Kristen Hopkins is an international social entrepreneur dedicated to the holistic development of youth and young adults. As the Founder and CEO of Dangers Of The Mind, LLC, Kristen has developed and implemented Social-Emotional culturally responsive resources in schools, Non-Profit Organizations and has brought her teachings to Haiti and Ghana.

In 2016 Kristen became a recipient of the “30 Under 30 Award for Women of Excellence in Leadership”. Ms. Hopkins is a esteemed author of multiple books, a curriculum and intervention kit for In-School Suspension and youth dentention centers. As a result she has established a lifestyle brand, via virtual coaching, a clothing line and brand ambassadors that embody the DOM movement.

Kristen looks to continue this work and be the voice of responsive resources for our disadvantage youth of this generation and beyond.

Osa is a Nigerian-American entrepreneur and impact investor based in Oakland, CA. As a former executive of Growthexpertz and Co-founder of​ ​Black Ice Media​, he has extensive experience scaling and launching venture-backed startups in positions across the C-Suite. This includes developing private portfolios of joint-ventures and launching companies for corporate innovation groups such as +1Labs (Match Group) and BBVA. His primary focuses are on operational efficiency, growth strategy, and systems implementation.

Domestically, he works with private and public entities to co-develop​ ​Blended Capital​ models and research geared towards helping underrepresented entrepreneurs in the US access venture capital investment. Internationally Osa conducts private equity investments in high-growth sectors across Africa through his work with the Africa Equity Group.

Osa is dedicated to developing policy and capital models that enable economic empowerment across Africa and regions of the African diaspora.

Chassidy E. Keys is an international business development consultant, corporate trainer and growth strategist. Her background includes work at Fortune 500 companies, including Amazon and General Motors.

Most recently, she founded Keynect Global to promote tourism in international markets by helping businesses and entrepreneurs grow and developing workforce skills in related industries. She is passionate about creating equitable opportunities for underserved communities around the world.

Idahosa Ness is an American-born educator, public speaker and entrepreneur of Nigerian heritage. His online language-learning methodology called The Mimic Method has been featured on renown publications such as the BBC, Wellness Mama and Fluent in 3 Months, among others.

Idahosa is committed to breaking down the linguistic boundaries that separate African peoples of the Diaspora as he speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Chinese (Mandarin), among others.

Nengumbi Celestin Sukama was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and resides in Argentina where he founded IARPIDI (The Argentine Institute for Equality, Diversity, and Integration); an organization that strives to promote equal rights, the principle of non-discrimination, the promotion of ethnic and cultural diversity with the aim of improving the process and the possibilities of integration and integration of refugees, Africans and Afro-descendants in Argentine society.

Nengumbi possesses a background in business administration and is a passionate writer and human rights activist. Nengumbi speaks Lingala, English, French and Spanish.

Kamille is an Atlanta-based physician of Caribbean descent. While studying at Morehouse School of Medicine and NYU school of medicine she served clinics in Kenya, Ghana and Honduras.

Through her experiences in both urban and suburban American communities as well as her time spent overseas, her interests lie in increasing access to top quality healthcare for children especially from underserved communities around the globe.

Kamille is a strong advocate of affordable health services as a human right and champions efforts to empower health workers and local communities throughout Africa and the Caribbean.

Monalisa is the owner and Managing Director of Artform Factory & Artform Factory Sports a comprehensive luxury custom framing business based in Johannesburg Strijdom Park. Artform Factory specializes in framing and preservation of high-end art pieces, sports memorabilia, mirrors, photos and abstract wall decor. Monalisa is a branding enthusiast, having attained her Brand Building and Management qualifications at Vega School of Brand leadership. She is currently focused on brand communication for International Luxury brands within South African Market by maintaining brand relevance to the high-end African Market.

Monalisa is dedicated to conducting business with a purpose and believes in achieving economic development through education and contributing to skills development and community empowerment.

Didi Kpelly is a passionate entrepreneur and has dedicated great efforts to the ongoing socioeconomic development of his home countries of Togo and Ghana. His primary areas of business include agribusiness, private equity models for SME’s, commerce and import/export.

Mr Kpelly currently working on his next venture, an agri-products trading company based in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) and source products from local producers in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana for export to Canada as a stepping stone to the world. His philosophy of life can be summed up in the words of Nelson Mandela, African leader and Pan-Africanist: “There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

Mr Kpelly speaks Ewe, French, English and Mandarin.

Abidemi Tairu is a dual Canadian and Nigerian citizen. She obtained her Master‘s Degree in International Economics at Florida Atlantic University, while working as a research assistant at the University of Florida Agricultural Economics Department.

Abidemi provides critical research, strategic analysis and policy advice to the Council which seeks to identify major drivers and barriers to economic development across the globe.

Her passion is to seek sustainable methods of economic growth to reduce inequality and scarcity in African countries.

Sheran “Sharon” Palacio, Ms P or Shar-P is a Belmopan pioneer having lived here since the age of thirteen in the 70s. Her early introduction into the political arena is quite colourful and goes back to the 2003 when she first served as a PUP City Councilor in Belmopan. However, this does not mean that her political history is only marked by wins and not losses. In 2006 she lost the position of City Councilor in a PUP Convention. Still this did not deter her, and Sharon Palacio continued to work for the benefit of her party and the people of Belmopan.

Miss Palacio holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology from the Universidad Central de Villas in Cuba. Sharon’s passion is farming and specializes in producing soursop and coconut. She has served for 18 faithful years as Director of Student Services at the University of Belize where she was able to increase her global connections and help numerous students. Miss Palacio is well known for her role in the fight against Diabetes and for successfully operating a home-based business from 2004 to the current date called Youth for World Peace (YWP) homestay Network which provides business support unities to many fellow Belmopanese. She has been titled “Champion of the Americas” which enables her to recruit groups and provide Belizeans the opportunity to study and working Canada. She is presently appointed as a liaison for the Cross River State Carnival Commission for international groups from the Caribbean and Central America.

Carving out a name for himself on the comedy circuit, the Caribbean-born, Toronto-bred comedian is known for his versatility with audiences, signature laid-back delivery and above all delivering to rave reviews. Whether sharing the stage with top names in the comedy game or headlining across North America and the Caribbean, the natural storyteller has peppered lavishes in social commentary just as effortlessly when the times right. Gilson has also worked as MTV host/personality/writer and has appeared on Spike TV, HBO, CBC, the Comedy Network, Comedy Central and many more.

Gilson dedicates his time to inspiring and invigorating inner-city youth and Caribbean young people through the arts and mentoring the creative process of writing and storytelling.

Aline made history as the first black woman to hold the position of Secretary of Culture for the City of São Paulo. Her outstanding work in this position earned her the Black Race Trophy for the 2022 Virada Cultural do Pertencimento. She also received the Arcanjo Award twice, first in 2021, for her pioneering spirit and significant contribution to the artistic sector, and second in 2022, for her work in decentralizing and diversifying public notices and her involvement in creating and executing the Virada Cultural do Pertencimento.

Aline has extensive experience in cultural management, promotion, production, and organization for over a decade. Her experience was acquired during her tenure with the São Paulo State Department of Culture, where she served as the President of the Technical Commission for the Evaluation of Cultural Projects, Arts Festivals, Circulation of Theater, and Black Culture by PROAC Edicts, as well as the manager of Proac ICMS.

At TV Cultura, the largest public television broadcaster in the country, Aline participated in several initiatives that contributed to the development of significant projects. Among them is “TerraDois,” which was awarded the 2017 APCA Award for Best TV Program. Additionally, she was part of the group responsible for defining and improving the channel’s programming using incentive laws.

Formerly, she served as the Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Technology of the City of São Paulo and was the General Director of the Ruth Cardoso Youth Cultural Center (CCJ), the largest cultural center dedicated to youth in Latin America, located in the periphery.

Priscilla Cadette is from São Paulo and is a lyrical singer, mentor, and manager with more 10 years of experience in the creative economy and industries. Previously, she lived in Manaus for 8 years where she sang at Teatro Amazonas and also lived in Rio de Janeiro for 8 years where she studied cultural production at the Brazilian Conservatory of Music. She is the CEO of Artemis, Pan-African Vision, Founder of Cadette Consulting and Alumni of the first class of Antler Brasil.

Priscilla has coordinated and developed projects and events with large companies and institutions such as Facebook, Netflix, Google, Petrobras, Furnas, Vivo, EDF Forte Fluminense, Parque Lage and Sala Cecília Meireles, Museu AfroBrasil, among others. In addition she mentors young talent from startups in the Brazilian market, entrepreneurs, and innovation business consultants and has extensive experience with institutional relations, and interpersonal relationships. Her expertise is in implementing and managing projects and fundraising.

Priscilla is dedicated to conducting business with purpose, believes in achieving economic development through education, and contributes to the development of skills and empowerment in the Afro-descendant community. She intends to continue this work and seek sustainable growth methods to reduce inequality, and scarcity in Brazil and the diaspora and create more opportunities for upcoming generations. Her greatest inspiration is the women in her family who have always reminded her of the importance of affection, generosity, and female empowerment.

Rodrigo Eduardo Faustino is a proud father, production technologist (graduate of the College of Technology of the State of São Paulo) and post-graduate in business logistics (University of São Paulo).

He is the Founding Partner of Ebony English, the first English school in Latin America to leverage African/Black Culture in its educational approach to empower students to connect with the world. Since 2019, Rodrigo has been serving as Council Ambassador for Brazil and has developed the the PAC Brazil Office and overall country strategy.

Rodrigo has played a key role in supporting
PAC cooperation in Colombia, Brazil, Rwanda, Barbados and other countries with a focus on education empowerment, youth, entrepreneurship, business and international relations.

Glauce Cristine Libanio do Nascimento is a business and social projects manager focused on community development, entrepreneurship and innovation. She has conducted consultancy work in education and social development for diversity, equity, inclusion, and Accessibility.

In addition, Glauce has developed initiatives to secure the human rights of activists and migrants, with a special focus on the areas of health, education, housing, finance and culture for Afro-diasporic and indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, other diverse communities.

At the moment she’s is completing a postgraduate degree in project management, social studies in the field of psychopedagogy.

Kur Kur was born in South Sudan where he fled the civil war in 1987 and grew up in East African refugee camps until coming to the United States in 2001. Kur works as a diplomatic aide on Capitol Hill and is a keen advocate for human rights and human dignity.

He has indomitable passion for working with people from various walks of life to create viable opportunities and make meaningful futures for themselves and their communities.