Kyrah J. Altman's story of social entrepreneurship began at nine years old. As a result of growing up in a broken home, she began experiencing severe post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in middle school. While mental illness followed her throughout adolescence, she channeled her loss of childhood and early adverse experiences into planning local fundraisers to support historically marginalized groups in her community, including children with disabilities, mothers recovering from substance use disorders, and survivors of domestic violence. 

Despite battling mental illness, suicidal ideation, and a loss of childhood throughout adolescence, Kyrah continued channeling her internal struggles by working passionately with seven high school peers to establish a student-led social enterprise called Let's Empower, Advocate, and Do (LEAD). At the time of LEAD’s founding in 2012, Kyrah was already a seasoned, 16-year-old social entrepreneur who had spent years planning community service initiatives and working as a Certified Nurse Assistant with Hospice patients. LEAD's founding was directly catalyzed by the Newtown CT, tragedy, as many of the school shooting's victims were similar ages to Kyrah's younger siblings. Since Kyrah began raising her younger siblings as a pre-teen herself, this horrific tragedy catapulted her and her peers into action. 

Despite being displaced from her home at age 17 and surviving an abusive romantic relationship, Kyrah continued to simultaneously direct LEAD and manage her mental health. By her high school graduation, LEAD donated over $10K to its Leominster, Massachusetts community through sustainable social justice initiatives and community service events. 

In 2016, and as the only female and freshman social entrepreneur in the George Washington University New Venture Competition, Kyrah won $32,500 of seed funding and incorporated LEAD as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. From her dorm room, Kyrah scaled LEAD into the international mental health literacy organization it is today, dedicating the organization to providing training and curriculum to strengthen mental health literacy, promote lifelong well-being, and build community resilience. Kyrah graduated from the George Washington University in 2019, with a degree in Human Services & Social Justice, Public Health, and Innovation & Entrepreneurship. During that time, Kyrah also served as the nation's youngest Youth Mental Health First Aid instructor and was honored to represent her home state as the MA Cherry Blossom Princess for the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C.

Kim Borman brings over 25 years of expertise in private sector management, marketing and operations and a wide variety of experience in building and sustaining nonprofit organizations. She has held senior executive positions at a variety of top Boston advertising agencies as well as owned and managed her own agency, Avenue Brand, in Boston’s South End for several years. Throughout her career, Kim has been committed to pay equity and has the battle scars to prove it.

Kim also has many years of nonprofit engagement at organizations like Planned Parenthood, The Social Innovation Forum and The Rian Immigrant Center, where she currently sits as Vice President on the Board of Directors. Most recently, Kim was honored to be included in the BBJ’s list of the Power 50 – the Movement Makers in Boston.

A graduate of Brown University and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern, Kim recently earned her Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.  

Sonia D’Alarcao joined BAMSI in 2013 and is the Vice President of Learning & Development.  In this role, she oversees the design and execution of the agency’s professional development plan and directs employee learning and development programs, conferences, forums and seminars.  She also coordinates professional offerings to organizations outside of BAMSI and the greater community.  Sonia has a passion for racial and social justice and strives to educate and provide resources that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

Prior to joining BAMSI, Sonia spent over 10 years in positions directing training for non-profit organizations.  She also spent part of her career as an early childhood educator, and served on the Massachusetts Association for the Education of Young Children.

Sonia is active in several long-term volunteer programs, including co-facilitating the Read to Me Father Program at the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater, MA.

Sonia earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Cultural Anthropology from Bridgewater State University.

Lisa has a 36-year career supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to be active and engaged within their community. At New England Village in Pembroke, MA, she gained experience in working as a Direct Support Worker and eventually as the Director of The Sollar Wellness Center specifically designed for this population.

In 2014, she joined the South Shore YMCA as the first-ever Association Director of Inclusion, creating innovative programs and comprehensive staff trainings to build a culture of inclusion.  In 2018 Lisa started her company, MERGE Inclusion Consulting where she provides consultation, staff training and systems implementation to community entities committed to recreation and social inclusion of persons with disabilities. 

Peter Evers is the President & CEO of BAMSI, a Massachusetts based human service agency providing services to adults and children with developmental disabilities, mental illness, behavioral health, and public health needs. Prior to joining BAMSI, Evers served as the President and CEO of Riverbend Community Mental Health, Inc., and Vice President for Behavioral Health at Concord Hospital.  A Licensed Social Worker, he has more than 30 years of experience in the mental health and human services fields, including leadership positions in emergency, residential, and outpatient services.  Evers also served as Vice President for Program Operations at The Home for Little Wanderers in Boston before joining Riverbend. Prior to that, he was the Southeastern Area Director at the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH).  

Throughout his career, he has been a leader in the social service industry, promoting resilience in persons served, educating communities around stigma, and the worth of every human being through engagement. He also firmly believes that a positive agency culture, the effective use of resources, and the sustainability of state-of-the-art facilities are a reflection of an organization’s quest for excellence.

Educated in England and a graduate of Sheffield Hallam University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Business Studies, Evers obtained his Masters in Social Work from the University of Kent, and is a Licensed Clinical Social worker here and in Great Britain. 

Kari Heistad is the CEO of Culture Coach International and the DEI Boxx. She has been working in the space of diversity, equity and inclusion for more than 25 years. Her clients have spanned industries, sectors and sizes. Through her work she seeks to make diversity applicable and approachable for all employees, engaging them through a process of positive curiosity about the world and others. She has spoken before more than 18,000 people through presentations, keynotes and conferences and she has developed hundreds of DEI tools, models and resources.

More can be learned about her work at: CultureCoach.biz and DEIBoxx.com

Su Joun (she/her/hers) is the Principal of Diversity@WorkplaceConsulting Group LLC  (http://www.diversityatworkplace.com) that specializes in innovative, implementation-focused,no-frills Diversity & Inclusion training and consultation.  Su is alsoan adjunct professor at Suffolk University where she teaches Global HumanResources Management, Organizational Behavior and Career LAUNCH classes.

She was the Vice President of Talent, Diversityand Inclusion at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) where she ledthe enterprise diversity and inclusion, talent acquisition, performance managementand leadership development, and associate engagement teams.  In addition to expertise in Diversity &Inclusion and talent management, she has held leadership roles in IT & operations,marketing, sales and call centers in various organizations and industries. Su hasalso founded and operated a publishing company. This breadth of experiencesenables her to fully understand and “speak the language” of the variousbusiness areas and leaders allowing for true partnership to champion Diversity& Inclusion goals and programs.

Su received her MBA from Suffolk University andher MS in Nonprofit Management from Northeastern University.

Her thought-leadership on Diversity &Inclusion and talent overall has been showcased in the Skillsoft video libraryand on the Urban Update.  She has presented to various audiences suchas the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, NAAAP, CFO Roundtable, UMASS Centerfor Collaborative Leadership, NEHRA, HUBweek, General Assembly, Skillsoft Conference,Design Museum Boston Workplace Innovation Summit, Northeastern University Open Classroomand the Boston Bar Association. 

With more than 30 years of experience in Human Resources, nonprofit practice and adult education, Marcia Kimm-Jackson is a committed and effective Facilitator, Trainer and Coach. Having coached corporate professionals and leaders in various sectors, and led workshops on a variety of topics, she has a brand as a personable, insightful, engaging and compassionate Coach and professional development guide. Currently, Marcia is expanding her practice as a racial equity practitioner leading small group discussions and workshops focused on allyship and challenging racism, both in corporate settings and in community organizations. Before that, Marcia spent over 19 years as a Human Resources Specialist and Senior Trainer with the Federal Reserve System in Boston. In addition, she has consulted with Dartmouth College, the METCO Program and the TJX Corporation on various topics including career development, team building and organizational change management.

 Ms. Kimm-Jackson, a certified Human Resources professional through the Society for Human Resource Management, has completed training as a Professional/Life Coach in the tradition of the Coaches Training Institute, and is trained as a strengths-based practitioner in the Appreciative Inquiry methodology. In addition to educational sessions with the National Racial Equity Institute, she also earned specialized credentials as an Emotional Intelligence Coach by Learning In Action and has been recognized by her State’s legislature for her community efforts around racial equity and community engagement and leadership.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Education. She is recently earned a Nonprofit Leadership Certificate from Tufts University Center for Civic Life and the Institute for Nonprofit Practice.

• Sarah MacConduibh is an experienced executive with 40 years in national defense, and retired in 2019 as VP for Air Force Portfolio at the MITRE Corporation. She is currently a Senior Fellow Adjunct at the RAND Corporation, Owner of SJSM LLC, consulting in Leadership and National Defense, and is a Certified Aurora Expert Guide with reacHIRE, enabling women to succeed in the workplace.

Amanda Martinez is a Senior Consultant with Diversity@Workplace Consulting Group who has extensive experience assisting organizations improve their strategic operations with a concentration on diversity and organizational development.  Her previous experience includes similar roles in the non-profit, medical device, consulting, semiconductor, consumer products and aerospace industries.  Most recently, Amanda was the Executive Director of the Latino STEM Alliance; a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire and empower underserved youth through STEM education.

Ms. Martinez supports many non-profit organizations and has a strong passion for STEM, diversity and mentoring initiatives.  This passion has been exhibited through her involvement in many organizations including serving on the Global Employee Resource (ERG) Council and HOLA ERG core team for Boston Scientific and as a founding member of the Greater Boston Diversity Collaborative; a collaboration of Fortune 500 companies tasked with raising diversity awareness and support within the Greater Boston area.

Amanda’s passion is also shown through her work as the Board President for the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative in Nashua, NH and as a workgroup member of the NH Race & Equity initiative. Amanda’s dedication to her community has been recognized by the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots Foundations and by MassMentoring and the Highland Street Foundation as their inaugural Ignite Award Honoree.  Amanda was also recognized as one of El Planeta’s POWERMETER 100’s “Most Influential People for Latinos in Massachusetts”.

Amanda is an alumna of the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth where she also served as a board member of the school’s Alumni Association.

Mr. Thaddeus Miles is currently The Director of Community Services at MassHousing where he is responsible for three impact areas, Housing Stability, Knowledge and Capacity Building and Strengthen Families and Communities for over 500 Housing developments across the commonwealth. His first twenty years at MassHousing Miles held the title of Director of Public Safety and designed and implemented crime prevention strategies affecting several thousand housing units throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Mr. Miles emphasizes strategies that directly engage residents in addressing quality of life issues which he envisions leading to sustainable cities and confronts the complexities of social justice issues.

Mr. Miles credits his international work at Harvard Law School and Community/Urban planning programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. These experiences reinforced his steadfast commitment to ensuring that the most underserved members of our cities have genuine opportunities for success and achievement.

Mr. Miles has been involved with many non-profit organizations both as creator and in leadership roles establishing and reinforcing his strong commitment to empowering people and strengthening youth voice, and vision. In the most recent years Thaddeus founded “Think Big Dream Big,” a youth-driven initiative to jumpstart young people on the journey to a positive future, the fulfillment of their goals, and dreams. Additionally, Thaddeus founded HoodFit, a cross-collaborative movement to amplify the positive attributes in community health and wellness. HoodFit started the first ever 5k run through the community of Roxbury, Massachusetts which now, in partnership with the Boston Athletic Association and Dimock Center, hosts over 1000 runners/walkers and a community health fair.

Early in his career Miles, He co-founded MassIMPACT Technology Consortium the Alray Scholarship Fund which provides a second chance scholarship to Boston Public School students and founded the VIP Collaborative- the first in the City of Boston- consisting of 15 community organizations committed to addressing violence and trauma in the community.

Miles is a Veteran of the United States Air Force.  In 2017 The Obama Foundation invited Thaddeus Miles to join hundreds of global leaders for their inaugural summit focusing on creative solutions to common problems. Mr. Miles is also an animator and internationally recognized and award- winning photographer, a devoted father, recent grandfather and relished friend.

Mim Minichiello serves as Chief Performance and Talent Officer for the East Region. In this capacity, her primary focus is on enhancing the performance of the HUB team through the implementation of best practices in talent management and the preservation of the organization's deeply ingrained entrepreneurial culture. Additionally, Mim takes pride in her role as a staunch advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives as well as community engagement efforts within the East Region.

Mim is renowned for her unwavering commitment to the HUB team and the broader insurance industry, consistently propelling her colleagues toward their next career milestones and forging new pathways into the sector. Before assuming her current role, Mim served as the President of Employee Benefits at HUB International New England.

With a distinguished career spanning executive roles in both the insurance brokerage and health plan sectors, Mim possesses expertise in designing and executing strategic growth plans, spearheading innovative sales and marketing strategies, and fostering high-performing teams. Beyond her leadership responsibilities, Mim contributes her expertise as a board member for several influential charities, including Facing History, YW Boston, and The Women’s Edge. She also actively participates in board committees for esteemed organizations like the Northeast Human Resources Association, New England Employee Benefits Council, and the Boston Women’s Workforce Council.

Mim's exceptional contributions to her field have earned her multiple accolades, including recognition as a multi-year recipient of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts award and her selection as one of the 2019 Boston Business Journal’s Power 50 winners. Mim is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy. She has further enriched her skill set by completing a graduate certificate in management from Radcliffe College and obtaining the Certified Health Insurance Executive designation through AHIP's Executive Leaders program.

Christiana Odunze is an RN and works for BAMSI a non-profit organization as Director of Healthcare Services. Christiana graduated from Nursing School Nigeria, a West African Country. Christiana believes in service to others which is why when she moved to the United States in 1998, it was easy for her to continue her career as a nurse. Christiana understands from firsthand experience the challenges facing public health in under developed countries. Christiana passionately believes that community education will help improve quality of life.

Addie Swartz is focused on strengthening the talent pipeline so women leaders are equally represented at all levels of the workforce. As CEO of reacHIRE, Addie works with Fortune 500 companies and talent innovators to drive higher engagement and lower attrition to improve gender diversity. reacHIRE’s signature Return-to-Work programs enable companies like Fidelity, Wayfair, and T-Mobile to tap into a hidden talent pool—professionals returning to the workforce after a career break. The company’s new SaaS platform, Aurora, offers an innovative, team-based approach to improving the engagement and retention of women currently in the workforce. Corporations that leverage this platform are able to put action behind their diversity and inclusion goals at scale—proactively supporting thousands of women in their organizations—so they don’t have to leave the workforce in the first place. An accomplished executive, Addie was recently named to the Inc. Magazine 2021 Female Founders List in the category, “Lifted Other Women Up.” She started her career at Bain & Co., built new businesses within Disney, Reebok and Lotus Development, and from there, went on to found three companies designed to empower women and girls. Addie holds a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.