Forward 40 (4tea)

Nicole Lynn Lewis is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Generation Hope, a nonprofit that provides direct service support to young parents earning their college degrees, advocates nationally for the unique needs of student parents and their families, and partners with colleges and universities to provide technical assistance in order to advance student parent success in higher ed. A former teen mother who put herself throug...

Latanya Devaughn is a mother of 3 and the Founder of Bronx Bound Books - a bookstore on wheels & community hub that aims to leave no community behind as it travels throughout the borough--especially to neighborhoods where access and transportation pose barriers . A lifelong resident of the Bronx, Latanya is shunning the brick-and-mortar model and taking her bookstore to the people. Latanya has a background in human resources, busin...

Jessica Huang was trained as an environmental engineer, and then moved into environmental and health education, before finding her current path as a public health professional. While her journey wasn't the most straightforward, in hindsight, she's grateful for what she learned along the way because of the many interconnections between this work. Fun fact: In the field of public health, some of the earliest work in epidemiology (whi...

Janeen Brown is the Executive Director and Founder of EmpowHERto, a Toronto-based nonprofit dedicated to helping 14 to 21 year-old women and girls reach their fullest potential through three pillars: Independence, Leadership, and Confidence. Previously, Janeen spent time managing a team for an entertainment company, but felt she had a greater purpose to help improve the prospects for female leaders. She became an entrepreneur in 20...

Sam Johnson was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington and spent her childhood exploring and kayaking along the Puget Sound. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology and minor in Chemistry from the University of Portland where she fostered her love of all artisanal ice cream and baked goods Oregon had to offer. 

She then did a year of post-graduate service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps NQ/AmeriCorps where she was placed with ...

Meenakshi Menon is Groundswell Fund’s Chief Development Officer. The daughter of immigrants from India and Malaysia, over the last 14 years, she has worked in 30 countries across 5 continents, advancing sexual health and reproductive rights, peace and security, and racial justice.

Meenakshi began her career as a community organizer and health and human rights field researcher, working with diverse organizations and stakeholders in ...

Tabitha Mpamira is a therapist, activist, motivational speaker, and consultant on sexual and gender-based violence with a long working history in the mental healthcare industry. In 2015, Tabitha founded EDJA to provide free medical, legal, and mental health services to survivors of sexual assault in East Africa. EDJA, now a program offered by an organization in Uganda, has sparked rapid change in rural Uganda by supporting hundreds...

Colleen Echohawk is the Executive Director of the Chief Seattle Club. She is an enrolled member of the Kithehaki Band of the Pawnee Nation and a member of the Upper Athabascan people of Mentasta Lake.

As the founder of the Coalition to End Urban Indigenous Homelessness, Echohawk is committed to homeless advocacy and changing the trajectory of Native American and Alaska Native people living away from reservations in urban places and...

JoRee LaFrance is Apsáalooke and comes from the Greasy Mouth clan and is a child of Ties in the Bundle clan. Her Apsáalooke name is Iichiinmáatchilash/Fortunate with Horses and she is a seventh generation direct descendant from Chief Pretty Eagle, the last principle chief of the Apsáalooke Nation. She comes from the Crow Reservation located in southcentral Montana but currently resides in Tucson, AZ. She graduated in June 2017 from...

Christine Edwards is a civic firebrand that has immersed herself in the art of helping urban communities reach their highest levels of growth, empowerment, and success. A speaker by profession, leader by vocation and entrepreneur by passion, Christine’s work involves using her voice to foster civically engaged communities through collaboration, partnership and digital communication. Embodying the essence of her core message she fou...

Brandy Grant was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She holds a  Masters from the University of Oklahoma in Human Relations and Organizational Development with an emphasis in Counseling and Pre-Law certification from the University of Tulsa. Brandy and her family moved to Seattle to bring 20 years of mental health and community programming to Washington. She was sworn in, in April 2019 for the Seattle Community Police Commission (...

Mrs. Karla C. Boldery (Cárdenas-Álvarez), is currently the Cincinnati Market Manager for La Mega Media, Inc. La Mega Media, Inc. is the largest Hispanic media platform in the state of Ohio. It operates 3 radio stations in Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati and publishes 4 newspapers, spanning the state of Ohio and reaching Pittsburgh and Northern Kentucky readers. La Mega Media provides news, music, information, entertainment and e...

Amina is an African-Caribbean feminist and women’s rights activist, her work is centered around raising awareness for social justice through movement-building, and innovative approaches to philanthropy. Through actively supporting transformational work – from artists, dreamers, activists and organizations that strengthen social change – Amina is focused on helping to build a more colorful, equal and just world.  

Amina is currently...

Shonah Jefferson began her culinary career at the tender age of 11 – by helping her dad at his local Houston restaurant.  After spending many years in business and as a practicing attorney, she returned to her culinary roots by managing the family restaurant for a few years while obtaining a degree in Culinary Arts from San Jacinto College.

Shonah has always had an interest in giving back to others because “to whom much is given, m...

Dr. Angelica Hardee (affectionately known as Dr.gelz) is a native of Cleveland, Ohio. She currently leads strategy and advocacy as the VP of Health Strategies at the American Heart Association and also the President of the National Urban League Young Professionals of Greater Southwest Ohio. Dr. Hardee is a three-time alumna of the University of Cincinnati (UC) where she received her Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate in Public Health...

Noella Moshi joined Future Fund for Education (FFE) with a strong passion for education and workforce development. Since graduating with a Master’s in Clinical Science from the University of Cape Town, Noella has worked on projects that provide scalable solutions to problems within health and education across Africa. Noella previously led operations at West Africa Vocational Education (WAVE) in Nigeria. She was on the founding team...

Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, of Cherokee ancestry, is the Executive Director/CEO of Social Venture Circle, a nonprofit leading the way in the field of social impact; building and galvanizing the business world to create social, economic, and environmental change. She is also the owner/founder of Red-Horse Native Productions, Inc., a film and television production company primarily focused on bringing important documentaries to the scree...

Leonette Henderson is a native of Clarksdale, MS and serves as the Director of Development and Partnership for Higher Purpose Co. (HPC).  HPC is a 501c3 economic justice nonprofit, building community wealth with Black residents across Mississippi by supporting the ownership of financial, cultural, and political power. Leonette has a fervent desire to propel economic and social justice. This desire is rooted in a genuine concern for...

Indrani Goradia is the Founder of RAFT Cares (formerly Indrani’s Light Foundation), a philanthropist, and an advocate for women’s health and empowerment. She leads empowerment trainings in several countries around the world. She is also a board member of Everywoman Treaty and Think Equal.

In 2013, Indrani joined forces with the global health organization PSI and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to transform the lives of girls an...