Chris Bellamy, also known as Bell, grew up like most inner-city kids – broke and with no real understanding of the world beyond his neighborhood in New Britain, CT. Like many of his peers, he saw opportunity through sports, but his world changed when he had his first child at 15 years old.

Despite adversity, through strong mentorship, Chris persevered and earned recognition as the Oprah Winfrey Youth of the Year. Just before his daughter's 3rd birthday, he secured a full athletic scholarship for football at the University of Connecticut, leading his team to victory in the Motor City Bowl—the school's first bowl game win. Post-graduation, Chris entered the workforce, serving as a Dean of Students and football coach at his alma mater, New Britain High School. After three years, he ventured into entrepreneurship and later transitioned to a corporate career. As part owner of the Husky Investment Group, a real estate venture with former UConn teammates, Chris balances his roles, consistently turning challenges into successes.

Megan Burt is the Director of Homelessness Operations at San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC). In this role Burt leads the direct service initiatives of SDHC’s homelessness action plan: Housing First San Diego. These initiatives include Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Programs, Moving Home Rapid Rehousing and the Landlord Engagement and Assistance Program (LEAP). Previously, she oversaw the Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Programs, focusing on assisting those at imminent risk of homelessness. In that role, she launched five programs to directly address the City of San Diego’s homelessness prevention needs, including a Relocation Assistance Program, a Prevention Extension Program and a Shallow Subsidy Program. During her SDHC career, she also launched the City of San Diego's Homelessness Response Center – a collaborative effort streamlining the steps from homelessness to housing through strategic partnerships and system navigation.

Natasha Carrizosa is a poet, writer, creative writing teacher, and speaker, and draws inspiration from her childhood and life experiences. Raised as the daughter of a fierce African-American mother and Mexican father, her writing reflects the dichotomy of these two rich cultures. Carrizosa is the author of "mexiafricana," "heavy light," and "crown." With a passion for the arts, she has performed and conducted workshops globally, including in Madrid, Paris, St. Lucia, New York, Chicago, and Houston. Carrizosa's impact extends to the creation of "Natty Roots & Rhyme," one of the nation's most dynamic poetry open mics.

Andrea Guerrero Founding Executive Director of Alliance San Diego, a community organization dedicated to building collective power to create an inclusive democracy. The organization achieves this through leadership development, community engagement, policy advocacy, strategic communication, and the protection of human rights. In 2023, Guerrero led the formation and launch of the ‘Start With Dignity’ campaign, an effort to elevate, claim, and protect human rights in the United States. Notably, she is part of the legal team representing the family of Anastasio Hernández Rojas in a landmark case of excessive force against the United States before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. With expertise in immigration and border policy, Guerrero previously served as the Field & Policy Director of the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties Prior to that, she practiced immigration law before administrative, federal district and appellate courts. She holds a Juris Doctor from UC Berkeley Law School (1999), an Master of Arts from the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs (1994), and a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University (1992). A native of Mexico City, Guerrero brings a binational, bicultural, and bilingual perspective to her work, dedicating her professional life to the protection of rights and the advancement of justice. Watch Ms. Guerrero's TEDx talk, "Immigration Reform: A Chance for a Better America.

Ilene Lozada is a Senior Program Analyst with the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC). She works with fellow SDHC staff to explore effective homelessness prevention strategies in the community. In her role, she has helped launch programs to directly address homelessness prevention needs in the City of San Diego. Most recently, she contributed to the initiation of SDHC's Housing Instability Prevention Program and Seniors Safe at Home, a collaboration with community partners and a philanthropic foundation. These programs assist households with low income experiencing housing crises and at risk of homelessness within the city. Prior to her tenure at SDHC, Lozada worked for nearly a decade in the field of homelessness and prevention services. Her work in the greater Chicagoland area laid the foundation for reducing barriers to housing, providing direct services to foster youth at risk of homelessness, and implementing Transitional Housing Programs for the LGBTQ community and veterans experiencing homelessness.

Anne Middleton is Associate Director of WILDCOAST. She works closely with the Executive Director, lending invaluable support to staff engaged in conservation efforts spanning the United States and Mexico. With a diverse background encompassing non-profit, public, and private-sector experience, Middleton brings a distinctive skill set to this dynamic team. Recognized as a standout leader, she received the "40 Under 40 Emerging Leader" award from the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce in 2021, and earned the U.S. State Department Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) in 2014 for impactful work with Taylor Guitars in Cameroon.

Middleton has a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Oberlin College and a Master's degree in Environmental Science and Management from Bren School at UC-Santa Barbara. She is well-equipped to navigate the complexities of conservation. Beyond her professional endeavors, she finds joy in expressing her musical talents by singing and playing bass guitar in local bands and is a nature enthusiast.

David McKinney is Executive Director of Youth Leadership Programs at Aspen Institute. He has over twenty-five years of experience in the US social sector, and is dedicated to advancing equity and opportunities for youth, families, and marginalized communities. Prior to his current role, he was Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at TNTP, where he managed philanthropy, communications, and business development, fostering better experiences for K-12 students. During his tenure, TNTP's revenue grew from $60MM to over $110MM. Previous roles include serving as the inaugural Director of the Center for Engagement and Neighborhood Building at the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and contributing to the growth of Public Allies. Honored with an Aspen Institute Fellowship and selected as an American Express NGen Fellow, David holds a Bachelor's degree in Education Policy from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and began his career as a community organizer in his hometown of Milwaukee.

Michael "Chief" Peterson is a motivational speaker and poet. He marries social consciousness with mellow poetic verses. He declares himself a man dedicated to his family and focused on helping our youth. He is currently a Dean of Students at his alma mater, New Britain High School.

Chief is the playwright of and actor in his one-man show, “I Wish Life Had Training Wheels”. He has been appointed as the first ever Poet Laureate of his hometown, New Britain Connecticut. He appeared on Seasons 4,5, and 6 of the TvOne hit series, “Lexus' Verses and Flow”. He is a three-time Connecticut Spoken Word Grand Slam Champion. Chief was featured at the Kallio Block Party in Helsinki, Finland. He also performed at the London Olympics and was on tour with Brian McKnight, Musiq Soulchild and Ginuwine during the Love, Heart and Soul Tour. Chief is no stranger to the injustice he speaks out about. He not only speaks about social inequities and individual struggle, but he acts to change the cycle.

Prentice Powell is the co-founder of All Black Men Need Therapy. Powell is the former host and curator of the prestigious open mic Mouth Off Wednesdays in Oakland California for six years. He is an educator, family man, writer, and highly accomplished spoken word artist. Recognized as a National Slam Finalist and Grand Slam Champion, he's also a NAACP Image Award nominee. Powell has shared the stage with Stevie Wonder, The Roots, Sevyn Streeter, Anthony Hamilton, and Faith Evans. Alongside fellow Fiveology members, he opened for Jill Scott during her 2013 Summer Tour. Powell recently began writing commercials for the luxury car brand Lexus and McDonald's. He landed his first role in the Hollywood feature film "She Ball" with Nick Cannon and Chris Brown. A recurring performance artist at the Annual Essence Fest in New Orleans, Powell is the only poet to have appeared on all six seasons of Lexus Verses and Flow with 11 episodes to his credit. He became the only artist to perform on the Arsenio Hall Show, a record three times, and recently wrote and appeared in a commercial campaign for the 2020 Emmys.

A distinguished member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Powell embodies the mentality of scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the desire to uplift humanity, all in the midst of continuing to define himself.

Marcus Strother is the President and CEO of MENTOR California, the California affiliate of MENTOR: The National Partnership. With more than two decades of experience in public education, Strother spent eight years in the classroom and nine as a high school administrator, most recently as Director of Youth Development at Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD). At SCUSD he oversaw the district’s Expanded Learning Programs, Summer Programming and Boys and Girls of Color initiatives, which included the coordination of the Men’s Leadership Academy (MLA) and Women’s Leadership Academy (WLA). He provides professional teacher training in the Freedom Writers Methodology as a Freedom Writer Teacher and is building a movement in education, mentoring and youth development around the ideology he describes as “Life Data.” He teaches a creative writing class at Folsom State Prison, and has supported the building of three schools in the Dominican Republic and a medical clinic in Peru.

A graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Strother has earned two Graduate Degrees in Education from Olivet Nazarene University. Marcus is an award-winning educator and has been named Illinois Public Citizen of the Year, Illinois 40 Under 40, Sacramento Kings/Wal-Mart Community Playmaker and the Golden State Warriors 2023 Impact Warrior.

Dr. Lamont is Superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). He began his career as an educator in his hometown. With over 30 years in SDUSD, he’s served as a teaching assistant, teacher, coach, principal of Montgomery, Challenger, and Wangenheim Middle Schools, and Chief Human Resources Officer. In his role as Area 2 Superintendent, he oversaw schools in clusters for the Clairemont, Mira Mesa, Morse, and University City Learning Communities.

Leading a partnership with the San Diego Education Association, Jackson developed a new model for educator effectiveness. He is passionate about collaborating with principals and teachers to improve student achievement, and nurturing all learners. Serving as a mentor for African American males has been a great source of pride as he believes in a philosophy of opportunity, inclusion and equity.

Jackson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Social Sciences from San Diego State University, along with a Master’s degree and a Doctorate in Philosophy in Educational Leadership from the University of San Diego.