Emily Abbott
I am the media relations manager at the American Chemical Society, but my team also oversees newsletters, landmarks, and science communications. I began my career as a high school chemistry teacher, then became an editor, and eventually launched an organization to support chemistry teachers. I have picked up many skills through my career path, but communicating chemistry and its value has always been the foundation. I now lead a team who feel similarly, and I am invigorated to do this work each and every day.
Emily Abbott
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Azucena Valladolid
Azucena Valladolid, Executive Vice President of Rental Assistance and Workforce Development oversees the Rental Assistance, Achievement Academy and Compliance Monitoring departments at the San Diego Housing Commission.
The rental assistance department provides rental subsidies for more than 17,000 low-income households throughout the City of San Diego through the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, special purpose vouchers and local non-traditional MTW homelessness programs.
The Achievement Academy provides services that emphasize self-sufficiency, job placement and financial literacy to SDHC participants and residents.
She also oversees the Compliance Monitoring Department, which verifies affordable housing throughout the City abide by affordability requirements from certain land use and affordable housing finance programs.
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Erin Clancy
Erin Clancy is a leading expert on national security, international affairs, diplomacy, and tech policy. Erin is currently a global public policy manager on Meta’s Strategic Response Policy team, where she manages high-profile incidents and sensitive content moderation issues that affect the business and reputational risk of the company.
Before joining Meta, Erin advanced U.S. foreign policy as a career Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State for 15 years. Her diplomatic assignments included tours of duty in the Middle East, Washington D.C. as a special assistant to then Deputy Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York, where she was the lead American negotiator in the UN Security Council on Syria and Burma. In 2019, Erin received the State Department’s highest award for negotiating the successful evacuation of over 400 members of the Syrian Civil Defense (the White Helmets) out of Syria.
Erin has advised two presidential campaigns on foreign policy and national security issues. She holds degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and Whittier College, where she serves on the Board of Trustees.
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Ami Vincent
Ami Vincent, leaning into compassion and curiosity, has sought out leadership roles since she was a teenager, taking her from the Midwest to West Africa and Wyoming. Currently, she chairs the Bookmarked Literary Arts Festival which she founded while serving as lead librarian at the local public library. Bookmarked has quickly grown into a state-wide organization hosting a literary art show/story festival and events brought to rural Wyoming in partnership with the National Book Foundation. Ami also directs the Lander, WY program for the LOR Foundation, a foundation committed to listening to community first in order to fund projects that improve quality of life in the rural mountain West. Ami, passionate about building community, serves on several boards. She loves doing anything that involves being outside, reading, and being with her family.
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Tennille Limer
I am Tennille Limer, LMSW. I have a master's degree in Social Work and am currently serving as the Chief Programs Officer at the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness (WVCEH). I provide leadership and guidance to approximately 40 staff members across 16 distinct programs. Over the years, I have stayed dedicated to my mission, driven by a genuine desire to help the homeless community.
Despite its challenges, I find immense fulfillment in this field. Each day presents unique encounters, demanding constant problem-solving and resourcefulness. I am driven by the prospect of effecting positive change in the lives of those who I am privileged to serve. I aspire to continue this meaningful work, dedicated to alleviating homelessness and fostering hope in our communities. While my primary role lies with the WVCEH, I currently reside in Alaska where I am also privileged to offer therapeutic services to individuals.
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Elizabeth Warner
Elizabeth Warner is an experienced leader and change maker who has worked in the non-profit sector for more than 25 years. She has tackled issues of global security, international development, women’s rights, children’s health, and ending hunger. Her professional expertise has focused on change management, critical thinking and problem solving, equity and inclusion, building authentic relationships with donors, and communicating complex issues to broad audiences. Warner has spent the last 12 years working on nuclear policy and currently serves as the Executive Director of Ploughshares Fund, the largest foundation dedicated solely to the elimination of nuclear threats. She is the former Golden Gate Chapter President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Secretary for the Marin Women’s Soccer League, a mother, ultrarunner and eternal optimist. She lives with her husband in the San Francisco Bay Area where she finds joy exploring the mountains and oceans.
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Fall Class
Deborah Baum
Deborah Baum is the Senior Director of Communications and Strategic Institutional Marketing at The Bryn Mawr School, an all-girls PK-12 school in Baltimore, Maryland. She previously worked in communications and media relations roles at Gilman School, The Rhode Island Foundation, and Brown University. Deb also has a background in journalism, having spent three years as a news writer for WBZ-TV in Boston as well as serving on the staff of 60 Minutes II and The Early Show in New York City. Deb holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology from Colgate University. Outside of work, Deb enjoys volunteering with various organizations, playing lots of tennis with friends, reading a great book, and spending time with her husband and two teenage children.
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Kimberly Gupta
Kimberly Gupta is the Director of Operations for the Portland Water Bureau, where she leads the team that operates and maintains the drinking water system for approximately 1 million Oregonians. This includes operating and maintaining the infrastructure related to water supply, treatment, transmission, and distribution; ensuring compliance with state and federal drinking water regulations; operating an accredited drinking water laboratory; and managing the Bureau’s Technology, Security, and SCADA Groups. Kim has a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno, and is a professional civil engineer in Oregon and California. She is a certified water distribution (D4) and treatment (T4) operator and serves as the Bureau’s Direct Responsible Charge. Kim is an active member of the American Water Works Association, being a past chair of the Inorganic Contaminants Research Committee, and currently serves as a Commissioner for the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-Potable Water Systems.
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Alexandria Schlafer
Allie Schlafer is an experienced knowledge management and learning professional with over ten years in the international development sector. Driven by a passion for information access and equity, she takes pride in developing collaboration and communication solutions designed with the end user in mind. As a senior manager at Catholic Relief Services, she leads the agency's strategy and governance for knowledge and collaboration platforms, language technology, automation and application development, and digital workplace transformation. She holds a master's degree in sustainable international development from Brandeis University and is PMP certified.
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Natalia Bokhari
As a marketing and operations leader, I manage and oversee a multi-million dollar revenue generating product portfolio. I am proud to be with the American Chemical Society for over a decade, developing the strategy, infrastructure and technology that power our robust advertising products including digital advertising, webinars, custom content, jobs, and professional education programs. I manage a team of eight brilliant young women that lead in their various areas of responsibilities including ad operations, revenue marketing, lead generation and eCommerce. As a colleague, I strive to foster a work environment that is inclusive, safe, fun, and driven.
Competencies include:
• Advertising Operations & Technology
• Lead Generation Programs
• Revenue & Content Marketing
• Sales Operations
• Product Development
• Contract Negotiations
In my free time I enjoy coffee runs, retail therapy and spending time with my toddler twins :)
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Mary Frances Kenion
Mary Frances Kenion is Vice President, Training and Technical Assistance at the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Mary Frances has over 17 years of experience helping nonprofits and local governments recalibrate their homelessness response systems. Her direct experience includes developing performance-based contracting, program design and implementation, program and system-related policy development, compliance/monitoring, and coalition building to advance racial equity. Through training and technical assistance, Mrs. Kenion helps individuals and communities develop a deeper understanding of how structural and systemic racism perpetuates homelessness, get at the root causes and intersecting issues that compound disparities in homelessness, and identify actionable ways to reduce such disparities.
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Natali Freeling
Natali Freeling is an entrepreneur at heart, coming from a long lineage of ambitious, hard-working, self-made Italian-Argentine immigrants. Based in the Washington, D.C. area with over 20 years of experience working for global brands, Natali currently serves as Director of Community Partnerships & Impact Initiatives at The Washington Post where she leads press freedom advocacy efforts and other programs that demonstrate The Posts commitment to serving the community. She previously held leadership roles at The Walt Disney Company and National Geographic, overseeing international events strategy and marketing for global experiences. Natali enjoys traveling, crafting and family movie nights with her husband, two children, and Aussiedoodle.
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Ritu Malhotra
Dr. Ritu Malhotra is a highly experienced pharmacist and healthcare innovator with over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. In her role as a healthcare innovator at CVS Health, Ritu is responsible for driving innovation and change in the healthcare industry. She leads a team of experts developing and implementing new healthcare solutions, including digital health tools and services, to solve member drug affordability challenges through the creation of pricing and member cost share solutions. Prior to joining CVS Health in 2018, Ritu spent 15 years as a leader in the pharmacy benefit consulting community. She has a passion for providing clients with innovative pharmacy benefit designs, cost containment strategies, clinical management strategies, and insightful market trends. Ritu served as President of Pharmaceutical Strategies Group Consulting and as the Pharmacy Benefits Consulting Practice Leader at Segal Consulting. Ritu is a highly respected and influential leader in the healthcare industry, and is frequently invited to speak at conferences and events on topics related to healthcare innovation and drug affordability. She is also committed to giving back to her community and is involved in a number of charitable efforts, including supporting organizations that promote health and wellness. Outside of work, Ritu enjoys traveling, photography, graphic design, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.
Ritu Malhotra