2023 AIF Fellows

Announcement

2023 Aspen Ideas Festival Fellows

The 2023 Aspen Ideas Fellows are a group of leaders from some 58 cities in 30 states in the United States and nine other countries who were selected for their accomplishments and ability to transform ideas into action.

  • June 6th 2023

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 

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