Where You At?

Uniting Youth Through Arts, Culture, Sports, and Travel for

the Development of the Post-2015 Agenda
Speakers Bios
August 6-8, 2014
UN Headquarters, NYC
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DAY 1: SPEAKERS
Patrick Sciarratta has been executive director of FRIENDSHIP AMBASSADORS
FOUNDATION in Greenwich, CT since 1993. He has spoken at conferences and
universities throughout the world on topics related to the role of the arts and
cultural exchange as a driver for development and global peace building.
At the United Nations, Patrick is an Adviser to the Permanent Mission of So
Tom and Prncipe, through December 2016. Since 2003, he co-created and
directs the Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations. He edits the NGO
Reporter, disseminated to 5,000+ U.N.-affiliated NGOs worldwide, and was
re-appointed Treasurer, a second time, for the UN DPI 65th Annual Conference
at UNHQ. In January 2012, Patrick co-sponsored the first-ever TEDx conference
at the U.N. In June 2012, he produced the UN-Inspired Rhythms of One World
Choral Festival in NYC. In 2014, the international choir festival took place at
UNHQ Geneva, Switzerland in support of the Kofi Annan Foundation.
Ambassador Simona-Mirela Miculescu has been serving as Permanent
Representative of Romania to the United Nations since 2008. During her 23
years of diplomatic career, she served as Spokesperson for the Romanian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Senior Media Advisor to the Minister (1993 and
1999), Director of the Press Department within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(1994 and 2008), as Press Secretary of the Romanian Embassy in Washington
D.C. (1994-1998), and as Senior Public Information Officer at the Mission of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Kosovo (1999-
2000).
Ambassador Miculescu also has an academic background, as well as an exten-
sive experience in public communication. Starting with her PhD in Literature,
her academic career as a professor of International Public Relations at two
Romanian universities and as publisher of several books and tens of articles
goes in parallel with her evolution in diplomacy. In Romania, she is known as
one of the best experts in the area of the management of international public
relations, and developed the first curricula on this topic, which is now used in
several Romanian universities.
Since her appointment in New York, Amb. Miculescu held the positions of
Vice-President of the UNICEF Executive Board, Vice-President of the Assembly
of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,
Member of the Bureau of the Francophonie, and Chair of the Special Political
and Decolonization Committee of the General Assembly, during its 66th Ses-
sion. She currently serves as Vice-President of the UN General Assembly for its
68th session.
Gabriela Szabo is a Romanian former track and field athlete winner of the
gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics in 5000m. She was titled Romanias
Best Woman Athlete for five consecutive years from 1997-2001.
Shes currently the Coordinator of the athletes Social Reconversion in part-
nership with COSR and ADECCO as well as the Founder and President of the
Sports of Life campaign. Prior to being appointed the Minister of Youth and
Sports in March 2014, Gabriela Szabo was the Vice President of the Romanian
Athletism Federation (FRA) from 2005-2013. Since 2005, she has been the
President of the Marketing and Public Relations Committee of the Romanian
Athletism Federation (FRA). Gabriela Szabo received her Masters Degree in
Motor Anthropology and her Ph.D in Sports and Physical Education at the Na-
tional Academy of Physical Education and Sports (ANEFS).
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Ahmad Alhendawi, UN Secretary Generals Envoy on Youth, is a strong
youth advocate at the national, regional and international levels. He was a
co-founder for Youth for Democracy Network at the Jordanian Commission for
Democratic Culture, which he headed. Internationally, he is a co-founder of
the International Youth Council, based in New York. He previously worked as
a Team Leader for the World Bank funded programme to the League of Arab
States on Institutional Development to Strengthen Arab Policy and Participa-
tion. Prior to this, he served as the Youth Policy Advisor in the League of Arab
States in Cairo and as an officer in the Technical Secretariat of the Arab Youth
and Sports Ministers Council.
Yvonne Thomas is a senior manager of global programs within the Citizen-
ship and Public Affairs team at Microsoft. In this role, she leads Microsoft
YouthSpark, a global initiative that aims to help 300 million youth gain em-
ployment, continue their education and training or start their own business or
nonprofit organization by 2015. Previously, Ms. Thomas led Microsoft Elevate
America, a set of national programs and partnerships, focused on providing
individuals with the technology skills and resources needed to successfully
prepare for employment in todays economy.Throughout her tenure at Micro-
soft, Ms. Thomas has held a variety of roles, all focused on developing and
implementing impactful programs and partnerships for the company. Prior to
joining Microsoft, she worked in the nonprofit sector, with a focus on youth
development.
Panel 1 - Youth Driving Change on Gender Inequality
Moderator: Beatrice Cord is the current Co-Chair and Program Manager of
the Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations, previously serving as an
adviser on youth issues for the Permanent Mission of Romania to the UN.
With a double degree in international law and public relations, and a MA in
Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs, Beatrice has a strong professional background
in working both for the private sector in high profile corporations, such as
LOreal and Petrom OMV, and for international organizations and foundations.
She is passionate about youth empowerment and social entrepreneurship
as valid solutions for tackling the biggest challenges faced by her genera-
tion- youth unemployment. She served as a facilitator on the theme of full
employment and entrepreneurship during the World Conference on Youth in
Colombo, Sri Lanka in May and spoke for the Social Entrepreneurship Confer-
ence organized by the European Commission in Crete in June of 2014.
Ravi Karkara is a trained Social Worker with commitment to advancing hu-
man rights, gender equality, inclusion and social justice. Ravi has served as
the Global Advisor on Youth + Partnership with United Nations Millennium
Campaign and UN- HABITAT, based in New York. He is the lead author of the
groundbreaking report Youth 21: Building the Architecture of Youth Engage-
ment in the UN System, by UN-Habitat, which contributed to the creation of
United Nations Secretary Generals Envoy on Youth. Ravi represented UN-HAB-
ITAT as the Co-chair of the UN Interagency Network on Youth Development..
Ravi has been co-chairing the Policy Strategy Group for World We Want 2015
- a UN & CSO post-2015 data-curation- visualization platform.
Gerardo Porteny Backal is a youth leader and social innovator. He is the
founder and president of the global movement Young Men for Gender Equality,
partnering with youth across the world, and inspiring them to join his life jour-
ney: Reaching universal gender equality.
He is a Serial Non Profiteer having founded 5 NPOs based in Mexico City, the
first one being Pink Life Against Breast Cancer which he founded when he
was 16 years old. Raising up to date more than $1,150,000 MXN for the fight
against breast cancer, rallying up more than 3500 youth and kids to raise
awareness about the cause using the Pink Life sweatshirt he created, and
organized multiple social, cultural, academic and sport events highlighting
the two pink marathons. Gerardo in now working as a consultant on global
youth engagement for UN Women in its executive office in NY, designing and
implementing the HeForShe global campaign.
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Speakers- Continued
Oliver Libby, Chair of The Resolution Project, is the Co-Founder and Managing
Director of Hatzimemos Partners LLC, a strategic advisory firm based in New
York, focusing on the energy, infrastructure, and life sciences sectors. Oliver
was previously a Vice President at a global management- consulting firm,
where he helped manage on the firms private equity and energy practices.
In addition to his private sector work, Mr. Libby served as volunteer Deputy
Director of Energy Policy for the Giuliani for President Campaign in 2007-2008.
He also chairs the Growth Strategy Group of The Harvard Club of New York
City. Mr. Libby graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, completing
significant coursework at the graduate and undergraduate levels in govern-
ment, with a focus on national security, defense, foreign relations, and public
policy.
Jean Paul Laurent, founder of the Unspoken Smiles Foundation after the dev-
astating Haitis earthquake. The purpose of the Unspoken Smiles Foundation is
to conduct non-partisan research, education, and informational activities that
will increase public awareness and promote fundamental improvements in the
overall oral health status of at-risk children in underserved countries around
the world.
Melissa Michaels, Ed.D. leads movement-based educational experiences
that help young people cultivate their inner resources and their outer visions
to create sustainable and peaceful communities. Melissa is the founder and
director of The Surfing The Creative International Youth Leadership Initiative.
Melissas work utilizes the expressive arts to establish body and heart as re-
sources for living. Golden Bridge, Melissas non-profit organization, has been
engaged in the healing, initiating, educating, and mentoring of hundreds of
diverse young people and the adults who serve them for three decades. The
story of this work and the youth moving into positive action around the world
will soon be released in Melissas forthcoming book, Youth On Fire.
As a Fielding University Fellow, she is currently bringing SomaSource, this
body of work she has developed, to numerous diverse communities in Africa,
Asia, North America, and the Middle East.
Afternoon Session
Eliane Sussman is the Director of Operations for the Global Sustainable De-
velopment Foundation. She is also the Director of Operations of the NY Global
Leaders Dialogue a non-profit that brings together leaders from around the
world to meet as equals, exchange ideas in an environment of mutual respect
to foster international dialogue.
Eliane is an alumnus of the Youth Assembly herself. She is the Global UN
representative of AIESEC International. Her work for AIESEC includes the
development of the consultative status of the NGO at the UN Economic and
Social Council (ECOSOC). For the past 6 years, she has been the Director of
Operations at JAS Productions; a New York based video production company.
She has a Bachelor in International Communication from the Hanze University
Groningen and a Masters in International Relations from the Freie University
Berlin. Eliane lives in New York.
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Sergio Fernndez de Crdova is an internationally recognized entrepreneur,
investor & philanthropist working at the intersection of media + policy,
leveraging public private partnerships for social impact. He is Chairman &
Co-Founder of PVBLIC Foundation; an organization focused on using media to
drive impact & change in the world. Sergio is also the Co-Founder of P3 Global
Management; a smart infrastructure + public private partnership management
company sparking positive social, environmental, and economic vitality in the
urban landscape. He was recently named by Dell as one of its #Inspired 100
leading global influencers in entrepreneurship; using technology to empower
and inspire others. He also sits on the board of or advisor to: UN-ECE, UN-
Foundation, Dell, SBA, NYGLD, GSDF, WireLawyer, Availor & NGEL.
Panel 2- GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS FORUM: INNOVATION
AND PARTNERSHIPS
Moderator: Amir Dossal is Chairman of Global Partnerships Forum, an inter-
national platform working to address economic and social challenges, which
he established in October 2010. He is also the co-founder of the Pearl Initi-
ative, a CEO-led program, promoting transparency and accountability in the
Middle East. In 2013, he was appointed Co-Chair of the Sustainable Oceans
Alliance, a global initiative to include healthy oceans in the UN Sustainable
Development Goals.
Amir is also Commissioner of the Broadband Commission for Digital Develop-
ment and Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the International
Telecommunication Union for Global Partnerships. In October 2010, Amir
received the Humanitarian Award from the UN Association of New York, for
his accomplishments in Partnerships to End Poverty and World Hunger. In De-
cember 2010, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco appointed him
Ambassador for Peace and Sport.
Dragos Preda, Trans-disciplinary spirit, initiator and co-organizer of many
social, cultural and educational projects, pro-actively involved in the civil
society and public-private environment in ROMANIA, Drago PREDA builds and
supports initiatives of impact, looking to develop inter-generational transfer
of knowledge, encouraging the talents of the new generation.Among his
best known projects include the Romanian Forum of Education, the Classic
is Fantastic Gala, Romanian book library in Turin, Scandinavian symphony of
Romanian inspiration, Bucharest vs Paris painting exhibition, etc.
Concurrently, he co-organized numerous conferences focused on Romanias
role both at regional and international level as founder of Romanian Club of
Foreign Relations, Diplomacy and European Affairs (CRREDAE), as well as of
the Club for Romania. DP stays very much attached to the project / the or-
ganization close to his hearth (with which all began): the League of Romanian
Students Abroad (LSRS).
Closing Keynote Address
Allison Wu is a nineteen-year-old social innovation leader. She has led and
advised numerous initiatives, including Minga, a nonprofit harnessing the
power of teens to fight the U.S. child sex trade, and the Campaign for a Presi-
dential Youth Council, where she successfully secured bipartisan sponsorship
of a congressional resolution to increase youth engagement in government.
She was also involved in starting the student voice movement that has spread
globally, bringing students into education reform policy discussions through
platforms like Student Voice and Dell-organized social think tanks. Her work
and leadership have been recognized by organizations and outlets including
Forbes, the Harvard Institute of Politics, and the United Nations. Most recent-
ly, she worked at Ashoka, the worlds leading social entrepreneurship organi-
zation, and at the Center for Talent Innovation & Hewlett Consulting Partners,
a think tank and advisory practice focused on diversity and talent strategy.
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Day 2: SPEAKERS
Sam Sussman is the co-founder of Extend, a non-profit organization which
brings together American Jews, Palestinians and Israelis for constructive con-
versation. Previously, he worked at the U.S. Senate, New York State Senate,
and as Social Media Director for Students for Obama PA. He is an M.Phil candi-
date in International Relations at Oxford.
Shani Perez is the director of Kids Creating Peace (KCP), an NGO devoted to
working with Palestinian and Israeli youth on a unique program of joint studies
and work. Inspired by founder Karen Bergs mission, Shani is leading KCPs
Cross Boarder Peace Youth Program with an holistic approach combined with
contemporary educational and conflict mitigation methods all oriented
towards accepting and respecting the other out of a sense of self-worth and
self-respect. She is also founder of the Nitzan Women Theater; dedicated to
empowering women evacuated in 2005 from the Gush Katif settlements in the
Gaza Strip.
PANEL 1: UN FOUNDATION AND +SOCIALGOD
Moderator: Asif Khan works on and co-manages several partnerships and
projects with both companies and NGOs he concentrates on cross-cutting
partnerships and also big data, women, girls & reproductive health and popu-
lation. Asif is also an active member of the UN Foundations Youth Task Force
working on involving boys in female empowerment, and does various youth
related outreach in New York and Washington. Prior to joining the New York
office Asif was the Global Coordinator for the Mobile Alliance for Maternal Ac-
tion (MAMA) at the UN Foundation offices in Washington D.C. from 2012-13. He
worked in operations and partnerships at Earth Day Network where he helped
plan and organize the Climate Action Gala, Earth Day 2012 and Rio+20.
Melissa Hillebrenner is Director of Girl Up - an innovative campaign of the
United Nations Foundation that works to build a youth constituency dedicated
to improving the lives of the worlds hardest-to-reach girls. The campaign
mobilizes teen girls to raise funds and awareness for United Nations programs
that serve adolescent girls in developing countries. Before joining the UN
Foundation, Melissa was a National Director for OP3, where she helped to
manage the nine-city multi-day Avon Walk for Breast Cancer series, which
raised $45 million each season. She oversaw national staff and remote field
teams, and introduced a program called the Youth Crew, which targets youth
ages 10-16 to participate in the walk and raise money for the Avon Foundation.
Liz Wing is currently the Senior Grassroots Director at the United Nations
Foundation, where she leads her team on grassroots organizing strategies.
She works for Nothing But Nets, a global grassroots campaign to raise aware-
ness and funding to fight malaria, a leading cause of death among children
in Africa. Liz builds programs that will inspire more American families to get
involved with Nothing But Nets. In her year and a half at the campaign, she
has helped launch engagement programs like Donate Your Birthday, Sports
for Nets, and Create for Nets. Prior to that, she was the Executive Director of
No Limits Foundation, a non-partisan, issues-based organization that enabled
members to stay informed and active on a range of domestic and international
policy issues through information, education, and advocacy.
Tillmann Heidelk is the co-founder and President of Young European Lead-
ership, an international nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated
to empowering young leaders and future decision makers from Europe and
beyond. Mr. Heidelk currently serves as a consultant at the World Bank where
he focuses on quantitative analyses of the education sectors and educational
attainment in non-OECD countries. Mr. Heidelk is the co-founder and Deputy
Chairman of The International Diplomatic Engagement Association (The IDEA),
leading 20 international nonprofits/NGOs that recruit and train delegations
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to the Y8/Y20 Summits, the official young G8/G20 counterpart. In 2010 he
represented Germany at the Y8/Y20 Summit in Vancouver and in 2012 he rep-
resented the European Union in Washington, DC.
PANEL 2: MULTICULTURALISM AND THE ARTS IN MENTAL
HEALTH
Moderator: Katrina Martinez is interested in the study of various holistic
healing methods as well as the powerful potential of hip hop activism. She
studied at the University of Tampa and Temple University, graduating with a
degree in Political Science focusing on Middle Eastern studies. Katrina is the
UN DPI/NGO Youth Rep for ATOP Meaningfulworld, an organization dedicated
to fostering a meaningful, peaceful, and just world in which every individual
enjoys physical, mental, social, ecological, and spiritual health. She was the
project manager for the UN DPI/NGO Youth Led Briefing titled, Music: An
Avenue Towards the World We Want. She is also working with the former
Ambassador of Iraq to the UN Dr. Hamid Al Bayati as a research assistant and
curator for an internet channel called HappyTV, which will be launched before
the end of the year.
Mahroo Moshari, LMSW is a Consultant on Education and Multicultural Men-
tal Health Issues for New York City youth. It is her passion and commitment to
assist adolescents in understanding social diversity through the development
of a multicultural competency. Mahroo is directing a unique summer youth
program for ages 16-21. Manhattan Multicultural Summer Youth (MMSY) Pro-
grams mission is to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
advocates a culture of peace among adolescents in all societies. Lastly, she
is a representative at the United Nations International Association of Applied
Psychology. She is a member of the Psychology Coalition, NGO Committees on
Human Rights and Childrens Rights.
Deon Jones is Special Project Assistant to the President at Be The Change,
Inc., a social entrepreneurial organization that creates and manages national
issue-based campaigns, such as ServiceNation, Opportunity Nation, and Got
Your 6. He is also the Founder and Facilitator of the Manifest Leadership In-
stitute, an academic and leadership development program for formerly incar-
cerated teenage boys.Previously, Jones served as D.C. Advisory Neighborhood
Commissioner representing Ward 3 from 2011-2013 making him the youngest
elected official in Washington, D.C.s history.
PANEL 3 - CREATING POSITIVE CHANGE THROUGH SPORTS
Moderator: Simon Hill currently serves as Executive Vice President, and
Director of Global Initiatives at SPORTS195, the global network for Sports. Mr.
Hills responsibilities include building strategic international partnerships with
sports federations, governments, and strategic partners. Mr. Hill s career has
included various international market development roles throughout Austral-
ia, China, South East Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa across technology
and agriculture. Prior to Joining SPORTS1945, Mr. Hill has been based in New
York, leading the Australian Federal Government (AUSTRADE) technology
team, coordinating global business development strategies for aspiring
Australian technology companies. Mr. Hill holds a Bachelors Degree in Agricul-
tural Science from the University of Adelaide, South Australia, and studied the
Executive MBA at New York University (NYU).
Erika Lawler is the Olympic Silver Medalist- Womens Ice Hockey, Marketing
Coordinator and Champions Program Coordinator at SPORTS195. Erika Lawler
grew up in Fitchburg, Massachusetts playing street hockey, ice hockey and
many other sports. She attended the Cushing Academy Preparatory School in
Ashburnham, Massachusetts and continued on to the University of Wisconsin
where she won 3 NCAA Champions. In 2006 she began her career with the USA
womens hockey team and won the World Championships in 2008 and 2009.
In 2010, Erika had the honor of attending the Olympics in Beijing where her
team won the silver medal! Erika is now the Field Marketing Coordinator at
SPORTS195 and coaches ice hockey camps and clinics on the side.
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Wayne Barrett is a New York Native originally from Jamaica. The 62, 187
pound athlete is the #3 Ranked Middleweight in the Glory World Series of
fighting. Wayne was introduced to the Martial Arts world at the age of 10 and
never looked back. Wayne has fought on CBS Sports and Spike TV against
some of the best fighters in the world. Barrett says, I fight because I want to
test who I am on the inside and how much I can endure and still move forward
in the ring and in life. Fighting helps me to inspire myself and those around
me by showing others you can be great at anything that you do despite what
others may say.
Patrick Jacobsen is a 20-year-old professional motorcycle racer from Mont-
gomery, in the northern part of Americas New York State. PJ is ranked as
the 7th best motorcycle racer in the world. With his current team, the Czech
Republics Intermoto Ponyexpres, he has had the great fortune to travel to
Indonesia, Italy, Ireland, England, Portugal, Dubai, and Holland to spread his
commitment to self-improvement and the love of his sport. These achieve-
ments paved the way for PJ to have two successful years racing in the British
SuperBike championship with the UKs Tyco Suzuki, before coming to the
Czech Republic with Intermoto Ponyexpres. PJ Jacobsen is truly an impressive
young man who already has a proud history of hard work and achievement
under his belt, and who has a very bright future as a professional motorcycle
racer and business person in the years ahead.
Sarah Cahill has been a Strength and Conditioning Coach for the U.S. Wom-
ens National Team since August of 2012 and currently trains the team on a
daily basis in Woburn, Mass. Additionally, Cahill has served as a strength and
conditioning coach at Northeastern University, after having spent two years as
the head performance specialist at Core Performance Center. The Core Perfor-
mance Center is a branch of Athletes Performance in Santa Monica, Calif.
Prior to her post at Core Performance, Cahill was the strength and condition-
ing coach for the womens softball, volleyball, soccer and mens and womens
tennis teams at the University of Oklahoma. During her first year at OU, the
volleyball team flipped its record from 3-18 to 20-3, resulting in the biggest
turnaround in Big 12 history. Cahill also guided the top-ranked softball team to
a Big 12 championship in 2006.
AFTERNOON SESSION
April Cuenca, founder of FlipTrip, was recently awarded as one of the ten
winners of the tech-based start-up competition, Ideaspace 2014 Competition,
Filipina start-up. FlipTrip is an all-in-one online travel booking platform for
unique and less travelled destinations in the Philippines. FlipTrip provides us-
ers access to comprehensive information and booking capabilities for all their
travel needs. Having worked in the tourism industry for the past three years
after taking up BS Tourism at the Asian Institute of Tourism at the University
of the Philippines, April has worked a variety of positions including tour oper-
ations consultancy, tour guiding, travel planning consultancy, marketing and
sales, and travel show logistics management.
PANEL 3 - TRAVEL AND +SOCIALGOOD PRESENTS: WHEN TRAVEL
MAKES GOOD - A CONVERSATION WITH AGENTS OF CHANGE
Moderator: Gilad Goren - Born to a family of travel professionals, Gilad had
earned his wings in the tourism industry by early teenage years, fomenting a
passion for travel and entrepreneurship that remains strong to this day. With
Only Six Degrees, the aim is to transform any vacation or adventure abroad
into an act of social good. Gilad is also the founder and executive director of
Travel+SocialGood, the first conference and community to explore the nexus
of travel, tech and social good. Through business and thought leadership, he
hopes to push Travel, the worlds largest industry to meet its immense poten-
tial as a dominant force for positive social impact. Hes spoken on the subject
of travel and impact in several conferences, and currently sits on the board of
the African Travel Association.
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Andrew Horn is a social entrepreneur based in Brooklyn, NY. He started a
childrens non-profit called Dreams for Kids DC, in 2009 that helped young
people with disabilities unite with their peers and play sports. Dreams for Kids
DC is now one of the premiere adaptive athletic providers in Washington, D.C.
In 2011, he stepped down to start another non-profit venture called AbilityList,
which is known as Craigslist for People with Disabilities. In 2012, he worked
with best-selling author, Sam Horn, to start The Intrigue Agency, a full service
branding/communications firm with offices in NYC and Washington, D.C. and
also launched the NYC office of Birmingham based Telegraph Branding. In
2014, he launched a for-profit technology company called TRIBUTE. The com-
pany helps people create meaningful video montages for the people they care
about on special occasions.
Kate Otto is a global health consultant who has worked in Indonesia, Ethi-
opia, Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, Mozambique and Haiti leading health
innovation initiatives for The World Bank, USAID, and various grassroots or-
ganizations. She has designed, deployed, and researched mobile phone-based
technologies to improve health service delivery in areas of HIV/AIDS care, sub-
stance use disorder, maternal and child health and nutrition. Kate is also the
author of Everyday Ambassador: Creating Connections that Last in a Digitally
Distracted World, a 21st-century guide to positive, thoughtful social change,
recently acquired by a division of Simon & Schuster. Shes a frequent public
speaker and media writer, including a TEDx talk in 2012 and writing for The
Huffington Post, Christian Science Monitor and on the website she founded in
2012, www.EverydayAmbassador.org.
Steve Larosiliere is the Founder and President of STOKED, a youth develop-
ment agency with offices in New York and Los Angeles that uses a combination
of action sports (snowboarding, skateboarding, and surfing), mentoring, and
after- school programs to empower teens to be successful leaders in their
community. STOKED has worked with over 3500 youth since 2005. Through
STOKED, Steves work has appeared in the New Yorker Magazine, ESPN, Huff-
ington Post, Oprah Magazine, NY Times, Nylon Magazine, Bloomberg, Wall
Street Journal, and Transworld Business. STOKED was voted to the charity of
the Week by Time Out NY and was voted to the NY 100 (100 most innovative
businesses in NY). In 2010 Steve was honored as a Hometown Hero in New
York and given the Mentoring Award for his work with New York City youth.
Taylor Conroy is the founder of Change Heroes - a social enterprise that has fund-
ed over 60 schoolhouses and libraries in 9 countries all over the world. He gave a
keynote address at Harvards Social Enterprise Conference, has a well known TEDx
talk called How to build a school in 3 hours, and recently addressed delegates
from around the globe at the United Nations in New York. He will be telling Do
Gooders about how his obsession with human behaviour has resulted in Change
Heroes impacting 60,000 children in developing countries, and how he plans to
impact 1 million more by the end of 2014.
SPEAKERS - CONTINUED
Rob Petty is the Founder and CEO of SPORTS195, The Global Sports Network,
which provides fans, athletes, and organizations around the world with a
single destination for all sports content. The SPORTS195 platform aggregates
all pictures, videos and news articles from leagues, teams, clubs, schools,
venues, and athletes, both professional and amateur, and provides sports
fans one destination for all their sports needs. The platform also empowers
athletes at all levels with the ability to connect, share, and showcase their
athletic achievements. Organizations partnered with SPORTS195 are given the
tools to connect directly with their community, allowing users to interact on a
social level.
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Jessica Matthews, as the Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Uncharted
Play, Inc., drives the creative vision of an award-winning social enterprise with
a mission to foster wellbeing by inspiring people to lead playful lives. Jessica
is a recipient of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Next Generation Award
(2013), was named as one of Black Enterprises 40 Under 40 Next Generation
of Women in Power (2012), Scientist of the Year by the Harvard Foundation
(2012), one of the 10 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs by Fortune
(2011), and Next Generation Breakthrough Innovator by Popular Mechanics
(2010). Working with governments in the U.S. and internationally, Jessica was
invited by President Barack Obama to the White House to represent small
companies for the signing of the America Invents Act in 2012, and currently
serves as an Ambassador of Entrepreneurship for Nigeria. Jessicas research
and career centers around disruptive technology, consumer behavior, and
social psychology. A dual citizen of Nigeria & the U.S., Jessica has a degree in
Psychology and Economics from Harvard University, and an MBA from Harvard
Business School.
Day 3: Speakers
Jake Schwartz is CEO of General Assembly, which is pioneering a new kind of
education for a global community of entrepreneurs and professionals. Under his
leadership, General Assembly has scaled to nine cities in three years, and has
helped more than 100,000 students create opportunities and pursue work they
love through educational programming in technology, business and design. Prior
to founding General Assembly, Jake worked for Associated Partners, a multi-
stage private equity rm focused on telecommunications, media and technology
co-funded by Liberty Media and Goldman Sachs. Jake has been named as one
of Fast Companys Most Creative People in Business and listed on Vanity Fairs
The Next Establishment and Business Insiders Silicon Alley 100. Jake holds a
bachelors degree in American studies from Yale University and earned an M.B.A.
with Honors from The Wharton School.
Ashley Alenick attends Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. She graduated from
New York University College of Arts and Science in May 2013 (Honors Scholar),
having completed her Bachelors degree in three years. At NYU, Ashley was select-
ed to be a Liberal Studies Ambassador and Welcome Week Leader.Over the past
two years, Ashley has been working with her family to grow Donate-A- Toothbrush.
The distribution of nearly 107,000 toothbrushes to individuals in underprivileged
nations has had the direct eect of decreasing each recipients risk for serious
dental disease. Ashley hopes to pursue a career as an entertainment lawyer and
to continue her work with Donate-A-Toothbrush.
Paige Alenick is a sophomore at New York University where she was selected
as a Liberal Studies Ambassador and a Welcome Week Leader. Paige founded
Donate A Toothbrush in February 2011. She is proud to have been able to
collect and distribute nearly 107,000 toothbrushes to needy children and
adults worldwide. She is a 2014 Diller Teen Award Recipient, a 2013 Prudential
Community Service Award Distinguished Finalist and a recipient of a 2013 Jef-
ferson Award for Public Service. At New York University, Paige enjoys singing
in the Womens Choir. She plans on continuing and expanding her work with
Donate-A-Toothbrush in college and beyond.
Panel - Continuing the Youth Conversation from Past,
Present, and Future Conferences
Moderator: Prateek Awasthi works at the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) as a Technical Analyst promoting the priorities and participation of
young people in policy making and programming. He was the co-chair of the
Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development, led the development of the UN
System Wide Action Plan on Youth and recently has been working closely with
the Secretary-Generals Envoy on Youth to build consensus on incorporating
youth-focused targets in the post-2015 agenda. He studied law from the Uni-
versity of Pune, India, and lives in Harlem.
11
Jeffery Huffines joined CIVICUS in April 2009 to serve as Main Representative
at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Based in Johannesburg, South
Africa, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, is an international
alliance working with organizations and individuals in over 100 countries to
strengthen citizen action and civil society throughout the world.
In January 2014 Mr. Huffines was appointed as Chair of the 65th Annual UN
DPI/NGO Conference on the theme 2015 and Beyond: Our Action Agenda, to
take place at UN HQ (NY), 27-29 August 2014. Mr. Huffines has served as UN
DESA NGO Major Group Organizing Partner since 2011 responsible for guiding
multi-stakeholder engagement of NGOs in sustainable development activities
at the UN. He also serves on the UN Post 2015 Strategic Outreach Planning
Group and Beyond 2015/GCAP UN Working Group in New York and represents
CIVICUS on the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE) Work-
ing Group on Post-2015.
Natalia Saavedra joined Fundacion Amistad, a not-for-profit organization that
aims to improve the relations between Cuba and the United States through
cultural initiatives, after graduating with a BA in International Studies from the
City College of New York (CCNY). With her special interest in International Re-
lations and Development, Natalia became a youth representative to the Unit-
ed Nations for Peace Action International, a non-governmental organization
whose mission is to abolish war as a method of solving conflicts. While in this
position, Natalia co-chaired the Intergenerational Committee for the planning
of the United Nations Department of Public Information Non-Governmental
Organization (UN DPI NGO) conference that took place in Bonn, Germany and
focused on sustainable development. This year, Natalia is co-chairing the
Youth Subcommittee for the planning of the 65th UN DPI NGO conference that
will focus on the post 2015 agenda.
Christopher Dekki is a full time activist concentrating on political advocacy
at the United Nations. He is the Coordinator of the UN Advocacy Team for the
International Movement of Catholic Students, as well as the UN Liaison for
the International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organizations (ICMYO), a net-
work of the worlds oldest and largest youth led movements. He is currently
involved, with other members of the youth constituency, in advocacy efforts
surrounding the post-2015 sustainable development agenda. With a graduate
degree in international relations as well as a law degree, Chris is involved in
grassroots outreach dedicated to human rights and education advocacy for
young people in New York City and throughout the world. Recently he helped
plan the 2014 World Conference on Youth in Sri Lanka both as an elected
member of the International Youth Task Force and a full time consultant based
in Sri Lanka.
Pablo Angulo-Troconis is a youth advocate from Venezuela. He is the Youth
Program Associate at the World Federation of United Nations Associations
(WFUNA) in New York. In his current capacity, he is in charge of coordinating
the WFUNA Youth Network, a global network of United Nations Youth Associa-
tions, United Nations Associations Youth Sections and United Nations Associ-
ations Youth Programs. He is also in charge of developing youth projects that
provide training to youth around the world based on the values on which the
UN was founded. He was Assistant Coordinator of RtoP at the United Nations
Association of Venezuela. Prior to that, he was the Activities Coordinator of
the Youth Program of the United Nations Association of Venezuela, which he
co-founded.
Chernor Bah, a youth advocate and former refugee. He is the youth represent-
ative on the High Level Steering Committee for GEFI and Chair of the Youth
Advocacy Group. Chernor founded and led the Childrens Forum Network, Si-
erra Leones children parliament. He holds a Masters degree in Peace Studies
from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelors degree from the University
of Sierra Leone.