2018 Champions

Samuel works on projects at the intersection of Engineering Design, music, and social entrepreneurship. He suses Design Thinking to tackle engineering problems for the developing world, such as ‘how can you align a prosthetic foot without a specialist?’ Samuel’s projects typically blend music and community engagement. His dream is to create spaces for people of…

Viviane Nguyen grew up in San Jose after emigrating from Vietnam with her family as refugees from the War. She currently works at the City of San Jose Housing Department and focuses on the development and implementation of rental rights policies. Prior to joining the Housing Department, Viviane was a fellow for JusticeCorps, working at…

Matthew Quevedo is a lifelong resident of the City of San Jose. In his professional life, he works as the Senior Associate for Housing, Transportation and Community Engagement at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. In this role, Matthew works with leaders in both the private and public sector on Transportation and Housing policies that support…

Emily is a native of the Jersey Shore, and came to the Bay Area by way of the University of South Alabama where she earned a B.S. in Meteorology. Emily earned a M.A. in Communication Studies at San Jose State University with a focus on Environmental Communication. She joined Veggielution Community Farm in 2014 where…

Elizabeth’s passion for social justice and commitment to serving the public is strongly influenced by her time working at local public entities and volunteering with nonprofit organizations. Through her experience, she has become deeply invested in developing solutions to the conditions that lead to creating inequities in society. As an honors student at Saint Paul…

Kyree is a proud native Philadelphian who has lived all over the city. Originally on track to pursue a career in marketing, she serendipitously discovered the user experience field and fell in love with it. She is currently a User Experience Researcher in the tech industry, leading research efforts to enhance products and services and…

A Montgomery, Alabama native, Hanae Victoria Mason earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications at Hampton University and an MPA at the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government. After working in different capacities in the communications field, she was drawn to a new professional path: community advocacy and development. She started working at…

Gabriela Sanchez, Founder and Managing Director of Power Street Theatre Company, created a multicultural theatre company with fellow artists, producing and starring in seven powerful new plays, script readings, open-mic events, and art for social change forums. A Philadelphia native, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from Temple University. Gabriela has deep cultural…

Over the past decade, Dena has held leadership and fundraising positions at several nonprofits in Philadelphia including Smith Playground, Elfreth’s Alley, and Bartram’s Garden, giving her a unique perspective on how our public spaces are often historic sites that have seen reinvention by communities over the generations for modern uses. Her work in championing a…

Tonja Khabir is a social entrepreneur and community relations specialist from Macon, Georgia. She has managed and supported programming in the fields of Public Health and Education for over 10 years. As a bio-behavioral health researcher, Khabir supported teams in East and Southern Africa enhancing health and development in vulnerable communities. She returned to Macon…

Rebekah is a teacher, researcher, and designer who believes design can positively impact communities. Utilizing her degrees both interior design and architecture, Rebekah researches how we can use community-engagement to be more inclusive in human-centered design processes. As a proud native Kentuckian, Rebekah’s teaching focuses on creating collaborative learning experiences for her students in Lexington.…

As a lifelong farmer and artist, Emily believes in the unique power of the arts to create positive social change – even in conservative, rural communities like Grand Forks, North Dakota. As Executive Director of the Empire Arts Center, she has been at the helm of arts and facility projects that have pushed the boundaries…

Native Detroiter, Timothy “Paule” Jackson is a creative, visionary, and entrepreneur. He is a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., a member of the Southeastern Michigan Beekeepers Association, a bee ambassador for the honeybee conservancy as well as a Sustainability Ambassador for the City of Detroit. In 2017 he co-founded, Detroit Hives; a…

Alexis Adams-Wynn lives and works in Detroit as a public health and communications professional, focusing on health disparities and neighborhood investment. Her career has been rooted in the intersection of neighborhoods and health for over a decade. She’s worked at the grassroots level on tobacco prevention policies; as a school- and community-based violence prevention specialist;…

Christine is a local government professional with an interest in community outreach and development. As the Community Relations Coordinator for Mecklenburg County, she works to facilitate direct interactions between County staff and the community to civic engagement. Christine is a longtime Charlotte resident and loves everything Charlotte. In her spare time she volunteers, travels, enjoys…

In the past five years of rigorous architecture schooling, Amir has grown his self-taught passion in film, music, and media production from simple hobbies to profiting skills. Although he wasn’t born or raised in Charlotte, Amir has always felt a strong attachment to the city mainly because of how it presents itself as a great…

Kai is a community artist and maker in Akron, Ohio. She graduated with a B.F.A. in Sculpture in 2015 and now runs her own studio in downtown Akron. Kai’s work focuses on communities looking to make the next step in their revitalization process. This includes creating park benches, garden planters and parklets. She also works…

Josy Jones is an actor, director and playwright originally from Cleveland, Ohio. In 2015 Josy started a theatre group, The Chameleon Village Theatre Collective, to bring site-specific theatre to Macon, Georgia and provide artists with an outlet for exploration. Josy thinks theatre serves as a catalyst for the voices of the unheard and has dedicated…

Matt is a hardware and software engineer in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He earned a B.A. in Multimedia Design from Northern State University in Aberdeen, and has a wide variety of work experience including feature films, advertising, web development and video games. He currently works at Ease, designing, creating, and programming Internet Of Things hardware and…