Featured Speakers/Performers

SHAN ARORA

Shan Arora is the Executive Director of The Kendeda Building at Georgia Institute for Technology, and he is a globally recognized leader in advancing regenerative building practices. To advance this mission, he draws on a diverse background spanning clean energy policy, sustainability, community engagement, business development, and tax policy. He holds both BA and JD degrees from Emory University and is Living Future Accredited by the International Living Future Institute—an acknowledgment of his expertise in the world’s most rigorous and holistic standards for sustainable design. Shan is part of Georgia Tech's ARI.

BECKY BLALOCK

Becky Blalock is the Managing Partner at Advisory Capital, a strategic consulting firm that provides insight and expertise to companies involved in the energy, information technology and medical industries.

As former Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Southern Company, Blalock spent nearly a decade directing IT strategy and operations for the 3rd largest utility company in the world. Under her leadership, Southern Company was recognized as one of the 100 Most Innovative Companies by CIO magazine and one of the 100 Best Places to Work in IT by Computerworld magazine. In addition to her work in information technology, Blalock spent over two decades serving Southern Company in leadership positions including accounting, corporate communications, customer service, economic development, external affairs, finance and marketing. 

A sought-­‐after speaker, Blalock has long been recognized as a thought leader in the IT and utility industries. Computerworld magazine identified her as a Premier IT Leader and she was named CIO of the Year by Energy Biz magazine, Georgia CIO Leadership Association and Computers for Youth organization. She has been named one of Atlanta Business Chronicle's 100 Most Influential Atlantans and is listed among Who's Who in Science and Engineering. Blalock has testified before the DOE and FCC on behalf of the utility industry regarding matters related to information technology, cyber security and telecommunications.

WENDY CORONA

Wendy Corona joined Channel 2 Action News in January 2013 and currently anchors Channel 2 Action News at 4 and WSB Tonight, Monday through Friday. After graduating from the University of Southern California, Wendy’s broadcast career began as a reporter in Yuma, Arizona followed by El Paso, Texas and Orlando, Florida. She became the morning anchor at Local 10, the ABC affiliate in Miami, Florida before moving to evening anchoring in Houston, Texas. Wendy reported at WFAA in Dallas, Texas before making the move to Atlanta, Georgia. 

Wendy has been a witness to many significant news events, starting in her college days when the O.J. Simpson murder trial captivated the nation. She was working in Central Florida, when all eyes were on the contested 2000 presidential election, its “hanging chads” and tracking Florida connections to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. While working in South Florida, a record number of hurricanes made landfall in one season. Wendy is grateful to the people who trust her to tell their story and feels great responsibility communicating it in her work.  

Wendy teamed up with Robin Roberts in Miami to support Women’s Heart Health initiatives and appeared on Good Morning America to support the issue. Wendy is an Emmy Award winner who has moderated and emceed numerous philanthropic community events and galas and finds joy connecting with the community this way.  She loves to invest her time in the areas of education, women’s health, literacy and domestic violence. Born and raised in Southern California, Wendy is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, fluent in Spanish and the first in her entire family to graduate from college. The mother of two and ‘bonus mom’ of two more, enjoys time with family and friends at home and abroad.

CRYSTAL EDMONSON

Crystal Edmonson keeps her finger on the pulse of business in Atlanta as Atlanta Business Chronicle’s broadcast editor, where she writes for the paper and its website and serves as a liaison to the Chronicle’s radio and television partners. Edmonson contributes local, in-depth stories about business and the economy to WABE 90.1 FM, a local NPR affiliate, as well as to sports talk station 680 The Fan. Additionally, she launched the Chronicle’s first ever weekly podcast.

During the course of her career, Edmonson has received several journalism and community honors, including awards from the National Association of Black Journalists for investigative reporting and production. In 2020 she was the Chronicle's Employee of the Year and was named as one of the Atlanta Business League's 100 Most Influential Women.

A graduate of Emory, Edmonson received a BA in international studies. She then attended Northwestern University, earning an MS in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.

Since 2005, Edmonson has provided regional leadership for the American City Business Journals’ (ACBJ) summer internship program, which has placed dozens of college students in newspaper internships across the country to promote diversity and inclusion; a number of newspapers have hired these students full time since the program began. Edmonson received the Eagle Award, the ACBJ’s highest employee honor, for her leadership in this program.

Edmonson served as president of the Emory Alumni Board in 2008 and helped launch Emory’s $1.69 billion fund-raising campaign, at that time the largest campaign in the university's history. She continues to volunteer her time and talents to the Emory Alumni Association as well as to other areas of the university and in 2020 was tapped as a representative of Emory on The Carter Center Board of Trustees.  She was elected trustee in 2016.

AMY GLENNON

Amy Glennon is the former publisher of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and of Cox Media Group’s Vertical Businesses, a portfolio of digital content sites.
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Glennon is on the Advisory Board of the James M. Cox Institute for Journalism Innovation, Management and Leadership at The University of Georgia; and is an Advisory Board member of the Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta.

TRACEY GRACE

Tracey Grace is the Founder and CEO of IBEX IT Business Experts, a technology and consulting firm she built after realizing that real impact would require betting on herself. What began as a move away from corporate life turned into a lesson in courage rooted in preparation, relationships, and thoughtful risk-taking.

Through IBEX, Tracey works with organizations such as NASA, the CDC, and other large public and private sector clients to solve complex technology and workforce challenges. She is also the founder of Nectar IQ, a cloud-based supplier management software system that helps organizations work more efficiently with their suppliers by reducing manual processes, increasing transparency, and managing risk.

Tracey’s entrepreneurial journey has been shaped by learning as she goes, making tough decisions, and staying resilient through uncertainty. She speaks candidly about what it really takes to build a company and why courage in entrepreneurship isn’t about having all the answers, but about being willing to move forward anyway.

FARHANA HASAN

Farhana is passionate about leveraging Data Science and AI to tackle critical global challenges—gender equality, climate change, quality jobs, and global health. As the founder of a nonprofit, she empowers women and underrepresented youth with resources to thrive as the next generation of diverse tech leaders. Her expertise spans business, technology, and data, amplified by trilingual storytelling and cross-industry experience.

With over 17 years at Delta Air Lines in leadership roles, she's driven industry-wide digital transformation, led global IT Steering Committees, and delivered seamless, unified digital experiences to 200 million+ customers annually. She specializes in bridging cultural, policy, and product gaps across complex environments through cross-functional global collaboration.

Rooted in innovative problem-solving, Farhana excels at transforming business processes and guiding projects from ideation to execution. Her Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Total Leadership expertise equip her to lead with strategy, precision, and impact.

HELEN KIM HENDRIX

Helen Kim Hendrix is the Founding Partner of HKH Law LLC, where she counsels clients on corporate, employment and civil rights matters.   Helen began her career with a leading Wall Street law firm before dedicating more than a decade to full-time nonprofit work.  She is the Founder and former Executive Director of the first civil rights nonprofit dedicated to Asian immigrants and refugees in the Southeast, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta (formerly AALAC), which she launched in Spring 2010.  Helen has also served as the Special Advisor to the Atlanta Comfort Women Task Force, leading a successful campaign to erect a statue honoring the lives of the 200,000 mostly Asian women and girls who were traffic and sexually enslaved during World War II; organized a “Seouls to the Polls” early Sunday voting initiative with a dozen Atlanta Korean ministries in 2018; and served as the lead facilitator for Gwinnett County’s comprehensive 2022-2023 Human Service needs assessment which had last been completed 30 years prior to the mass influx of immigrants to the county.  

Helen is a graduate of Clarkston High School in Clarkston, Georgia, and a 1999 Honors graduate of Emory University School of Law.  She currently serves on the board of Georgia Health Initiative, a private foundation, and Our House, a nonprofit that provides transformative care to end the cycle of homelessness for families.

DEBRA HOURY

Debra Elaine Houry is an American physician. She served as the Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until she resigned in protest at the firing of Susan Monarez. 

She previously served as acting principal deputy director and former Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. She was also a tenured faculty at Emory University before moving to CDC.

DANITA KNIGHT

Danita V. Knight assumed the position of President and Chief Executive Officer for YWCA Greater Atlanta on January 3, 2023. She previously served as Vice President for communications and marketing at Agnes Scott College. Prior to joining Agnes Scott, Knight was a marketing,

communications, public relations and fundraising consultant for various non-profits, colleges, and

political campaigns in Atlanta.

Knight is a past Board Chairperson of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation (and the first Black Board Chair of that foundation). She was also Chairperson of the 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Atlanta Women’s Foundation “Numbers Too Big to Ignore” fundraising luncheons. The 2011 luncheon raised $1 million - at that time, the largest amount raised for a luncheon in the organization’s history. Other activities include Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; Vice-Chairperson of The Brookhaven Social Justice Race and Equity Commission, International Women’s Forum-Georgia, the Atlanta Civic Collaboratory, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights Women’s Solidarity Society; Advisory Board Member for Lending Hearts, a non-profit in Pittsburgh focused on recreational activities for adolescents with cancer, and various political campaigns and committees. Knight was part of the original group of “seed funders” responsible for bringing the women’s professional basketball team - the WNBA Dream – to Atlanta.

Knight has also served as Vice President for public affairs and community relations at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Indianapolis, Indiana; director of public relations at Anthem, Inc. (Indianapolis, Indiana); director of communications for the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce; deputy director for communications and public affairs for the Council of State Governments (Lexington, Kentucky); director of media and public relations for the United Way of Central Iowa (Des Moines, Iowa); assistant, speech writer, scheduler, and public relations director to Iowa’s first female Lieutenant Governor (Jo Ann Zimmerman); information specialist for the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women; and public relations manager for the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs. She started her career as a student morning news anchor and reporter at KOMU-TV in Columbia, Missouri. 

Knight is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she majored in broadcast

(television) journalism. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, former Atlanta Hawks General Manager Billy Knight. The Knights have two adult daughters: Erika and Olivia and “wonderful

grandchildren.”

DR. SARA LAVINIA BRAIR

Dr. Sara Lavinia Brair has an extensive background in health care management, policy, and public health. She served as the Director General of the White Nile State and Acting Minister of Health for 2 years during the transitional government in Sudan. During the revolution she sat on many political reform committees, including a committee that discussed the Higher Education reform, attended a committee on reforming the educational system in Sudan. She also worked on the Health Reform Plan that was submitted to the Prime Minister Hamadook. She also worked with youth and resistance committees to promote the healthy dialogue and remove mistrust to allow for consensus between different groups.

Her professional career, she served both in the academia and the healthcare system in the government. In the academia, she served as the Dean of the Deanship of Scientific Research at Al Neelain University, and during this period she advocated for e-learning and established the first online Diploma in the country in collaboration with Maryland University. She served on many committees at the Federal Ministry of Health related to epidemic mitigation and promotion of immunization and ethics. She participated in the establishment of the Sudanese Network for Research Ethics and participated in the addition of research ethics curricula to medical schools in Sudan. In the civil society, she cofounded two organizations that help the needy and empower women educationally and economically, Mazaya Charity Organization and Soroptimist Organization Sudan office, part of an international organization based in the US that empowers women.

She was awarded the Sian Griffiths Global Public Health Award from the Royal College of Physicians in 2022 for her unique contribution in promoting Global Public Health. She was also awarded the Best Female Doctor Award in 2018, Al Neelain University Student Union.

Sara Lavinia earned a medical degree from Juba University Medical College, Sudan; Medical Doctorate in Community Medicine from Sudan Medical Specialization Board; Specialization in Community Medicine from the Arab Board, Jordan; and a Specialization in Dermatology from Sudan Medical Specialization Board, Sudan. She has a Diploma in Research Ethics from Maryland University, USA; and a Diploma in Clinical Education from Edinburgh University, UK. She is a fellow at the Royal College of Physicians and the Higher Academy of Education, UK. She has a Fellowship in Health Equity from George Washington University, USA; and a Fellowship in Leadership from CDC Africa, African Union.

PAEDIA MIXON

Paedia Mixon has served as the CEO of New American Pathways in Atlanta, Georgia, since its founding in 2014, leading efforts to support refugees from arrival through citizenship. Under her leadership, the organization focuses on comprehensive services including career advancement, education, and civic engagement. She is a prominent advocate for Georgia's immigrant community and serves as the Chair of the Business and Immigration for Georgia (BIG) Partnership. 

LAURA NEUMAN

In addition to advising on the implementation of the Carter Center’s programming regarding transparency and good governance, Laura Neuman developed and leads the Inform Women, Transform Lives campaign. Inform Women, Transform Lives is being implemented in 35 global cities representing metropolitan populations of more than 215 million people. As part of the campaign, she supports cities in improved service delivery, particularly for women and marginalized populations, and in ensuring women have a voice in international and regional forums.

Neuman developed the innovative Implementation Assessment Tool for access-to-information legislation and the Center’s Women and the Right of Access to Information programming. In 2018, she convened the Inform Women, Transform Lives Conference, which culminated with the Atlanta Declaration for the Advancement of Women’s Right of Access to Information. She previously led Carter Center programming related to transparency in the security sector and access to justice and has assured a gender focus in all programming.

Neuman has written articles, book chapters, and guidebooks on the right of access to information, fostering transparency, and preventing corruption, and has presented at numerous international seminars and conferences. She has served as a consultant to the United Nations, the U.S. State Department, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank, among others.

Prior to joining The Carter Center in August 1999, Neuman was a staff attorney at Legal Action of Wisconsin. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School.

DR. BEVERLY DANIEL TATUM

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, president emerita of Spelman College and recent interim president of Mount Holyoke College, is the author of the best-selling book, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations about Race, now in its 20th anniversary edition.

A thought-leader in higher education, she was the 2013 recipient of the Carnegie Academic Leadership Award and the 2014 recipient of the American Psychological Association Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology. Dr. Tatum holds a B.A. degree in psychology from Wesleyan University, a M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from University of Michigan, and a M.A. in Religious Studies from Hartford Seminary.

BELISA M. URBINA

Belisa Urbina is the Executive Director of Sir Familia, Inc. and was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She studied Business Administration at the University of Puerto Rico and graduated as Valedictorian of her class. She moved to Georgia in 1999. On 2001 she co-founded Ser Familia, Inc. which is the leading program in

Georgia providing coordinated multi-disciplinary family, social and mental health services to Latinos.

She is a member of Cobb County’s 2020 Steering Committee and Kennestone Hospital’s Regional Board of Directors past chairperson. On 2012 she was named by Womentics as one of the Women of the year. On 2014, she was chosen as one the 11WhoCare®by Atlanta’s 11 Alive Channel. On 2015 she received the “Family Advocacy Award” from the Interfaith Children’s Movement. In 2017 she was honoured by the Georgia Women’s Legislative Caucus with the Nikki T Randall Servant Leadership Award. That year she was also recognized with the NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award by the Atlanta Falcons. In 2018, Gideon’s Promise gave her the Community Impact Award and the Atlanta Braves chose her along with her husband as Community Heroes.

She has been married to her husband Miguel for 33 years and is the proud mother of 5 children and grandmother of 5.