Mentors & Staff

Each year, we invite a collective of academic teachers, active practitioners and community leaders to serve as mentors for our fellowship program. Some join us for a few hours, while others are a part of the whole week. Read about our core mentors below, or click here to read about mentors from past programs.

Gabriel Grant

Co-Founder & Executive Director

Michaela Cisney

Program Director

Mark Boyce

Co-Founder & President

Fellows

Emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, making a difference around the world.

Fellowship Alumni

Years of Byron Fellowship

Academic Fields Represented

Interested in Joining Our Community?

Find out more about becoming a Byron Fellow.

Meet Our Fellows

2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026

Natasha Goldstein

Natasha Goldstein

Natasha Goldstein (she/her) — Canada — is a two-time social entrepreneur, executive, consultant, and educator working with social enterprises at the intersection of growth, finance, and impact. She supports for-profit and non-profit mission-driven organizations as a...

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Carl Williams

Carl Williams

Carl Williams (he/him) — Schenectady, New York, USA — is a civic leader and public servant committed to rebuilding trust, participation, and shared ownership in local democracy. He has served as an elected member of the Schenectady City Council for the past four...

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Mike Bekin

Mike Bekin

Mike Bekin (he/him) — United Kingdom & Brazil — is a sustainability entrepreneur and governance leader working at the intersection of forest stewardship, climate action, and business. Shaped by his upbringing in Brazil and by a lifelong relationship with nature,...

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Tamara Jolly

Tamara Jolly

Tamara Jolly (she/her) — Adirondack region, New York, USA — is an educator and community leader working at the intersection of environmental justice, education, and belonging. After more than fifteen years of teaching high school science in Baltimore, a period of...

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Kusi Hornberger

Kusi Hornberger

Kusi Hornberger (he/him) — Washington DC, USA — is a senior leader in finance and investment strategy focused on how capital can be used responsibly to support long-term social and environmental outcomes. Over the past two decades, he has advised family offices,...

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Jacob “Jazz” Smith

Jacob “Jazz” Smith

Jacob “Jazz” Smith (any pronouns) — Denver, Colorado, USA — is a community cultural organizer, executive leader, and storyteller working at the intersection of youth culture, mobility justice, and collective care. They most recently served as Executive Director of...

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Ohoud Wafi

Ohoud Wafi

Ohoud Wafi (she/her) — Egypt — works at the intersection of poverty alleviation, gender justice, and community resilience. She serves as the founding Executive Director of the Elderly Care Fund under Egypt's Ministry of Social Solidarity, a national institution...

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Alex Batsis

Alex Batsis

Alexander “Alex” Batsis (he/him) — Australia — is a lawyer, advisor, and community leader working at the intersection of law, venture capital, entrepreneurship, and social impact. He is a Senior Lawyer at LUNA Startup Studio, where he advises founders, venture-backed...

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Carter Ingram

Carter Ingram

Jane “Carter” Ingram (she/her) — Washington DC, United States — is a nature and climate leader devoted to strengthening the relationships between people, land, water, and living systems. Her lifelong commitment to conservation began in childhood, shaped by witnessing...

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Nicholas Okumu

Nicholas Okumu

Nicholas Okumu (he/him) — Nairobi, Kenya — is an orthopedic oncologist, educator, and health systems leader working to strengthen cancer care and surgical systems in Kenya. One of only two orthopedic oncologists serving the country, he leads the orthopedic oncology...

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Stacey-Lee Williams

Stacey-Lee Williams

Stacey-Lee “Stacey” Williams (she/her) — Bermuda — is a community leader and educator committed to building cultures of belonging, truth-telling, and collective healing. She serves as Executive Director of Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda (CURB) and holds...

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Hatim Hussain

Hatim Hussain

Hatim Hussain (he/him) — India — is a social entrepreneur whose career over the last decade has spanned the worlds of law, finance, and technology. His previous work building a financial inclusion startup received funding from organizations including Sequoia Capital,...

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Michaela Ellingson

Michaela Ellingson

Michaela Ellingson (she/her) — Jackson, Wyoming, USA — is a movement educator, artist, and community builder focused on cultural change through transforming how women relate to their bodies. She serves as Junior Company Director at Dancers’ Workshop, where for over a...

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Boris Henderson

Boris Henderson

Boris Henderson (he/him) — Charlotte, North Carolina, USA — is a community-centered leader whose work bridges finance, real estate, economic development, and institutional stewardship. After more than a decade in banking and commercial real estate finance, he made a...

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Shirley Mburu

Shirley Mburu

Shirley Mburu (she/her) — Kenya — is a researcher and strategist working to expand inclusive finance, climate innovation, and small- and medium-enterprise (SME)–led economic development across Africa. Over the past twelve years, she has led research, strategy, and...

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Isabela Christo

Isabela Christo

Isabela Christo (she/her) — Atlanta, Georgia, USA & Brazil — is an entrepreneur and emerging leader from Brazil with experience across government, philanthropy, international organizations, and education. She previously founded and exited a consumer goods company...

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Janet Xiao

Janet Xiao

Janet Xiao (she/her) is committed to helping purpose-driven teams and organizations thrive through relational care, clarity, and authenticity. Janet serves as the Operations Director at the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), an equally-governed...

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Marina Christo

Marina Christo

Marina Christo (she/her) is an entrepreneur from Brazil committed to transforming healthcare and creating a more inclusive future for women in tech. As the founder of Lina Saúde, she spent six years building one of Brazil’s most innovative health tech startups, driven...

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Marcus Kornegay

Marcus Kornegay

Marcus Kornegay (he/him) is committed to transforming lives through affordable housing development and community empowerment. As an executive at Novant Health and the driving force behind Prosperity Alliance, he is dedicated to expanding homeownership opportunities as...

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Molly Josephs

Molly Josephs

Molly Josephs (she/her) is committed to helping young people feel seen, heard, and empowered to express themselves authentically. As the founder of This Teenage Life (TTL), a youth dialogue and storytelling program, she has created a platform where teens transition...

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Karina Nagin

Karina Nagin

Karina Nagin (she/her) is the Executive Director of Bridging Voice, a nonprofit that is committed to ensuring that people with ALS regain their voices and connections through assistive technology. Her work is driven by a deep passion for collaboration, advocacy, and...

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Loris Adams

Loris Adams

Loris Adams (she/her) is a dedicated educator and advocate for youth empowerment, diversity, equity, and ethical leadership. As the Head of DEI and Ethical Leadership at a girls' school in Washington, D.C., and a long-time leader in independent schools, she is...

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Gerry Sikazwe

Gerry Sikazwe

Gerry Sikazwe (he/him) is a Zambian social accountability activist, poet, and creative curator committed to using art as a catalyst for civic engagement and democratic change. Through protest poetry and advocacy-centered performances, he amplifies the voices of...

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Mariah Hachmeister

Mariah Hachmeister

Mariah Hachmeister (she/her) is committed to cultivating spaces where relationships, sustainability, and personal growth thrive. As the People Operations Manager at CompostNow, she fosters a workplace culture where individuals feel supported, valued, and connected,...

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Kane Jackson

Kane Jackson

Kane Jackson (he/him) is committed to reshaping the financial industry into a force for collective good. As the founder of Maslow, an Australian social impact startup, he is working to transform consumer finance into the world’s largest collectively owned utility,...

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Oluwapelumi Alesinloye-King

Oluwapelumi Alesinloye-King

Oluwapelumi Alesinloye-King (she/her) is a passionate advocate for women's sexual and reproductive health, committed to breaking taboos and challenging societal norms. As a feminist, researcher, and holistic sexuality educator, she creates spaces for Black...

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Gerald Hodges

Gerald Hodges

Gerald Hodges (he/him) is a changemaker, builder, and connector dedicated to empowering individuals and transforming communities through education and entrepreneurship. Gerald has spent over 14 years leading initiatives in Liberia that support youth development,...

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Truzaar Dordi

Truzaar Dordi

Truzaar Dordi (he/him) is a sustainability transitions scholar and changemaker committed to catalyzing systemic transformation. As an Assistant Professor and Director of Partnerships and Engagement at the University of York, UK, his work explores how networks of power...

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Genevieve Patenaude

Genevieve Patenaude

Geneviève Patenaude (she/her) is the CEO and co-founder of Earthblocks, where she works to build a more sustainable future for both nature and society by making it easier for companies to understand their environmental impact and risks. A former academic with a PhD...

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Yash Garje

Yash Garje

Yash Garje (he/him) is dedicated to transforming engineering education into an inclusive, interdisciplinary, and accessible space for all learners. Pursuing a Ph.D. at Purdue University, he is committed to designing informal education programs that integrate arts,...

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Abubaker Sekatuka

Abubaker Sekatuka

Abubaker Sekatuka (he/him) is a dedicated advocate for youth empowerment and mental health, committed to creating inclusive opportunities for young people, particularly those with disabilities across Uganda and beyond. As the founder of Sharing Circles, he leads...

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Lové Lemon

Lové Lemon

Lové is deeply committed to bridging social justice and healing by ensuring that every person has access to community healing centers.

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Braxton Allen

Braxton Allen

Braxton is an Operations Manager for CompostNow, where he draws from a diverse background in community outreach, urban farming, and AmeriCorps to drive the company’s mission of recycling food waste nutrients back into the soil.

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Kai Cash

Kai Cash

Kai envisions a world where human collaboration mirrors the symbiotic relationships in a rainforest, fostering support and growth across diverse communities.

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Alejandro Baquero-Sierra

Alejandro Baquero-Sierra

Aspiring to create more equitable and inclusive classrooms, Alejandro hopes to collaborate with educators and institutions to combat racism in schools and promote compassion and collaboration.

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Yom Fox

Yom Fox

Yom seeks to transform independent schools into environments where students can thrive and actively contribute to society.

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Arpitha Peteru

Arpitha Peteru

Arpitha is committed to leveraging collaborative policy and governance to address complex challenges, especially at the intersection of emerging technologies, security, and harm mitigation.

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Abigail Steinberg

Abigail Steinberg

Abigail is the executive director of the Eyeglasses Initiative of the Livelihood Impact Fund focused on providing reading glasses to 800 million people who need them.

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