2019 Aspen Ideas Festival Fellows

The Aspen Ideas Festival is pleased to announce the 2019 Aspen Ideas Festival Fellows, a diverse group of 300 leaders from all over the United States and 25 different countries selected for their work, accomplishments, and ability to transform ideas into action.

They were nominated by senior members of the Institute’s staff, Festival advisors, past Fellows, and many others within the Institute’s broad network. The Fellows’ presence at the Festival is made possible by a group whose purchase of special Patron Passes directly funds this important program. The Aspen Institute is proud to host these distinguished leaders and grateful to the Patrons for their crucial support. Additional thanks to the Bush Foundation, Penner Family Foundation, Ricardo Salinas Foundation, and the Chick-fil-A Foundation for their generous support in bringing Fellow cohorts to the 2019 Festival. Each Fellow listed below either attended Festival 1 or Festival 2 in 2019.

Betsy After, Development and Partnerships, Rocky Mountain Institute

Nerma Albertorio, Founder and Executive Director, Centro para Emprendedores

Samar Ali, President, Millions of Conversations

Krystal Allen, Senior Director of Policy, Programs, and Strategy, Propeller; Founder and CEO, K. Allen Consulting

Ruben Alonso, President, AltCap

Ugo Angeletti, Co-Founder, back2earth

Emma Angeletti, Co-Founder, back2earth

Kwame Anku, Chairman and CEO, Black Star Fund

Jeremiah Anthony, Fellow, Peace First

Christian Arana, Policy Director, Latino Community Foundation

Yesenia Arreola, Director, TRIO Upward Bound, Colorado Mountain College

Ebenezer Arthur, Managing Director, Wangara Green Ventures

Daisy Auger-Dominguez, President and Founder, Auger-Dominguez Ventures

Florina Axinia, Public and Corporate Affairs Manager, Aspen Institute Romania

Antonio Baclig, Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University

Donnel Baird, Founder and CEO, BlocPower

Anthony Barrows, Managing Director, ideas42

Mariel Beasley, Principal, Common Cents Lab, Duke University Center for Advanced Hindsight

Carole Bell, Independent Writer and Researcher

Neil Bhatiya, Associate Fellow, Center for a New American Security

Chelsea Bodnar, Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Kevin Brehm, Manager, Electricity Practice, Rocky Mountain Institute

Jesse Bryant, Graduate Student, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Janeen Bryant, Principal Consultant, Facilitate Movement

Yang Bu, Vice President, Sotheby’s Jewelry, Sotheby’s

Charlotte Burns, Vice President and Executive Editor, In Other Words by Art Agency Partners, Sotheby’s

Jeremy Butler, CEO, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)

Mariana Castro, Vice President of Design, Comcast

Alane Celeste-Villalvir, Doctoral Student/Research Assistant, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Allister Chang, Founder, Civic Suds

Kurt Chauviere, Partner, McKinsey & Company

Carla Chavez, Director of Development, Foundation for Puerto Rico

Yoo Jin Cheong, Program Officer, Walton Family Foundation

Michelle Cho, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Gladeo

Jean Lee Choi, Associate General Counsel, Walton Family Foundation

Ashley Christopherson, Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Policy, University of Michigan

Ishimwe Clement, CEO, Kina Music

Jose Corona, Director of Equity and Strategic Partnerships, Office of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf; Staff, Oakland Fund for Public Innovation

Natasha Crampton, Senior Attorney, Microsoft Corporation

Jasmine Crowe, Founder and CEO, Goodr

Ryan Dalton, Outreach Coordinator, Making Connections

Smruti Dance, Advanced Research Associate, ExxonMobil

Jamie Davidow, Program Associate, The Aspen Institute

RaShelle Davis, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Governor Inslee of Washington State

Jeff Dean, Senior Officer of Research and Evaluation, Walton Family Foundation

Ryan Decker, Electric Vehicle Operations Lead, Audi of America

Christopher Diaz, CEO, Serve1

Richard Diggs, Law Clerk to Judge James Graves, Jr., United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Mariana Dourado De Castro, Vice President of Product Design, Comcast

Jonathan Due, Director of Programs and Scholarships, Pat Tillman Foundation

Kylee Durant, Senior Director, Program Development, USO (United Service Organizations)

Sarah Dvoracek, City Manager, City of Evart, MI

Jotaka Eaddy, Vice President of Policy, Strategic Engagement, and Impact, LendUp

Dashawn Ealey, Assistant Director, BA/BFA Dual-Degree Program, The New School

Courtney Eccles, Director, Illinois Secure Choice, Illinois State Treasurer’s Office

Adam Echelman, Executive Director, Libraries Without Borders

Richard Edmond-Vargas, Co-Founder, Initiate Justice, Success Stories, and Question Culture

Farah El-Sharif, PhD Candidate, Harvard University

Stephen Fan, Founder, InterAPD Research/Design

Jeohn Favors, Attorney, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Fatima Fettar, Associate Director of Communications, Alliance for Middle East Peace

Bob Filbin, Co-Founder and Chief Data Specialist, Crisis Text Line

James Nishiyama Finucane, Co-Founder and CTO, mPharma

Elise Fitzsimmons, Co-Founder and Publisher, Unearth Women Media

Vanderian Floyd, Engineering Scoping and Testing Manager, Southern Nuclear

Sonya Francis, Senior Director of Career Navigation, Goodwill Industries International

Annie Freyman, Director of Strategy, PayPal

Kristina Friedman, Director of ESG Reporting and Strategy, PayPal

Haydee Garcia, Director of Nursing, Mount Sinai Health System

Alicia Garza, Strategy and Partnerships Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance

Keesha Gaskins-Nathan, Director, Democratic Practice Program – United States, Rockefeller Brothers Fund

Usra Ghazi, Director of Policy and Programs, America Indivisible

Arnab Ghosal, Connectivity and Innovation Manager, Alabama Power

Lili Gil-Valleta, Co-Founder and CEO, CultureIntel and CIEN+

Waidehi Gokhale, CEO, Soliya

Karen Goldfeder, Vice President, DoSomething.org

Shannon Green, Shift Leader, Crisis Text Line

Taj Greenlee, Assistant Director, Talks, 92nd Street Y

Daniel Gyamerah, Division Lead, Citizens for Europe; Chairman, Each One Teach One (EOTO)

Megan Hannigan, Manager of Government Relations, PayPal

Minda Harts, Founder, The Memo

Katy Ho, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Portland Community College

Tim Holajn, Region Operations Specialist, Audi of America

Akbar Hossain, Associate, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius

Lauren Howe, Graduate Student Researcher, Horticulture Innovation Lab, University of California, Davis

Jessica Huang, Playwright, Theater Masters

Shani Jamila, Artist and Founder, Lineage

Simran Jeet Singh, Visiting Scholar, New York University

Shawn Jenkins, Senior Director of Pre-College Programs, Cooperman College Scholars

Jen Jia, Director of Corporate Development, PayPal

Hubert Jiang, Signal Officer, United States Army

Alex Johnson, Chief of Staff, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission)

James Johnson-Piett, Principal and CEO, Urbane Development

Zhaundra Jones, Senior Program Officer, Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham (AL)

Markera Jones, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Edith Jorge, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Republican National Committee

Karin Jue, Director of Streaming Media, Public Broadcasting Service

Hamilton Juma, Managing Director, IDEO.org

Muchu Kaingu, CEO, Apptorney

Reema Kamran, Executive Director, IL Muslim Civic Coalition

Binta Kanteh, Legislative Aide, Minnesota House of Representatives

David Kobrosky, Founder, Skatify

Anna Kohn, Chief Impact Officer, RecoveryPark

Amanda Koonjbeharry, Director, No Wrong Door Initiative, Hennepin County (MN)

Jordyne Krumroy, Regional Manager, Welcoming America

Samantha LaChance, Pre-Owned Incentive Specialist, Audi of America

Manoach Lamarre, Managing Director and Founder, The Ladder Institute

Ana Lambert, Illegal Wildlife Trade Program Officer, Latin America, Wildlife Conservation Society

Lucy Lang, Executive Director, Institute for Innovation in Prosecution

Stephanie Le, Marketing Specialist, Qualcomm

Alina Lee, Senior Counsel for Retail, Southern Company Gas

Stewart LeVante, Executive Director, LOST BOYZ INC.

Eva Lewis, CEO, The I Project

Justin Lewis, Vice President of Product, TerraFrame

Jessica Li, Public and Government Affairs Officer, ExxonMobil

Jorge Lima, Senior Vice President for Policy, Americans for Prosperity

Kelcey Liverpool, Executive Director, Kids Rank

Julie Love, Director, Quantum Business Development, Microsoft

Senegal Mabry, Assistant to the Chancellor, New York State Education Department; Advisory Council Member, Obama Foundation

Yasamin Mahallaty, Assistant Director, Georgetown Scholars Program, Georgetown University

Kari Mailloux, Program Officer, Hutchinson Community Foundation (KS)

Kevin Major, Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company

Lenny Markus, Director, PayPal

Francisco Martinez, Communication Officer, Robert R. McCormick Foundation

Sabria McElroy, Partner, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP

Deshawn Mckinney, MA Student, University of East Anglia

Jennifer McNelly, Conceptual Engineering Manager, Water Program, Southern Company

Karla Monterroso, CEO, Code2040

Alece Montez, Director of Programs, Orton Family Foundation

Alejandra Montoya-Boyer, Associate Director of Economic Development, National Association of Counties

Sarah Moran, Senior Director of Development, Grassroot Soccer

Patricia Mota, President and CEO, Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement

Ann Muno, Director, Justice for Girls Coalition of Washington State

Nguhi Mwaura, Fellow, Skoll Foundation

Ahlem Nasraoui, Founder and President, Young Leaders Entrepreneurs

Roseline Michael Neveling, Managing Director, Americas Regional Markets, Sotheby’s

Kayleen Oblack, Senior Digital Media Specialist, Audi of America

Jen Odegaard, Communications Manager, Community Builders

Tom Ogletree, Senior Director of Social Impact and External Affairs, General Assembly

Damola Ogundipe, CEO, Civic Eagle

Aubrie Ohlde, Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Abigail Omojola, Director, The Raben Group

Harold O’Neal, Founder, Once Upon A Time

Syra Ortiz-Blanes, Staff Writer and Podcast Coordinator, The Philadelphia Citizen

Adish Padhani, Software Engineer, DoorDash

Rashneh Pardiwala, Founder and Director, Centre for Environmental Research and Education

Anthony Peques, Software Engineer, M. M. La Fleur Association for Spanish Scientists in USA

Alicia Perez-Porro, President, Association for Spanish Scientists in USA (ECUSA)

Danielle Perry, Executive Director, Growing Home

Kimberly Pham, Engagement Coordinator, Opportunity Youth United

Isaiah Pickens, CEO, iOpening Enterprises

Jeanette Pierce, Director of Marketing, LIFT Labs, Comcast NBCUniversal

RaCia Poston, Mayor’s Neighborhood Advocate, City of Indianapolis Office of Mayor Joe Hogsett

Ahmad Qamar, Vice President and Director of Machine Learning, Sotheby’s

Jonathan Quarles, Founder and CEO, The BTL Group

Alessandra Ram, Producer, AJ+

Albert Ramirez, Associate Director, Georgetown Scholars Program, Georgetown University

Jose Regalado, Policy Director, District 4, City of Miami

Dorthea Renner, Director, Talent Strategy & Management, Comcast

Tabatha Renz, Tillman Scholar, Pat Tillman Foundation

Emilly Reusswig, Executive Director, Chicago Cultural Alliance

Rebecca Rewald, Program Advisor, TAP Grant and Gender, Oxfam America

Mya Roberson, Health Policy Research Scholar, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Eli Rodriguez, Vice President and Chief of Staff; Sotheby's, Fine Arts Division

Liddy Romero, Managing Director, WorkLab Innovations

Jessica Rothstein, Director, Comcast Labs, Comcast NBCUniversal

Isabel Rullan, Co-Founder and Executive Director, ConPRmetidos

Gabrielle Sadowski, Development and Evaluation Executive, Karama

Renu Saini, Program Officer, Walton Family Foundation

Inam Sakinah, Founder, Power of WE

Jonathan Santos Silva, Bridge Fellow, The New Teacher Page

Kaneza Schaal, Theater Artist

Charlie Scott, Scholar, Leadership Enterprise of a Diverse America

Denise Sekaquaptewa, Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan

Prerna Sekhri, Manager of Program Operations, Barr Foundation

Edil Sepulveda Carlo, Co-Founder, Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora

Rina Shah, Founder, Women’s Public Leadership Network

Ankur G. Shah, Senior Director of Change Acceleration, Comcast

Cat Shieh, Ethnic Studies Teacher, Green Dot Public Schools

Bianca Shinn, Director of Family Advocacy, Domus Kids

Ranjit Sidhu, President and CEO, National Council for Community and Education Partnerships

Maggie Smith, Captain, United States Army; Doctoral Student, George Washington University

Olatunde Sobomehin, CEO, StreetCode Academy

Eric Socia, Distribution Manager, Audi of America

Sarah Souza, Program Associate, California Reinvestment Coalition

Lucas Spivey, Road Warrior, Culture Hustlers

Jennie Stephens, CEO, Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation

Hanni Stoklosa, Executive Director, HEAL Trafficking; Emergency Physician, Harvard Medical School

Jillian Sutherland, Director of Programs, Community Builders

Harry Tannenbaum, Director of Hardware, Google

Trang Truong-Hill, Director of Newcomer Engagement and Global Strategies, YMCA of the USA

Carri Twigg, Founder, Good Trouble Media

Lina Maria Useche Jaramillo, Co-Founder and CEO, Aliança Empreendedora

Kandace Vallejo, Executive Director, Youth Rise Texas

Madhvi Venkatraman, Predoctoral Fellow, Smithsonian Center for Conservation Genomics

Mimi Verdonk, Business Analyst, McKinsey & Company

Marijke Visser, Senior Policy Advocate, American Library Association

Jenna Walker, Deputy Director for Watershed Services, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, Texas State University

Raphael Warnock, Senior Pastor, Ebenezer Baptist Church

Daniel White, Graduate Student, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs

Starsky Wilson, President and CEO, Deaconess Foundation

Jennifer Winn, General Manager, Georgia Power Natural Resources, Southern Company

Delvon Worthy, Program Officer, Walton Personal Philanthropy Group

Eliada Wosu Griffin-EL, Associate Professor of Management and Director, Massey Center for Entrepreneurship, Robert Morris University

Lisa Yosevitz, Dentist, Pennington Dental Associates

Abigail Zapote, Executive Director, Latinos for a Secure Retirement

Alejandra Zavala, College and Career Project Specialist, School District of Lancaster (PA)

Jovian Zayne, Founder and CEO, OnPurpose Movement

Ammanuel Zegeye, Associate Partner, McKinsey & Co.

Emily Zemba, Playwright, Theater Masters

Ori Zohar, Co-Founder, Burlap & Barrel

Daniel Bergin, Senior Producer/Director, Twin Cities PBS

Charles Cox, Company Commander, Minnesota Army National Guard

Paige Danisnger, Founding Director, Better World Museum; Fellow, Facebook Community Leadership Program

Chase Dwelle, Co-Founder, Artesian

Majra Gibbons, Senior Program Manager, Land O’Lakes International Development

Kristine Grill, Open Data Portal Coordinator, Ramsey County, Minnesota

Bethlehem Gronneberg, Founder and CEO, uCodeGirl

Shep Harris, Mayor, City of Golden Valley, Minnesota

Gail Hubbeling, Adjunct Instructor, Ihanktonwan Community College

Belinda Joe, Bilingual Teacher, Crow Creek Tribal School

Naomi Ko, Co-Founder, APIA MN Film Collective

Evva Kraikul, Founder and Creative Director, GLITCH

Megan Laudenschlager, Executive Director, Strengthen ND

Leo Lopez, Senior Vice President of Nonprofit Banking and Community Development, Old National Bank

May Esperanza Losloso, Senior Organizer, Children’s Defense Fund – Minnesota

Leslie Mulder, Lay Leader and Chair, Trauma Responsive Church Team, First United Methodist Church of the St. Cloud Region

Reynold Nesiba, State Senator, South Dakota Legislature; Professor of Economics, Augustana University

Alex Reich, Co-Founder, Writer, Editor, Narrator, and Director, MinuteEarth YouTube Channel

Octavia Smith, Board President, Minnesota Freedom Fund

Cole St. Arnold, Community Development Manager, Minnesota Housing Partnership

Amanda Strauss, Employment Specialist, Fargo Vocational Training Center

Cary Thrall, Owner, CAT Scratch Studios

Tenzin Norzin Waleag, College Navigator, International Institute of Minnesota

Serena Xiong, Community Researcher, Somali, Latino and Hmong Partnership for Health and Wellness (SoLaHmo), Minnesota Community Care

Xay Yang, Therapist, Domestic Abuse Project

Jay Bailey, President and CEO, Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Corryn Barnes, Team Leader, Chick-fil-A

Charles Brooks, Executive Fellow, Chick-fil-A

Titus Matthews, Lead Trainer, Chick-fil-A

Becky Pickle, Owner/Operator, Chick-fil-A

Rachel Becker, Environment Reporter, CALmatters

Haley Byrd, Reporter, CNN

Dan Cooney, Social Media Editor/Producer, “PBS NewsHour”

Coleman Hughes, Columnist, Quillette

Tiana Lowe, Commentary Writer, Washington Examiner

Osita Nwanevu, Staff Writer, The New Yorker

Ben Parker, Senior Editor, The Bulwark

Christianna Silva, Journalist, PHOENIX Magazine, MTV News

Justin Tinsley, Sports and Culture Reporter, The Undefeated, ESPN

Sharix Alicea, Associate, Fitzpatrick & Hunt, Pagano, Aubert LLP

Pamela Aquino, Fellow, KIPP Foundation

Abby Cacho, Upper School English Teaching Fellow, Milton Academy

Jeremias Campos, Owner, Suave Fitness

Jennefer Canales-Pelaez,Immigration Lawyer, The Law Offices of Ronzio and Associates

Ty Chung, Consultant, Accenture

Ana Curo, Student, Veteran to Nurse Program, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Bethania Damaso, College Success Manager, KIPP NYC

Kaylee D’Amico, Program Manager, World Food Center, University of California, Davis

Tasha Dennis, Founder, Woven Strategies

Sharlene Disla, Juris Doctor, ’19, St. John’s University School of Law

Ernest Esparza, Senior Analyst, BNY Mellon

Randy Garcia, Planning and Analysis Team Member, Institutional Clients Group, Citigroup

Alexis Harris, Story Enthusiast and Creative Producer, Inspiring Experiences

Khalil Idris, President, Khalil Idris

Whitney Jenkins, Program Manager 2, Microsoft

Teisha King, PhD Candidate, Louisiana State University

Dolores Lozano, Public Relations and Media Specialist, Genesys Works 

Erica Martinez-Close, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Advocate

Sayda Mitchell-Morales, Educator, Rise Academy

Afrika Owes, Administrative Associate, The Center for Constitutional Rights

Taina Quiñones, Exhibit Content Manager, The Jackie Robinson Museum

Andrew Sanguillen, Interim Director of Operations, KIPP Halifax Primary School

Lauren Simmons, Public Figure

Caurice Wynter, Accelerator, KIPP Foundation

Steve Alfaro, Senior Advisor for Creative and Digital, Voto Latino

Eduardo Arabu, Associate Director, The National Hispanic Corporate Council

Brenda Calderon, Program Officer, US Department of Education

Olga Camargo, National Board Chair, Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement

Susi Collins, Senior Manager for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Nordstrom

Marisol Del Campo Martinez, Executive Director, CIMIGEN

Juan Pablo Delgado, Co-Founder, Amicus DH

Soribel L. Feliz, Foreign Service Officer, United States Department of State

Mireille Ebla Posse Acosta, Program Manager – Mexico, Hispanics in Philanthropy

Yai Vargas, Founder and CEO, The Latinista, Founder and CEO, The Latinista

Abigael Abuga (African Leadership Academy; Johannesburg, South Africa)

Thaksheel Alleck (African Leadership Academy; Johannesburg, South Africa)

Mpiwa Gwindi (African Leadership Academy; Johannesburg, South Africa)

Nkembo Kiala (Educator, African Leadership Academy; Johannesburg, South Africa)

Nicolus Mositi (African Leadership Academy; Johannesburg, South Africa)

Mike Remezo (African Leadership Academy; Johannesburg, South Africa)

Rangasri Narayanamoorthy and Kady Clincy (Benjamin Franklin High School; New Orleans, LA)

Robert Lawrence and April W. Carberry (C. E. Byrd High School; Shreveport, LA)

Ernest Cisneros and Jorge Alvarez (Colton High School; Colton, CA)

Victor Ye and Matthew Rojas (Glen A. Wilson High School; Hacienda Heights, CA)

Sarah Tran and Cynthia Quintana (Granada Hills Charter High School; Granada Hills, CA)

Nicolette Peji and Dana Dale (Ideate High Academy; San Diego, CA)

Jalan Drummond and Precious White-Jordan (Lafayette High School; Lafayette, AL)

Zidikiyah Morrison and Cobren Greer (Livingston Collegiate Academy; New Orleans, LA)

Madison Momenee and Jessica Cutliffe (Noble High School; North Berwick, ME)

Trey Chapman and Lowana Wade (Piedmont Classical High School; Browns Summit, NC)

Peyton Klein and Jennifer McGonagle (Taylor Allderdice High School; Pittsburgh, PA)

Pranavi Pratapa and Laura Wagner (Washtenaw International High School; Ypsilanti, MI)