David Feldman
Psychologist
David B. Feldman, PhD, is a professor of counseling psychology at Santa Clara University and practicing clinical psychologist. Considered one of the foremost researchers of hope, his work addresses how hopefulness is connected to finding meaning and experiencing resilience in the face of life-limiting medical illness, trauma, grief, and other stressful life circumstances. In addition to numerous journal publications, he has authored or co-authored five books, including Psychology in 10 Minutes: 30 Quick Reads that May Change Your Life, Supersurvivors: The Surprising Link Between Suffering & Success, and The Science and Application of Positive Psychology. He is also the host of the 'Psychology in 10 Minutes' podcast and has a small video-based therapy practice in California.
Homelessness Advocate
Jennifer is currently the Executive Director of the Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco. She has worked for the Coalition for 29 years, as Executive Director, as organizing director, substance abuse and mental health work group coordinator and fundraiser. Previous to coming to San Francisco, Jennifer was Director of the Hunger and Homeless Action Coalition of San Mateo County. Ms. Friedenbach has a long history of community organizing, and has worked on a range of poverty-related issues including welfare rights, housing, homeless prevention, health care, disability, and human and civil rights. During her tenure, she has achieved several significant victories alongside homeless people including most recently crafting and leading a winning campaign for Our City Our Home, Prop C which appeared on the November 2018 ballot, and has doubled San Francisco’s current efforts to solve homelessness resulting in thousands being housed and thousands more prevented from becoming homeless.
Kate Brindle
Animal Rights Advocate
Kate Brindle is a Program Manager for Farm Animal Protection at the Humane Society of the United States, where she works on legislative campaigns across the country. She’s helped pass laws banning the cage confinement of farm animals in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Jersey and Utah. Kate is a graduate of New York University and Michigan State University College of Law, where she served as an Associate Editor of the Journal for Animal and Natural Resource Law and President of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. While at MSU, she also won the Wanda A. Nash Award for her contributions to the field of animal law. Kate has been featured in Food Dive, National Geographic and on CNBC.
Neurosurgeon
Dr. Odette Harris is the Paralyzed Veterans of America, Endowed Professor of Spinal Cord Injury Medicine, a Professor of Neurosurgery and the Vice Chair, Diversity and Director of Brain Injury at Stanford University School of Medicine. Additionally she serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Rehabilitation at the VA Palo Alto. Dr. Harris manages the care of patients suffering from traumatic brain injury implementing treatment algorithms aimed at improving outcomes. She earned a Master of Public Health, Epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Harris has won numerous academic, research and humanitarian awards. Most recently, she was recognized in 2019 by Forbes and Ebony Magazine Power 100 List Award as one of 100 most influential African Americans and received the National Medical Fellowships (NMF) Award for Excellence in Academic Medicine. SHe was appointed a Fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network in 2018.
Co-Founder and CEO of Pathwater
Shadi Bakour is the Co-Founder and CEO of PATH, a leading sustainable bottled water brand. PATH is a fast-growing brand providing the first-ever water in a refillable & recyclable aluminum bottle (instead of single-use plastic). PATH has successfully eliminated over 500 million plastic water bottles from oceans and landfills, with a plan to eliminate over 10 billion in the next few years. Previously, Shadi worked in Management Consulting and Private Equity at Booz Hamilton and Abraaj Capital. He graduated Summa Cum Laude and with honors from George Washington University with a B.B.A in Finance and Economics. Driven by a passion for conscious capitalism, Shadi is committed to making PATH a household name in sustainability, reshaping consumer habits, and contributing to a greener future.
Founder and CEO of Apothékary
Shizu Okusa is a Wall Street alum-turned-wellness entrepreneur. After leaving an intense finance career, she became inspired to live a more balanced lifestyle and revisit her Japanese roots and passion for herbal medicine. Shizu set out to help others regain their holistic health using traditions she grew up with and ones she learned along the way. Now, she proudly leads Apothékary in our mission to deliver natural herbal remedies that get to the root cause of health issues rather than masking the symptoms.