group (GSG). Since its inception, Jefrey has helped build GSG into a premier strategic research and communications firm, recognized as a Public Affairs Agency of the Year by PRovoke Media. Jefrey has twice been awarded “Pollster of the Year” by his peers in the bi-partisan American Association of Political Consultants, the New York Times recently called him one of the country’s leading pollsters, and he has been named the top political consultant in New York. Jefrey’s political clients include Governors John Carney (DE), Kathy Hochul (NY), Ned Lamont (CT), Janet Mills (ME), JB Pritzker (IL), and Josh Shapiro (PA); Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Joe Manchin (WV), Ed Markey (MA), and Jacky Rosen (NV); Lieutenant Governors Bethany Hall-Long (DE), and Denny Heck (WA); State Auditor Rob Sand (IA); State Comptroller Susana Mendoza (IL); and members of Congress David Cicilline (RI), Jason Crow (CO), Dwight Evans (PA), Bill Foster (IL), Josh Gottheimer (NJ), Jim Himes (CT), Steven Horsford (NV), Zoe Lofgren (CA), Greg Meeks (NY), Jerry Nadler (NY), Linda Sanchez (CA), Ritchie Torres (NY), and others.  He has also worked for national organizations such as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Governors Association, EMILY’s List, Priorities USA Action, End Citizens United, Senate Majority PAC, and House Majority PAC. Jefrey has conducted issue advocacy research, brand analysis, and attitudinal studies for AFSCME, Everytown for Gun Safety, Comcast, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harvard University, Giffords, Ford Motor Company, Con Edison, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, University of Pennsylvania, and MGM Resorts. Jefrey has served as an Instructor of Public Policy and Administration at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs for over 18 years. He has guest lectured at the United States Military Academy, Harvard University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Pollock holds a Master’s in Public Policy and Administration with a concentration in Advanced Statistical Analysis from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He graduated  cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in American History. He is on the national board of the American Association of Political Consultants and has recently been named a member of the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations. He is also a proud member of the Screen Actors Guild SAG/AFTRA having appeared in two major motion pictures (The Place Beyond the Pines and Non-Stop).

Rachel Pritzker is President and Founder of the Pritzker Innovation Fund, which supports the development and advancement of paradigm-shifting ideas to address the world’s most wicked problems. The Fund is primarily focused on U.S. Democracy and Climate and Energy. Rachel is chair of the Democracy Funders Network, a cross-ideological learning and action community for donors concerned about the health of American democracy, and is co-founder of Patriots & Pragmatists, a network and convening space through which civic leaders and influencers debate, envision, and realize a brighter future for American democracy. In addition to serving as a chair of the board of the Breakthrough Institute, Rachel is a board member of the Energy for Growth Hub, a global nonprofit network designed to promote energy solutions aligned with countries’ own development ambitions by connecting data, research, and evidence with policymakers, and a board member of Third Way, a national think tank that champions modern center-left ideas. Rachel is a co-author of An Ecomodernist Manifesto, which outlines a powerful alternative approach to climate mitigation and human development. Her TED Talk on ecomodernism offers new frameworks for moving civilization beyond a dependence on natural resources, and her TEDxBeaconStreet Talk, Energy Myths: Climate, Poverty, and a Reason to Hope, illuminates a path to protecting the environment while moving billions of people out of poverty. Rachel attended Brown University, where she majored in Latin American studies.

Gideon Stein is the President of The Moriah Fund, a private family foundation. He is also Chairman of Civic News Company, the leading nonprofit news organization operating education and voting-focused news sites in more than 13 cities across the United States, and is on the board of the Strategic Victory Fund, the political arm of the Democracy Alliance and Committee on States that allocates $100+ million in a typical election year. In addition to his role with The Moriah Fund, Gideon oversees his family’s extensive investment, philanthropy, and political giving. In the aftermath of the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, Gideon co-founded and seed-funded the Black Voices for Black Justice Fund. Earlier in his career, Gideon spent more than a decade founding and running both for-profit as well as non- profit organizations in the education space.

Leonzo Vargas is an Expert in Engagement, Community Building, and Strategic Campaign Development, as well as the Founder of Vargas Creative Engagement Agency (VCE Agency). Specializing in experiential marketing, digital campaigns, and strategic community engagement, Leonzo is dedicated to connecting people through impactful experiences. As a Strategist and Change Maker, Leonzo leads transformative initiatives. He and his team execute community engagement for initiatives such as Show Up Strong, collaborating with organizations, influencers, and leaders to drive social change. Leonzo's approach emphasizes meeting communities where they are, deeply listening to their needs, and developing innovative solutions that inspire and empower action. With over a decade of experience, he has worked alongside leaders to leverage innovative engagement and marketing strategies. His partnerships with prominent brands demonstrate his ability to bring transformative campaigns to life. At the helm of VCE Agency, Leonzo and his team are committed to going beyond traditional marketing methods. They focus on crafting campaigns that foster meaningful connections, build sustainable movements, and empower communities to shape their futures.