UNITED STATES 🇺🇸
Sara Lomax
Co-Founder and President of URL Media - President and CEO of WURD Radio. Former Program Lead for the Facebook BIPOC Sustainability Accelerator
Sara Lomax is a Black executive in the journalism and talk radio spaces–she is the president and CEO of WURD Radio, LLC, Pennsylvania’s only African-American owned talk radio station and she’s the co-founder of URL Media, a network of Black and Brown news organizations dedicated to increasing BIPOC sustainability in journalism.
She’s hosted and produced HealthQuest Live radio show on WURD from 2002 through 2013. Prior to her work with WURD, Sara co-founded HealthQuest: Total Wellness for Body, Mind & Spirit, the first nationally circulated African-American consumer health magazine in the country.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Sara has written for numerous publications including The Miami Herald, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Essence Magazine. Sara has received awards including The Beacon of Light Award from the Congressional Black Caucus for HealthQuest Magazine’s outstanding health coverage; the Woman of Substance Award from the National Medical Association; the Women of Distinction award from the Philadelphia Business Journal; and the Trailblazer Award from the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. Sara was named one of the “100 Most Influential Philadelphians” by Philadelphia Magazine. She has also been named one of Philadelphia Tribune’s Most Influential African Americans for the past 5 years. Last year she was awarded the Community College of Philadelphia’s Community Hero Award.
UNITED STATES 🇺🇸
S. Mitra Kalita
CEO of URL-Media - Founder and Publisher of Epicenter-NYC (newsletter) , former SVP at CNN Digital - weekly writer for TIME Magazine
S. Mitra Kalita is a veteran journalist, media executive, prolific commentator and author of two books. Recently, she launched Epicenter-NYC, a newsletter to help New Yorkers get through the pandemic.
Mitra has also recently co-founded a new media company called URL Media, a network of Black and Brown owned media organizations that share content, distribution and revenues to increase their long-term sustainability. She’s on the board of the Philadelphia Inquirer and writes a weekly column for TIME Magazine. Mitra was most recently SVP at CNN Digital, overseeing the national news, breaking news, programming, opinion and features teams.
SAINT-LUCIA 🇱🇨
Fiona Compton
Founder at Know your Caribbean: +200k followers, +400k weekly impression - Artist Historian, Educator Filmmaker, Content Creator
Fiona Compton is a London based Saint
Lucian photographer artist, public speaker, filmmaker and historian. Fiona has been working as a professional photographer with the UK’s largest publishing houses, travelling across Europe to photograph some of the most influential figures in the world of Finance and Banking. Fiona continues her mission to educate in innovative ways through events and online through her account ‘Know Your Caribbean’ via Instagram which facilitates educational posts on short palatable bursts.
Fiona has produced creative workshops for children and young people teaching the history and culture of the Caribbean and its linkages to Africa, in venues such as the South Bank Centre and Black Cultural Archives in London. Clients have included Amazon, Samsung, and Sony Music.
Much of her work surrounds self empowerment, identity and challenging representation, which has led her work to be part of several public speaking
engagements, both locally and internationally.
SENEGAL 🇸🇳
Kofi Sika Latzoo
Adobe Express official Ambassador, Award-Winning Educator Expert | Gamification consultant + Microsoft Education Certified Esport Educator
Creative Director and co-founder at Musel. Kofi has developed his creativity drawing on his experience in the foundation of 3 distinct cultures from Togo, his origins, Gabon where he was born and Senegal where he spent 20 years of his life. Creative, Pan-African and futuristic. His audacity and leadership in the creative industries sector opened him the doors of NASA Open Data innovation program ( Spaceapps ) that he led during 5 years in Senegal, The institution that created the NASA Museum Alliance.
With a 15 years’s experience background in graphic design, 10 years in the video games’s industry and a travel experience in 10 African countries including Ethiopia, South Africa, Senegal and Algeria. He understands the challenges and codes of African heritage in the digital age. He is recognized as a GIZ/BMZ (German Government) Certified Gamification Consultant for his forward thinking on digitization , engagement and think out of the box attitude. Kofi has an e-estonia e-residency (e-nationality) from Estonia, the most advanced digital society in the world.
The Microsoft Education Center recently declared kofi as a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert and a microsoft esport leader in 2021. In 2022 during the 40 years ‘s anniversary of Creation & design content world leader Adobe, he became an official Adobe Express Ambassador driving and educate the production ‘s philosophy around Graphic design in west africa.
JAMAICA 🇯🇲
Shauna-kay Campbell
Product Marketing Manager, Paid Job Seeker at Linkedin - Gett[in]g the Global Workforce Employed. Former Senior Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble
With an MBA in marketing and international business, Sk possesses over a decade of national and international corporate experience, in both full time and internship capacities, where she has been tasked with responsibilities in finance, project management, data analytics, cross-functional leadership, brand management, sales, investments, and other disciplines across the retail, sports, financial, CPG, technology, non-profit and beverage/spirits industries.
UNITED STATES 🇺🇸
Ed Rodley
Co-Founder & Principal at The Experience Alchemists - Faculty at Havard Extension School in Museum Experience Design and Digital Technologies
Ed is an award-winning experience designer and lifelong museum lover with over twenty-five years’ experience in envisioning, creating, and implementing visitor-focused projects for cultural organizations large and small. Ed was Associate Director of Integrated Media at Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts. Prior to that he was senior Exhibit Developer at the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts. Incorporating emerging digital technologies into museum practice has been a theme throughout his career.
As a thought leader in the digital transformation of the cultural sector, Ed was named one of Blooloop’s 50 Museum Influencers for 2021. He teaches museum experience design at the Harvard Extension School, and is an active writer. He is currently working on a book on museum experience design, and blogs at Thinking About Museums. His recent publications appear in Museum Magazine, The Routledge International Handbook of New Digital Practices in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums and Heritage Sites, Humanizing the Digital: Unproceedings from the 2018 MCN Conference, and CODE | WORDS: Technology and Theory in the Museum.
JAMAICA 🇯🇲
Kezia Israel
Verbal Identity Strategist - Founder at @Kizkopop (70k+ followers) - CMO Consultant for a disruptive international Fintech startup.
Known as the saucy sweetheart, Kezia is Verbal Identity Strategist using her personal and professional skills to help ambitious brands communicate with attitude and meaning.
She is vested in seeing black women succeed in entrepreneurship and become dynamic leaders in their respective spaces. A profound understanding of branding, marketing, and writing gives her a competitive advantage and a multidisciplinary approach to solving her client’s problems.
She works full-time at her verbal identity studio in New Jersey. Also, she serves as a CMO Consultant for a disruptive international Fintech startup.
UNITED STATES 🇺🇸
Kaci Merriwether-Hawkins
Founder of Black Girls In Art Spaces (as seen at MET Museum, The Museum of African Diaspora, and more.) - Visual Storyteller
Founder and creator of BLACK GIRLS IN ART SPACES—the digital community garden turned into a global network and movement— Kaci Merriwether-Hawkins is dedicated to cultivating safe and accessible spaces for Black women in the arts.
With a focus on encouraging Black folks to “find a home in creativity”, Kaci created Black Girls in Art Spaces in July of 2022 as a means to reconnect with her innovation and artistry. Through her rediscovery process, she was unfortunately reminded of the historical exclusion of Black women in art spaces, and felt compelled to build a community rooted in “taking up space in art spaces” while “having someone you feel safe with to explore”.
Through communal care, conversation, and the act of bringing Black women together, Kaci has planted Black Girls in Art Spaces in cities across the world. With chapters in Korea, The West and East Coast, and a global network of Black women in Europe and Africa, she is a champion of forging space for Black women.
GUADELOUPE
Chris Cyrille
Award winning Black Art Critic, Curator, Writer and Exhibitionteller - AICA Member - Former Research fellow at Centre Pompidou
Chris Cyrille studied philosophy and art theory at the University of Paris 8. Research fellow at the Centre Pompidou from 2018 to 2020, he writes for several francophone journals. Winner of the Dauphine Prize for Contemporary Art (2017), the Young Curator Prize of the 69th edition of Jeune Création, the AICA Prize in 2020, the ADIAF Emergence Prize in 2022 and the Cnap 2022 Curatorial Grant, he curated the exhibition ” – But the world is a mangrove” (2021) for which he co-directs the publication of the book (Rotolux, 2023) with the researcher Sarah-Matia Pasqualetti.
Member of the scientific committee ‘Les Routes des personnes mises en esclavage’ of UNESCO, he is currently in residence at the Ateliers Médicis and teaches since the beginning of the school year at the École Supérieure d’art de Clermont Métropole as a theoretician. Preparing his doctorate in philosophy following a preparatory year at EHESS, his research focuses on the contemporary Caribbean scene and the concept of Relation from the Caribbean library. He has published several articles in catalogs including: Memoria : récits d’une autre Histoire, Paris, Actes Sud, 2021 ; Possédé-e-s – Déviance, performance, résistance, Paris, Silvana, 2020
JAMAICA 🇯🇲
Renee Robinson
Orange Economy Expert I Film Commissioner at Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) I IWF Global Leaders
Renee Robinson is a multi-lingual orange economy expert, content strategist, and globally-recognized thought-leader.
She has worked in Canada, Europe, USA, Africa, and the Caribbean – in film, television, digital content, and the arts and culture – and is a highly sought speaker on the international film festival circuit. With almost 20 years of experience in content strategy, public policy, industry intelligence, investment promotion, and international trade – she has held leadership roles at prestigious institutions such as the Harbourfront Centre, Women in Film & Television, the Canada Media Fund, the Toronto International Film Festival, and as the Film Commissioner of Jamaica.
Renee is an International Women’s Forum (IWF) Global Leaders Fellow. She serves on the corporate Boards of the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) and C15 Studios; on Executive Committees at her alma maters Campion College and Williams College; on funding advisory committees for Telefilm Canada and the European New Dawn Fund, among other boards and committees. Her personal leadership profile includes corporate governance, diversity facilitation, team building, and stakeholder management.
She holds a MA in Communications and Cultural Policy with joint MBA in Arts Management from York University (2012), and a BA (Hons) in Art Studio and Art History from Williams College (2002).
A ‘dip-brat’ and third-culture kid, she has travelled to over 45 countries, and in her ‘spare time’ is an advanced scuba diver, an amateur sommelier, a keen art historian, and a trained yogi. Renee used to be ENTJ, is now INFJ – and is also that person who says: “I know who you need to meet. I’ll introduce you….”
UNITED STATES 🇺🇸
Chris Cummings
Founder & CEO of Iconic Moments, the first strategist NFT global partner for top museums, cultural organizations, digital artists and collectors.
Chris Cummings is the founder & CEO of Iconic Moments, the first NFT Marketplace exclusively for
historical and cultural brands. Iconic Moments is a recipient of the 2022 United Nations World Summit
Award for innovation in culture and tourism.
Chris is an entrepreneur, 4-time CEO, and former Federal attorney. Prior to founding Iconic Moments,
Chris founded Pass It Down, a digital storytelling platform for cultural institutions, that’s been recognized
globally as a pioneer in experiential media by Coca-Cola, the Consumer Technology Association,
Daymond John, and the Museum + Heritage Awards.
Chris consults the world’s leading institutions on
how to drive digital engagement and revenue.
Chris received his JD from the Paul M. Hebert LSU Law Center and has clerked for numerous judges,
including the honorable Chief Justice Johnson of the Louisiana Supreme Court. Chris received a double
BA in Political Science and International Relations from Louisiana State University.
UNITED STATES 🇺🇸
Ed Young
CEO-Universal Health Screener/Owner - HipHop.NFT (The Decentralized On-Ramp for Hip Hop To Web3) and NFT.HipHop
Hugh Edward “Ed” Young Jr. is the owner of NFT.HipHop and HipHop.NFT. He seeks to bring the promise of blockchain and its democratized economy and interaction to the Hip Hop world and beyond. As Hip Hop began with championing the democratization of voice it is the ideal vehicle to bring blockchain to the masses.
Ed has worked across industries, from early success as the co-founder/co-owner and publishing business lead of The Source magazine, which started when he was a Harvard undergrad to the music industry, to water treatment and now mainly health technology and cultural arts institutions. He is also the CEO of Universal Health Screener and ez Waiting Room, healthcare technology companies that work to improve health equity and outcomes across diverse communities. He is currently involved in initiatives aimed at developing programs that seek to build trust and reduce fear thereby enabling diverse communities to seek out and receive the care needed both for existing conditions and preventive care.
Ed’s work has required him to develop a knack for uniting high-profile individuals across the arts, publishing, finance, music, sports, politics, faith-based, and popular culture arenas. This ability to unite diverse stakeholders—some with conflicting goals—is a skill that he seeks to utilize to bring positive outcomes to the world.
Also, as Senior Strategic Advisor to the Universal Hip Hop Museum opening in The Bronx in 2024, Mr. Young has worked with his personal and professional network to establish partnerships and initiatives with Microsoft, MIT’s Advanced Virtuality Lab, Google, Youtube, and the Vatican.
CANADA 🇨🇦
Elias Touil
Founder and R&D at The Yellow House Innovation Lab (la maison jaune) - Methodic innovation for museum visitors
Elias Touil is the founder of The Yellow House, an innovation lab focused on improving the visitor experience in museums. With a background in photography, psychology, and computer science and experience in museums, he is dedicated to enhancing museums’ educational value and creating engaging environments to have a lasting impact on visitors.
The Yellow House collaborate with Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Microsoft for Startups, University of Toronto, Prism, MT Lab and more.
They create Cilia : answer all visitors’ curiosities with a PWA multimedia guide. Easily setup our adaptable templates and create wow moments with artwork recognition and 3D objects.
UNITED STATES 🇺🇸
Rhonda Eldridge
Digital Assets | Blockchain | Fund Audits l FoW | Founder: HAP - 242BBS President of Haddison Advisory Partners, HAP USA and HAP Bahamas.
Rhonda has roots in The Bahamas and Trinidad. She is a chartered accountant with 30+ years in alternative investments, fintech and banking. Blockchain piqued her interest in 2014/2015 with her entering the space in 2016 as strategic advisor to founders, startups and those displaced in work transition. She has held country and regional managing director roles with ABN Amro Prime Funds Solutions (previously Fortis) and as Executive Director of UBS Global Asset Management – Fund Services. She is currently President of Haddison Advisory Partners, HAP USA and HAP Bahamas. She has curated 130+ educational events on the Future of Work, cascading specifically blockchain knowledge through collaboration with regulators, government, non-profits, educators and organizations supporting underserved communities, hosting an annual flagship event, Blockchain Business School, which has reached thousands since 2019 (www.242bbs.com). Rhonda holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) Degree from Queen’s University, Canada, is on the global board of directors of Help for Children (Hedge Funds Care) and active in various capacities in the digital asset and alternative investment space.
BANGLADESH 🇧🇩
Sandra Uwantege Hart
Expert, Consultant and Advisor: Inclusive Innovation, Ethical Strategy, Blockchain, Web 3.0 & Social and Humanitarian Action
After 15 years managing humanitarian programs with UN agencies and INGOs in over a dozen countries across 4 global regions, Sandra Uwantege Hart now works as a technical expert, advisor and researcher for local and international organizations and social impact-focused companies exploring projects linking the humanitarian and technology sectors – managing, conceptualizing, designing and deploying community-inclusive, context-adapted Web3 (blockchain) and digital payment applications in emerging economies.
In the past few years, she co-founded the startup Umoja Labs (formerly Emerging Impact) and is the award winning creator of Oxfam’s Unblocked Cash Project. Sandra’s work has been featured in academic publications, international conferences & speaking engagements, and media publications. Sandra is a dual national of Rwanda and the U.S. and holds an Anthropology degree (BA) from Princeton University, and a degree in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute (IHEID).
JAMAICA 🇯🇲
Shannon Chen See
Senior Marketing Manager at Async Art (Art and Music Built for Web3 - NFT) - the best creator platform for powerful storytelling on the blockchain
Shannon Chen See is a mission-driven storyteller who exists to empower creatives with cutting-edge technology. As a seasoned tech marketer and a creative, she leverages her dual experience as Senior Marketing Manager at Async Art. Async Art is the best creator platform for powerful storytelling on the blockchain, collaboration, and plugging into the wider ecosystem. This pioneering technology has powered notable creators such as XCOPY, Coldie, Josie Bellini, and more.
GRENADA 🇬🇩
Kered Clément
Storyteller and producer with a passion for stories centred on Caribbean heritage, culture and lifestyle. Worked on projects with Disney Plus, Essence Magazine, Time Out and British Airways.
Born and bred in the United Kingdom with Grenadian heritage, Kered is a storyteller at her core, particularly those centered on Caribbean heritage, culture, and lifestyle. Before launching her personal brand, she was a part of the core team at the Grenada Tourism Authority during the rebranding of the destination in 2014. Responsible for introducing a small island nation to advancements in the digital sphere, she helped shape the destination’s web, digital, and social presence—utilizing those insights to pitch new tourism opportunities for the steady growth of Grenada and its economy.
In 2008, after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in fashion journalism from the University of the Arts in London, Kered leaned into her entrepreneurial spirit and launched ComplexdWoman, the UK’s first online lifestyle magazine celebrating multicultural women of all shades, shapes, and sizes. As both publisher and editor, she told human-centered stories that promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion. The online magazine reached readers in more than 180 countries worldwide and was applauded for having high-quality, inspirational, and engaging content.
With over ten years of experience in digital media, Kered’s people-first mentality and professionalism have delivered a lasting impression on her clients and campaigns. Her creativity, tenacity, and successful leadership ability have earned her several awards during her career namely the Caribbean Tourism Association’s Best Caribbean Blog award for the person voted as having written the best travel blog about the Caribbean in 2019.
Kered is passionate about curating compelling and emotionally engaging stories that can make a powerful impact. She thrives when connecting with people from all walks of life—listening, learning, and utilizing her inherent storytelling abilities to communicate creatively and with clarity for the end user. Her creativity is born from a deep, soulful place that’s profoundly connected to where she comes from and who she is as a person. She is sure of her purpose in her profession and always seeks to maintain a positive and strategic thought process dedicated to excellence.
GUADELOUPE
Damien Jélaine
Guadeloupe/ L.A. based award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter and photographer with a revolutionary new representation of the black body in the arts
CANADA 🇨🇦
Harry Julmice
Cofounder and executive producer at Neverwasaverage Cultural experiences and meaningful content made by and from Millennial, Gen Z and BIPOC
Harry is a visionary jack of all trades. A conscious producer who wears many hats, but his passion lies in producing positive change in the world. He’s an award-winning Laureate for the 2020 Edition of Black History Month and a signatory of the Golden Book of the City of Montreal for his community impact.
Drawing from his lived experiences and entrepreneurial skills, Harry leverages the power of art, culture and education to engineer community building and forge new paths to cultural wellbeing.
CANADA 🇨🇦
Joanna Chevalier
Cofounder and executive creative director at Neverwasaverage Cultural experiences and meaningful content made by and from Millennial, Gen Z and BIPOC
Born in Montreal, Joanna Chevalier – otherwise known as Hanna Che – is the co-founder of Never Was Average, a company dedicated to creating an inclusive space in the creative fields and beyond, through the through talks, art exhibits and other events. Joanna, a self-described advocate for self-esteem and zest for life, combines practical mindfulness skills and a multidisciplinary approach to initiate meaningful conversations and meaningful projects that create positive social impact. . His mission? Encourage each other to transcend labels through self-exploration and connection to larger communities.
FRANCE 🇫🇷
Gwendaline Bachini
Award-winning new media artist - director XR - Volumetric dance in virtual and augmented reality - Interactive video installation including the gesture’s visitor/audience
Gwendaline Bachini is a New Media Artist, Director XR. creates interactive video art works. She deals with topic as human identity / Evolution theory. Its first steps in the field of Digital Art were made in Berlin where she realizes Tactim (live size touch screen 2008) with Humatic GmbH.
After a residency in China organized by Culture France for her project BEIJING, FIELD TO DANCE, the partnership with Humatic GmBH continues in Italy with a participation in MIND BOX interactive video installation in collaboration with the Cie Zappala and IRCAM. In 2011, the Artist continues this voice in France and has engaged a partnership with 4D View Solutions and the researchers of INRIA (Grenoble) for the cycle immersive media dance: ANIMO. This cycle focuses on the place of the “error” in the evolution of life and integrates the cutting-edge technologies of the R&D project CreamMove (FUI 2012-2015).
The works are shown in France and abroad in Digital Art festivals such as MOOVE in Manchester (UK), VIA (Maubeuge) FILE,
(Sao Paolo Brazil), DAf of Taipei (Taiwan) Univ Dance Festival of Beijing (China) ZED Festival
(Bologna Italy) … With the last two creations of the cycle, A#3_MOTU (VR) and BIFACE (AR) the
artist start a new approach of the moving bodys with experiences specially done for volumetric dance in virtual and augmented reality. The AR experiences A#4 BIFACE won a LUMIERE AWARD EMAE at Stereopsia, world immersion forum (Brussels).
MARTINIQUE
Matthew Cowen
Author of The Future is Digital Newsletter - Digital Research Analyst on the Caribbean - Consultant with more than 30 years of experience in digital tech.
Author of The Future is Digital Newsletter, the best resource in the Caribbean to get the news and analysis in the Caribbean. Highly motivated Consultant with more than 30 years of experience in digital technologies and their use in business.
My mission is to help small and medium businesses across the Caribbean understand their markets and how digital technologies will play an integral part in their growth strategies in the future. Digital Transformation being a journey rather than a project, requires specialised and deep knowledge. Therefore, I strive to give my clients the most effective and operational information possible. In addition, I write deeply researched reports on the past, present and future state of digital in the Caribbean and elsewhere. Bilingual English(native)/French, I am available throughout the region.
GUADELOUPE
Kimberley Demagny
Founder The Epicentrum - Founder & Editor in chief at Caribeart - Digital Marketing Strategist for Arts & Culture for 10 years
Marketing & Digital Specialist for Art, Culture & Tech, she’s been working for 80+ clients in the Caribbean, Europe & USA for 10+ years.
After 2 years at Château de la Perrière (France) and several years in a communication agency for clients such as: Publicis Group, Orange, Audi, Mercedes, Hyundai, Toyota, Carrefour…
Since 2018, she focuses on accompanying impactful projects in Art, Culture & Tech. Discover the references on http://demagnykimberley.com/work/
Kimberley is the Founder of Caribeart, one of the leading digital media hubs offering highlights of emerging visual artists, artworks, and art events from the Caribbean for art lovers worldwide. (50+ million views since 2018, +40 000 followers, +900 artists shared)
Caribeart is also the first online agenda of artistic events in the Caribbean and its diaspora, in order to collect data on the evolution of emerging artists to confirmed ones. And it’s +350 places listed (galleries, museums…), +500 events relayed in one year, where Caribbean artists could share their arts, all over the world: exhibitions, festivals, artistic workshops, fairs, competitions… An agenda available in French, English, and soon Spanish.
JAMAICA 🇯🇲
Ingrid Riley
Founder Silicon Caribe - award-winning Entrepreneur, Syndicated Tech Blogger & Podcaster, and Tech Event Producer
Ingrid is a pioneering Caribbean Startup Ecosystem Builder, award-winning Entrepreneur, Syndicated Tech Blogger & Podcaster, and Tech Event Producer.
She’s the founder of Silicon Caribe ,an ecosystem of media, events, BETA communities, products, and services that amplifies and facilitates the people and businesses driving our Caribbean Digital Economy.
JAMAICA 🇯🇲
Sian Morson
Founder + Editor @TheBlkChain Amplifying Web 3.0 for women, BIPOC & LGBTQ creators - VP of Community at Science Magic Studios. Prev: @Coolcatsnft , @PalmNFT , @MagicLeap
Sian Morson is a visionary thought-leader, blockchain enthusiast, and Web3 Innovator working at the center of emerging technology, NFTs, community development, and public speaking. Throughout her successful career, Sian has had the opportunity to build an arsenal of both technical and creative skills that have helped her transform businesses, optimize high-performing teams, and accelerate the growth of top-tier brands.
Since entering the Web3 realm, Sian has already had a tremendous impact on the market’s growth by playing a significant role in educating others on the power that lies beneath this highly innovative technology and space. As a forward-thinking and dynamic Web3 leader, Sian genuinely believes that this new and exciting sector holds a plethora of opportunities that can level the playing field of generational wealth for marginalized people.
Sian has spent her entire career on the frontlines of diversity and has thrived in the face of challenges of all sizes. Her diverse background and unique set of skills have perfectly positioned Sian to usher in a new era of Web3 builders, meta-architects, and NFT artists. Outside of bridging the communication gaps between communities and builders, Sian also holds the role of Editor at ‘The BlkChain,’ the go-to source for coverage of NFT art and music with a focus on the culture.
UNITED STATES 🇺🇸
Annie Lundsten
Co-Founder and Principal at The Experience Alchemist, Innovator in arts administration: public and private cultural institutions (20+ years experience)
Annie is an innovator in arts administration, a connector of interdisciplinary dots, and a builder of extraordinary teams. She has more than twenty years of experience in the development, management, and implementation of creative projects. for a diverse range of public and private cultural institutions and arts organizations.
From 2016 to 2020, Annie was the Principal of her eponymous consultancy where she supported artists in the realization of creative projects, consulted on cultural sector engagement with climate change, led interpretive planning teams, and authored exhibition development processes with such high-level clients as American Ancestors, the Green Ribbon Commission, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Now + There, and The Tenement Museum.
UNITED STATES 🇺🇸
Jim Olson
Co-Founder and Principal at The Experience Alchemist, immersive experience designer (20+ years experience), former Director of Integrated Media at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM)
Jim is an immersive experience designer with a passion for empathy inducing storytelling. He has more than twenty years’ experience creating unique, people-centered moments that encourage informal learning and make arts, culture, and history accessible and entertaining to all.
Jim was the Director of Integrated Media at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) where he created a wide range of award-winning experiences. He was part of the team that won the Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC) Award for Excellence in 2019 and Best Installation Award in 2020. Jim loves building partnerships and creative collaborations, especially with artists, musicians, filmmakers, and writers.
JAMAICA 🇯🇲
Gregory Moore
CEO (PlayJamaica Limited), CEO (VirtualReality Jamaica). President (Jamaica Esports Initiative) Pioneer of interactive technologies in Jamaica
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 🇹🇹
Maria Divina OBrien
Google Women Techmakers Ambassador for Trinidad and Tobago, Google Developer Groups Country Organizer - management committee for Animae Caribe Animation Festival, the FINTECH Association of Trinidad and Tobago
Maria O’Brien is a digital activist, suicide prevention advocate and regional tech community leader. She is a Google Women Techmakers Ambassador for Trinidad and Tobago, Google Developer Groups Country Organizer, Caribbean Community Lead for AnitaB.org and a United Nations Civil Society Partner focused on the global goals 2030.
She is the co-founder of mental health non-profit Mindwise Project, and the Chief Innovation Officer of the organization’s digital arm, Mindwise Digital, where they are currently delivering solutions built to foster ecosystems for various areas of MHPSS intervention, such as suicide prevention.
Maria currently serves on the management committee for Animae Caribe Animation Festival, the FINTECH Association of Trinidad and Tobago, the and the National Coordinating Committee for (MHPSS) Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Response here in Trinidad and Tobago, chaired by PAHO-WHO and the Ministry of Health.
Maria has been proud to serve as a lived experience expert, as a person living with PTSD, anxiety and a cancer survivor.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 🇹🇹
Al Kieron Wright
Co-Founder/CEO of Crypto Caribbean, BD Professional specializing in Crypto & Blockchain, Host of Crypto & Cognac Podcast, Duke University.
JAMAICA 🇯🇲
Bonito Thompson
Digital artist who creates augmented reality experiences that blend art and technology with Jamaican culture.
Bonito Thompson, artist and founder of Don Dada is a regionally and globally recognized augmented reality digital artist from Jamaica.
Where he fuses art, technology and Jamaican culture into one embodiment through his work. Seeing him doing work for grammy award-winning artists such as Common and Damian Marley to globally recognized Jamaican brands, Red Stripe.
This has led him to his work being taken on a global diaspora tour spanning 5 cities from 2022 to 2023 to carry the Jamaican flag through art to the world.
JAMAICA 🇯🇲
Alexia James
Brand and AR Marketing Strategist & Creative Advocate - She teamed up with Meta & Spark AR Creators to create a tutorial to help creators in the Caribbean & LATAM monetize their AR art
Alexia James is a visionary global marketer who is changing the game in art, augmented reality, technology, and Caribbean culture. With her unparalleled skills in niche marketing and start-ups, she disrupted the marketplace in Jamaica with the first-ever tertiary-based youth marketing agency.
Through her work with Don Dada, Alexia is bridging the gap between art, augmented reality, technology, and Caribbean culture, creating new opportunities for artists and creators from the Caribbean to have a footing in the NFT space. Her passion for innovation, creativity, and collaboration is revolutionizing the way the world sees Caribbean art and culture.
Alexia James is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after global marketers in the industry, inspiring people around the world with her vision and creativity.
BARBADOS 🇧🇧
Zoe Osborn
Designer, Artist and Curator - NFT Artist as seen on SupperRare - founder at Mahogany Culture. a Caribbean history and culture collective focus on caribbean culture retention
Zoe Osborne (@thezoekid1) is a Toronto based artist and designer from Barbados. Her work has a focus on Caribbean symbolism and narratives with an exploration in homesickness in the Caribbean Diaspora. Zoe has showcased digital animations in Toronto, New York, Barbados, Dubai, as well as the NFT platform SupperRare.
She holds a bachelor degree in Interior Design from Toronto Metropolitan University and was a creator in Elevate’s inaugural NFT Residency Program in Toronto.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 🇹🇹
Soo Mahabir
Experience Strategist and Designer | Immersive Storyteller | Digital Consultant Media Consultant for client like Caribbean Public Health Agency
Born and grown in Trinidad, raised in a Jamaican household. Growing up, my imagination was always on fire stoked by the art and stories my parents exposed me to and by those that I discovered on my own. My love for telling stories and bringing those experiences to life turned into a decades long career in theatre-making where I began my foray into the immersive and experiential with various technologies and art forms. From there, my path has led me into the digital world where, for now, I sit and engage with “analog and digital” and “technology and human-ness” all at once to create memorable moments of connection.