Teri Whitcraft, Award-winning TV and Film Producer

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Teri Whitcraft is an award-winning producer and storyteller whose career has been dedicated to amplifying social justice movements and profiling changemakers who drive social good. During her 23 years at ABC News, she developed and produced exclusive content for top broadcasts, including Good Morning America, World News Tonight with David Muir, and 20/20. She has worked with journalism icons such as Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, Barbara Walters, Connie Chung, and George Stephanopoulos.

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Teri’s work includes Diane Sawyer’s Emmy-nominated special with Malala Yousafzai and a groundbreaking town hall on police violence with President Obama. Her contributions have been recognized with multiple Emmys, Cine Golden Eagle Awards, and honors from Amnesty International and the NAACP.

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As the coordinating producer for the global health series Be the Change: Save a Life, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Teri led coverage of life-saving health initiatives in 20 countries. She also co-created the Million Moms Challenge, an initiative connecting mothers worldwide around the goal of healthy pregnancies and thriving babies.

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Most recently, Teri produced a documentary about Audrey Tang, Taiwan's former digital minister, who gained global recognition for Taiwan’s world-leading response to both the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying "infodemic" of misinformation.

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Now freelancing on special projects, Teri continues to spotlight impactful stories and remains active in mentoring young social entrepreneurs through her work with the Resolution Project Advisory Board.

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Her storytelling philosophy is simple: “In the next 30 minutes, you can change the channel, or you can change the world.”

Taryn Higashi, Executive Director Unbound Philanthropy

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Taryn Higashi is the Executive Director of Unbound Philanthropy, where she has played a pivotal role since joining as the foundation's first staff member in 2008. Under her leadership, Unbound has become a key advocate for building just and equitable societies in the U.S. and U.K. that recognize the rights and contributions of immigrants and refugees. Taryn has helped launch several important initiatives, including the U.S.-based Pop Culture Collaborative, which harnesses the power of pop culture to promote a pluralist society, and the London-based Citizenship and Integration Initiative, focused on fostering active citizenship in London.

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Unbound Philanthropy has received numerous accolades, including the 2023 Celebration of Justice Honor from Chinese for Affirmative Action and the 2021 People Power Award from NAKASEC. Taryn and Unbound were honored with United We Dream’s first-ever Believer Award in 2020 and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy’s Mover and Shaker Award in 2019.

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Before joining Unbound, Taryn managed the migrant and refugee rights portfolio at the Ford Foundation, where she co-founded the Four Freedoms Fund, a collaborative that has re-granted more than $180 million to immigrant organizations. For this work, she received the 2008 Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking. Taryn currently serves as Chair of the Board of the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and is a former Chair of the Advisory Board of the International Migration Initiative at Open Society Foundations.

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Taryn is the granddaughter of Japanese immigrants and a lifelong advocate for immigrant and refugee rights.

Raymar Hampshire, Public Interest Technologist

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As a public interest technologist, Raymar Hampshire explores the use of technology and storytelling as a tool for learning. He leads a research and development team at University of Michigan, developing an open-access tool (Braid) to facilitate individual and group storytelling and research with the aim of democratizing and scaling knowledge originating from underserved communities. Hampshire believes social justice in the digital age can only be realized when the people and perspectives on the periphery are centered in design. He has written reports and published research findings through New America, as a multi-year PIT-UN Network Challenge grantee and for Stanford Social Innovation Review's Ford Foundation series entitled, "Putting the Public Interest in Front of Technology".

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Hampshire credits his interests in social justice and technology from his upbringing in Ohio and family roots from Alabama. He is a graduate of the Coro Fellowship of Public Affairs and Carnegie Mellon University where he studied Public Policy and Information Systems. He lives in Washington, DC and cherishes family time, hiking, reading, getting to know people, and watching Michigan football during the crisp Fall air.

Don Graham, Chairman of the Board, Graham Holdings Company

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Don Graham is Chairman of the Graham Holdings Company (previously The Washington Post). His family published The Washington Post from 1946 until 2013.

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After graduating in 1966 from Harvard College, Graham served as an information specialist with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam and upon his return, worked as a patrolman with the Washington Metropolitan Police Department.

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Graham joined The Washington Post newspaper in 1971 as a reporter and subsequently held several news and business positions at the newspaper, including publisher and chairman of the Board. Today, he serves as the chairman of Graham Holdings Company.

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Don co-founded and served as chairman of the District of Columbia College Access Program that has helped double the number of DC public high school students going on to college and has helped triple the number graduating from college. He remains a member of the DC-CAP board. Since its inception, DC-CAP has assisted over 23,000 DC students enroll in college and has provided scholarships totaling more than $33 million.

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Upon learning of the plight of undocumented students with no access to college, Graham co-founded TheDream.US, a national scholarship fund for Dreamers, created to help undocumented immigrant youth get access to a college education. His wife, journalist Amanda Bennett (formerly Director of Voice of America) joined him in this endeavor.

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Graham is a trustee of the Federal City Council. He also served as a director of the College Success Foundation, KIPP-DC, The Summit Fund of Washington, Facebook, and was a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board.

Jared Ruga,

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Jared Ruga is an Emmy Award-winning and GLAAD-nominated director, producer, writer, and “creative suit” who helms Vavani Productions, an ethos-driven media production company he founded in 2017. With three documentaries in distribution (including Sundance premiere QUIET HEROES), two in production, and a slate of scripted films and series in development, Jared’s goal is to build community by making content that engages and entertains while “sneaking in the vegetables” of prosocial impact. His thematic areas of focus are gender equity, LGBTQ equality, climate justice, and democracy. Also deeply involved in the nonprofit sector, Jared has served in various leadership and advisory capacities at the Sundance Institute, Voterise, Equality Utah, Restore Our Humanity, and both of his alma maters, including teaching undergraduate courses. He is a co-founder and board member of the Impact Guild and the Lightspark Foundation, which are actively engaged in organizing and funding civic engagement efforts.

Afolake (Fola) Olubunmi, Immigration Attorney

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Afolake "Fola" Olubunmi is an accomplished immigration attorney with over two decades of experience navigating U.S. immigration law. Raised across Belgium, Nigeria, and England, Fola’s global upbringing and legal education at the University of Buckingham give her a unique perspective in her practice.

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Specializing in family reunification, asylum, deportation defense, and employment-based immigration, Fola combines her legal expertise with her personal immigrant experience to provide compassionate representation for her clients. She has successfully represented a diverse range of individuals, from professionals to refugees, helping them find stability in the U.S.

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Fola’s commitment to justice is evident in her ability to handle high-stakes cases and engage with government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, to secure favorable outcomes. Inspired by her own journey and her sister Tolu Olubunmi's immigrant advocacy, Fola approaches immigration law as a calling, ensuring that her clients’ voices are heard and their rights are protected.

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Fola remains a trusted advisor and advocate, continuing to champion immigrant rights and enrich the legal community with her expertise.

Halim Flowers, Artist, Writer, Activist

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Halim Flowers is a Washington, D.C.-based artist, author, and human rights advocate whose work promotes love, justice, and social transformation. His powerful visual art and poetry have earned him international recognition. Flowers' journey, marked by hardship and resilience, began when he was wrongfully sentenced to two life terms as a minor in 1997. After spending over 20 years in prison, his release was granted in 2019 under the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act.

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During his incarceration, Flowers became a prolific writer, publishing 11 non-fiction books and developing his skills as a self-taught artist. Since his release, he has been awarded the prestigious Halcyon Arts Lab and Echoing Green fellowships and has exhibited his work in prominent galleries, including The Museum of Modern Art's Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration exhibit.

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In addition to his art, Flowers is a spoken word performer and advocate for criminal justice reform, delivering his message through venues across the country and a TEDx Talk titled “Criminal Justice Reform.” He also serves on the Board of Directors for The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice and CulturalDC.

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Flowers' advocacy, encapsulated by his quote "Love is the Antibody," continues to inspire change. He has been honored with awards from Georgetown University's Prison and Justice Initiative and the Art for Justice Fund. He was also featured in the 2020 film Halim's Hope, which highlights his dedication to promoting justice and equity.

Yvonne Orji, Emmy-Nominated Actress, Producer, Author, Writer & Comedian

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Yvonne Orji is an award-winning actress, comedian, and writer, best known for her role as Molly Carter on HBO’s Insecure. As a Nigerian-American artist, Orji has used her experiences to craft authentic narratives that reflect the immigrant experience, earning widespread recognition in the entertainment industry.

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Originally holding a master’s degree in Public Health from George Washington University, Orji discovered her passion for comedy during the Miss Nigeria in America pageant, which led her to pursue a career in stand-up. After relocating to New York and later Los Angeles, she joined the writers’ room of Love That Girl! and created First Gen, a viral series based on her life as a first-generation Nigerian-American. Her work caught the attention of Issa Rae, who cast her in Insecure.

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Orji’s performance earned her an NAACP Image Award nomination, solidifying her as a versatile actress. Beyond her acting career, Orji is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, using her platform to highlight underrepresented voices.

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She is also a published author and sought-after speaker, known for addressing topics like identity and cultural representation. Yvonne Orji continues to make a profound impact as a storyteller and advocate, inspiring others to embrace their stories and passions.