Dr. Ingrid Waldron is Professor and HOPE Chair in Peace and Health in the Global Peace and Social Justice Program in the Faculty of Humanities at McMaster University. She has conducted research on mental illness and help-seeking among Black women and Black youth. Her research also focuses on dementia, cancer and COVID-19 in Black communities and the health and mental health impacts of environmental racism and climate change devastation in Black, Indigenous, and other racialized communities. Ingrid is the author of the book There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black Communities, which was turned into a 2020 Netflix documentary of the same name and was co-produced by Waldron, actor Elliot Page, and Ian Daniel. She is the founder and Director of the Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities and Community Health Project (The ENRICH Project) and helped develop the federal private members bill a National Strategy Respecting Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice (Bill C-226). Bill C-226 was approved at Senate on June 13, 2024, and given royal assent on June 20, 2024, becoming the first environmental justice law in Canada. Dr. Waldron’s book entitled From the Enlightenment to Black Lives Matter: Tracing the Impacts of Racial Trauma in Black Communities from the Colonial Era to the Present, was published on November 25, 2024. It traces experiences of racial trauma in Black communities in Canada, the US and the UK from the colonial era to the present. 

Sylvia is a leadership expert, executive coach, thought leader, artist and dancer. She has worked on leadership, power and change since university and throughout her career: in international relations, on social and civic action, and within organisations and their management systems. As corporate HR leader, she has been known as innovator and change maker, leading initiatives in many areas including leadership transformation and organizational health. As coach, she helps leaders bring out their vision and unique qualities to create true impact. Drawing on her experience as artist and dancer, she brings a unique and powerful approach to emotional and body intelligence, and their practical application for leaders.  As thought leader, she champions the use of SMART©power to help leaders and their organisations succeed in our highly complex and interdependent world. She is the author of the book "Who's in Charge? Lead with Real Power and Create an Impact in a Chaotic World.

Dr. Joel Pérez is an executive and leadership coach, speaker, and consultant, passionate about helping leaders and organizations achieve their goals and develop a posture of cultural humility His book, Dear White Leader: How to Achieve Organizational Excellence through Cultural Humility, is focused on helping leaders develop their cultural humility for individual, organizational, and community change. 

Dr. Carleen Carey is a public educator with over 15 years of experience across K-12 and higher education sectors. Before founding Akoma Leadership Consulting, she served as Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Director of Public Outreach and Equity, College and Career Readiness Manager, and Instructor of Record for  government, non-profit, and higher education organizations. In these roles, she led a portfolio of programs including Hidden Histories, EEOC Training Corner, Women’s Leadership Lunch, and Community Coalition. In the K-12 sector, Dr. Carey led the transition to remote education for Career and Technical Education teachers through professional workshops such as Race and Ability in the CTE Classroom, Tech Tune-Ups for  CTE Teachers, and Digital Download: Connecting Students with Careers. She also taught Human Diversity, Power, and Opportunity in the Teacher Certification program at Michigan State University. Dr. Carey currently teaches African American Authors from 1700-1900, African-American Authors from 1900-present, and early American Literature at the University of Maryland Global Campus. In her free time, she enjoys quilting, raising chickens, and making jam.