Epiphanies in Proximity: Personal Stories of Turning Points
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Session Description
Where were you when you had your last big breakthrough? In your office, in the field, in the weeds, in the shower? From a lawyer whose apparel designs can be seen in the film Black Panther to a doorman reviving coffee cultivation in Yemen, you’ll hear from social entrepreneurs and other leaders about their moments of epiphany: the specific experiences or insights that caused them to rethink everything and chart a new course.
Time & Location
Time:
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM, Thursday, April 12, 2018
BST
Location:
Pyramid Room (TBEC)
Speakers
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Speaker
Founder, Designer, Ikiré Jones
Walé Oyéjidé, Esq. is a designer, writer, musician and lawyer that combats bias with creative storytelling. As the founder of Ikiré Jones, he employs fashion design as a vehicle to celebrate the perspectives of marginalized populations.
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Speaker
Founder & CEO, Port of Mokha
Historian, community organizer, and coffee innovator, Mokhtar Alkhanshali envisions a world where industry empowers rather than exploits, uplifts rather than represses.
Following his studies, he worked with some of the most respected civil rights and community organizations including the ACLU and Asian Law Caucus. On several occasions he’s been requested to partner with the city of San Francisco in working on initiatives regarding civil liberties.
In 2013 Mokhtar shifted his focus towards his family’s roots as coffee farmers in Yemen. Seeking to reverse Yemen’s nearly lost art of coffee cultivation, he founded Port of Mokha. Combining his knowledge of specialty coffee production, progressive infrastructure strategy and community organizing, Mokhtar has helped to reverse the declining quality of Yemeni coffee and re-establish it as the one of industries most treasured origins. Best-selling author Dave Eggers’ forthcoming title “The Monk of Mokha” traces Mokhtar’s journey as a social entrepreneur and his harrowing escape from war torn Yemen with his first coffee samples.
Mokhtar can be found amongst his coffee farmers in remote villages or speaking around the world on topics of social entrepreneurship, community development and, of course, coffee.
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Speaker
John Valverde is president and CEO of YouthBuild Global. He joined YouthBuild in 2017 after decades of work as an advocate for creating access to opportunity and removing barriers for formerly incarcerated and marginalized people.
John is a Marano Fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Sector Skills Academy; a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow; co-chair of the National Service, Civic Engagement and Volunteering pillar of More Perfect: The Partnership for American Democracy; a member of the New York State Council on Community Re-entry and Reintegration; and an elected member of the Council on Criminal Justice. John has been recognized numerous times, including being named a 2022 Power 50: Movement Maker by the Boston Business Journal (BBJ) and a Top 150 Most Influential Bostonians by Boston magazine in 2024. He holds a Master of Professional Studies in Urban Ministry from the New York Theological Seminary and a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science from Mercy University.
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Speaker
Community Paralegal, Justice & Empowerment Initiatives - Nigeria, Justice & Empowerment Initiatives
My name is Akinmuyiwa Bisola Temitope, am a community paralegal, render free legal services. Also a media coordinator. In 2018 I was nominated has a member of Management Committee (MC) in slum dwellers international (SDI).
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Speaker
Chief Executive Officer,
CAMFEDAngeline (Angie) Murimirwa, CEO of CAMFED, spearheads the organization's grassroots-led model for girls' education and women's leadership in Africa, fostering close partnerships with rural communities and national governments.
As a CAMFED graduate, she co-founded the CAMFED Association, a powerful pan-African network of 350,000 women leaders driving change in their communities and beyond. Together they bring the experience and expertise of underserved communities to inform policy and strategy at every level.
Angie was named one of the TIME100 most influential people of 2025. She is the winner of the 2024 Africa Education Medal and a Yidan Prize for Education Development Laureate (2020). She is a TED Speaker, and has been recognized as one of 100 most influential women by the BBC, in tribute to her role in supporting young women to step forward as girls’ education leaders.
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Moderator
President, Samueli Family Philanthropies and COO, H&S Ventures, Samueli Foundation
Lindsey Spindle is president of the Samueli Family Philanthropies and a senior executive in the Samueli family office, H&S Ventures.
Lindsey’s career has been exclusively dedicated to achieving social impact. Before joining the Samuelis, she served as president of the Jeff Skoll Group where she helped oversee the globally renowned Skoll Foundation and Academy Award-winning Hollywood film studio Participant Media.
Before joining the field of philanthropy, Lindsey specialized in developing transformational social impact brands, such as the "No Kid Hungry" and "Truth" campaigns, that substantially improved the lives of children.
Lindsey is a Board director for the Samueli, Skoll, and Anaheim Ducks Foundations. A fourth generation native of Washington-DC, she is a proud wife to David and mom of two incredible children.
