Boaz Paldi is the Chief Creative Officer for United Nations Development Programme. In this role Boaz oversees UNDP’s advocacy, flagship campaigns, events, activations and impact partnerships. Most recently Boaz launched the #DontChooseExtinction campaign that has been viewed by over 2 billion people across the globe. Before being appointed to his current role, Boaz led UNDP’s campaigns, partnerships, advocacy and communication including the co-founding and creating the Lion’s Share Fund , co-founding the Social Good Summit and creating UNDP individual giving program.

UCLA’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, Nurit Katz is working to foster partnerships among academic, research, and operational departments to facilitate creating a world class living laboratory for sustainability at UCLA. Nurit also served as Executive Officer for UCLA Facilities Management for six years and is an Instructor for UCLA Extension’s Sustainability Certificate Program. She also currently serves as Commissioner on the Board of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Nurit holds an MBA and a Masters in Public Policy from UCLA and a BA in Environmental Education from Humboldt State University, and is pursuing a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

Matt Petersen is the President and CEO of Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI.) LACI is creating an inclusive green economy by unlocking innovation (e.g., incubating leading startups), transforming markets (i.e., creating aspirational partnerships), and enhancing community (i.e., inspiring future entrepreneurs). LACI’s three priorities are accelerating transportation electrification, clean energy, and sustainable cities. Prior to joining LACI, Matt Petersen was appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti as the first ever Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Los Angeles. Serving as CSO for four years, Petersen was the chief architect of the groundbreaking Sustainable City pLAn, led efforts to make LA a global leader in EVs, and helped create the Climate Mayors.

Conyers Davis the Global Director of the Schwarzenegger Institute, a public policy Institute founded by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2012 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA. Previously he worked for British Prime Minister David Cameron, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Simon & Schuster and Lionsgate Films. Additionally, Conyers managed projects for the 2004 G8 Summit and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina recovery effort while working at the US Department of Homeland Security in Washington, DC. Conyers has a degree in International Relations from the University of St Andrews, Scotland, and serves on the national board of After-School All-Stars, the largest school based after school provider in the United States.

As a Bruin and native Angeleno, Ashley loves Southern California and all the great things it has to offer. Ashley realized she really wants to help people and communities at an early age. She attended an alternative high school in Compton and later, UCLA. She began her career path by working in several different industries before catching solar fever in 2011. As GRID GLA’s Executive Director, she can combine both her love for renewable energy and community development to make a positive impact in her community.

Shameka Dixon was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, where her interest in Community Development started. After obtaining her degree in Economics, Shameka has worked in Workforce and Economic Development for over 10 years. Shameka has found her passion within workforce and Economic Development and thrives on building the capacity of individuals. Shameka’s goal is to secure as many people as possible with new skills and living wages.

Simon has worked at the intersection of climate and innovation for over a decade as an economist and entrepreneur with endeavors that include one of the first climate tech incubators in the US; the first large scale urban tech collaboratives in NYC and Detroit; and the Urban Tech Summit at Cornell Tech. In 2019, as the Founder of CIV:LAB and in partnership with the City of New York, Simon built ‘The Grid’, a local urban innovation collaborative of 130+ urban innovation organizations the subsequently launched Detroit Urban Solutions in 2020. Most recently, CIV:LAB has begun to fund community climate initiatives in education, workforce development and technology as part of a one of a kind national climate grant network with the goal of deploying $1bn across the United States to fight climate change.