Humanities & Social Sciences

Esteemed speakers contributing their insights into human culture, behavior, and societal development

Rahul Bhattacharya

Rahul Bhattacharya

Rahul Bhattacharya is a design educator, writer and curator working across visual culture, pedagogy, and technology. His practice spans design, writing, and curation, with a sustained engagement in art history, semiotics, and the politics of form. He writes across academic research, editorial platforms, and long-form reflections on visual culture, performance, and emerging technologies, while his curatorial work extends into public space through exhibitions, workshops, and performance platforms. He is a co-founder of the Kolkata International Performance Art Festival and Nine Schools of Art, both grounded in collective learning and co-creation.

As Assistant Dean, Communication Design, at UID Gandhinagar, he leads curriculum design and academic strategy, building transdisciplinary frameworks that connect design, culture, and critical thinking. His work with AI through dotai develops systems that act as analytical and ethical companions, foregrounding interpretation, memory, and cultural specificity. Through teaching, tool-building, and collaborative labs, his practice focuses on how designers think, decide, and work within evolving technological conditions

Rahul Bhattacharya is a design educator, writer and curator working across visual culture, pedagogy, and technology. His practice spans design, writing, and curation, with a sustained engagement in art history, semiotics, and the politics of form. He... Show more

Aycee Brown

Aycee Brown

Aycee Brown is a psychic medium, astrologer, spiritual guide, and teacher, and the host of the podcast Is My Aura On Straight? Known as the “Voice of Truth,” she helps people break free from inherited identities, unchosen wounds, and survival patterns so they can live their most unapologetic, magical lives. Her work has been featured in Essence, HuffPost, Ebony, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Bustle, Brides, Elite Daily, and Who, What, Wear.

Aycee Brown is a psychic medium, astrologer, spiritual guide, and teacher, and the host of the podcast Is My Aura On Straight? Known as the “Voice of Truth,” she helps people break free from inherited identities, unchosen wounds, and survival pattern... Show more

Irish Dale Quilantic

Irish Dale Quilantic

She specialises in operational leadership, systems design, and delivery at scale within high‑impact mental health and leadership environments. Irish leads cross‑functional operations spanning digital platforms, compliance, event delivery, and programme execution—ensuring that psychologically informed work is supported by robust, sustainable operational infrastructure. Working closely with leadership, clinicians, coaches, and technical teams, Irish translates strategy into execution—building the processes, workflows, and systems that enable wellbeing initiatives, leadership programmes, and organisational change efforts to run effectively across regions and time zones. Irish brings a pragmatic, behind‑the‑scenes perspective to topics such as operational resilience, psychological safety in practice (not just theory), sustainable performance, and the hidden operational load that underpins wellbeing and leadership work. Her experience highlights how poor systems create burnout—and how thoughtful operations design can actively protect people while driving outcomes. She is particularly passionate about helping organisations see operations not as a cost centre, but as a strategic enabler of human performance, ethical delivery, and long‑term impact.

She specialises in operational leadership, systems design, and delivery at scale within high‑impact mental health and leadership environments. Irish leads cross‑functional operations spanning digital platforms, compliance, event delivery, and program... Show more

Ximena Vieites

Ximena Vieites

With a background spanning marketing, business, and organizational psychology, I have spent more than ten years helping multinational organizations navigate digital transformation, operational complexity, and organizational change.

My work focuses on the architecture of human systems and the conditions that determine whether technology translates into business value.

As Founder, CEO, and Strategic Advisor at Belltrix, I help leaders uncover the organizational dynamics that shape decisions, incentives, collaboration, and ultimately the success or failure of transformation initiatives.

I believe that when numbers fail to explain what is happening, the problem is rarely the data itself. More often, it is the system that produces it.

I believe that when numbers fail to explain what is happening, the problem is rarely the data itself. More often, it is the system behind it.

With a background spanning marketing, business, and organizational psychology, I have spent more than ten years helping multinational organizations navigate digital transformation, operational complexity, and organizational change. My work focuses... Show more

Thomas Louvigné

Thomas Louvigné

Work in agile since 9 years. Certified SM, PO, SAFe & org-topologies.
Organise the parisian meetup "eXtreme Agilité".
Work at OCTO-Technology.

Work in agile since 9 years. Certified SM, PO, SAFe & org-topologies. Organise the parisian meetup "eXtreme Agilité". Work at OCTO-Technology. Show more

Asrar Khan

Asrar Khan

Asrar Khan is a Product Marketing Lead at Google, driving ecosystem strategy and advocacy for the Google Developer Experts (GDE) Cloud & AI program. He oversees strategic engagement for more than 700 independent technical thought leaders across 70+ countries, specializing in building high-impact developer ecosystems and aligning external advocacy with core go-to-market and product priorities. Asrar has played a crucial role in establishing bi-directional pipelines that connect early-access technical creators directly with Google’s engineering organizations—translating community signal into product roadmaps across the Cloud and AI stack. Asrar champions the "Human Stack"—empowering world-class developers not just to consume technology, but to co-create its future.

Asrar Khan is a Product Marketing Lead at Google, driving ecosystem strategy and advocacy for the Google Developer Experts (GDE) Cloud & AI program. He oversees strategic engagement for more than 700 independent technical thought leaders across 70+ c... Show more

Gabrielle Birchak

Gabrielle Birchak

Gabrielle Birchak is what happens when a mathematician walks into a comedy club and never fully leaves.

A science communicator, podcast host, and author, Birchak helps students and educators see “science” not as an intimidating subject but as something everyone already does every day without realizing it.

In her keynote, “You Already Think Like a Mathematician (You Just Don’t Know It Yet),” Birchak draws on history’s overlooked scientific figures to show audiences that curiosity, reasoning, and problem-solving aren’t special skills reserved for “science people;” they are tools everyone already has. The talk blends storytelling, history, and humor to make scientific thinking feel accessible, human, and immediately usable, whether in a classroom, a research lab, or everyday life.

As host of Math! Science! History!®, a podcast with over 200 research-based episodes reaching a worldwide audience, Birchak has spent years researching and telling the stories of the people history forgot to credit. Her work draws on her early experience in media relations at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, her background in mathematics and journalism, and her contributions to the Mathematical Association of America.

Birchak is currently bringing this keynote to stages for the first time, and is especially drawn to educational audiences, students, educators, and institutions looking to make science feel less like a subject and more like a mindset.

Gabrielle Birchak is what happens when a mathematician walks into a comedy club and never fully leaves. A science communicator, podcast host, and author, Birchak helps students and educators see “science” not as an intimidating subject but as some... Show more

Stefka Peykova Krishnan

Stefka Peykova Krishnan

Stefi P. Krishnan is a co-founder of the Bulgarian Design Council and a Principal Product Designer at eHealth NSW, working within Australia’s largest public health system. Her work sits at the crossroad of design, co-creation, systems, futures and responsible AI innovation in complex, high-stakes environments where trust, inclusion, and public value matter deeply.

She previously led the end-to-end design of a precision medicine platform for the Children’s Cancer Institute that supported clinical decision-making and was recognised with Best in Class for Service Design at the Australian Good Design Awards.

In the age of AI, Stefi is especially interested in upstream design: design as a strategic practice for navigating ambiguity, consequence, and institutional change. Her current work investigates how interfaces shape human behaviour, how AI changes decision-making, and how design can protect dignity, context, and meaning in systems increasingly optimised for speed.

Stefi P. Krishnan is a co-founder of the Bulgarian Design Council and a Principal Product Designer at eHealth NSW, working within Australia’s largest public health system. Her work sits at the crossroad of design, co-creation, systems, futures and re... Show more

Nikhil Rahujaa

Nikhil Rahujaa

As a Cloud/Security/AI Architect , I leverage my decade plus years of experience in Cloud Security and now AI to build bespoke Solutions around Cloud/AI for solving Business problems.

Skills:-
---------------------------------------------
OEM/ISV Neutral Architecture
Solution Architecture
AI Infra Design
LLM vLLM , RAG Inference
Mutli-Cloud(HyperScalers)
Edge Computing /AI at Edge
SAAS Architecture
SASE/XDR
Hybrid Workforce Solutions
Next gen Network Architecture:-
CLOS,uLOLA, SDNe ,DCI ,NPE

As a Cloud/Security/AI Architect , I leverage my decade plus years of experience in Cloud Security and now AI to build bespoke Solutions around Cloud/AI for solving Business problems. Skills:- --------------------------------------------- OEM/I... Show more

Jennifer Abernathy-Felix

Jennifer Abernathy-Felix

Jennifer Abernathy-Felix is a creative problem-solver and curious visionary with broad and diverse professional and personal experiences. With degrees in Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Business Administration, Jennifer’s career is "less ladder, more Swiss Army knife."

Inspired by moving across 3 countries and 6 U.S. states, plus pursuing 3 degrees and over 15 certificates, she brings a global and inquisitive lens to every interaction. In her career, She has led human-centered transformation across industries and design specializations, proving that a design mindset is the ultimate tool to influencing change. In her personal life, she’s spent over a decade working to accept the long-term mental health issues brought on after a traumatizing car accident.

Jennifer’s path has been shaped by a deep commitment to understanding human behavior, organizational dynamics, and the transformative power of psychological safety. She believes that the strongest outcomes are born at the intersection of Design, Business, and People. Her mission is to help build healthy workplace cultures where curiosity leads to breakthrough innovation and execution is built on a foundation of clarity, empathy, and range.

Jennifer Abernathy-Felix is a creative problem-solver and curious visionary with broad and diverse professional and personal experiences. With degrees in Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Business Administration, Jennifer’s career is "less ladd... Show more

Doug Ward

Doug Ward

Doug Ward is a speaker, facilitator, and founder of Elevating Everyone, a workplace culture and leadership consultancy. His sessions help leaders strengthen communication, improve engagement, and build teams that perform without losing the human side of work.

Doug brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across customer experience, support operations, and organizational development. He previously served as Vice President of Support Excellence at Comcast/NBCUniversal, leading large teams through complex change, growth, and transformation.

Doug currently serves as VP, Customer Experience at Smartaira. He speaks on leadership, workplace culture, employee engagement, remote and hybrid work, and the connection between employee experience and customer experience.

Doug Ward is a speaker, facilitator, and founder of Elevating Everyone, a workplace culture and leadership consultancy. His sessions help leaders strengthen communication, improve engagement, and build teams that perform without losing the human side... Show more

Dr. Islam Gouda

Dr. Islam Gouda

Dr. Islam Gouda is an award-winning marketing strategist, author, educator, and global thought leader with more than 14 years of experience driving growth, customer experience, and digital transformation across international markets. Recognized as an American Marketing Association (AMA) 4 Under 40 honoree, he is also a member of the AMA Foresight Panel, contributing to the development of future trends and insights shaping the marketing profession.

Dr. Gouda holds a advanced degrees in marketing also being a Chartered Marketer (CMktr) designation from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Throughout his career, he has held leadership roles with organizations including Mastercard, Emirates Transport, and Massar Solutions, leading initiatives spanning brand strategy, analytics, customer engagement, and revenue growth.

A passionate advocate for lifelong learning and industry development, Dr. Gouda serves as a Global Brand Ambassador and Board Advisor for the Revenue Marketing Alliance, where he collaborates with senior leaders worldwide on emerging trends in AI, revenue marketing, and business transformation. He is an active mentor dedicated to helping marketers and entrepreneurs grow their careers and businesses.

Dr. Gouda is also an experienced awards judge, serving on the judging panels for the Stevie Awards in both the United States and Middle East & Africa, evaluating excellence in innovation, leadership, customer experience, and marketing effectiveness. He is a frequent speaker and contributor to industry discussions and is the creator of "100 Minutes to Acing Your Marketing Game," a global educational initiative aimed at democratizing marketing knowledge and empowering the next generation of professionals.

His current thought leadership focuses on artificial intelligence, human-centered growth, responsible innovation, and the future of marketing and business leadership.

Dr. Islam Gouda is an award-winning marketing strategist, author, educator, and global thought leader with more than 14 years of experience driving growth, customer experience, and digital transformation across international markets. Recognized as an... Show more

Rajan Shah

Rajan Shah

A community-driven leader, Rajan believes in empowering people through technology, connection, curiosity, and collaboration. He is personally passionate about sponsorship, thought leadership, coaching, mentoring, and nurturing psychologically safe teams where creativity thrives and performance outpaces.

Rajan is leading Red Hat’s Global Partner Ecosystem Engineering for Tech Certifications & Ecosystem Portfolio, leveraging an AI-first mindset to scale open-source strategy.

A community-driven leader, Rajan believes in empowering people through technology, connection, curiosity, and collaboration. He is personally passionate about sponsorship, thought leadership, coaching, mentoring, and nurturing psychologically safe te... Show more

Nadjalisse Rodriguez

Nadjalisse Rodriguez

Nina Rodriguez is the founder, executive producer, and host of GRIEF AND LIGHT, a respected platform amplifying griever voices, expanding grief literacy, and offering meaningful pathways forward. Rooted in the belief that grief is not something to "fix", but something to tend, honor, and integrate, her work invites more honest conversations about loss and life after it.

The GRIEF AND LIGHT podcast has surpassed 100 episodes and has received multiple recognitions, including Ear Worthy’s Best Independent Podcasts of 2026 (“Best Life Lessons”), TalkDeath’s Best of 2025 (Readers’ Choice, Best Podcast), a Women Who Podcast Award (2025), and a Women Podcasters Award nomination (2026).

An experienced and sought-after speaker, Nina presents on grief, grief literacy, resilience, sibling loss, and post-traumatic growth. She has spoken at the University of Miami, the Latinas in Podcasting Virtual Summit (2025), and at events co-created with Reimagine, including a three-part series exploring sibling loss, grief and podcasting, and accessible pathways to grief support. Her talks are known for blending emotional depth with practical insight, cultural fluency, and an unwavering respect for lived experience.

Nina’s work is deeply personal. After the sudden and unexpected death of her only sibling, Yosef, in 2019, she launched GRIEF AND LIGHT in 2023 as an honest exploration of grief, meaning-making, and growth after loss. Today, she serves as a grief-informed guide and space-holder, committed to helping individuals and communities live more fully in the “and”, where grief and joy coexist.

She leads the Get Griefy Podcasters Network, supporting independent creators in building sustainable, grief-informed platforms, and has hosted Reimagine’s Room for Grief gathering on multiple occasions.

Nina is a regular contributor to Get Griefy Magazine, writes the Substack Resting Grief Face by Grief and Light, and is a co-author of Resilient A.F., Vol. 2: Stories of Resilience (2025). She is a graduate of Megan Devine’s Grief Care Professional Certificate Program.

In addition to her grief-focused work, Nina brings over a decade of experience in communications, strategy, and sales across fintech, real estate, and higher education, infusing professionalism, empathy, and clarity into every room she enters.

Based in Southeast Florida, Nina welcomes aligned speaking engagements, collaborations, and conversations, virtually and in person.

Learn more via griefandlight.com

Nina Rodriguez is the founder, executive producer, and host of GRIEF AND LIGHT, a respected platform amplifying griever voices, expanding grief literacy, and offering meaningful pathways forward. Rooted in the belief that grief is not something to "f... Show more

Lawrence Harris

Lawrence Harris

Lawrence C. Harris is a youth empowerment speaker and author who speaks directly to teens and young adults who feel stuck in their own thoughts, behind in life, or unsure of who they are becoming.

Today, he shares practical, honest conversations around identity, mindset, and emotional resilience. His talks focus on what actually helps when motivation fades, confidence feels inconsistent, and students' thoughts feel louder than their actions.

Lawrence has spoken at mental health organizations, schools, and podcasts, where he brings a grounded message: real change starts with the person in the mirror.

Lawrence C. Harris is a youth empowerment speaker and author who speaks directly to teens and young adults who feel stuck in their own thoughts, behind in life, or unsure of who they are becoming. Today, he shares practical, honest conversations a... Show more

Michael George

Michael George

Dr. Michael T. George is an executive leader, keynote speaker, and author whose work sits at the intersection of organizational performance, strategic leadership, and human potential. As VP of Engineering & Technology at Avoq and as founder of software-as-a-service platforms ytxt.me and Revyewed, he brings more than 30 years of enterprise experience across consumer, retail, digital, and services-driven organizations.

He is the creator of The Detour Advantage™ — a practical framework developed and tested in real organizational settings during actual moments of disruption, pressure, and change. His forthcoming book of the same name is currently under negotiation with a literary agent and is scheduled for publication in 2026.

He speaks internationally to corporate, executive, and non-profit-based audiences. Every engagement is crafted specifically for the event and the audience.

Dr. Michael T. George is an executive leader, keynote speaker, and author whose work sits at the intersection of organizational performance, strategic leadership, and human potential. As VP of Engineering & Technology at Avoq and as founder of softwa... Show more

Jess Brock

Jess Brock

Jess is a seasoned leader, speaker, and author with deep tech industry experience since the mid-2000s.

She has coached hundreds, combining empathy, real-world insight, and practical expertise.

Focused on generative AI and immersive learning dojos, she’s a leading voice in AI-driven performance. As the author of The Dojo Coach’s Pocket Guide, Jess distills her diverse experience into action, helping organizations maximize their performance.

Jess is a seasoned leader, speaker, and author with deep tech industry experience since the mid-2000s. She has coached hundreds, combining empathy, real-world insight, and practical expertise. Focused on generative AI and immersive learning doj... Show more

Claire Déprez

Claire Déprez

J'accompagne les managers et leurs équipes dans le "faire équipe", c'est-à-dire à construire une équipe puis à jouer collectif au quotidien.
C'est un métier que j'exerce avec passion et au travers duquel j'ai le privilège d'assister à l'émergence de belles forces et singularités des personnes et des collectifs.
Avec LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® et MBTI®, j'offre à mes clients des outils puissants pour mieux comprendre leurs modes de fonctionnements individuels et collectifs.

J'accompagne les managers et leurs équipes dans le "faire équipe", c'est-à-dire à construire une équipe puis à jouer collectif au quotidien. C'est un métier que j'exerce avec passion et au travers duquel j'ai le privilège d'assister à l'émergence de... Show more

Daniela Noguera

Daniela Noguera

Born in Colombia and forged in the media hubs of Miami and Washington, D.C., I am a Senior Strategist operating at the intersection of cultural identity and global operations. For 12 years, I’ve built digital ecosystems for giants like Disney, NBCUniversal, and National Geographic. I was the mind behind the award-winning Nat Geo en Español YouTube channel—pioneering a strategy that earned a Gold Creator Award and surpassed 1 million subscribers in less than a year. From Executive Producing documentaries like Puerto Rico: Surviving María to co-founding the National Geographic Hispanic Employee Inclusion Group (EIG), my mission is to use technology as a megaphone for authentic representation. Currently, I am merging a decade of high-level strategy with AI certifications from NVIDIA and Google, ensuring that as the industry redesigns itself, inclusion is baked into the foundation, not added as a footnote.

Born in Colombia and forged in the media hubs of Miami and Washington, D.C., I am a Senior Strategist operating at the intersection of cultural identity and global operations. For 12 years, I’ve built digital ecosystems for giants like Disney, NBCUni... Show more

David Condrey

David Condrey

Marine Corps veteran, author, founder of WritersLogic and engineer behind the Cryptographic Proof-of-Process Protocol. My work sits at the intersection of confidential computing, decentralized identity, and anti-forgery cryptography.

Marine Corps veteran, author, founder of WritersLogic and engineer behind the Cryptographic Proof-of-Process Protocol. My work sits at the intersection of confidential computing, decentralized identity, and anti-forgery cryptography. Show more

Julie Valentine

Julie Valentine

Julie E. Gordon (Valentine) is a British educator, communication specialist, vocalist and founder of TheVocalPod™. Based in the UAE, she has spent over three years supporting students through voice, communication and creative development programmes across international school settings.

As creator of Voice Lab™, Julie works at the intersection of communication, confidence building, performing arts and youth development. Her work has supported students through LAMDA, RSL qualifications, GCSE performance pathways, school productions and artist development initiatives.

Julie is also the creator of THEGENSHIFT™, an intergenerational dialogue platform exploring communication, culture and youth identity, and the author of Beyond Being Heard.

Her work focuses on helping young people develop authentic self-expression, confidence and future-ready communication skills that extend beyond the classroom and into life, leadership and employment.

Julie E. Gordon (Valentine) is a British educator, communication specialist, vocalist and founder of TheVocalPod™. Based in the UAE, she has spent over three years supporting students through voice, communication and creative development programmes a... Show more

Aliocha Iordanoff

Aliocha Iordanoff

Aliocha Iordanoff has been helping leaders and their organizations become more adaptable and resilient since 2008. Founder of Sémawé, a B Corp and ISO 9001 certified firm, he has led organizational transformations in around a hundred companies, deploying Holacracy as a living, operational self-management system.
A TEDx speaker (Pointe-à-Pitre, 2024) and keynote speaker at Agile Grenoble 2025, he publishes Understanding Holacracy in May 2026 with Géreso editions, the first French-language reference book on the subject.
His fields of exploration: systems thinking, living organisms as organizational models, and now the intersection between distributed governance and artificial intelligence. He believes the organizations that will thrive with AI are those that had the courage to make their reality explicit before they needed to.

Aliocha Iordanoff has been helping leaders and their organizations become more adaptable and resilient since 2008. Founder of Sémawé, a B Corp and ISO 9001 certified firm, he has led organizational transformations in around a hundred companies, deplo... Show more

Tara Scott

Tara Scott

Tara Scott is a trainer, public speaker and coach for executive development in the product and HR space. She has worked for over a decade with teams, leaders and organizations of all shapes and sizes. She is passionate about helping individuals collaboratively invest in a psychologically safe culture that allows them to thrive, innovate and pour their authentic selves into the products they create for others.

Tara has vast experience as a product development coach to help build pragmatic agility practices and help others understand the art of progress over process. Tara believes in a “human first” approach to creating software, and has spent years within a variety of industries (Ford, Disney, Target) to help create UX and UI practices that allows organizations to keep the pulse on both users and competitors. She has created UX research programs at organizations such as CH Robinson and Leadpages and has used tools such as the Design Studio Method to build better product experiences. Tara is also a certified Fearless Organization™ practitioner and believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be at the forefront of conversations around building dynamic teams.

Tara Scott is a trainer, public speaker and coach for executive development in the product and HR space. She has worked for over a decade with teams, leaders and organizations of all shapes and sizes. She is passionate about helping individuals colla... Show more

Keith Budden

Keith Budden

Keith Budden is a speaker, author, and podcast host who helps people build meaningful connections through better conversations, authentic networking, and human-first communication.

His latest book, From Awkward to Connected, explores how networking can feel more natural, less sales-driven, and genuinely enjoyable. Alongside this, Keith hosts the Networking Nuggets podcast and LinkedIn newsletter, sharing practical, relatable insights around communication, referrals, confidence, and relationship-building.

Keith is also widely known for his work speaking about resilience, leadership under pressure, disability, and navigating difficult life experiences with honesty and humour.

Recognised for his conversational style and relatable storytelling, Keith combines practical insight with real-world experiences to help audiences feel more confident, connected, and human in both business and life.

Keith Budden is a speaker, author, and podcast host who helps people build meaningful connections through better conversations, authentic networking, and human-first communication. His latest book, From Awkward to Connected, explores how networkin... Show more

Luz Eneida Delgado

Luz Eneida Delgado

I am passionate about people and how design can enable transformation in organizations. I support innovation projects, digital product design, and service design.

My goal is to assist projects that impact people's daily lives. I have a strong interest in health-related topics, especially those involving patient experience and the organizational transformation of hospitals, as well as subjects related to public innovation and their impact on citizens' everyday lives.

I am passionate about people and how design can enable transformation in organizations. I support innovation projects, digital product design, and service design. My goal is to assist projects that impact people's daily lives. I have a strong inte... Show more

Paul Cieslar

Paul Cieslar

Après 10 ans à fournir des solutions dans le Product Management et dans le Process management, j'aide aujourd'hui les managers à sortir la tête de l'eau et (re)prendre plaisir dans le travail.

Après 10 ans à fournir des solutions dans le Product Management et dans le Process management, j'aide aujourd'hui les managers à sortir la tête de l'eau et (re)prendre plaisir dans le travail. Show more

Lars van Rijn

Lars van Rijn

Lars van Rijn ist Bildungswissenschaftler und als wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter im LEAD:FUH-Projekt vorrangig zuständig für die Gestaltung und Bereitstellung von Weiterbildungsangeboten sowie die didaktische Integration von KI- und LA-Verfahren in Lehr-Lernprozesse. Fokus seiner Forschung sind das didaktische Design von KI und Learning Analytics in und deren Auswirkungen auf Bildungskontexte. Schwerpunktmäßig betrachtet er dabei die (Teil-) Automatisierung von Feedbackprozessen.

Lars van Rijn ist Bildungswissenschaftler und als wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter im LEAD:FUH-Projekt vorrangig zuständig für die Gestaltung und Bereitstellung von Weiterbildungsangeboten sowie die didaktische Integration von KI- und LA-Verfahren in L... Show more

Abena Camara

Abena Camara

Safiyatou “Abena” Camara

Executive Director & President, WONTANARA Inc
Co-Founder • Cultural Arts Master • Business Consultant • Youth Development Specialist

Abena Camara is a business consultant, cultural arts leader, and third-generation cultural bearer with nearly a decade of experience helping creatives and community-driven organizations build sustainable, funded work. She serves as Executive Director and President of WONTANARA Inc, where she leads arts education, community programming, and organizational strategy rooted in West African cultural traditions.

Immersed in cultural arts since age three, Abena brings over 20 years of professional artistry, 15 years of intensive West African cultural training, and deep lineage-based knowledge passed down through master teachers, historians, griots, and elders. Her grandfather founded the first performing company in Guinea, West Africa, and helped introduce West African master artists to the United States—a legacy Abena continues through WONTANARA’s programs and global partnerships. Her multidisciplinary training spans West African dance, ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, and music composition and production, allowing her to bridge tradition and innovation with integrity.

Alongside her artistic leadership, Abena brings strong business and funding expertise. While pursuing a degree in Business Administration at Georgia State University, she served as an executive intern for a popular men’s grooming company, helping generate $1.1 million in revenue within its first year. That experience launched her career as a consultant, where she has spent nearly nine years advising organizations on operations, funding strategy, and growth.

Through WONTANARA Inc and her consulting work, Abena has secured over $200,000 in grants and sponsorships, including support for WONTANARA Percussions, the world’s first Black-owned instrument factory based in Africa. She has also led the development of WONTANARA Festival, securing city-wide sponsorship and building a thriving cultural platform. Her consulting practice maintains a 92% client retention rate, and she has helped more than 10 clients secure government funding within their first year of business.

Abena’s work sits at the intersection of creativity, community, and capital. She is passionate about demystifying funding systems and empowering creatives and community leaders to move from passion projects to sustainable, paid impact—without compromising their values.

Safiyatou “Abena” Camara Executive Director & President, WONTANARA Inc Co-Founder • Cultural Arts Master • Business Consultant • Youth Development Specialist Abena Camara is a business consultant, cultural arts leader, and third-generation cul... Show more

Giselle Sandy-Phillips

Giselle Sandy-Phillips

Giselle Sandy-Phillips is a Leadership and Workforce Communication Strategist, education doctoral scholar, award-winning author, and speaker who helps leaders navigate what technology alone cannot solve: the human side of change.

Her perspective was shaped long before the boardroom. From military leadership to managing complex government initiatives involving competing priorities and diverse stakeholders, Giselle learned that even the best strategies fail when people don't understand one another. Over the last two decades, she has helped leaders turn complexity into clarity by building trust, strengthening communication, and bringing people with them through transformation.

As the founder of World of Consulting LLC, Giselle equips leaders with practical tools to lead across generational differences, evolving technologies, and shifting workplace realities. Her work is rooted in a question that has never been more relevant to education: How do we prepare people, not just systems, for an AI-enabled future?

As a doctoral scholar in educational leadership and the award-winning author of Thriving in the Modern Workplace: A Gen Z Guide to Success, Giselle bridges research and real-world practice to help audiences move from uncertainty to action. Known for her engaging storytelling, interactive approach, and immediately applicable strategies, she challenges leaders to rethink communication not as a soft skill, but as the leadership practice that determines whether trust is built, change takes hold, and innovation succeeds.

Giselle believes the future of education will not be determined by the technology we adopt. It will be determined by our ability to help people adapt, connect, and move forward together.

Giselle Sandy-Phillips is a Leadership and Workforce Communication Strategist, education doctoral scholar, award-winning author, and speaker who helps leaders navigate what technology alone cannot solve: the human side of change. Her perspective w... Show more

Kenneth Taiwo

Kenneth Taiwo

Kenneth Olajide Taiwo is a teenager brand designer, photographer, content creator and a writer. He's currently a graduand of the University of Medical Science, Ondo on his Final Industrial Training program. He is passionate about bringing creative imaginations to reality by creating virtually stunning , detailing and eye-catching designs that helps brands grow. He's with up to four years of consistent practice, continuous skill sharpening, and business development experience in the creative field. He's has worked and currently works with alot of brands of different Niches including an arm of the Federal Government of Nigeria. He is the CEO of Kenot Pixels (a graphic design brand), and the founder of CreativeCue with Kenot (a creative show). He stands for maximizing everything around him for creativity.

Kenneth Olajide Taiwo is a teenager brand designer, photographer, content creator and a writer. He's currently a graduand of the University of Medical Science, Ondo on his Final Industrial Training program. He is passionate about bringing creative im... Show more

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