Embedded Files
Workshop Development & Co-Leader
Workshop Development & Co-Leader
J Christopher Neal is an equity, justice and liberation educator.
J Christopher Neal of ArkPhilosophy is an equity, justice and liberation educator leading our outreach to assist groups with topics on inclusion, bias and moving from trauma-informed to a healing centered approach. A “native son” of Detroit Michigan, is an exhibiting visual artist, writer, educator and community organizer. His career path has been varied with experiences in art, arts education, content and curriculum design; youth leadership, service learning, racial justice, implicit bias; coaching, and in community restorative and healing practices.
A dynamic artist, thinker, content designer, and facilitator, with razor edge creativity and a track record of creating innovative experiences that transform. Utilizing the best practices in leadership development; culturally responsive pedagogy, critical race theory, and community organizing to create dynamic transformative curriculum that opens minds and producing optimal participant results. Igniting a sense of agency in the individual, while securing programmatic goals, outcomes as and stakeholder satisfaction. Extensive experience in senior level organizational leadership, building systems, structures, budgets, and teams -with a heart- and an emphasis on equity, liberation, and justice.
Workshop Development & Guest Presenter
Workshop Development & Guest Presenter
Cathryn Berger Kaye is a grandmother, an author, educator, change maker, and community builder.
Cathryn Berger Kaye, founder of CBK Associates, brings learning to life — in any situation — thorough high level engagement and content that matters. She is an author, framer, ranter, concept developer, and presenter/collaborator who aims to elevate conversations towards topics that create change based on authentic issues, values and concerns we have yet to unravel. Bringing together this multifaceted team of consultants is a personal joy and relief, because together we can accomplish so much more.
In more typical times, Cathryn travels180+ days annually to collaborate with schools, organizations and municipalities across the globe on social emotional dynamics, service learning, youth-adult partnerships, leadership concepts, revisioning curriculum, meaningful conversations, and restoring communities. Now in this virtual space, we continue – new times, revitalized awareness, real needs, genuine response.
Since the pandemic, CBK Associates also launched documentar – a Time Capsule of NOW – an initiative to amplify youth voice of what’s happening in their lives. With the dominance of an adult narrative, documentar records what youth want to tell us about this shared worldwide pandemic, systemic racism, climate imperatives, their vision for change, and their action taken. Follow documentar on Instagram @documentar_ and on Facebook and Twitter @documentarNOW.
Contributing Artist
Contributing Artist
Abena Koomson-Davis is a performer, educator and wordsmith.
Abena Koomson-Davis is a performer, educator and wordsmith. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College where she earned a B.A. in Liberal Arts, and also of Teachers College, Columbia University where she earned a Masters in Education Leadership. Abena was an original cast member of the hit Broadway musical FELA! which earned 3 TONY awards. She originated the role of Funmilayo Anikulapo Kuti in the Off-Broadway production at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Abena plays in several notable bands including the cappella trio Saheli, the Cool Rulers, and Van Davis, where she has been the featured vocalist for over a decade, and had the honor of performing with Stevie Wonder. Abena recently became musical director of the Women’s March Resistance Revival Chorus and has been featured as part of their monthly Resistance Revival Music Series. She currently serves as Ethics Chair of the middle school division at Ethical Culture Fieldston School, where she teaches ethics and social justice to middle & upper school students. Abena is married to world-renowned jazz trombonist Steve Davis.
Abena’s approach to life is polyphonic. Her poem, BLACKSMITH ORCHESTRA is her anthem.
You can hear her newly released album from the Resistence Revival Chorus here.
Panel Guest for Student Life
Panel Guest for Student Life
Bisi Alimi is an artist, activist, and educator.
Bisi Alimi is the founder and the Executive Director of the Bisi Alimi Foundation, an organisation working to accelerate social acceptance of LGBT people in Nigeria.
Alimi has a BA in Theatre Arts (2004) from the University of Lagos Nigeria and MSc in Global Governance and Public Policy (2011) from Birkbeck College University of London.
Alimi is a multitalented storyteller, actor, activist and angelic troublemaker. He has over 15 years experience working on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Africa.
Before starting Bisi Alimi Foundation, he was a lecturer at the Humboldt University in Berlin teaching “Pre and Post Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Africa”.
In his spare time, he loves to read, watch television and cook. He lives in London with his husband and his two dogs
Panel Guest for Marketing and Communication
Panel Guest for Marketing and Communication
Kamau Z. Akabueze is a Brand Experience Storyteller and Strategist.
Throughout the course of his diverse career in brand marketing, Kamau has led strategy, creative and campaign development as an agent for or employee of American Express, Jeep, AND1, Nike/Brand Jordan, Verizon, Microsoft, General Mills, P&G, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Diageo, SPI Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Edelman PR Worldwide, Burrell Communications, Momentum Worldwide, Relevent, MKTG and more.
His dynamic breadth of agency and corporate experience have helped shape him into an innovative problem solver, concept catalyst, and staunch advocate for collaborative communication design. Kamau’s belief in the kinetic and connective value of experiential marketing has been the hallmark of his leadership roles and innovations in the industry over the past decade.
Panel Guest for Curriculum
Panel Guest for Curriculum
Dr. Adam Falkner is a poet, educator and arts & culture strategist.
Adam Falkner is the author of Adoption (Winner of the 2017 Diode Editions Chapbook Award) and The Willies (Button Poetry, 2020), and his work has appeared in a range of print and media spaces including on programming for HBO, NBC, NPR, BET, in the New York Times, and elsewhere. A former high school English teacher in New York City’s public schools, Adam is the Founder and Executive Director of the pioneering diversity consulting initiative, the Dialogue Arts Project, and Head of Learning at Crescendo Adam has toured the United States as a guest artist, lecturer and trainer for thousands of students, educators and culture workers, and was the featured performer at President Obama’s Grassroots Ball at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration. He holds a Ph.D. in English and Education from Columbia University.
You can see one of Adam's poems here
You can tune into Adam talking about the power of story in his TEDx talk here.
Panel Guest for Policies, Practices, and Measuring Our Impact
Panel Guest for Policies, Practices, and Measuring Our Impact
Robert King Kee is a consultant in leadership development and warrior for racial and equity work.
Robert King Kee brings a diverse set of skills to his work as the Coordinator for Student Leadership Development at the City University of New York / College of Staten Island from professional experiences in the areas of education, community development, non-profit management and non-profit consulting. Robert delivers trainings, workshops, consulting and facilitation services that foster collaborative processes and support cooperative learning for leaders here and abroad. His passion is supporting organizations and leaders who are working toward greater social justice. Leadership development, Racial and Equity work, and Multicultural Competency are at the core of his work.
Prior to joining CSI, Robert was a Senior Associate with the Interaction Institute for Social Change in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Robert has also served as the Director of Diversity for Starfish Partners where he developed and implemented cultural competency and leadership curricula for nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and NGO's specializing in racial, social, economic justice, youth development and various human services as well as developing strategic plans for diversity, inclusion, equity and anti-racism practices. Robert also designed, trained, and co-facilitated the Diversity/Cultural Competency and Leadership Programs for the National Service Leadership Institute of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Robert’s prior experience as a senior leader in nonprofit organizations includes serving as Director for several NY State Americorps after school literacy programs for children and youth. He has a rich background in Sociology, Organizational Development, and Race and Ethnic relations. Robert has also served as a social worker for the City of Philadelphia and was a former housing developer for a nonprofit organization in New York City.
Robert has a fervor for nature and the outdoors. photography, rollerskating, mountain trekking, exploring National Parks across the world and completing Triathlons are just a few of his life passions. Robert is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc, Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Service from Penn State University, with a concentration in Race and Ethnic Relations. His Master's Degree is in Urban Studies from Temple University and he is currently an Ed.D. Candidate in Community Based Leadership at the City University of New York / College of Staten Island (CUNY).
Panel Guest for Restorative Practices
Panel Guest for Restorative Practices
Renée Larivière is the Senior Director of Programmes at Interpeace .
Renée Larivière is the Senior Director of Programmes at Interpeace where she provides strategic leadership and oversight of the organization’s peacebuilding work worldwide. Operating in the complex environments of fragile societies she has extensive experience in working closely with the different stakeholders that have an interest in building sustainable peace.
Her experience in more than 30 countries includes a focus on people’s engagement with violence, conflict management and promoting a resilience and conflict transformative approach. Inspired by the lessons emerging from her work in conflict settings, she led a project in Sweden to better understand the dynamics of social exclusion and integration, and assist Swedish society in promoting a more inclusive culture.
Renée came to Interpeace in 2007 with field experience from Peru, Pakistan and Indonesia. While her focus has always been related to supporting fragile societies, her past work has been connected to conflicts relating to natural resources and working with vulnerable and indigenous groups affected by the mining industry. While in Peru, working for Grupo GEA, Renée was also Visiting Professor at the Post Graduate School of La Molina National University. Renée has also worked for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
Renée is Canadian and holds a Masters in Environmental Sciences from the University of Sherbrooke and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Ottawa.
Panel Guest for Home School Connection
Panel Guest for Home School Connection
Lynne Procope is a poet, connector and humanist who helps others find their voice.
Lynne Procope is a Trinidadian born American poet. She is one of the founders of the louderARTS Project. In 1998, Procope made the 1998 Nuyorican Poetry Slam team. She and her fellow Nuyorican team members Alix Olson, Steve Coleman and Guy LeCharles Gonzalez would go on to win the 1998 National Poetry Slam Championship that year in Austin, TX.[1] This championship would lead to Soft Skull Press publishing the anthology Burning Down the House which showcased poetry by Olson, Procope, Coleman and Gonzalez as well as poetry by the 1998 Nuyorican Team's coach, Roger Bonair-Agard.[2] Her best known poems include "Elemental Woman", "Flectere" and "Evidence of Injury". Her writing focuses on the human experience of women and marginalized groups. Learn More about Lynne here. and watch her perform here.
Panel Guest for Physical Space
Panel Guest for Physical Space
Kamau Ware is a multidimensional creative blending complementary yet disparate disciplines as an Artist / Historian.
Kamau Ware is a multidimensional creative blending complementary yet disparate disciplines as an Artist / Historian. Ware retells and expands history with scholarship and visual storytelling to fuse creativity and learning into one experience. He is best known for his flagship storytelling project, Black Gotham Experience (BGX), which is an immersive multimedia project founded in 2010 that reimagines the African Diaspora as one unified epic through a series of experiences including walks, talks, media, and events. Kamau Ware is the author of a forthcoming graphic novel series based on the five core historic walks of the Black Gotham Experience.
Ware has become a sought-after voice to fill the visual abyss of Black New York history, illustrating powerful stories that exist outside of public consciousness. Recent engagements include the American Association for State and Local History Annual Meeting in Austin, TX (2017); the New Museum IdeasCity in New York, NY. (2017), SXSWedu & SXSW Interactive in Austin, Texas (2018), and the 2018 Origin Stories speaking tour that included stops at Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, Brown University, California Library Association (Santa Clara), la colonie (Paris), and the African American Museum of Philadelphia. This past fall 2018, Kamau became a visiting fellow for the New School co-teaching a course titled “Blind Spots: A Walk Through New York City’s Black Past” that will return in the spring of 2020.
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