At the Festival, these rising stars will bring forward innovative solutions to the complex problems discussed on our stages and join a vast network of past Fellows whose big ideas are making the world a better place.
They were nominated by Aspen Ideas Festival advisors, former Fellows, and others with knowledge, expertise, and experience that aligns with our 2023 program tracks. Their participation is made possible through the contributions of individuals, organizations, and Aspen Ideas Festival Patron passholders whose support underwrites the Fellows program. The Aspen Ideas Festival is proud to honor and host these amazing leaders and is most grateful to all those whose donations have made this extraordinary opportunity possible.
2023 Festival Fellows
Jose Alfaro, Director of Latinx Leadership and Engagement, Everytown For Gun Safety
Andrea Arevalo, Board Member, Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe
Deana Around Him, Research Scholar, Child Trends
Patty Arteaga, Project Manager, National Museum of American History
Claire Atkin, CEO, Check My Ads Institute
Hazami Barmada, Founder and CEO, Humanity Lab
Auburn Bell, Policy Analyst, Center for American Progress
Jason Bethala, Vice President, Strategic Investments, Comcast
Amanda Blechman, Director, Health and Scientific Affairs, Danone North America
Kathleen St. Louis Caliento, President & CEO, Cara Collective
Stephanie Cardenas, U.S. Nature Lead, Senior Manager ESG and Sustainability, Deloitte
Mordecai Cargill, Chief Creative Officer, ThirdSpace Action Lab
Mikah Carlos, Council Member, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Tribal Council
Genny Castillo, Regional Engagement Director, Southern Economic Advancement Project
Sylvia Castorena, Mentoring Program Coordinator, Buddy Program
Stefano Castro, Founder and Lead Educator, El Parque Collective
Jerren Chang, Co-Founder and CEO, GenUnity
Morgen Chang, Programs Manager, Theater Mu
Heather Chappell, Communications Officer, Executive Communications and Partnerships, Walton Family Foundation
Adriana Chavez, Co-Founder, ORU
Su-Lin Cheng Nichols, Principal, Lafayette Strategies
Karen Chern-Zangle, Senior Director, Programs, REDF
Eli Benton Cohen, Audio Producer, The New York Times
Deven Comen, Senior Strategy Officer, Postsecondary Success, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Allison Connell, Sustainability and Climate Strategy Manager, Deloitte
Jacob Crane, Engagement Coordinator, Indigenous Climate Action
Ernestor De La Rosa, Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer, City of Topeka, Kansas
Wiselene (Wizzy) Dorceus, Strategy Learning and Evaluation Officer, Walton Family Foundation
Kinsale Drake, Founder, NDN Girls Book Club
Bianca Duphey, Academic Innovations Director, D.C. Public Schools
Curt Ellis, Co-Founder and CEO, FoodCorps
Kathryn Emery, Brand Marketing Lead, North America RLS, Ralph Lauren
Maya Feller, Lead Dietitian at Maya Feller Nutrition, Danone US
Antonio Fica, Business Development Lead, Ainwater
Matthew Frakes, Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Nutrition, Louisiana State University
Bri Franklin, Co-Founder, President, and CEO, The Prosp(a)rity Project (Rising Visionary Awardee, Visionary Women and the Hostetler/Wrigley Foundation)
Victor Galvan, Strategic Partnerships Manager, Protégete with Conservation Colorado
James Gately, Tillman Scholar, Pat Tillman Foundation
Adriana Gonzalez, Director of Marketing Strategy, Comcast
Laura González Mantecón, Climate Adaptation/Assisted Migration Program Coordinator and Partner Liaison, USDA Forest Service, PNW Research Station
Amilcar Guzman, Program Officer, J.B and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation
Somah Haaland, Artist and Organizer
Jaleesa K. Hall, Founder and CEO, Raising A Village Foundation
Lila Hassan, Independent Investigative Journalist
Natalia Herbst, Public Affairs and Social Impact Strategy Consultant
Natascha Hildebrandt, Writer
Lillian Holden, Water Trail Specialist, Openlands
Kyaw Thu Htet, Founder and CEO, Myanmar Innovative Life Sciences
Denise Hanh Huynh, Research Fellow, Rhode Island School of Design
Virginia Iglesias, Research Scientist, University of Colorado-Boulder
Janice Ikeda, Executive Director, Vibrant Hawaiʻi
Eliamani Ismail, Writer
Olivia Issa, Program Lead, Refugee Resettlement Initiative, National Association of System Heads
Maleeka Jihad (MJ), Executive Director, MJCF Coalition
Aaron D. Jim Jr., EEO Specialist, Sandia National Laboratories
Jeshua John, Director of Programs, The Workers Lab
Michael Jou, Senior Creative Director, Comcast
Uma Kalkar, Strategy and Innovation Director, 18by Vote
Haneen Khalid, PhD Student, Princeton University
Doussouba Konate, Country Director, Accountability Lab Mali
Todd Leverette, Co-Founder, Apis and Heritage Capital Partners
Matthew Libby, Playwright, Theater Masters
Tivadar Limbacher, Founder, Axon Labs
Nicole Lynn Lewis, Founder and CEO, Generation Hope
Davis Makori, Rotary Peace Fellow
Cassie Maschhoff, Workforce Development Lead, Google
Anna-Lisa Miller, Executive Director, Ownership Works
Alicia Mousseau, Vice President, Oglala Sioux Tribe
Liza Mueller, Vice President, Thought Leadership, Echoing Green
Mike Murphy, Director, Advanced Solution Architecture, Comcast Business
Emilia Ndely, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow
Erika Neuman, Founder and President, Integrative STEM Education Consulting
Andezu Orionzi, Program Engagement Lead, Alight
Ashley Ortiz Chico, Graduate Student, Tulane University
Samuel Owusu, Research Analyst, Education Policy Initiative
Lily Painter, Youth Advocate, Center for Native American Youth
Ashley Pandit, Senior Manager, ESG Strategy and Transformation, Deloitte
J.C. Pankratz, Playwright, Theatre Masters
Dana Pavlychko, Co-Founder, The Second Derivative
Claudia Pawl, Owner and CEO, Convey Language Solutions
Sokthea Phay, Community Operations Director, Community Development YMCA of Greater Long Beach
Preeti Pincha, Director, Sustainable Systems Initiative, Deloitte
Marisol Ramirez, Director of Programs, Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development
Genesis Ramos, Family Navigator, Staff Accountant, Valley Settlement
Nicolas Rios, Program Coordinator, Representative Democracy
Katherine Robinson, Program Officer, Walton Family Foundation
Charitie Ropati, Student, Center for Native American Youth
Trevor Rozier-Byrd, Founder and CEO, Stackwell Capital
Amy Saltzman, Initiative Lead, Mississippi River, Walton Family Foundation
Sam Schaeffer, CEO, Center for Employment Opportunities
Laura Segura, Mountain Region Organizer, Colorado Immigrants Rights Coalition
Michelle Anne Simmons, Founder and CEO, Why Not Prosper (Rising Visionary Awardee, Visionary Women and the Hostetler/Wrigley Foundation)
Jonique Smith-Adams, Customer Business Manager, Danone
Elise Tasooji, Communications Manager, Google
Kyra Taylor, Lead, Global Brand Communications, Ralph Lauren
Moses Twahirwa, Director of Community Action, Global Livingston Institute
Evy Valencia, Senior Program Officer, Walton Family Foundation
Kathryn Van Zanen, Doctoral Candidate, University of Michigan
Christopher Williams, Global Connector, Alight
Andréa Willis, Communications Manager, Google
Wendy Wilson, Program Director, Fund for Peace
Teddy Wilson, Executive Communications Lead, Ralph Lauren
Eitan Wolf, FoST Explorers Club Production Assistant, Future of Storytelling
Hope Wollensack, Executive Director, GRO Fund
Seth Young, CEO, Augusta Heritage Center
Oksana Zavalska, European Guides Team Lead, Alight
Helen Zein Eddine, Special Projects Coordinator, American Journalism Project
2023 Ifill Fellows, in memory of Gwen Ifill
Jessica Bursztynsky, Staff Writer, Fast Company
Taryn Finley, Senior Culture Reporter/Black Voices Reporter, HuffPost
Tara García Mathewson, Senior Reporter and Languages Editor, The Hechinger Report
Alexandra Sharp, Newsletter Writer, Foreign Policy
2023 KIPP Accelerator Aspen Fellows
Nailah Brown, Manager of Special Projects and Events, Development, KIPP NJ, KIPP Miami
Josue Coronado, Talent Partner, KIPP Texas
Keith Davis, VP of Financial Operations, KIPP Foundation
Paula Fernandez-Baca, Consultant, Bain and Company
Cameron Franklin, AVP of Development, KIPP National Alumni Council
Vivian Lin, Informatics Pharmacy Resident, Cedars-Sinai
Jade Sands, Academic Dean & Facilitator, KIPP & Achievement First
