After two days of collective learning, reflection, collaboration, and connection with one another, we closed the Skoll World Forum with an inspiring, authentic group of leaders who are closing the distance between people and power, between emerging movements durable change. From all over the globe, we acknowledged the space between us, and look for ways to come together with a shared sense of purpose and humanity.
Born and raised in DeSoto, Texas, Karen began an interest in media and advocacy at 19, after an internship working with the Dallas Public Defenders office. The next year, Karen spent a summer learning Spanish in Spain, an experience which sparked what would become a lifelong interest in international journalism, social justice, human rights. Karen is a former Fulbright scholar to Ghana, and has reported from Curacao, Nigeria, Ghana. Her work has appeared in Voice of America, Al Jazeera, Associated Press, Haitian Times, and other international publications. She has made television and broadcast appearances on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, NPR, and the CBC. Currently, she is an Editor and Writer with the Washington Post Opinions Section, and her work focuses on race, gender, culture, and international affairs. She has won numerous awards and recognitions for her writing and commentary, including the 2019 George Polk Special Award, and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Freedom Writer Award. She was the winner of the 2019 Journalist of the Year Award from the National Association of Black Journalists, was named to the 2019 Root 100 list, and was featured in Essence Magazine’s ‘Woke 100’ list for 2019. She is the author of the forthcoming book “Say Your Word, Then Leave”, to be published by Dey Street Books in Spring 2021. Karen is currently based in Dallas, Texas.
Bringing together a group of outstanding singers, songwriters, DJ’s and music makers, House Gospel Choir’s live sets create a fusion of the biggest house, gospel and garage tunes that make every performance an unforgettable experience. They burst onto the scene with ’Salvation’, a debut single that was crowned BBC Radio 1 ‘Hottest Record’ by Annie Mac, peaking at #1 in the Music Week Cool Cuts Chart and #5 in the Billboard Dance Club Chart.
In a challenging year, HGC were determined to do what they do best and keep raising those positive vibrations so 2020 saw the collective perform with Kylie Minogue for the ‘Infinite Disco’ live stream, the launch show for BBC Strictly Come Dancing, BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac in Mix takeover and live session for BBC Radio 2 Rylan on Saturday. 2021 has already seen HGC play a special Valentine’s Day live show for the GRAMMYs before they embark on a summer filled with UK Festivals dates and UK tour in October.
Emmy® winner Mark Ruffalo is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actors, easily moving between stage and screen. He is also the co-founder of The Solutions Project alongside Stanford scientist Mark Jacobson and clean energy entrepreneur Marco Krapels.
He most recently starred in the critically acclaimed HBO series “I Know This Much Is True,” which garnered him an Emmy win for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series.” He executive produced and stars in the series playing the two main characters. In the last year, he was also seen in Focus Features’ Dark Waters about the DuPont Pollution scandal. He is probably best known for his role as Bruce Banner/The Hulk in the Avengers and Thor series and has been nominated for three Academy Awards within five years for his performances in “The Kids Are All Right,” “Foxcatcher” and “Spotlight,” which won the Oscars® for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Ruffalo received a Golden Globe® nomination in 2015 for his role in the Sony Pictures Classics film “Infinitely Polar Bear.” He also received a Screen Actors Guild® Award, as well as Golden Globe® and Emmy® nominations, for his role as gay rights activist Ned Weeks in the HBO film “The Normal Heart,” based on the play by Larry Kramer.
Ruffalo advocates for addressing climate change and increasing renewable energy by supporting a climate justice vision for solutions. A regular contributor to the Guardian and Huffington Post, Ruffalo has received the Global Green Millennium Award for Environmental Leadership and the Meera Gandhi Giving Back Foundation Award. He was named one of Time Magazine’s People Who Mattered in 2011 and received The Big Fish Award from Riverkeeper in 2013. He received the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Artists Inspiration Award in 2019 for using his creative and professional success as a performing artist to advance philanthropic and humanitarian causes, most notably for his work with The Solutions Project to accelerate the transition to 100% clean energy and equitable access to healthy air, water, and soils by supporting climate justice organizations, especially those led by women of color.
A journalist in Asia for 35 years, Maria Ressa co-founded Rappler, the top digital only news site that is leading the fight for press freedom in the Philippines. As Rappler’s executive editor and CEO, Maria has endured constant political harassment and arrests by the Duterte government, forced to post bail nine times to stay free. Rappler’s battle for truth and democracy is the subject of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival documentary, A Thousand Cuts.
For her courage and work on disinformation and ‘fake news,’ Maria was named Time Magazine’s 2018 Person of the Year, was among its 100 Most Influential People of 2019, and has also been named one of Time’s Most Influential Women of the Century. She was also part of BBC’s 100 most inspiring and influential women of 2019 and Prospect magazine’s world’s top 50 thinkers. In 2020, she received the Journalist of the Year award, the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award, the Most Resilient Journalist Award, the Tucholsky Prize, the Truth to Power Award, and the Four Freedoms Award.
Among many awards for her principled stance, she received the prestigious Golden Pen of Freedom Award from the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, the Knight International Journalism Award from the International Center for Journalists, the Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Shorenstein Journalism Award from Stanford University, the Columbia Journalism Award, the Free Media Pioneer Award from the International Press Institute, and the Sergei Magnitsky Award for Investigative Journalism.
Before founding Rappler, Maria focused on investigating terrorism in Southeast Asia. She opened and ran CNN’s Manila Bureau for nearly a decade before opening the network’s Jakarta Bureau, which she ran from 1995 to 2005. She wrote Seeds of Terror: An Eyewitness Account of al-Qaeda’s Newest Center of Operations in Southeast Asia and From Bin Laden to Facebook: 10 Days of Abduction, 10 Years of Terrorism.
Described as one of the country’s most exciting “next generation” political leaders, Gloria Walton is committed to creating equitable climate solutions that center the people closest to the problem. Gloria is an award-winning organizer, writer, and the President and CEO of The Solutions Project. Gloria joins The Solutions Project from Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE), a South LA-based community organization, where she was President & CEO for 10 years. SCOPE has been a grantee of The Solutions Project since 2015 and Gloria joined the board in 2017 to help create a vision that is radically-inclusive and culture-led.
Gloria is a Fellow of the 2020 class of the Civil Society Fellowship, a Partnership of ADL and The Aspen Institute, a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, and has won half dozen awards for her leadership, including NAACP-LA’s Empowerment Award and the LA League of Conservation Voters Environmental Justice Champion Award. She is a gubernatorial appointee to the California Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program Technical Advisory Council, and LA County Board of Supervisor appointee to Central Santa Monica Bay Watershed Area Steering Committee. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors of Rockwood Leadership Institute, and is a founding Coordinating Committee member of the Los Angeles Black Worker Center, and Founding Advisory Board member of the national collaborative, BOLD (Black Organizing for Leadership & Dignity).
In addition to her leadership and community organizing work, Gloria is also a writer, commentator, and public speaker. Her work and words have appeared at The Nation, Huffington Post, The Center for American Progress, and others, writing about topics ranging from environmental racism and clean energy jobs, to voter engagement and racial justice. She also speaks nationally, and has shared words on stage with luminaries like former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer, and actor Don Cheadle.
Jess is a founder of Doc Society, which has funded and championed the work of independent documentary filmmakers around the world since 2005. Writing with Fire, I Am Softie, The Edge of Democracy, CITIZENFOUR, The Territory, The Square, Virunga etc Currently obsessed with Climate and Democracy narratives and protecting the space for independent storytelling.
Jess is also a trustee of MSI Reproductive Choices, the world's most effective family planning and abortion provider in 37 countries. Jess is also chair of UK think tank IPPR and a board member of crowdfunding innovator Kickstarter.
Jess is a big fan of the Skoll World Forum.
Femi Oke is an award winning international journalist, broadcaster, professional moderator and co-founder of the diverse moderators bureau "Moderate The Panel." Based in Washington, D.C., she hosts the interactive current affairs show “The Stream” for Al Jazeera English; is a correspondent for the Al Jazeera documentary series "Fault Lines"; and the social media contributor for NPR's midday news program "Here and Now."
Femi’s reporting has been recognised by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Communications Agency and InterAction. Since the 1980s, she has worked for BBC television and radio, Sky TV, all the U.K. terrestrial television networks, CNN and U.S. public radio. As a professional moderator Femi has presided over world class events including European Development Days, NBA Africa Celebratory Luncheon for the U.S. National Basketball Association, and the historic Barbershop Conference at the United Nations Headquarters.
