
Jessamyn Berniker is a partner at law firm in Washington, D.C. Her practice focuses on patent litigation and licensing disputes, although she has significant litigation experience in criminal, copyright, antitrust, legal malpractice, and general civil matters as well. Jessamyn received undergraduate degrees in chemistry and French from Pacific Lutheran University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. She is a long-time member of the 18th Street Singers, a Washington-based choir that performs regularly at the Kennedy Center. Jessamyn lives in Washington, DC with her husband.

Wairimu Mwaura is from and lives in Nairobi, Kenya. She works at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, managing a neuropsychiatric genetics training program for research fellows from the Universities in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and South Africa. Before this, she worked at the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations at Harvard College, an office whose mission seeks to involve students of all racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds in the ongoing programmatic enterprises of the College and University. While not at work, you can catch her on-stage or back-stage working with fringe theater companies around Boston.

Dr. Clarence Wardell III is the Director of Repurpose for Results for the What Works Cities Initiative. In that role, he works with mid-size cities across the country to help them use data and evidence to guide their programming and investment decisions. Prior to that position, he was a member of the White House Digital Service team, and, as such, he also co-led the White House Police Data Initiative. Clarence, who was previously an affiliate with Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society, is currently a Council on Foreign Relations team member and a Public Interest Technology Fellow at New America, and was named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in 2017. He holds a B.S.E. in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Michelle Brooks is a managing principal with Arlon Capital Partners, the direct private investment arm of the Continental Grain Company. Prior to joining Arlon, Michelle was a principal with Weston Presidio, a private equity investment fund, and Editorial Director for Experience, Inc. Michelle received her A.B. in Government from Harvard College and her M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School. Michelle lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and children.

Abdul-Rahman Lediju is an investment officer in Deutsche Bank’s Global Social Finance Group in NY, which focuses on impact investments globally via structured social investment vehicles. He has geographic responsibility for investments in the Sub-Saharan Africa region and supports the management of funds for inclusive financial institutions and clean cookstove and clean fuel social enterprises. Mr. Lediju received his Juris Doctor from the Howard University School of Law and B.A. in Social Science (focus on African international development) and minor in Philosophy from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is a licensed New York attorney.

Devin Powell is a science journalist with credits at publications ranging from the New York Times and the Washington Post to National Geographic and Nature. His work, featured in the Best American Science Writing anthology, has explored everything from how our brains work to how the universe began. He holds a BA in biochemistry from Harvard and a Master’s in science writing from Johns Hopkins, and got his start in science searching for new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease at Columbia University.

Regina Schwartz is the Director of the Public Engagement Unit for the City of New York, where her team conducts proactive outreach to reach vulnerable New Yorkers on a range of issues and ensure the adoption of modern outreach tools and tactics throughout the Administration. She also served as the Chief of Staff for Intergovernmental Affairs. She has expertise in the behavioral science of civic engagement, global and online organizing, scientifically-proven methods for increasing voter turnout, and improving the effectiveness of organizational communication. She studied organizing and social movements under Marshall Ganz at Harvard College.
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