Amber Ontiveros, a longtime civil rights advocate, served in advisory roles at the US Department of Transportation for the Bush and Obama Administrations, and now runs Ontiveros and Associates specializing in change management, policy development, executive and spiritual coaching.

Paul has a combined ten years of experience in academia, non-profits, and faith communities, becoming well-versed in the DEI challenges and needs of each sector. In higher ed, he has facilitated bystander intervention and sexual misconduct trainings with athletic teams, discussed systemic racism with faculty, and led full-day workshops on building inclusive cultures with student leaders. For non-profits, Paul has developed curriculum to center the needs of persons with disabilities, survivors of intimate partner violence, and survivors of sexual assault. Within faith communities, he has given presentations and led discussions on breaking racial barriers to create multi-ethnic ministries.

Casey Ariel Richardson is the founder and CEO of Blaze Group, a technology firm that adapts AI to cultivate Black women entrepreneurs. Casey Ariel started Blaze Group in December 2020, after spending a decade structuring multi-billion loans for tech companies - but never seeing other Black women on deal teams or the receiving end of funding. She left to take her knowledge and passion to the streets.

Blaze Group was created to decolonize pathways to economic freedom. The company brings deep familiarity and user-centric experiences to capacity-building frameworks for Black women entrepreneurs. Today, Blaze Group has an engaged audience of more than 110,000 Black women entrepreneurs and supporters around the globe. BLAZE means Building Leaders and Accepting Zero Excuses®️.

Casey is also heavily engaged in financial activism and advisory. From the United States to Sub-Saharan Africa, Casey has designed innovative solutions across diverse sectors to tackle systemic disparities and promote racial and gender equity. She serves on the advisory boards of Kiva US and Village Micro Fund and also provides management consulting to mid- to large-scale social enterprises. By leveraging her deep understanding of financial analysis, risk management, strategic planning, Casey helps startups and nonprofits streamline project execution, pilot innovative solutions, and achieve increased scale.

Casey Ariel is happily married and is primarily based in Nairobi, Kenya, though she and her partner travel the globe quite frequently for entrepreneurial engagements and pleasure. She grew up in Gadsden, South Carolina, and is an alumna of the University of South Carolina.