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.

Vashon Jordan Jr. is a 24-year-old visual artist born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. A graduate of Kennedy-King College and Columbia College Chicago, he uses photography and videography to showcase authentic stories and moments that reflect the people of Chicago. Vashon enjoys engaging with youth across the city to inspire and encourage them to follow their dreams. 

From the moment he picked up a camera, Vashon has used it as a tool to uplift the stories and beauty of Chicago. In 2020, he captured over 17,000 photographs at dozens of protests across Chicago, using his lens to shine a light on the joy and community found in demonstrations and he often ventured to places where news cameras did not follow. After the summer of 2020, Jordan self-published a photo book entitled, “Chicago Protests: A Joyful Revolution” to ensure that those stories were forever documented properly. The Chicago History Museum acquired his book and photographs of the 2020 protests for its research center and collections and his work was included in an art exhibition at the Elmhurst Art Museum and Museum of Science and Industry and is currently available in over a dozen Chicago Public Libraries. Since 2021, he has captured aerial photos of Chicago which often gains significant traction on social media, showing parts of Chicago in a new light. Vashon was recently named the Artist of the Year by Choose Chicago for a second consecutive year and is featured on the first-ever Forbes 30 Under 30 Local Chicago list.

Vashon’s motto is, "Hard work, plus discipline, equals success."

Find out more:
Instagram: @vashon_photo

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

Dr. Brent D. Turner (he/him) is an educator and facilitator who helps people lead with authenticity, courage, and joy. He has worked in higher education for over 20 years, most recently at Northwestern University, where he focused on equity, belonging, and leadership. Brent has degrees from William & Mary, Ohio State, and New England College—and has also coached swimming, lived in Scotland, and been on The Price Is Right!

He believes leadership starts with knowing who you are and discovering who you are becoming. His work is rooted in cultivating communities that honor respect, celebrate identity, and develop integrity through meaning and purpose. Brent lives in Chicago with his husband Dan and their goldendoodle Addie, and is passionate about helping people unlock their potential to change the world.

Find out more:
IG: @bdturn03
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bdturn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentdturner/

SDG Focus: Quality Education

Dr. Dorene Wiese (she/her), an Ojibwe tribal member, is chief executive officer of the American Indian Association of Illinois, an urban-based nonprofit dedicated to transforming American Indian education into an experience founded in Native culture, language, and history.

Wiese is a political strategist, educator, organizer, artist, media agent, and leader in the Urban American Indian movement. She is a founding member of the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative. In 1972, she became the first American Indian filmmaker in Chicago. 

SDG Focus: Life on Land & Responsible Consumption and Production

Pamela Tate (she/her) served for 28 years as President and CEO of The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), a national, non-profit educational organization committed to expanding lifelong opportunities for adults and advancing experiential learning and its assessment. Throughout CAEL’s history, Tate led the organization's growth and involvement in public policy, innovative workforce education services for employers and adult learners, and systemic change efforts throughout higher education and the private sector.  

Since 2018-2019, Tate has devoted her life to addressing the climate crisis.  She was trained by Al Gore and the Climate Reality Project in 2019, and since then has conducted numerous presentations to community groups as well as national audiences in corporate and higher education settings. As a Certified Climate Reality Leader and Vice Chair of the Chicago Metro Chapter of The Climate Reality Project, Tate works on regenerative agriculture practices, nature-based solutions, electrification of fleets and cars, and federal and state policy change to de-celerate global warming. She is Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of American Forests and serves on the Leadership Council of the African Wildlife Foundation.  She is also an active member of the Oak Park Climate Action Network, where she is making recommendations on climate action to the Village President and Board of Trustees.  She is also on the Executive Committee of the Guide Dog Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

As a climate action leader, she is regularly sought out for speaking about the climate emergency, how to undertake on-the-ground climate action, and how to change public policy to protect biodiversity and create solutions to the climate crisis.  

SDG Focus: Good Health and Wellbeing

Matt Matusiewicz (he/him) is a public health researcher in the Department of Medicine, Division of Health Equity and Society, Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, and Action Research Center for Health Equity at the University of California, San Francisco. With personal connections rooted in his own immigrant family’s experiences, Matt is passionate about the health of low-income and immigrant families and bridging gaps in health disparities. As an affiliated researcher with and graduate of the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health, Matt spends his professional work hours working to improve the health of communities disproportionately impacted by American housing, homelessness, and immigration systems. Matt also serves as a General Plan Commissioner for the City of Oakland and as co-director of Amplifying Sanctuary Voices at East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, an arts-based storytelling collaborative with individuals and families seeking affirmative and defensive asylum in the San Francisco Bay Area. Matt is a committed California Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership volunteer and serves as the Leadership Seminar Chair for the HOBY California-South site.

SDG Focus: Clean Water & Sanitation

Mila Marshall works to mobilize and energize diverse networks across Illinois around clean water issues related to wastewater, agriculture and industry. She advocates for novel partnerships that protect the quality of streams, lakes, rivers, and Illinois tributaries for all. Furthermore she addresses the legacies of water infrastructure disinvestment by building bridges towards solutions through connecting and educating the scientific and legislative communities at the city, county and state levels. 

Find Out More:
X: @greenkels
LinkedIn: Mila Kellen Marshall PhD

SDG Focus: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions 

Ben Lutz (he/him) (HOBY GA and WLC, 2011) is the president of the Georgia HOBY Corporate Board and a longtime volunteer at GA and many other states. He has volunteered at over 40 seminars across 10 difference seminar sites.

He is also a PhD Student at the University of Winchester studying Religion, Reconciliation, and Peace. His dissertation focuses on virtual interfaith dialogue training initiatives in Oman and Lebanon. In addition, he is the Communications and Operations Manager at Mediators Beyond Borders International, a global peace-centric non-profit organization focused on locally-led capacity building for communities in conflict. He is the founder of Al Fusaic, an online multimedia platform for education resources relating to the SWANA Region. He currently lives in Washington, DC, where he frequently hosts Sofar Sounds Concerts and annually selects, trains, and supported the American Delegates for the G7 and G20 Youth Summits. 

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

SDG Focus: Decent Work and Economic Growth 

Ashley Rowe is a powerhouse founder, studio owner, keynote speaker, and certified personal trainer dedicated to helping others rise—physically, mentally, and professionally. As the force behind The New Leaf Collective, a sought-after marketing collective, and Train with Ashley, a transformative coaching program for beginner fitness and mindset growth, Ashley bridges the gap between wellness and entrepreneurship with unmatched clarity and compassion. Her mission-driven work has guided hundreds of clients to not only elevate their brands but also rediscover their personal power.

Known for her bold leadership and magnetic storytelling, Ashley inspires action and builds momentum wherever she goes. Whether she’s leading a room of aspiring business owners or coaching someone through their first 5K, her impact is lasting. With a career that spans marketing, movement, and motivation, Ashley is redefining what it means to be a multi-passionate entrepreneur—proving that you don’t have to choose between purpose and power.

Find out more:
Instagram: @_thenewleafcollective_ & @_ashleyrowespeaks_

SDG Focus: Life Under Water

Lisa Junkin Lopez is a cultural leader dedicated to transforming museums into spaces for civic and environmental action. She currently serves as Vice President of Learning and Community at Shedd Aquarium, where she is oversees programs and partnerships in environmental education, conservation action and public engagement. With a strong background in museum education and public history, Lisa’s career spans leadership roles at the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace and the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum and a teaching appointment in the Museum and Exhibition Studies program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. At each institution, she has advanced inclusive, mission-driven programming, built innovative community partnerships and strengthened connections with diverse audiences. She regularly publishes insights from her work and has served on the Board of Editors for The Public Historian, a peer-reviewed journal. Lisa holds an M.A. in art education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a B.A. in art history from the College of William & Mary.

Find out more:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisajunkin/ 

SDG Focus: Clean and Affordable Energy

Cassidy Moncreiff (she/her) is a Senior GIS Analyst at Invenergy, a private company which develops, owns, and operates renewable energy, hydrogen, and transmission projects around the world. While at Elon University for a Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Ecological Science, she grew her interest in geospatial analysis and performed research with a focus on species niche modelling. After graduating, she worked at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee in a program for recent graduates, learning more about imagery analysis and building coding skills. Wanting to further her GIS skills, Cassidy earned a Master of Science in Geoinformation Technology and Cartography at the University of Glasgow. She has been at Invenergy for more than 5 years now, collaborating with various teams to support the responsible siting and construction of wind and solar generation projects as well as transmission infrastructure. She lives in Chicago with her husband and one-eyed cat, Rhodey.

SDG Focus: Life on Land

Allison Price is the senior director of learning and guest engagement and oversees Lincoln Park Zoo’s programming and initiatives for students and teachers, campers, and people with disabilities, as well as the on-grounds learning experience, from chats and demonstrations to habitat signage. Her expertise includes exhibit development, nature play programming, and guest experience; she brings a learner- and visitor-centered approach to how programs and experiences are designed. 

An avid science communicator, Allison has spent her career developing ways to make science and conservation relatable and accessible to non-specialist audiences. She believes in creating a shared sense of environmental stewardship and community between the zoo and its visitors and between community members themselves. She has served the field of conservation education through several volunteer and leadership roles, notably as a former chair of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Conservation Education Committee. She holds a Master’s degree in Science and Technology Studies from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Butler University.