
April 3, 2025
April 3, 2025
Presented by thePepperdineUniversity
School of Public Policy and theMAin Social Entrepreneurship and Changeprogramwithin the GraduateSchool of Education and Psychology
4 PM Welcome
Michelle Jaconi
PROGRAM
SPEAKER
Raymond P Towle
Director,NewsTalent andCommunity Development,The WashingtonPost
Stephen Kirnon
Chair,MAinSocialEntrepreneurshipand Change Program,Pepperdine Graduate School of EducationandPsychology (GSEP)
4:10 PM Panel
Cross-Sector Impact Discussion Topics:
-Aligning goals across industries for sustainable impact
-Navigating challenges and opportunities in today?s landscape
-Real-world examples of successful cross-sector collaboration
-Audience Q&A
PANELISTS
A'Lelia Bundles
Author,Journalist,Madam Walker& A'Lelia WalkerBiographer
Ashraf Hebela
Headof StartupBankingandCo-headof Technology,J P Morgan
Christian Richardson
Creative BrandStrategist,Cultural Curator, Storyteller
Chris Estes
Co-Executive Director,Community StrategiesGroup,The AspenInstitute
FACILITATOR
Stephen Kirnon
VP,FederationRelationsandCoalition Partnerships,U.S. Chamberof Commerce
5:10 PM Panel
Advocating for Impact: Driving Social Change at the Local and National Level Discussion Topics:
-Effective strategies for policy change and social impact
-Engaging with local and national leaders
-The role of community mobilization and grassroots movements
-Real-world examples of successful advocacy efforts
-Audience Q&A
Alison Oliveira Wheeler SeniorDirector,Global HealthAdvocacy, UN Foundation
Allison Gilmore Program Director,JohnLewisYoung Leaders,Robert FKennedyHumanRights
Damara Catlett
Executive Vice President, Brysonand Gillette Advocacy
Isabel Carlota Roby
SeniorStaff Attorney(LatinAmerica), Robert FKennedyHumanRights
5:45 PM Break
Chair,MAinSocialEntrepreneurshipand Change Program,Pepperdine GSEP
4:55 PM
The Role of Chambers of Commerce in Social Enterprise
-How local Chambers of Commerce can support social enterprises
-Tapping into Chamber resources for funding,networking,and policy influence
5:55 PM Fast Pitch Student Business Plan Competition
Pepperdine Master's Students Pitch their Social Enterprise Ideas
6:55 PM Break
April 3, 2025
The Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology is the first institution in the country to offer an MA in Social Entrepreneurship and Change. This top-ranked program is perfect for working professionals or full-time students and gives students the perspectives and tools to create sustainable change in the world Focused on solving real-world problems without the requirements of a traditional business program,the MA in Social Entrepreneurship and Change is a hybrid program with bicoastal on-campus experiences in Los Angeles and Washington,DC. Completed in 20 months,students experience a two-week global immersion opportunity,a two-term capstone project, and a fast-pitch competition No GREis required Apply for fall 2025 at gsep.pepperdine.edu/apply. Use code FALL25 to waive your application fee on the last page Call 310 258 2850 if you have any questions
The Pepperdine School of Public Policy?s Master of Public Policy program is a top-ranked policy program by U.S. News&WorldReport that provides students with a cross-sector leadership degree With five specializations,graduates become leaders and policy makers equipped with tools to make effective change in government agencies,nonprofit organizations,and the private sector Students experience a public policy internship,professional development,and a policy seminar (capstone) in the two-year program. The program is offered in the fall term with a robust scholarship offering? 97 percent of admitted students receive awards based on academic,merit,and professional experiences. Apply for fall 2025 at publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu/apply.
David Ryan Polgar Founder and President AllTechIsHuman
David Ryan Polgar is the Founder and President of All Tech Is Human,an organization that has become synonymous with the Responsible Tech movement His work building a large and diverse community of individuals coming together to tackle wicked problems was recently covered in the MIT Technology Review and also a chapter in Greg Epstein's upcoming book,TechAgnostic:HowTechnologyBecame theWorld?sMost Powerful Religion,andWhyIt DesperatelyNeedsaReformation
David is also an international speaker and regular commentator on increasing ethical considerations regarding emerging technology, improving social media platforms,and the need for a collaborative,multi-stakeholder,and multidisciplinary approach to building a tech future that is aligned with the public interest His commentary has been featured in The Guardian,TODAYshow,BBCWorld News, MSNBC,Fast Company,Associated Press,LA Times,USA Today,and many more. He has been on stage at Harvard Business School, Yale School of Management,Columbia Business School,Princeton University,NATO's Stratcom Summit (Istanbul),TechChill (Latvia), The Next Web (Amsterdam),BrainBar (Budapest),and more
His work with All Tech Is Human is focused on creating a better approach to tackling the thorniest issues in tech and society This approach involves leveraging the collective intelligence of the community,diversifying the underlying tech pipeline,and being able to move at the speed of tech David has served on multiple advisory boards,including TikTok's Content Advisory Council (US) and Teleperformance's Trust & Safety council
MichelleJaconi Director,News Talent Strategy and Community Development The WashingtonPost
Michelle Jaconi is an Emmy-award winning executive producer with decades of experience in broadcast television,cable television,digital startup,and institutional media She is the Post's first director of news talent strategy and community development,creating programming and products around high quality storytellers from TikTok to print Before coming to the Post, Michelle ran a digitally native start up that harnessed the power of social media to get new audiences engaging with the news In that role, she conceived and pitched a campaign with Kendall Jenner and Rock the Vote,that registered young people to vote and created millions of earned media impressions Michelle got her start in the news business as an intern for her journalistic hero,Tim Russert,and ended up working for him for nearly twelve years at NBC's "Meet the Press" Michelle went on to work at CNN,where she launched programs in every time slot,including "State of the Union," which catapulted into the Sunday show world with a 50-state tour executed in 52 weeks,to tell the story of that key moment of change in American history,one state at a time.
7:05 PM
Keynote / Fireside Chat
Discussion Topics:
-How partnerships across sectors drive systemic change
-Navigating today?s social,economic,and political climate
-The future of cross-sector collaboration
SPEAKER
David Ryan Polgar FounderandPresident,All TechIsHuman
FACILITATOR
Nii-QuartelaiQuartey,
7:50 PM
Fast Pitch Winners and Awards
8:00 PM Closing Remarks
8:05 PM Network Mixer and Celebration
A'LeliaBundles Author,Journalist,Madam Walker &A'Lelia WalkerBiographer
Alison OliveiraWheeler SeniorDirector,Global Health Advocacy|UnitedNations Foundation
A?Lelia Bundles is the author Joy Goddess: A?Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance (Scribner,June 2025),the first major biography of her great-grandmother,and of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam CJ Walker,a New York Times Notable Book and bestseller about her great-great-grandmother, an early 20th century entrepreneur and philanthropist.
She is the founder of the Madam Walker Family Archives and serves on several nonprofit advisory boards including Harvard Radcliffe Institute?s Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America,BIO (Biographer?s International),and Columbia Global Reports A former network television news executive and Emmy and du Pont Gold Baton winning producer at ABCNews and NBC News,she is a former chair of the National Archives Foundation and a former vice chair of Columbia University?s board of trustees She is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia?s Graduate School of Journalism,a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,and participated in residencies at Yaddo and MacDowell while writing Joy Goddess Her articles and essays have been published in the New York Times Book Review, TheUndefeated com,Variety,Ms ,OMagazine, Essence and several encyclopedias and books.
Alison is the Senior Director,Global Health Advocacy UN Foundation?s global health campaign,United to Beat Malaria,the world?s largest grassroots campaign to defeat malaria She co-leads the campaign,with specific oversite of resource mobilization, partnerships,communications,marketing and the grant portfolio
Alison is committed to building better futures for children,women and families around the globe Prior to joining the campaign,she led marketing,communications and development teams at award-winning global non-profit organizations,SOSChildren?s Villages and Women for Women International
Prior to her work with global organizations, Alison held brand,marketing and new product development roles with media and technology companies,domestically and internationally
She received her Bachelor of Arts from UCLA and earned her MBA from the Haas School of Business at UCBerkeley Additionally,she studied at University of Padova in Italy and Charles University in the Czech Republic She lives in Bethesda,Maryland with her husband and two children
Allison Gilmore Program Manager,JohnLewis YoungLeaders | Robert F KennedyHumanRights
Allison Gilmore is a community leader and impactor with experience in nonprofit, government,and education. Hailing from St. Louis Missouri,Allison attended North Carolina A&T State University where she received her bachelors degree in Journalism and Mass Communication While in college she served as the Student Body President and section editor for her university?s newspaper
She most recently finished her Fulbright grant and United States Teaching Assistantship in Linz,Austria where she worked as a High School English language teaching assistant While living in Austria,she actively served in her community as a volunteer caseworker for Caritas,Upper Austria Allison is excited to be designing youth-facing programs and oversee the youth advisory board. She currently lives in Washington,DCwith her sister and their cat Ban
Ashraf Hebela Headof StartupBankingand Co-headof Technology| JP Morgan
Ashraf Hebela is the head of Startup Banking and co-head of Technology at J P Morgan, focused on serving early-stage companies within the Innovation Economy. He leads the growing Startup Banking team,comprised of seasoned banking professionals as well as former founders,investors and startup mentors who understand the needs of pre-seed and seed stage companies Ashraf also co-leads the Technology team,which supports applied tech,software,internet and payments companies at every stage of their growth.
Prior to joining J.P. Morgan in 2023,Ashraf spent 14 years at Silicon Valley Bank There,he held a variety of roles from product management to strategic analytics and sales operations,and ultimately served as Head of Technology &Healthcare Banking for North America. Before joining SVB in 2009,Hebela held senior positions at NorthStar Systems and Siebel Systems
Based in San Francisco,Ashraf earned a B A in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA in General Management and Finance from Stanford University Graduate School of Business
Christian Richardson
Creative BrandStrategist, CulturalCurator,Storyteller
DamaraCatlett
Executive VP| BrysonGillette Advocacy
Christian Richardson is a forward-thinking brand strategist shaping culture through commerce,community,and storytelling She leads multicultural marketplace strategy for a luxury multi-brand retailer, where she defines strategies,sets goals,and manages key partnerships with Harlem?s Fashion Row,The Folklore Group,and the 15 Percent Pledge to drive equity and representation
Christian honed her business acumen at Deloitte,supporting Veterans Affairs,the CDC, and USAIDin strategic communications and stakeholder engagement She began her career in editorial,holding roles at PopSugar,Clutch Magazine,and Vibe Vixen,before expanding into consulting for brands like Dine Diaspora and The Spice Suite
She is also the founder of HAUSHOLD,a lifestyle brand celebrating Black culture and design,with features in Black Food Fridays, Nubian Hueman,and Chef Kwame Onwuachi?s Family Reunion.
A proud Howard University alum,Christian is passionate about authentic storytelling, inclusive brand strategy,and building community When she?s not driving cultural impact,she?s curating her historic Baltimore home or supporting her husband,renowned jazz musician Brent Birckhead
Chris Estes
Executive Director,Community StrategiesGroup| The Aspen Instititute
Chris Estes is Co-Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group He?s a national rural development leader focused on transformative and holistic approaches that address disparities and strengthen rural communities Chris has strong policy expertise and practice experience at the community,state,and federal levels on poverty, housing,disaster and community development He has co-led the creation of CSG?s reports on Natural Disaster,Outdoor Recreation,Funding Flexibility Rural Health & Devlopment as well as numerous case studies all featuring the voices and wisdom of rural development practitioners In his free time he is on his bike or in the woods, hiking or mountain biking,or in the mountains doing all of those things
Damara is a senior government and public affairs professional with over 15 years of experience working at the intersection of civil rights,technology,arts and culture,and advocacy Damara designs strategic communications,and public policy strategies and campaigns for tech and media companies and civil rights groups,with a focus on ethical AI,tech policy,voting rights,and social impact advocacy
Damara helped manage efforts for the Second Chance on Shoot First campaign,which brought national awareness to Stand Your Ground laws following the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Damara led a multi-state civic engagement campaign focused on voter registration and engagement efforts for the National Urban League;the campaign brought together key stakeholders with state organizers and,in the end,reached over 350,000 African American voters Over the past decade, Damara?s work has focused on tech policy and civil rights,and she works with the civil rights and government affairs teams at Google, Warner Bros Discovery,and a host of other corporations and public interest tech groups Damara is a board member of the Voter Participation Center,a member of the National Institue for Lobbying Ethics's AI Task Force, was a New Leaders Council Institute Fellow, and served on the inaugural Kennedy Center Culture Caucus,where she worked with afrofuturists forecasting emerging tech policy issues through the arts Damara holds a bachelor?s degree in Africana Studies and History from Franklin & Marshall College and is a native of Philadelphia.
Isabel CarlotaRoby SeniorStaff Attorney(Latin America) | Robert F. Kennedy HumanRights
Isabel comes to RFK Human Rights from Fair Trials,where she worked as a Legal and Policy Officer and helped solidify the organization?s presence in Latin America Among other projects,she helped build a network of defense lawyers and CSOs in Mexico,and created litigation and advocacy strategies to effectively implement the law against torture and the exclusionary rule in criminal proceedings in the country Isabel also worked offering direct immigration assistance to individuals convicted of federal crimes at Prisoners Legal Services in the State of New York,and worked at the International Criminal Court in The Hague Isabel obtained her Law degree from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas,Venezuela,where she is originally from,and has graduate degrees from Harvard Law School,the University of Amsterdam,and Vrije University.
Raymond P . Towle Vice President,Federation RelationsandCoaltion Partnerships| USChamber of Commerce
Raymond P Towle,IOM,CAEis vice president of Institute for Organization Management,a four-year educational program on nonprofit management of the US Chamber of Commerce In this role,he oversees all aspects of the Institute program in addition to his responsibilities as executive director of the Federation Relations and Coalition Partnerships department
Association Committee of 100 and the Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100 programs,and Accreditation He also ensures that the goals of the department are achieved and aligned with the overall strategic goals of the US Chamber
Towle supports the department?s efforts by working cross divisionally to identify strategic partnerships at the state level and to coordinate the Chamber?s involvement through coalitions As part of these initiatives, Towle promotes Friends of the U.S. Chamber, a nationwide grassroots network dedicated to supporting pro-growth policies that strengthen the economy.
Before becoming executive director of Federation Relations,Towle was vice president of Member Resources at the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE),where he led a team responsible for dues revenue of more than $5 million annually
Earlier,Towle was director of ASAE?s Public Policy Division He was staff liaison to the Government Relations Section and its governing council
Prior to joining ASAE,Towle was with the grassroots lobbying firm of Bonner & Associates for six years Previously,he spent four years on the personal staff of Congressman John D Dingell (D-MI) as a legislative aide
An accomplished association executive, Towle has more than 19 years of experience in association management,including strategic planning,governance,membership, sponsorships,affinity programs,expositions, professional development and public policy; six years in grassroots management;and more than five years on Capitol Hill
The Institute,the industry leader in nonprofit education,is an inspiring and thought-provoking program for chamber and association executives seeking to expand their peer groups,learn about industry trends, and meet some of the country?s most innovative business thinkers The program, which meets one week per year over a four-year period,is held at five different university locations across the country.
As executive director of Federation Relations, Towle is responsible for managing the daily operations of the chamber and association programs marketplace,including a membership budget of $4 million,the
Towle is a 1983 graduate of the University of Maryland and a graduate of Institute for Organization Management He received his CAEcertification in June 2000,the highest honor of professional achievement available from ASAE
Stephen Kirnon
Program Chair,Social EntrepreneurshipandChange | PepperdineGraduate School of EducationandPsychology
Zarik Boghossian
Adjunct Professor,Education Division| Pepperdine Graduate School of Educationand Psychology
Dr Kirnon has over 30 years of operational experience in biomedical and medical device organizations Dr Kirnon is currently Co-Founder and CEOof Shawshank Therapeutics,Inc
Since January 2009,he has served as the Co-founder and CEOof PharmaPlan LLCand Vitavis Laboratories Inc,which was sold to Nestle health Sciences in 2017 [Dr Kirnon was previously the President and Chief Executive Officer of Pepgen Corporation,a biopharmaceutical company based in Alameda,CA specializing in autoimmune diseases He was formerly the President and CEOof Target Protein Technologies,Inc.,a pharmaceutical company based in San Diego and specializing in the development of pharmaceutical compounds targeted to specific tissues and organs of the human body Prior to TPT,he was the President and COO and a member of the Board of Yamanouchi Pharma Technologies,Inc. (now Astellas), which was responsible for developing and commercializing Yamanouchi?s proprietary drug delivery technologies as well as the US development and manufacture of Yamanouchi?s pharmaceuticals Previously,he was the President of the Drug Delivery Division of Cygnus,Inc.,successfully leading the Division into profitability and subsequently through sale of its business He also drove the successful commercialization of the glucometer device GlucoWatch® Dr Kirnon has also held various business development, sales,and marketing positions at Cygnus, Allergan,and SmithKline Beecham (now GSK).] He sits on several industry and academic boards Dr Kirnon is also the Program Chair for Pepperdine University?s Social Entrepreneurship and Change Program
In addition to an AB degree in Biochemistry from Harvard University and an MBA from Pepperdine University,Dr Kirnon received his doctorate in organization change and transformational leadership from Pepperdine University
Dr Kirnon is a firm believer in the idea that social entrepreneurship should be a part of every for-profit business model,and has long been involved in both education and transformational leadership development
In the past 35 years,Zarik has been designing and developing and investing in advanced technologies and innovative solutions in On-Demand Services,Social Networking, E-Commerce Solutions,Solar Energy, Augmented Reality,Digital Media & Signage,AI &Web-3,and Aerospace Systems industries.
Considering one of his career achievements, Zarik was responsible for the development of the mission-critical Electric Power System Flight Software for the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA This system was launched on November 20,1998,by NASA and has successfully been orbiting around the earth ever since with valuable research missions for the future of life on Earth.
Zarik?s passion for innovation and game changing ideas is continuing at present with Wovenmedia,AUGmentecture,and Zema Group
As the Co-Founder and CTOof Wovenmedia, Zarik leads the design and development of a Digital Media Solution that is currently being used by Sam's Club,a Walmart company.
As the Founder & Chairman of AUGmentecture, Zarik leads the development of a SaaSsolution for an augmented reality platform designed specifically for Architecture,Design,Civil Engineering,and Construction industries
As the Founder & Chairman of Zema Group, Zarik has one purpose in mind,and that is to create technology solutions in web and mobile applications that have meaning and potential to change the world
Zarik is the Inventor of multiple patents,and multiple Trademarks including ?Imagine AlwaysTM?,and ?Leadership as a ServiceTM? These trademarks have become the basis of his Public Speaking theme,where he promotes the role of ?Leadership?,?Kindness?,and ?Imagination?in all we do in our lives.
As a Professor at Pepperdine University,Zarik has been teaching and mentoring Doctoral, MBA and undergraduate Business School students in Entrepreneurship,International Management,Venture Initiation,Managing the Philanthropic Enterprise,and Social Entrepreneurship courses for the past 15 years
PepperdineUniversity's Social EnterpriseCollective Alumni Changemakers Award
The Alumni Changemakers Award honorsthebold,brilliant,andpurpose-driven PepperdineUniversityalumni whoareusingtheir talents,education,andpassionto createmeaningful,lastingimpact intheworld.
Presentedannuallybythe Social EnterpriseCollective,thisdistinguishedaward celebratesalumni whoembodythespirit of innovation,service,and leadership?thosewhohaveturnedvisionintoactionandaretransforming communitiesthroughentrepreneurship,advocacy,sustainability,andsocial good.
Thisawardisn? t just arecognition?it?sacall tocelebratethosewholeadwithheart andhustle. It?sforthealumni whoareredefiningsuccessbyliftingothers,building mission-drivenventures,anddrivingsystemicchange.
Joinusaswespotlight theextraordinarychangemakersfromourown community?leaderswhoremindusthat purposeandpossibilitygohandinhand.
Elizabeth Froberg
ElizabethFroberg:DeputyDirector for Democracy,Governance,andHumanRights at thePanAmericanDevelopment Foundation(PADF) inWashington,DC, specializinginlaborrights. For adecade,shehasledaportfolioof projectson humanrights,laborrights,anti-traffickingandcivil societystrengtheningacross MexicoandCentral America,collaboratingwithkeyfundersincludingUSAID,the USDepartment of Labor,andtheUSDepartment of State Withafocuson promotingself-relianceandlocal ownership,sheworksalongsidelocal teamsto buildgreaterorganizational capacitythroughtechnical assistanceandgrant management. SheholdsaMaster?sinPublicAdministrationfromColumbia UniversityandaBachelorof ScienceinBusinessAdministration,withaminor in Non-profit Management,fromPepperdineUniversity. Betweenherundergraduate andgraduatestudies,shelivedandworkedinPeruandBolivia,focusingonchild protectionandfinancial inclusion.
Heather MyrickArnoldisaninnovator,educator,andorganizer passionateabout blending educationwithcommunityimpact WithaMAinSocial Entrepreneurship&Changefrom PepperdineUniversityandteachingcredentialsfromCaliforniaStateUniversityLongBeach, Heather spent 15yearsdesigningtransformativeprogramsat PalosVerdesPeninsulaHigh School ShefoundedtheServiceLearningLeadership(SLL) Program,combiningphilanthropy educationwithcommunityservice,andlaunchedthedistrict?sfirst UnifiedYogaprogramfor studentswithspecial needsandneurotypical peers.
Heather holdsaBAinDancewithaMinorinEnglish,whichhasshapedher workinteaching dance,yoga,wellness,andleadinginitiativeslikeTEDxeventsandcharityfundraisers Before returningtoeducation,shehonedher skillsinevent planningandfundraisingat P.S. ARTS, managinglarge-scaleeventsandmarketingefforts. Sheisalsoafoundingboardmember of CompassionIt,co-creatingtheorganization?smissionandvision
Inher current roleasVicePresident of Development,Event Campaignsat thePediatricCancer ResearchFoundation,Heather overseesfundraisingeventsandinitiativestoraiseawareness andfundsforpediatriccancer research Sheworkscloselywiththefoundation?steam,donors, andvolunteerstoensuresuccessful andimpactful communityengagement
Outsideof herprofessional work,Heather isawifeandmom. Herdaughtersare5and8and thinkit isawesomethat ?momgetstohelpdoctorshelpkidswhoaresick!?Heather servesasa PTAboardmember androomparent at herdaughters?schools,demonstratingherbelief inthe power of communityandcollaboration.
Heather?spassionforempoweringothersandcreatinginclusivespacesdrivesherworkin education,philanthropy,andbeyond Sheaimstobeaforcefor positivechange,whetherinthe classroom,officeor community.
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