The Future is Now

The Future is Now

#THEFUTUREISNOW

SPEAKERS

MATTHEW ABBOTT
Director of Government and Diplomatic Programs, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Matthew Abbott joined the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in 2015 as the director of government and diplomatic programs. Prior to joining the Council, he served as director of global and economic affairs for US Senator Mark Kirk (IL) and also served on the staff of then-Congressman Kirk (IL-10) and Congressman Phil Crane (IL-08). Abbott was awarded a Foreign Policy Fellowship with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a James A. Kelly Korea Fellowship with Pacific Forum CSIS, a Junior Korean Unification Experts Fellowship with the South Korean Ministry of Unification, and he has been a participant in the China-US Young Scholars Dialogue through the China Institute of International Studies. He completed his undergraduate studies at Dartmouth College and received an MA from the University of Chicago and a diploma from the United States Naval War College. Abbott is a member of the board of directors of the Japan America Society of Chicago and a member of the American Enterprise Institute’s Leadership Network.
STEPHAN BOGNAR
Executive Director, New York Dermatological Group Foundation
@NYDermGroup

Stephan Bognar is the executive director of the New York Dermatological Group Foundation (NYDGF), one of the leading health organizations delivering humanitarian medical assistance to vulnerable and marginalized groups with skin conditions across the globe. Prior to joining NYDGF, Stephan Bognar served as the chief executive officer for the Maddox Jolie Pitt Foundation dedicated to fighting rural poverty and environmental injustices across Southeast Asia. He has worked as an environmental, health, and safety advisor around the globe for various multinational organizations, including helping Nike design and deliver its first sustainable development projects in Asia. Bognar’s work has also included the design and delivery of programs to help women become leaders in the environment in Southeast Asia. Working closely with the US State Department, he created the first Women Leaders in the Environment training program for Lower Mekong Countries. Today, Stephan educates others how environmental cooperation may help resolve political conflicts and how sharing physical green spaces and management responsibilities can build and sustain peace between countries. Bognar holds a master's degree in international relations from the University of Vienna and a bachelor's degree in political science from McGill University. In 2001, Bognar continued his post-graduate studies in sustainable development at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

ELLEN "CHMBA" CHILEMBA
DJ, Producer, Activist, and Founder, Tiwale
@chmba_
Chmba (Ellen Chilemba) is a DJ, producer, activist, and founder of Tiwale, a women’s center in Malawi supporting women and girls through economic and educational opportunities. Chmba started Tiwale at 17-years-old to end the vicious cycle of child marriage in Malawi. Tiwale has since supported over 250 women in educational and vocation skills training opportunities. For her work, she has been named a Forbes’ Africa 30 Under 30, Glamour Magazine College Woman of the Year, Gates Foundation Goalkeeper, Global Citizen Youth Advocate, One Young World Ambassador, Commonwealth Awardee for Excellence in Development Work, Powell Emerging Leader, Chicago Council on Global Affairs Next Generation Leader, and more. As a music producer and DJ, Chmba focuses on curating afro-influenced electronic, house, kuduro, and future beats. She is passionate about gender equity and building educational and collective safe spaces for LGBTQ+ Africans. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College.
ERTHARIN COUSIN
Distinguished Fellow, Global Food and Agriculture, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
@Ertharin1
Ertharin Cousin is a distinguished fellow for global food and agriculture at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She previously served as executive director of the World Food Programme from 2012 until 2017. In 2009, Cousin was nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate as the US ambassador to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome. In this role, Cousin served as the US representative for all food, agriculture, and nutrition-related issues. Cousin helped identify and catalyze US government investment in food security and nutrition activities supported by the USAID Feed the Future program. A Chicago native, Cousin is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago; the University of Georgia Law School, and the University of Chicago Executive Management Finance for Non-Financial Executives program.
APRIL DONNELLAN
Executive Director, Global Philanthropy Partnership
April Kanne Donnellan joined Global Philanthropy Partnership as executive director in 2005. She previously served as program director of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Prior to that, Donnellan was a Foreign Service officer with the US Department of State, completing assignments in Port Louis, Mauritius and Washington, DC. Donnellan served as staff assistant to the assistant secretary for international organization affairs, and as a sanctions/peacekeeping officer covering the Middle East and Africa. She earned a Meritorious Honor Award for her work implementing multilateral sanctions. Donnellan, a former term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, is a graduate of Georgetown University and fluent in French. She has served on the board of the Women’s Global Education Project and serves currently as a member of the Stanley Foundation board. She was a Girl Scout troop leader for 12 years.
LIZ DOZIER
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Beyond
@LizDozier
Liz Dozier is the founder and chief executive officer of Chicago Beyond. A lifelong educator, Liz Dozier has spent her career working tirelessly to interrupt the culture of inequity that is often pervasive in urban education. She is most known for her work as principal of Fenger High School, where she took innovative and creative approaches to successfully address the holistic and complex needs of her students. In 2016, she launched Chicago Beyond, an impact investor that backs the fight for youth equity by fueling organizations, individuals, and learning. Since its launch in 2016, Chicago Beyond has invested more than $30 million in 14 local nonprofit organizations and a community leader that fight for all youth to achieve their fullest human potential. Her work has been featured in outlets such as The New York Times bestseller How Children Succeed by Paul Tough, CNN’s Chicagoland, Aspen Ideas Festival, the Obama Foundation Summit, and SXSW.
DIANDRA FORREST
Model, Actress, and Activist
@DiandraForrest

Diandra Forrest is an African American model, actress, and activist, born and raised in New York city. Her modeling career began when she was scouted by fashion photographer Shameer Khan in 2009. Since then, her unique beauty has caught the attention of many magazines including Marie Claire, Glamour, Paper, French, Allure, and Essence, among others. She has graced the covers of Ebony, Traffic, OOB, Umno, Blonde and U Magazine. Forrest has walked in numerous fashion shows during New York Fashion week and internationally. She has also collaborated on numerous artistic projects, such as Kanye West's "Power" and standing alongside Beyoncé in her music video "Pretty Hurts". As the first model with albinism to be the face of a nationwide beauty brand for Wet & Wild’s BREAKING BEAUTY campaign, Forrest has been given multiple opportunities to advance her mission for an industry where there is representation for all. Along with Forrest's passion for fashion, she has also been very involved in humanitarian work. Partnering with the New York Dermatology Group on their COLORFULL campaign, she has been given a platform to spread awareness on albinism, skin health, and the importance of creating inclusive societies.

HELENE D. GAYLE
President and CEO, The Chicago Community Trust
@helenegayle | @ChiTrust
Helene D. Gayle, MD is president and chief executive officer of The Chicago Community Trust, one of the nation’s leading community foundations. The Trust works with donors, nonprofits, community leaders, and residents to lead and inspire philanthropic efforts that improve the quality of life in the Chicago region. Previously, Gayle was chief executive officer of McKinsey Social Initiative (now McKinsey.org), a nonprofit that builds partnerships for social impact. For almost a decade, she was president and chief executive officer of CARE, a leading international humanitarian organization. An expert on global development, humanitarian, and health issues, Gayle spent 20 years with the Centers for Disease Control, working primarily on HIV/AIDS. She also worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, directing programs on HIV/AIDS and other global health issues. Named one of Forbes’ “100 Most Powerful Women,” she has authored numerous articles on global and domestic public health issues, poverty alleviation, gender equality, and social justice. Gayle earned a BA in psychology at Barnard College, an MD at the University of Pennsylvania and an MPH at Johns Hopkins University.
LISA HINTON
Metropolitan Chicago Executive Director, American Heart Association
@HeartChicago
Lisa Hinton is the American Heart Association’s Metropolitan Chicago executive director. In this role, she oversees the fundraising and community engagement initiatives that create longer, healthier lives for all Chicagoans. Hinton has 14+ years of nonprofit fundraising and management experience. She most recently served as market vice president for the Heart Association’s Chicago office, supervising a team of 20 fundraising staff. She came to the Heart Association from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, where she was the national associate vice president of leadership events, managing a national 35-person fundraising team. Hinton has also held fundraising and management roles for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Hinton is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio, and she received her master’s degree in nonprofit management from DePaul University.
ALISON HOLDER
Director, Equal Measures 2030
@alieholder | @equal2030
Alison Holder is the director of Equal Measures 2030, a civil society and private sector-led partnership that connects data and evidence with advocacy and action, helping to fuel progress towards gender equality. Holder has 20 years’ experience in international development, leading advocacy work on inequality, tax justice, accountability, and corporate responsibility at Action Aid, Oxfam, and Save the Children. She also has experience working on livelihoods with women in India and small business development in South Africa. Holder started her career at Accenture, working on CSR and business strategy. She holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and an undergraduate degree from the Ivey Business School in Canada.
KATELYN JONES
ACLS/Mellon Public Fellow, Women, Peace, and Security, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
@KatelynCJones
Katelyn Jones is the Women, Peace, and Security Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Public Fellow for the American Council of Learned Societies. Her research concerns gender politics in international organizations, and is especially focused on gender mainstreaming in policy formation and implementation. To date, her primary research has centered on the United Nations Security Council’s “Women, Peace, and Security” (WPS) agenda, including completion of the first and only analysis of UNSC debates on WPS issues. She earned a PhD and MA in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an AB in government from Georgetown University. Prior to joining the Council, Jones was visiting faculty in international politics at the University of Richmond and Barnard College. She has also worked at the Center for Religious Freedom in Washington, DC, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in St. Louis. Her research has been selected for presentations at the London School of Economics’ Centre for Women, Peace, and Security, as well as Women In International Security’s Next Generation Symposium on the future of WPS.
STEPHANIE KIMOU
Founder and Lead Consultant, PopWorks Africa
@StephKimou

Stephanie Kimou is the founder and lead consultant for PopWorks Africa, a consulting firm which supports in the development, implementation, and monitoring of development interventions in Africa. She is an international development professional responsible for successful communications and advocacy programs related to sexual and reproductive health and rights. With a background in youth and gender, she has extensive in-country experience in francophone Africa, particularly with building and advising advocacy strategies, infusing meaningful youth engagement into development agendas, and building relationships and partnerships with governmental agencies and iNGOs for sustainable and locally rooted development solutions. 

ELSA MENGISTU
Director, Operations and Logistics, Zero Hour

Elsa Mengistu is the director of operations and logistics at Zero Hour, a grassroots climate organization intent on gaining support for the Youth Climate Movement. She is a freshman at Howard University and native of North Carolina by passage of Ethiopia. Mengistu is an avid organizer and activist who started her work in middle school and high school. She has advocated for changes on various issues, including electoral politics, racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, and women’s rights, through local organizations and school clubs. She has also worked on gun violence prevention and was one of the lead youth organizers for her local March For Our Lives chapter. In her role with Zero Hour, she advocates for climate justice through the organization of the Global Youth Climate March. Mengistu also serves on the Youth Advisory Board for Young Voices for the Planet, an organization that highlights youth from across the world through documentaries. In 2019, she was named as one of Grist’s 50 Fixers, a group of up-and-coming individuals working on innovative solutions to fix the biggest challenges that face our globe.

BETHANY C. MEYERS
Founder and CEO, the be.come project
@bethanycmeyers
Bethany C. Meyers is the founder of the be.come project, champion of the LGBTQ+ community, and a leader in body-neutrality. The be.come project is a zero-judgment fitness routine that takes approximately 25 minutes a day, and is a body-positive, love yourself, and inclusive approach to boutique fitness. The app focuses on the idea that we work out because we love their body and it makes us feel good, not because we hate it and want to change it. Meyers’ unique body-neutral approach to movement awakens clients in profound ways. They have a wealth of insight and wisdom with regard to body neutrality, positivity, and diversity. Meyers is an entrepreneur and leader in dismantling beauty standards, and they openly share their struggles and strengths with their community in hopes of highlighting authentic messaging in the wellness space.
AZADEH MOAVENI
Journalist, Writer, and Academic
@AzadehMoaveni
Azadeh Moaveni is a journalist, writer, and academic who has been covering the Middle East for nearly two decades. She started reporting in Cairo in 1999, while on a Fulbright fellowship to the American University in Cairo. For the next several years, she reported from throughout the region as Middle East correspondent for Time magazine, based in Tehran, but covering Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Iraq. She is the author of Lipstick Jihad, Honeymoon in Tehran, and co-author, with Shirin Ebadi, of Iran Awakening. In November 2015, she published a front-page piece in The New York Times on ISIS women defectors that was finalist for a Pulitzer Prize as part of The Times's ISIS coverage. Her writing appears in the Guardian, The New York Times, and the London Review of Books. She teaches journalism at NYU in London, is a fellow at the New America Foundation, and is now Senior Gender Analyst at the International Crisis Group.
ALAA MURABIT
High-Level Commissioner on Health Employment and Economic Growth, United Nations
@almmura
Alaa Murabit is a medical doctor, Canadian Meritorious Service Cross recipient, one of 17 Global Sustainable Development Goal Advocates appointed by the UN Secretary General, and a United Nations High-Level Commissioner on Health Employment and Economic Growth. Murabit is also the executive director of Phase Minus 1, the founder of the Emerging Leaders Lab, co-founder of The Omnis Institute, and previously founded The Voice of Libyan Women at the age of 21. In 2019, Murabit was selected as one of the World’s Top 20 Most Influential People in Gender Policy alongside Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Melinda Gates, and Michelle Obama. Her efficacy in security, health policy, and sustainable development was most recently recognized as one of Canada’s 25 Most Influential Women. She is the 2018 Nelson Mandela International Awardee, 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30, Aspen Institute Spotlight Scholar, and her leadership in global policy and in elevating the role of women, particularly young, minority women, on global platforms was recognized by Harvard Law, who named her the youngest 2017 Woman Inspiring Change.
RAMI NASHASHIBI
Executive Director, Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN)
@RamiNashashibi
Rami Nashashibi is the executive director of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN). He is a MacArthur Genius Grant fellow and a 2018 Opus Prize laureate. He received a PhD in sociology from the University of Chicago and has taught courses at multiple universities since, including a teaching appointment at the Chicago Theological Seminary. He was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Nashashibi serves on the board of the Marguerite Casey Foundation and is an advisor to a number of strategic initiatives across the country. His work with IMAN continues to be featured in many national and international media outlets.
BLESSING OMAKUW-SOREMEKUN
Special Advisor to the Executive Director of Global Policy, ONE; Founder, The She Tank
@BlessingOmakwu
Blessing Omakwu-Soremekun, Esq. is the special advisor to the executive director of global policy at ONE, a global movement campaigning to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030. In this role, Omakwu-Soremekun provides policy and strategic support to the executive director, including overseeing initiatives to increase the visibility of ONE’s global policy work and forge new partnerships. She was previously ONE’s policy and advocacy manager for Nigeria. Omakwu-Soremekun is also the founder of The She Tank, a modern think-tank dedicated to the realization of Sustainable Development Goal 5 by promoting mindset change through content, conversations, and collectives. Currently, the She Tank is curating a non-fiction anthology that documents narratives and perspectives on the Sustainable Development Goals from women across the African continent. In 2017, Omakwu-Soremekun was identified by the British Council as one of the top 50 future policy leaders in the world and is a member of the British Council’s Future Leaders Connect program. She also currently serves on the Goalkeepers Advisory Board at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Omakwu-Soremekun is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School, where upon graduation she received the USA National Association of Women’s Lawyer’s Outstanding Law Graduate Award. She is a lawyer and a member of the New York Bar. She writes about the intersection of gender, religion, and pop culture on her blog.
CLARITA SANTOS
Executive Director of Community Health Initiatives, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
@ClaritaGSantos
Clarita Santos is the executive director of community health initiatives at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL). In this role, she oversees BCBSIL’s statewide community engagement, including the launch of the Blue Door Neighborhood Center, the company’s first community-based health and wellness center. For more than 10 years, she has led the allocation of grant funding to BCBSIL’s community partners to help increase access to care, improve population health and improve health equity among the uninsured and under-insured in Illinois. Santos has been honored with several awards for her work, including the Breaking Barriers Award by the Chicago Foundation for Women’s Asian American Leadership Council. Santos has also been recognized as one of Diversity MBA magazine’s Top 100 Under 50 Emerging and Executive Leaders for 2015 and was named the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Illinois Public Health Champion of Change honoree in 2015. Santos received her master’s degree in public health in health policy and administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her bachelor’s degree in biology from the College of Charleston.