Marisa Arbona-Ruiz is an Emmy and Telly award-winning broadcast writer/producer/director working on both sides of the mic to engage, educate, and inspire. Projects range from television news magazine shows to radio and podcasts, documentaries, PSAs, and multimedia journalism for mainstream media as well as bilingual-bicultural Latinx markets. At the heart of her work is a passion for awakening audiences to our interconnectedness; informed by her Latinx and Indigenous perspectives, her experience traveling the globe, and her journey navigating mainstream U.S. culture. She identifies as a conscious human being.

As Communications Chair of Women In Film & Television International and Vice President of Women In Film & Video of Washington, DC Marisa served from a platform of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Among her leadership activities, she mentored underprivileged youth in video production through the Imagemakers Program; initiated and wrote DC mayoral proclamations recognizing and honoring the contributions of women of color in film and television, produced events, presented at international events, and chaired the first Kids World Film Fest held at the National Gallery of Art teaching media literacy and cultural awareness to children and future filmmakers.

When not in production, Marisa's other passion is breaking into song and dance. A cultural ambassador through entertainment, she is a singer, actor, and voiceover talent. Shows include festivals and prestigious concert halls from the Kennedy Center to the White House, performing genres from American Folk, Choral, Roots Rock, Blues, Native Fusion, and a wide breadth of Latin styles with such acts as the Latin a capella ensemble Cantigas, the Washington Chorus, the late singer Joanne Shenandoah, and more.

John Trupp is a musician, producer, graphic/web designer and owner of Metro Graphics. He has worked with many notable artists throughout his career, contributing his skills to a wide range of projects. John has won numerous awards for the many albums and projects he’s been a part of and has had original songs placed in movies and major television. He has been fortunate to perform many thousands of concerts on many of the east coasts finest stages. Currently, John performs with numerous acts playing the better venues and festivals of the region. John is a member of the Recording Academy (The Grammys) and does a significant amount of studio work as a musician and producer, hosts and promotes concerts, and develops new talent in the region.

John also has a long history of working with non-profit organizations including Clean Water Action, Time to Rally USA, Songwriters Association of Washington and Rotary International. John has been essential in the success of many product marketing and corporate advertising campaigns as both graphic/web designer and performing social media outreach. He is an expert in business branding and related corporate materials, and public signage, and has also designed and assisted in the planning of numerous museum displays and traveling exhibits.

Jennifer knew from an early age she wanted to be an artist. Whether it was dancing, painting or simply making a mess with play dough, she was always inspired by the arts. Her journey is unusual though. Jennifer engages in a profound uphill battle: to achieve success in the visual arts industry when her opponent is ocular albinism, a visual disability that deemed her legally blind since the age of one.

Her talents quickly outweighed her visual disability winning her art student of the year in high school, a portfolio scholarship to Savannah College of Art and Design where she graduated magna cum laude, and national and international recognition for her work. She also won the prestigious Rising Star Award by Campaign and Elections Magazine, and the 40 Under 40 Award by American Association for Political Consultants. In addition, Jennifer was nominated for the prestigious Women of The Year Award by WJLA-ABC 7 as well as having her work featured on Jon Stewart and PBS.

Jennifer launched JMB Design Center in 2010 to focus her creative talents on changing the world for the better, strategizing campaigns that aligned with her missions.

Skot is the Principal/Founder of Global Bridgebuilders (GBB), a firm focusing on Organizational Development, CulturalTransformation and Inclusion. Global Bridgebuilders is an international team providing services to enterprises across the globe. GBB bases its work on the core belief that inclusion is a business discipline and should be leveraged across all the enterprise does. To gain this leverage, the firm applies a continuous improvement model, anchored in metrics. Skot has been a global bridge builder long before he founded the company in 2006. Growing up in a military family gave Skot a unique perspective on the diversity he still carries and a passion for helping organizations tap into the vast experiences of their employees to create stronger businesses.

Currently, GBB serves a wide range of clients in the U.S. and other countries around the world. Skot has worked in international business and Diversity/Inclusion Management for over 25 years and has developed an in-depth knowledge of diversity, inclusion, and workforce development that brings together and maximizes the perfect blend of people and processes.

Skot is also the Author of: The recently released - Unfractured: A Christ-centered Action Plan for Cultural Change; 101 Ways to Enjoy The Mosaic: Creating a Diverse Community Right in Your Own Backyard; Sayings: To Inspire You Along The Way (And Maybe Even Change Your Life); Co-author: Plantation Jesus: Race, Faith and a New Way Forward; Co-author: The Ross School of Business – University of Michigan: Diversity Management as a Generative Strategic Process: When the Business Case Meets Positive Organizational Scholarship; The Diversity & Inclusion Expert In Residence (Silicon Valley) CultureShift Labs Think Tank, The Inclusion Lead and Curator for TEDx Grand Rapids