Eduventures Summit 2023

Chef, Restaurateur, Humanitarian

Named one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People” in both 2012 and 2018 and recipient of the 2015 National Humanities Medal, José Andrés is an internationally-recognized culinary innovator, author, educator, humanitarian, and chef/owner of José Andrés Group. 

A pioneer of Spanish tapas in the United States, he is also known for his groundbreaking avant-garde cuisine and his award-winning group of nearly three dozen restaurants located throughout the country and beyond. José Andrés Group’s concepts include the two Michelin-starred minibar by José Andrés in Washington, DC, the acclaimed NYC food hall Mercado Little Spain, and multiple locations of the Bazaar by José Andrés. José has received the James Beard Foundation’s “Outstanding Chef” and “Humanitarian of the Year” awards.

President, Southern New Hampshire University

Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc is President of Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). Under the 18 years of Paul’s direction, SNHU has grown from 2,800 students to over 175,000 learners and is the largest non-profit university in the country.

The university was #12 on Fast Company magazine’s “World’s Fifty Most Innovative Companies” list and was the only university included. Forbes Magazine has listed him as one of its 15 “Classroom Revolutionaries” and one of the “most influential people in higher education.” Washington Monthly named him one of America’s ten most innovative university presidents. In 2018, Paul won the prestigious TIAA Institute Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence in Higher Education, joining some of the most respected university and college presidents in American higher education.

Founder & CEO of BMe Community, Social Entrepreneur, and Author

Trabian Shorters is one of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs and the catalyst of a national movement to first define black people by their aspirations and contributions, then to secure their fundamental freedoms to Live, Own, Vote and Excel.

He is a retired tech entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, and former vice president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation where he was responsible for $300M in active grants and endowments in 26 US cities.

His nonprofit social impact network, BMe Community, is award-winning for innovation, impact, and storytelling and boasts more than 400 black leaders plus institutional allies committed to building “equity without stigma.”

Executive Director of the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success at Boston College

In July of 2020, Joy was appointed the inaugural Executive Director of the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success at Boston College. Prior to this position she served as vice president for Student Affairs at Boston College.

A secondary school and higher education administrator, she has served at a variety of independent schools and universities over a 35-year career. Prior to returning to Boston College in 2011, Joy served four years as the interim and deputy head of school at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has also served as the head of school at the Archer School in Los Angeles, California, and as the associate head/director of Upper School at Dana Hall in Wellesley, Massachusetts. As a university administrator, she has held a variety of leadership positions at the University of California at Berkeley, the University of San Francisco, and Boston College. Her experience extends into the field of alumni engagement and fundraising. 

Chief Executive Officer, Gallup

Jon Clifton is CEO of Gallup, the global analytics and advice firm. Mr. Clifton’s mission is to help organizations create thriving workplaces; put one billion people in touch  with their strengths; and help 8 billion citizens be heard on their most pressing issues  through the Gallup World Poll, a 100-year initiative spanning over 150 countries. 

Clifton has been with Gallup since 2008. He previously served as Global Managing Partner of the company’s worldwide consulting group — advising global leaders on  how their organizations and countries can thrive using behavioral economics and  analytics-based insights.

Author of The Defining Decade and Supernormal, and Clinical Psychologist at the University of Virginia

There are 75 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 35, and Meg Jay makes the case for taking their work lives, love lives, and emotional lives seriously. The author of ‘The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter and How to Make the Most of Them Now’ and ‘Supernormal: The Secret World of the Family Hero,’ she has elevated what it means to be a twenty-something and what it means to have grown up with hard times.

Jay has had the pleasure of speaking to audiences including TED, Goldman Sachs, University of Chicago, Merrill Lynch, Cosmopolitan, Aspen Institute, The New Yorker, Yale University, MTV, Young Presidents Organization, How To Academy, U.S. Government Office of Personnel Management, Family Action Network, and Sundance.

Chief Learning & Innovation Officer at the American Council on Education

Louis Soares serves as the Chief Learning & Innovation Officer at ACE. Soares incubates and scales ACE’s executive leadership networks, as well as catalyzes compelling research and innovation initiatives across the Council. Working with colleagues, Soares integrates the work of ACE’s leadership, research and innovation teams to optimize membership value for colleges and universities by developing programs and services to advance the success of senior leaders, diversify the executive talent pipeline, and facilitate partnerships to enhance institutional performance. While at ACE, he published landmark papers, including The Post-traditional Learners Manifesto Revisited: Aligning Postsecondary Education with Real Life for Adult Student Success and Evolving Higher Education Business Models: Leading with Data to Deliver Results.

Global Program Director – IBM SkillsBuild, Corporate Social Responsibility

Sonia Malik, Global Program Director, IBM, Corporate Social Responsibility leads the SkillsBuild Program. IBM SkillsBuild is a free education program focused on underrepresented communities in technology, that helps adult learners, and high school and university students and faculty, develop valuable new skills and access career opportunities. The program includes an online platform that is complemented by customized practical learning experiences delivered in collaboration with a global network of partners and is in support of IBM’s global skills pledge to Skill 30 million by 2030. IBM’s investments in education and skills are part of the company’s efforts to mobilize technology and employee talent to address some of society’s biggest challenges worldwide. For this role, Sonia applies her decades of leadership and programmatic expertise in the areas of enterprise learning, workforce & talent development, training delivery, partner relationship management and global program design, development, and execution. She is responsible for the strategic development of various program elements as well as the processes to support successful execution of the program in over 150 countries across the globe.

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Digital Innovation and Enterprise Learning at Northeastern University

Dr. Kemi Jona is the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Digital Innovation and Enterprise Learning at Northeastern University. His portfolio includes the design of digital experiential learning platforms and the formation of strategic enterprise partnerships for talent development to enable seamless, lifelong learning pathways for all learners. Dr. Jona has worked at the forefront of the learning sciences and learning technologies fields for over 20 years. He is thought leader in applying insights from cognitive and learning sciences to the design of technology-mediated learning environments and in developing innovative partnerships for new talent and credentialing strategies.

Robinson O. Everett Distinguished Professor of Law & Philosophy and Founding Director of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society

Nita A. Farahany is the Robinson O. Everett Distinguished Professor of Law & Philosophy and Founding Director of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society. She is a widely published scholar on the ethics of emerging technologies, and author of the book The Battle for Your Brain: Defending Your Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology.

Farahany is a frequent commentator for national media and radio and keynote speaker at events including TED, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the World Economic Forum, and judicial conferences worldwide. From 2010-2017, she served as a Commissioner on the U.S. Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.

Singer, Songwriter, Advocate of Foster Kids

Jimmy Wayne is a former foster kid turned award-winning country music artist whose songs and story highlight his mission to raise awareness for children in foster care. Jimmy’s hits include “Stay Gone,” “Paper Angels,” “I Love You This Much” and “Do You Believe Me Now,” which earned BMI’s prestigious Million-Air Award for receiving one million radio spins in America. 

In 2009, Jimmy toured with Brad Paisley and recorded “Sara Smile” with rock ‘n roll Hall of Fame duo Daryl Hall and John Oates.

In 2010, Jimmy walked halfway across America (from Nashville to Phoenix) to raise awareness for kids aging out of the foster-care system. In 2012, Jimmy helped get legislative bills passed extending the age of foster care to 21 in California, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Ohio.

Distinguished Senior Law and Policy Fellow, EducationCounsel

Ms. Keith’s 36-year legal career as a policy and legal leader in higher education and academic research includes a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, free expression, quality, research policy, compliance systems, and governance. Her practice includes a significant focus on these issues within the context of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medical fields. Previously, she was Vice President, General Counsel and University Secretary for the President and Board of Trustees at University of Florida and Senior Counsel (first primary inside counsel) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was also responsible for enterprise risk management and oversaw environmental sustainability and safety functions. Earlier, she was in private practice and executive public service in Massachusetts.

Ms. Keith graduated from Cornell University, College of Arts & Sciences, with distinction in all subjects, and Boston University School of Law, magna cum laude, and was an outside article editor on the Boston University Law Review. She served as Law Clerk to the late Honorable Bailey Aldrich on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and is admitted to the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and Florida Bars.

Vice Provost for Graduate and Lifetime Learning at Grand Valley State University

Dr. Kara Van Dam has served as the Vice Provost for Graduate and Lifetime Learning at Grand Valley State University since 2021. In this role, she champions learners across the state, particularly those who have been historically underserved by our higher education system. She partners with industry to drive economic growth through talent development. She is committed to ensuring students’ lived experience is honored, and academic pathways and co-curricular scaffolds at both the undergraduate and graduate level support their personal and professional aspirations.

Previously, Kara held numerous leadership roles at the University of Maryland Global Campus, including Dean and Vice President of the School of Arts and Sciences, Overseas Academic Affairs, Undergraduate School, and the Learner & Faculty Experience. Prior to coming to UMGC, she held a variety of leadership positions at Kaplan University, including Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, Dean of Faculty, and Dean of the School of General Education. In all her roles, she has led large-scale initiatives aimed at improving the institution’s ability to help students develop as competent and confident people and professionals, while also providing a rewarding work environment for faculty and staff.