Speakers & Panelists

Ethan Zohn gave the word survivor a whole new meaning. Winning CBS SURVIVOR: Africa’s $1 MILLION dollar prize, was the springboard to an exceptional life of social purpose, advocacy, and entrepreneurship. Ethan is a former professional soccer player, a two-time cancer crusher, TV personality, author and co-founder of Grassroot Soccer (GRS) which is an adolescent health organization that uses the power of soccer to educate, inspire and mobilize communities to improve health. Over the last 20 years, Ethan has been an important force in driving the strategic direction of GRS and building partnerships that have helped to provide life-saving education for more than 25 million young people in 65 countries. 

Since publicly sharing his two battles with CD20+ Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and two stem cell transplants, Ethan has been named a global ambassador for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, StandUp2Cancer, AKTIV Against Cancer, EO Care and others.

Lauren Gibbs is a Vice President of Business Development, Olympic silver medalist, and nationally recognized keynote speaker who specializes in leadership, performance, and strategic growth. She brings a rare combination of elite athletic achievement, corporate expertise, and revenue-driving business acumen to every stage and boardroom she enters.

A member of Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Lauren earned a silver medal in bobsled just three and a half years after leaving a successful career in corporate sales management. In 2020 she became a world champion. Her unconventional journey from corporate executive to Olympic podium has become a powerful case study in disciplined goal-setting, calculated risk-taking, and high-performance execution.

Lauren holds a degree in Entrepreneurship from Brown University and an Executive MBA from Pepperdine University. She has built a career at the intersection of performance and business, helping organizations unlock growth by developing stronger leaders, more connected teams, and high-impact strategies.

Find out more:
Instagram: @Lagibbs84
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-gibbs

Zahra Wakilzada (she/her) (HOBY VA 2017) is an Afghanistan-born author, poet, and public speaker whose work bridges diplomacy, advocacy, and storytelling. Forced to flee Afghanistan as a child, Zahra began her activism while living as a refugee in Pakistan. Since resettling in the United States in 2015, she has become a prominent voice on issues of forced displacement, women’s rights, and global justice.

Zahra has addressed audiences ranging from local classrooms to international forums. She has previously briefed UN Goodwill Ambassadors, the Minister of Women’s Affairs of Afghanistan, the Chairperson of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, and the Executive Director of UN Women during the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

A two-time graduate of Georgetown University, she holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service and specializes in international relations and human rights. Zahra continues to be bold in speaking out against the systemic oppression of women in Afghanistan and the global marginalization of refugees and underrepresented communities.

Her writing and public speaking are rooted in lived experience and a fierce commitment to justice. As Zahra continues to center the voices of those silenced by brutal, oppressive systems, she hopes and strives to change the world for the better through policy, poetry, and advocacy.

Find out more:
Instagram: @Zahrazwz

Bianca L. Spriggs, Ph.D. — aka Dr. B — is an award-winning, neurodivergent writer and performance artist from the Midwest. She is the widely anthologized author and editor of several collections of poetry, including Call Her By Her Name (TriQuarterly) and The Galaxy Is a Dance Floor (Argos Books). Her poem "What Women Are Made Of" is featured annually in the NEA's national Poetry Out Loud competition and used by high school students across the country to compete. A former college English professor, she holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Kentucky. Diagnosed as neurodivergent during the pandemic, she left higher education after fifteen years to pursue a full-time career in the arts. She is also the creator of Storyworld: Worldbuilding for Beginners, a worldbuilding manual for young adults.

Dr. Devin Walker serves as the Dean of Equity and Student Success at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz, California. A native of Los Angeles, he earned his bachelor's in Sociology and History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Texas at Austin. His research explored the intersections of race, sport, education, and global learning. Prior to joining Cabrillo, he led two nationally recognized centers at UT Austin. His professional journey has been deeply influenced by his upbringing in Los Angeles and his experiences living, working, and backpacking around the world, including teaching English in South Korea for two years. He has lived in five countries, traveled to 37 countries, and has led more than 500 students on study abroad programs across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. He is the co-editor of Historically Underrepresented Faculty and Students in Education Abroad: Wandering Where We Belong, which challenges deficit-based narratives and offers strategies for creating more inclusive global learning opportunities. He is also a co-founder of the Black Student-Athlete Summit and the founder and CEO of WorldWalker, an organization dedicated to expanding access to transformational international experiences for Black and Brown students.

Find out more:
Instagram: @worldwalkerfoundation
LinkedIn: devinwalker85

SDG Focus: No Poverty

Colleen Gillespie

SDG Focus: Zero Hunger

Pamela Hess has been with Arcadia since March 2013.  She came to Arcadia from journalism. A career national security journalist, Pam covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the Pentagon and CIA with the Associated Press and United Press International. 

After a brief foray into national politics as a communications director on Capitol Hill, Pam returned to her first love: food and sustainable farms. In 2011, she took the helm of a local food and wine magazine that celebrated sustainable food and farming in the Capitol Foodshed, and in the course of it, met and fell in love with Arcadia. 

She brings to Arcadia a deep commitment to its mission, a large and expanding network of farmers and food advocates, and a great reputation within the sustainable food community.

SDG Focus: Good Health and Well-Being

Jayson Wright is a second year MPH student at Yale School of Public Health studying Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases. He recently graduated from Yale with a B.S. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. He is interested in medicine, public health, and infectious disease research with plans to pursue education as a physician-scientist (MD/Ph.D) in the future. His current research at the Yale School of Medicine focuses on tracking MSSA transmission and evaluating infection-prevention strategies in the Yale New Haven Children's Hospital NICU. Using environmental surveillance, genomic epidemiology, and mupirocin susceptibility testing, he’s characterizing transmission pathways and resistance phenotypes of clinical and environmental isolates to guide new interventions for this vulnerable population. He also volunteers his time at the HAVEN Free Clinic as a director in the laboratory department providing blood and urine collection for uninsured patients in the greater New Haven, Connecticut area.

Find out more:
Instagram: @jaysonwright_1

SDG Focus: Quality Education

Cameron Wein is a 2011 Central Pennsylvania HOBY alumnus who has remained actively involved with the organization as a volunteer and leader ever since. He currently serves on the Central Pennsylvania HOBY Corporate Board, where he is passionate about developing the next generation of leaders. Professionally, Cameron is a professor of Sport Management and has spent his career working in higher education, athletics, and student leadership development. He also serves as the Director of Events for Women in Sports Helping Inspire the Next Generation (WISHING), a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young women pursuing careers in sports. In addition, Cameron travels across the country providing schools, colleges, and organizations with programs focused on creating cultures of belonging, well-being, and inclusive leadership. Through his speaking and consulting work, he helps individuals and teams build communities where people feel valued, connected, and supported. Cameron is passionate about helping others lead authentically, embrace their unique identities, and create positive change in their communities. He credits HOBY with helping shape his own leadership journey and is honored to continue giving back to an organization that has had such a lasting impact on his life.

Find out more:
Instagram: @connectwithcam & @cj_w33n

SDG Focus: Gender Equality

Zoë Hannah has more than a decade of experience in journalism and editorial management, Zoë is a passionate and dedicated addition to any newsroom. She began her career as a freelance generalist covering travel, wellness, and technology before specializing in video games and product reviews. Her favorite topic to write about is the intersection of video games and mental health. She is known for her incisive and compassionate editing style, as well as her commitment to mentoring the writers and reporters she works with.

SDG Focus: Clean Water and Sanitation

Kirsten Williams is recognized for her strategic vision and inclusive leadership. Kirsten serves as the executive sponsor of DC Water’s Lead Free DC program, a transformative public health and equity initiative focused on eliminating all lead service lines across the District—reinforcing DC Water’s commitment to environmental justice and safe drinking water for all.

Kirsten holds a Juris Doctorate from the Howard University School of Law, as well as a Master of Public Administration, and two Bachelor of Science degrees in Public Relations and Public Communications, all from Appalachian State University.  

Beyond her professional responsibilities, Kirsten is deeply committed to service, mentorship, and civic leadership. She serves on several nonprofit and industry boards, including the Federal City Council, Washington School for Girls, Living Classrooms Foundation, and the District of Columbia Building Industry Association. 

SDG Focus: Affordable and Clean Energy

Zainab Mirza is the Co-Founder and Co-Host of Watts the Tea, a media platform that explains clean energy concepts through pop culture references. She is also the Principal of Zainab Mirza, LLC, where she supports clients in clean energy legislation and community engagement. Previously, she served at the U.S. Department of Energy, leading the implementation of community benefit plans.

Zainab Mirza is the 2026 and 2027 HOBY Maryland Leadership Seminar Chair. She has volunteered with HOBY MD for 12 years in various roles, including facilitator, founder of the Green Team, coordinator of Leadership in Action, and, for 6 years, Director of Team Alumni. Her favorite part of HOBY is witnessing the “lightbulb moments” when both ambassadors and volunteers discover new possibilities for themselves and their communities.

She holds a bachelor's degree in International Relations and Environmental Studies from American University and is from Ocean City, Maryland.

Find out more:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zainab-mirza/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/watts-the-tea/

Instagram: @watts_thetea

SDG Focus: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Serena Saunders is the Associate, Program Experience at NobleReach, where she supports emerging tech leaders as they enter roles in public service. She previously worked in programs at Running Start, where she helped young women achieve their dream of running for office.

She is a Maryland native and a proud double Terp, with a BA in Public Policy and an MPP from the University of Maryland, as well as a MSc in Human Resource Management from Trinity College Dublin. She cares deeply about the voices and experiences of young people in the workplace. 

Find out more:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/serenasaunders/

SDG Focus: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Alex Pennoyer is a Strategy and Policy Associate with the National Defense Industrial Association, where they work to connect the private sector with government to create informed dialogue about the needs of the defense industrial base.

They started their interest in security and international affairs at American University where they studied International Studies with an interest in the ongoing effects of Brexit on European stability. During that time, they began to work in public service, with internships with the Department of State and in the House of Representatives. From there, they attended the University of Edinburgh, where they focused on European security and the concept of Euroscepticism. Their dissertation work is titled "To Stay or Leave: Euroscepticism and Its Effectiveness through Comparing Hungary and the United Kingdom".

In their current role, Alex has continued to focus on security studies, with particular emphasis on maritime affairs and the state of the maritime industrial base in the United States. This has included work done on NDIA’s Vital Signs report, an annual report and survey that discusses the ongoing problems the defense industrial base faces.

Prior to their current position, Alex worked with the East County Economic Development Council of San Diego in identifying sectors of interest in California for investment in industrial capacity.

Find out more:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-pennoyer-492620220/

SDG Focus: Reduced Inequalities

Rae McCave joined UNA-USA in October 2022 as the Senior Associate, Youth Engagement. Her work supports our campus chapters, the Youth Observer program and youth membership at UNA-USA.

Rachel previously worked at the Clinton Foundation as the Senior Events and Operations Associate for the Clinton Global Initiative. She has served as a Youth Delegate to the United Nations in New York and Geneva and has a background in advocacy, youth engagement and global programs. She studied abroad in Europe and has a Bachelor’s degree from NYU in Cultural Anthropology and Master’s degree from Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in International Relations.

SDG Focus: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Samay Kindra manages Vicinity Energy’s government affairs in Maryland. Samay works to advance Vicinity’s zero-carbon mission in Baltimore and partners with stakeholders in City Hall and Annapolis to help the City and State achieve their environmental and sustainability goals. A Baltimore area native and University of Maryland Law School alum, Samay has experience in local, state, and federal government with a focus on the intersection of business and government. Samay has been active in Maryland politics for over a decade and has worked on issues ranging from education and mental health to campaign finance reform and the environment. Prior to joining Vicinity, he was an associate at Ballard Spahr in the Public-Private Partnership group.

Find out more:
Instagram: @samay.kindra & @samay.410
LinkedIn: @Samay Kindra

SDG Focus: Responsible Consumption and Production

Jenny Netherton is an officer on Pew’s energy modernization project, leading state campaigns to advance solutions for transmission infrastructure in the United States.

Before joining Pew, Netherton was the Louisiana senior program manager at Southeastern Wind Coalition. She focused on facilitating offshore and land-based wind energy development and related transmission. As an attorney, Netherton worked on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination and coastal restoration issues.

Netherton holds a bachelor's degree in English from Centenary College of Louisiana and a Juris Doctor from Tulane University School of Law with a certificate in environmental law.

Find out more:
LinkedIn: @Jenny Netherton

SDG Focus: Climate Action

Claudia Menasce is an environmental policy expert, entrepreneur, and systems thinker with over a decade of experience turning research into impactful climate action. She holds a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she focused on the intersections of food systems, climate, and public health. She has led and supported major regulations at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, bridging policy, business, and community engagement to advance holistic health. Leading rulemakings taught her that lasting change requires integrating diverse stakeholder needs, turning competing interests into complementary ones, much like relationships found in nature. As a RegenIntel Fellow, she designs workshops to help industry move from extractive to regenerative practices. Additionally, she recently co-founded Emergent Roots, which provides systems-based leadership consulting and community events to unlock partnerships, creativity, and emerging resilience in the face of interconnected crises. As a Certified Personal Trainer, Claudia believes regeneration begins within—restoring human and planetary health through systems of resilience and renewal. Claudia is committed to building an economy and society that nourishes and empowers each of its parts to function as a whole system.

Find out more:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/claudiamenasche

SDG Focus: Climate Action

Mukut Chatterjee

SDG Focus: Life Below Water

Maggie Ostdahl is an experienced marine conservation professional, having worked in 6 states and 2 countries at the intersection of science-based policy, outreach, and communication around ocean issues including fisheries, sustainable seafood, plastic pollution, and ecosystem management. Maggie is currently the Director of Conservation Policy at the National Aquarium, where she leads the Aquarium's engagement on local, state and federal policies in support of the organization's priorities to stop plastic pollution, combat climate change, and save wildlife and habitats. Maggie has a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Science from Duke University and an M.A. in Marine Policy from the University of Washington.

SDG Focus: Life on Land

Felix Cordoso is an environmental science student at American University entering his third year. He currently interns with the DC Bird Alliance, where he supports bird conservation efforts and community engagement in the Washington, D.C. area. He was born in Washington, D.C., and spent part of his childhood in Nigeria before returning to the U.S., which has shaped his perspective on the environment. He attended Westtown School for high school, where he further developed his interest in environmental studies and sustainability. His academic focus centers on ecology and conservation, with a strong interest in protecting biodiversity, especially in urban environments. Through his work, he aims to connect public outreach with conservation efforts while becoming more involved in the field as an aspiring conservationist and ecologist.

SDG Focus: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions 

Dr. Benjamin Lutz was an ambassador at HOBY Georgia and at WLC in 2011 and has volunteered with HOBY every year since. He is also the president of the HOBY Georgia Corporate Board. Professionally, he serves as the Director of Communications and Operations at Mediators Beyond Borders International, a global mediation and peacebuilding organization based in Washington, D.C. Dr. Benjamin Lutz is the Chair and Secretary General of the Y20 2026, the youth engagement platform of the G20. He has trained and selected the USA delegation to the Y20 and Y7 annually since 2019. He holds a Ph.D. in Religion, Reconciliation, and Peace from the University of Winchester in England. His dissertation focused on interfaith dialogue initiatives in Oman and Lebanon.

Find out more:
Instagram: @lutz_of_fun
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminclutz/

SDG Focus: Partnerships for the Goals

Frieda Arenos is Director of US Government Relations at the ONE Campaign where she leads the organization’s relationship with Congress on global health initiatives. 

Before joining ONE, Frieda was a Congressional Liaison in USAID’s Bureau of Legislative and Public Affairs, where she led the Agency in engagement with Congress on appropriations and democracy issues. She was also the Bureau’s lead representative on USAID’s presidential transition team for, and a senior advisor to the Agency Counselor. Prior to USAID, Frieda served with the National Democratic Institute as a Senior Program Director overseeing the Institute’s programs on legislative strengthening, executive transitions, and crisis communications. Before NDI, Frieda worked in the U.S. Senate for Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) in various capacities, including as a constituent services advisor, assistant to the Chief of Staff and Senator, communications assistant, and legislative assistant for global and domestic health, education, nutrition, and humanitarian issues

Find out more:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/frieda-arenos-09965940/