Fred Ali

For over 40 years, Fred Ali has held senior leadership positions with nonprofit, philanthropic, and educational organizations, and in government. In 2021, he stepped down as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Weingart Foundation, where he served for 21 years.

Fred is currently serving as a consultant and strategic advisor on projects and initiatives focused on advancing racial equity and justice, as well as organizational effectiveness. He also provides mentoring and coaching for emerging leaders. Fred has written and spoken extensively on issues pertaining to the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.

Fred serves on the Board of Directors of Covenant House California, the Advisory Board for Advancement Project California, and the Committee for Greater LA.

Desmond Meade

Executive Director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition

Desmond Meade is the executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy, and a graduate of Florida International University College of Law.

FRRC is recognized for its work on voting and criminal justice reform issues. A formerly homeless returning citizen, Meade has overcome many obstacles to eventually become its president and executive director. He led FRCC to a historic victory in 2018 with the successful passage of Amendment 4, a grassroots initiative which restored voting rights to more than 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions. It was considered the nation’s greatest expansion of voting rights in decades.

Meade has testified before Congressional members and staffers and was a part of a delegation to the United Nations where he gave testimony regarding disenfranchisement in Florida. Recognized by Time Magazine in 2019 as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, Meade empowers and civically re-engages local communities across the state, and reshapes local, state, and national criminal justice policies. He has made numerous appearances on radio and television, and has spoken before national organizations such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bread for the World.

https://floridarrc.com/

Instagram:  @desmondmeade44

Greisa Martinez Rosas

Executive Director of United We Dream Action and United We Dream Network

Greisa Martinez Rosas serves as the Executive Director of United We Dream Action and United We Dream Network, the largest immigrant youth-led network in the country with over 1 million members and over 112 local groups.

Originally from Hidalgo, Mexico, Greisa and her parents and sisters crossed the Rio Grande river when she was a child to settle in Dallas, Texas. Greisa began organizing as an undocumented high school student and has been helping young people find and express their true voice ever since.

As an undocumented woman, Greisa is a national leader in the fight for immigrant rights and in building a powerful and inclusive racial justice movement capable of delivering victories for all people.

Phi Nguyen

Executive Director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta

Phi Nguyen is the Executive Director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. In her previous role, she was the Litigation Director where she focused on impact litigation in the areas of voting rights and immigrant justice. Since joining Advancing Justice-Atlanta in early 2017, Phi has helped block a Georgia state law that restricted voters’ right to an interpreter at the polls and represented a class of Vietnamese immigrants suing the federal government over the indefinite nature of their detention in ICE prisons.

Phi graduated from the Georgia State University School of Law in 2009 and practiced as a medical malpractice trial lawyer for eight years before dedicating herself to community-centered civil rights litigation. Growing up in the South as a Vietnamese American with refugee parents, Phi’s life experiences formed into her passion to protect and expand the civil rights of AAPIs and other marginalized communities. Phi was introduced to Advancing Justice-Atlanta in 2016 when she partnered with them to lead Vietnamese Voices, a voter registration drive targeting Vietnamese Americans; this became a jumping off point for further grassroots efforts to politically mobilize AAPI communities. Outside of her legal practice, Phi co-produces Wake Up, Atlanta, a web series dedicated to educating and civically empowering AAPI millennials in Georgia.

Phi is a 2020 recipient of the National Asian Pacific Bar Association’s Best Under 40 award.

Rev. Jennifer Bailey

Founder and Executive Director of the Faith Matters Network

Rev. Jennifer Bailey is an ordained minister, public theologian, and a leader in the multifaith movement for justice. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Faith Matters Network, a Womanist-led organization equipping community organizers, faith leaders, and activists with resources for connection, spiritual sustainability, and accompaniment. Rev. Bailey is Co-Founder of the People’s Supper, a project that aims to repair the breach in our interpersonal relationships across political, ideological, and identity differences over shared meals. A sought-after commentator and public speaker on the intersection of religion and public life, Rev. Bailey has spoken at the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit, Makers, TEDxSkoll, and the White House. Her work has been featured on OnBeing with Krista Tippett, CBS This Morning, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and dozens of other publications. She is the author of To My Beloveds: Letters on Faith, Race, Loss and Radical Hope (Chalice Press 2021). Rev. Bailey is ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Follow her at @revjenbailey.