Thanks for taking the time to let Lyo be a part of your journey. Health, smile, sweat, and laughter is the perfect combination. With a background in both performance and Physical Training; and currently working for Equinox Fitness - Lyo; and a performance background, Let the camera roll!

Jerry obtained a B.S. in Statistics from the University of Michigan, with a focus on Computer Science. Jerry serves as the CEO and Founder of the Fledge, a radically inclusive ideation and maker space, incubator, and accelerator. He is a lifelong entrepreneur with three successful exits.

Rosa Wang is an author, strategist, and public communicator on transformative technologies. In her debut book, Strong Connections: Stories of Resilience from the Far Reaches of the Mobile Phone Revolution, Rosa explores how mobile phone technology impacts lives of the global poor.

Landon Taylor is a seasoned CEO, operator and investor, with 25+ years of experience in creating new markets, increasing earnings, and strengthening the brand reputation of both emerging growth and large, complex businesses. 

As an expert in business innovation and strategic market development, Landon has served as president and CEO for a diverse set of businesses in the real estate, technology and financial services industries including four ventures that he led at First American Financial Corporation (NYSE: FAF), an $8 Billion multi-national FORTUNE 500 real estate information services company. His senior management roles included president & CEO of First American VMS, a SaaS vendor management platform company, founding president of First American New Market Ventures, and president of the strategic markets division of First American Title Insurance Company where he drove an  increase of 32% in market share growth in the company's targeted emerging market segments. 

As co-founder of Legacy First Partners, Landon advises, raises capital, and builds strategic partnerships for technology-driven impact companies and real estate developments. His current legacy projects include  Freedom West 2.0, a $2 Billion mixed-use real estate redevelopment in the Fillmore district of San Francisco  and Base 11, a national STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) workforce and entrepreneur  development company that produces vetted pipelines of diverse engineering and computer science talent for large cap corporate clients in the fintech, real estate tech, life sciences, and aerospace industries.  

Landon serves on the boards of Base 11, 5x Solutions, and UCI Beall Applied Innovation. His former board  service includes First American Title Insurance Company, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate  Professionals (NAHREP); Give Children a Choice; West Angeles Ventures; and Operation HOPE.  

Landon earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. He  also successfully completed advanced management and executive persuasion training programs at Stanford  University, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA.

Gabrielle D. Harris is the Chief of Staff and Interim Parity Project Program Manager for Base 11 and works daily to progress Base 11’s mission of providing Acess, Awareness, and Belief to students and early career adults as they pursue STEM careers and mentorship opportunities.

Prior to joining Base 11, Gabrielle combined her love for service and youth development by working in the education sector as an elementary and middle school administrator for Harlem Success Academy and as an Americorps member serving Plummer Elementary School as a City Year teacher in Southeast D.C. Her roles in each instance, went beyond the classroom, into the community to lobby state-legislature to award funding for charter schools in underserved neighborhoods of  New York City and attending the White House to communicate with President Barack Obama and President Bill Clinton on the importance of free-universal early childhood education.

Gabrielle is a native New Yorker with a passion for community organizing and youth development. She is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from Georgia Southern University. She is currently pursuing her Master of Public Administration.

Chanda is a the Founder of MicroHaven Homes,a micro-unit apartments for  people experiencing homelessness. The property, itself, is tokenized and owned by non-accredited investors. She is also the CEO of Blerdly Labs, LLC, a a culturally-curated startup studio that focuses on creating economic and social parity in America and Nette Technologies, LLC, which provides strategic management services. Chanda is pursuing her Doctors of Philosophy PhD. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and her focus of study included nano-particle research. 

You can learn more about Chanda here.

Associate Manager at Accenture Federal Services. Kiante hails extensive experience as a Project Manager and Business Analyst within the Tech Consulting industry. He has supported various distinguished corporations including Accenture, Deloitte, Booz Allen Hamilton, JPMorgan, and Northrop Grumman.

Concurrently, Kiante is also the Founder of Venture for T.H.E.M. - a startup accelerator based in DC to support underserved startup founders by helping to provide non-dilutive funding, connection to VC/C-Suite mentors, educational workshops, and various other benefits throughout the 4-month program.

Kiante graduated from The National Treasure - Morgan State University's School of Engineering in December 2016 with magna cum laude honors, and then returned for his MBA in 2020, graduating with summa cum laude honors. He is a member of a variety of prestigious organizations, including the National Society of Black Engineers, National Black MBA Association, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. Kiante currently serves as an Associate Manager/Scrum Master in Washington, DC; however, he is open to insight and new opportunities that are presented. Feel free to connect and network!

Kiante has received a variety of awards/acknowledgement through his success in the workplace and academia, including:

• Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) for Student Leadership
• Thurgood Marshall College Fund - Hennessy Fellow (Cohort 3)
• HBCUvc Fellow (Cohort 4)
• Lockheed Martin – AMIE Scholar
• Maryland District 26 Delegates Scholarship
• Dwight D Eisenhower Fellowship

Kiante has also had the honor of research published:

• Transportation Research Board (TRB) - Invited Student Paper: SAFETY ANALYSIS OF ON-STREET PARKING ON AN URBAN PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL
  https://trid.trb.org/view/1439740
  
  
• Fuel Institute: Future of Transportation Case Competition
  Final Submission- Eidolon: Your Autonomous Chauffeur
  https://www.fuelsinstitute.org/Research/2016-Fuels-Institute-Case-Competition-Future-of-Tr

You can find more information about Kiante here and Venture for T.H.E.M. here.

Hi! I'm Jasmine. I'm an award-winning scholar, fashion lover, and aspiring executive. I’m passionate about exploring how technology & gaming can propel the fashion industry. I graduated with honors from Brown University in 2021 with a BA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE). This summer, an excerpt from my undergraduate thesis was published in the Fashion Studies Journal. I also studied virtual fashion and internet economics at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, obtaining an MSc in Social Science of the internet in 2022. My Oxford dissertation was an ethnographic exploration of luxury (fashion) NFT communities. In June, I was invited to the White House to present some of my research and speak about the importance of diversity in digital spaces.

I've worked with some of the biggest luxury fashion, gaming, and technology companies in the world, and have been featured in Vogue, Teen Vogue, Essence, Black Enterprise, and Women's Wear Daily. Currently, you can find me working @ Microsoft, as a Financial Analyst in the Financial Rotation Program (FRP). I'm also a Global Fellow at Cantu Beauty and I'm looking forward to traveling to Accra, Ghana in November 2022 to engage with my fellowship cohort.

Outside of work you can find me at Fenway Park rooting for the Red Sox! ⚾️ 😁 

You can learn more about Jasmine here.

I'm a Sr. Software engineer at Amazon, working on the Search Science and AI team. I work on constantly improving the Search experience for customers of Amazon through Data Science and Machine learning. I'm part of the Data Science committee for GHC and an active participant in many DEI initiatives.

April Castañeda is the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), serving as a senior executive with deep domain experience and strong leadership in providing strategic direction and oversight for the HR team and its functional areas.

Darin Carter is a Program Manager on the Coinbase Giving team, building a portfolio of social impact investments from humanitarian aid to education. He is also a diversity and inclusion champion at Coinbase, co-leading the Colorblock ERG and representing as a keynote speaker at AfroTech.

Anis is the Co-Founder and COO of SnapRefund, a Fintech startup based in Philadelphia, PA. SnapRefund empowers insurance businesses with a digital payment platform that sends instant claim payments. Anis has been tasked with modernizing the claim payments process for insurance companies & claimants.

Roque G. Pech is the V.P. of Programs at URBAN TXT: Teens Exploring Technology. He is a first-generation college graduate born in Yucatan, Mexico and raised in Wilmington, CA. Roque earned his bachelors in Business from San Diego State & masters in Digital Learning from Loyola Marymount.

Jeremy D. Martinez, M.D. is a psychiatrist who specializes in behavioral treatments for addiction and mental health disorders. Leveraging technology to scale treatment is a special area of focus. This has led to diverse experiences including participating in technology challenges and competitions.

Dr. Derek J. Robinson is a board-certified physician in Emergency Medicine and author of the new book Improbable MD: From the Bayou to the Boardroom. In 2020, Savoy Magazine recognized Dr. Robinson in its list of 2020 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America.

As a former Wall Street professional, Ross is now a media personality for BET, Revolt TV, and The Street who empowers people through financial education. Through his Maconomics brand, he has brought financial freedom to millions with his latest Netflix Documentary, "Get Smart With Money."

Abbie is an associate at True Wealth, investing in early-stage women-led companies. She brings deep industry knowledge about impact investing, women’s health, and LGBTQ+ rights from prior roles in venture capital and philanthropy.

Keith Kirkland is Chief Haptic Officer (CHO) and Cofounder of WearWorks. He is a haptics enthusiast, accessories designer, engineer and strategist that is deeply excited about reimagining the future of touch in design and digital communications while expanding our human ability to sense our environments. Ultimately, he is inspired by the intersection of touch, equity-driven business model development and nuanced customer insights to create sustainable impact-driven technologies and foster their adoption at scale. He has been recognized by the Rowena Reed Award, SXSW, The Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, EY, TED, Dropbox, The Yokohama Government, and the MET Museum. 

Pauli The PSM is a drummer, composer, producer, musical director & more. Named one of the Top 100 Drummer’s in the World by WIRED, he has assumed the role of music director for artists like Jamie xx, FKA twigs, Maggie Rogers and currently tours as percussionist and musical director for Harry Styles.

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With a passion for STEM and people, Teniel transitioned from a stellar career in engineering leadership to human resources. Prior to Base 11, she worked with the world’s largest aerospace firm and Fortune 500 company for 15 years. As a Director of Learning & Development, and Innovation, Teniel partnered with tech, space, and defense industries, as well as with top academic institutions, to promote new ways of learning through collaboration and leveraging technology.

She guest speaks, mentors/coaches, and teaches students from K-12 to university level and professional adult learners via forums such as Elevate, a Partnership with UC San Diego, UC Riverside, Cal State Fullerton, the UC Office of the President—MESA, & Spectrum Knowledge.

She also serves on the advisory board of EmpowHer, which impacts girls in marginalized communities. As a strategic leader with systems thinking, Teniel is focusing these strengths on Base 11 to successfully create and implement student learning programs that embody community. Teniel earned a bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Southern California. She holds several accelerated leadership certificates, a Project Management certificate from UCI, and an HR Management certificate from the University of La Verne.

Doug  Bender grew up in the South and West of the U.S. and graduated from Alcorn State University with a BA in Political Science and Economics.

He went on to receive a Masters degree in Human Resources Counseling from North Carolina A&T State University and studied law at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina.

He has worked for some of the most exciting organizations in corporate America including Miller Brewing Company, Uncle Ben’s Foods, Dove, International, M&M/Mars, and Kal Kan Petcare, and held a number of corporate and manufacturing HR positions of increasing responsibility which included international assignments. His last corporate assignment for Mars, Incorporated prior to entering private consulting practice was as Head of HR Support Services for North America and Co-Chair for Global HR Support Services over seeing the management of a combined budget of over $200 million dollars annually.

Doug is an Adjunct Instructor at the heralded California State University campuses at Long Beach and Fullerton and has lectured many international business leadership delegations from around the world including The Peoples Republic of China.

Along with many published professional articles written over the course of his career he has also published the award winning book titled The ABC’s of Leadership in 2008 (Axiom Business Book Awards) and a second book, Caution: Smiles At Work (lulu.com, 2014). In addition, he is a Contributing Author to bestseller The Leadership Challenge Activities Book by Kouzes and Posner (Pfeiffer, 2010).

With a passion for STEM and people, Teniel transitioned from a stellar career in engineering leadership to human resources. Prior to Base 11, she worked with the world’s largest aerospace firm and Fortune 500 company for 15 years. As a Director of Learning & Development, and Innovation, Teniel partnered with tech, space, and defense industries, as well as with top academic institutions, to promote new ways of learning through collaboration and leveraging technology.

She guest speaks, mentors/coaches, and teaches students from K-12 to university level and professional adult learners via forums such as Elevate, a Partnership with UC San Diego, UC Riverside, Cal State Fullerton, the UC Office of the President—MESA, & Spectrum Knowledge.

She also serves on the advisory board of EmpowHer, which impacts girls in marginalized communities. As a strategic leader with systems thinking, Teniel is focusing these strengths on Base 11 to successfully create and implement student learning programs that embody community. Teniel earned a bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Southern California. She holds several accelerated leadership certificates, a Project Management certificate from UCI, and an HR Management certificate from the University of La Verne.

Mr. Donnell Layne is new to Moreno Valley, California. As a leading-edge educator and technology executive, Mr. Layne is a wonderful addition to the non-profit and community college space. Born and raised in Harlem, NY, Mr. Layne is a lifelong New York Knicks fan. With a background in Information Technology, he completed his undergraduate work at Cornell University studying the African diaspora.

After working in the industry for several years, Mr. Layne chose to return to school and completed his engineering work, graduating summa cum laude from Northwestern University. He has been working in the computer and telecommunications field for over two decades, with experience as a teacher, trainer, senior technical project manager, CEO, and consultant.

Mr. Layne is a Co-founder, and Co-CEO of TwinFlame Ventures focused on social impact, where he started the Nature, Technology, and Tomorrow initiative dedicated to providing educational opportunities and experiences in technology for underrepresented populations globally. Mr. Layne joins us while serving as the Director for the HSI Title III STEM grant at Moreno Valley College and looks forward to the amazing opportunities this will facilitate for the students. In 2021, He was awarded another grant worth $5,000,000 from the Department of Education to leverage virtual and augmented reality to help close the skills gap. Mr. Layne built a mobile Makerspace and a 4,150 sq ft Makerspace and Innovation center with his first grant of $6,109,000 and looks forward to expanding on this work.

Mr. Layne is also President of the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on increasing resources for small businesses located on the south side of Chicago, IL.

Keji Sojobi has worked as a mechanical engineer in the aerospace industry for over 15 years. She is passionate about mentorship, believing that providing guidance and encouragement to youth is of the utmost importance. She is so excited to be part of the Base 11 NFC!

Books, Laughs, Engineering and Failure---Let me share my journey with you at the next frontier conference! Cheers!

Debbie Rumbo is new to venture capital and just wrapped a summer investment associate internship with Cap Table Coalition via PledgeLA, where she worked cross-functionally on the deal process from intake to allocation and beyond.  She has a passion for creating access to capital for founders and high growth opportunities for traditionally marginalized investors - Black, Latinx, and women being especially dear to her as an Afro-Latina in the space. As a builder and budding allocator of capital, she is excited to continue to build alongside the right people; currently fielding offers in the space. Prior to Cap Table, she built and operated her own consulting practice focused on strategy, organizational development, operations, and marketing, helping Bipoc founders. She is a first-generation college graduate from the University of Southern California and remains committed to being a mentor to first-generation students and young professionals navigating the nuances of life and career.

T. Jason Ortiz (He/Him) is a leader in the business education space. He works in Enterprise Customer Success at Section4, an ed-tech start-up focusing on business strategy. Prior to Section4, he spent over 10 years in infrastructure growth roles in investment banking, in both Singapore and New York.

Christina Goldschmidt is an award-winning design leader who is known for transforming product design teams to work at enterprise scale while fostering cultures that drive both business and social impact.

An Architect, and have completed works of art, written two novels ("The Second Son" and "Ke ola 'aina" on Amazon Kindle), and have conceived multiple inventions of all types, including toys, sports, everyday objects, technology solutions, novelty items, and exotic and advanced concepts.

Janae McCloud is a Senior Biology Major from Marietta, GA, attending Benedict College in Columbia, SC. After she receives her Bachelor's Degree in May of 2023, she plans on attending medical school to earn an MD towards becoming a Sports Medicine Physician.

Areahna is a world traveler and tour guide with a passion for innovation. She began her career in Angel Investment and Startups but made the radical transition into the travel industry after COVID. Currently Areahna works as a tour guide for specializing in the Civil Rights Movement.

Dr. Anthonise Louis Fields is Senior Director of Strategic Collaboration and Leader of the BOLD Marketplace pillar at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS). She is responsible for accelerating BMS research and priorities through collaborations with leading US Academic Institutions.

Dr. Ellen Shumaker is the Director of Outreach for the Safe Plates program at NC State University. She designs, develops, delivers and evaluates food safety programming and resources for consumers, retail, and community groups.

Allen is food scientist with over 10 years of experience in product development and food processing. He received is his B.S. Food Science degree from Michigan State University.

• Pronouns: She/Her*
• Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Ambassador

Nicole is a Structural Engineer and Project Manager in NYC working on long-span bridges all over the country. As a child, Nicole was fascinated with understanding how things worked, often dismantling toys to figure them out. As an adult little has changed, but now she's paid to do it.

Darian Dixon is an explorer of Mars. He holds a B.S. in Geosciences and M.S. in Geology. He has worked as an operations engineer on the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. He is now a Ph.D. student studying the ancient landscape of Mars and where life may have once existed there. 

Leland is the only person drafted into the National Football League to have flown in space. The Pro Football Hall of Fame honored his athletic and academic accomplishments by placing his Detroit Lions jersey under glass in Canton, Ohio. Through these professional experiences working on high stakes teams he developed a deep and nuanced understanding of effective team dynamics.

Leland has a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and a Master’s degree in materials science engineering. He worked at NASA Langley Research Center in the area of nondestructive testing creating optical fiber sensors for measuring damage in aerospace vehicles, resulting in publications in numerous scientific journals. After hanging up his space boots he was appointed head of NASA Education and served as the co-chair on the White House’s Federal Coordination in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S.T.E.M.) Education Task Force developing the nation’s 5-year STEM education plan. Leland was the United States representative and chair of the International Space Education Board (ISEB), a global collaboration on learning about space. He uses his life story as an athlete, astronaut, scientist, engineer, photographer, and musician to help inspire the next generation of explorers to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (S.T.E.A.M.) careers.

Leland holds four honorary doctorates for his service in education, the sciences and philanthropy. He was chosen as an ICON MANN with Quincy Jones, Forrest Whitaker, Steve Harvey and 24 other men selected for their ability to inspire people of all ages through their vision and commitment to creating positive change throughout the world. Leland has been honored with the NFL Players Association “Award of Excellence” for inspiring athletes to pursue excellence on and off the field. He has written a chapter on the power of visualization in Venus Williams’ book Come to Win. Leland has appeared on Top Chef as a celebrity judge and Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman, while Cesar Milan helped him with his unruly pooch Jake on an episode of The Dog Whisperer. He was featured in a Sci Fi Channel program documenting the making of the Reach for the Stars will.i.am song, which was transmitted to Mars and back to inspire students to pursue STEAM. After 24 years with NASA as a researcher, astronaut and Senior Executive Service leader he looks to share his stories of perseverance and excellence to inspire communities for lasting positive change.

Leland’s unique travels and experiences have allowed him to create inspired imagery taken on and off planet. He enjoys viewing the beauty and magnitude of the earth through the lens of his camera and cherishes the experience of seeing our planet from space. This perspective is known to create an Orbital Shift that can change an individual’s attitude about how they see their place in the Universe. Leland’s image galleries; On Earth, From Space and In Space, showcase the beauty of our planet and the views that informed his own Orbital Shift. Hopefully these images of our planet, our Universe, and the human made structures inhabiting space will inspire you to help preserve our home.

Leland currently resides in Lynchburg, Virginia.

For more than 20 years, Jessica has been a champion for Social Impact, connecting learning to earning to increase economic opportunity worldwide at both for-profit and non-profit organizations like Unity, Common Sense Media, GlassLab, Scientific Learning, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

In 2012, Jessica started using Unity as a learning and games development tool and fell in love with the power and scale of the platform as a means for making change. She joined Unity in 2017 and is the Vice President of Social Impact, leading the Social Impact, Education, Sustainability and ESG teams for Unity, focused on empowering Unity creators and employees to foster a more inclusive and sustainable world.

Jessica serves on the Advisory Board of the GSV Ventures Fund and is an Aspen-Pahara Fellow. She is a graduate of the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, where she received a Masters in Business Administration with a focus on entrepreneurship and education.