MEET THE 2019 JUST PEACE SUMMIT TEAM

BECAUSE IT REALLY TAKES A VILLAGE...

BLAIR PATTON, ASSISTANT CHEF

Blair Patton is a recent Hong Kong transplant, after a decade living and working in Beijing. With 12 years of professional experience (mostly spent in China), Blair’s boots-on-the ground approach has earned him an intimate insight into Chinese geopolitics and an in-depth working background in commercial retail real estate, real estate investments, alternative energy investments, and FCA regulated foreign exchange. 

Blair is also a passionate chef and is actively involved in the food and beverage industry. He has headed up kitchens in both the US and China and continues to consult for various restaurant groups, bringing top chefs and restaurants concepts from around the world to Mainland China and Hong Kong.

CYNTHIA MALARAN, RESIDENT DJ

Cynthia Cherish Malaran, aka DJ CherishTheLuv, brings the Healing, Diversity and Inclusion via art and music! Trained by Cornell University’s Diversity and Inclusion program, NYC-native, Filipino-American CherishTheLuv uses DJing and the magic of music to connect people of all backgrounds and self-identities. She is a Bose Professional DJ, and an Instructor/Board Member at Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls, where she creates confidence-building after school educational programming for girls and gender expansive youth for Brooklyn Museum, New York Public Library and more. Her clients and residencies include Netflix, Food Network, Viacom, Heritage Radio Network, Urban Vegan Kitchen, MTV, and Whole Foods. Her onscreen credits as composer include 47-episode, 13-region, multi-language Netflix comedy series “Comedians of the World."  CherishTheLuv was house DJ for John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons, and is Resident DJ for Nile Rodgers We Are Family Foundation. 

DANIELLE GIAMBATTISTA, CULINARY DIRECTOR & HEAD CHEF

Danielle Giambattista is the Founder and Director of Chicken Shop Company Limited, which operates Little Birdy, a healthy Australian style chicken shop, which opened its doors in Hong Kong in February 2018. She is also the Managing Director of Food Driven Inc., a hospitality consulting company that specializes in concept design, food and beverage menu development, restaurant operations, human resource development, and project management including overall corporate strategy execution for newly opening and existing establishments. Danielle’s background includes over 18 years of professional experience in the hospitality industry working with prestigious chefs such as Daniel Boulud, Gordon Ramsay, and Alan Wong.  

DOROTHY CARTER, SPEAKER

Dorothy grew up in Poland and moved to New York in 1991. She graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice but has found her true professional calling at Ketchum. As a Production Manager for the Ketchum Communications Training Network, she makes sure that that every training session for executives, content experts and spokespeople is flawlessly executed. Dorothy coordinates schedule, content, location, trainer preparation and client objectives to assure that each session achieves the highest level of client satisfaction

GANI NAYLOR, FACILITATOR

Gani is a freelance facilitator and documentary filmmaker. He is passionate about helping young people find their voice make a positive difference in the world.

As an international facilitator for the British Council and PYE Global (Partners for Youth Empowerment) he trains teachers and educators to create vibrant and impactful learning experiences. Gani specialises in weaving a variety of art forms to help groups build trust, form connections and feel free to truly express themselves.

Recent projects include working with Higher Education in Morocco, training facilitators in Egypt and working with Primary School teachers in the UK. Gani is a keen surfer, traveller and musician and recently became a father.

JAMIE ROACH, FACILITATOR

Jamie Roach is an actor, playwright and theatre practitioner. A graduate of NYU (MA in Educational Theatre) & Circle In the Square Conservatory on Broadway (Musical Theatre), Jamie has appeared onstage at The Public (AFTER), BAM (NERVOUS/SYSTEM), Feinstein’s/54 Below (Beneath The Gavel) and The Met Opera House (acrobat/clown in Pagliacci). As a playwright, Jamie has had four plays produced in New York City, including a work featured in the production Play/Date heralded by the NYTimes as “thoughtful drama” and at Barrington Stage Company’s 2018 10x10 Festival. Also, The City, produced by Alive Worldwide, (aliveworldwide.org), an organization Jamie co-created to promote human connectivity through creativity. As a teaching artist and corporate coach, Jamie works with Disney, Lincoln Center, Roundabout, and The New Victory Theater, as well as Corporate coaching with PwC, Facebook, Google, and The Federal Reserve Bank. www.jamieroach.com

JENI STEPANEK, FACILITATOR, SPEAKER & MAMA PEACE

A noted advocate for children's and families' rights in health and education, Dr. Jeni Stepanek has spoken on television, radio and in print about disability, hospice, family support, parenting, resiliency, spirituality, peace and many other topics, all while battling a rare form of muscular dystrophy, and more recently, cancer. Her youngest son, Mattie, was a poet and peace advocate whose bestselling books have inspired millions. Mattie created poetry and essays from age 3 until he passed away in 2004 at age 13 from muscular dystrophy. Jeni is the author of the NY Times bestselling book, "Messenger: The Legacy of Mattie J.T. Stepanek and Heartsongs.” In addition to serving as the CEO & Chief Peace Officer of the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation, Jeni is a Senior Faculty Specialist at the University of Maryland where she earned her doctoral degree in Early Childhood Special Education. She specializes in anticipatory grief, family support, and dual sensory impairment.

JULIANA ONIEAL, HOTEL MOM

Juliana is thrilled to be returning as hotel mom this year! She is traveling all the way from London, where she leads creative campaign development for Google's Hardware products across EMEA. Before moving to London last May, Juliana worked for VICE'S in house creative agency in Brooklyn. She loves building brands, new products and making great content.

By night (and weekends), she is a doula, herbalist and yoga teacher. She is driven by a passion for health and wellness and the belief that technology will revolutionize the healthcare experience.

It is unfortunate to report that she cannot eat gluten, but manages to remain positive sans bread and get stuff done with a smile.

Ps. She will not lose your child.

KATIE EDER, GTL ALUMNI VOLUNTEER

Katie Eder is 19 years old and is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Future Coalition, a network and community for youth-led organizations and youth leaders in the US. Prior to the Future Coalition, Katie helped found 50 Miles More, a youth-led gun violence prevention organization with a goal to have students in all 50 states hold a 50 mile march to the hometown of one of their NRA-backed elected officials. Katie was a GTL in 2017 for her organization Kids Tales, a nonprofit focused on empowering young people to find their voice using creative writing. Katie is currently taking two gap years before starting at Stanford University in the fall of 2020.

MARC PHILLIPS, SPEAKER

Marc is a strategist focusing on end-to-end content strategy development for established, global brands. Each day, he gets to write—whether it’s for digital media or as part of a strategy plan. During his nearly five years at Ketchum, Marc has learned what makes web encounters memorable: strong brand narratives and user interactivity. He imparts what he learns to each class of GTLs.

Marc is a graduate of Ithaca College's Park School of Communications with a B.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications and currently resides in Manhattan.

MARGIE DILLENBURG, LEAD FACILITATOR

Margie is the former co-founder and Movement Director for Invisible Children, the NGO responsible for the films and mobilization efforts that brought attention to the war in east Africa.  

In 2012 she began a quest to understand the intersection between movement building, neuro and behavioral science, education, and media through working on a PhD, which she completed in 2015.  Since then she has worked with a number of clients to effectively organize for their cause. Her client list includes organizations and institutions such as UC Berkley and UC Irvine, The International Criminal Court, The Charity Defense Council, Whistleblower Aid, The Outdoor Industry Association, The Outdoor Foundation, The Future Leadership Academy, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and others.  She is passionate about creating and expanding empathic capacities, and then activating empathic dispositions to create thoughtful, targeted civic action.

MARC BIRNBACH, PHOTOGRAPHER

Through creative thought leadership and tools of innovation, I am an amplifier for the voices in need of a megaphone. As a seasoned storyteller, I immerse and engage audiences worldwide, creating global impact, and brand awareness, and highlight the human essence of marketing. I began volunteering with We Are Family Foundation, Three Dot Dash Just Peace Summit in 2008, and have watched the organization transform and evolve into an international phenomenon.

I am now forming Yello, a Milwaukee made marketing company that helps develop unique brand identity, messaging, and connections in partnership with accelerator programs to help entrepreneurs take clear next steps through strategic planning, multimedia content creation, and organic amplification globally, because all nutritious and organic marketing begins with Yello! Clients include Zyloware, Esteé Lauder, Randy Jackson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Milwaukee based start ups.

MARYAM ELARBI, FACILITATOR

Maryam Elarbi is a social impact consultant, writer, photographer, and activist, whose work is driven by a commitment to social justice. She specializes in social impact media work, marketing and communications, and social media management. Maryam has worked with a number of brands and organizations including, Invisible Children, WHYY, Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region, GOOD Corps, and YouTube. She and her work have been featured in a number of publications, including The Stanford Journal on Muslim Affairs, Complex, and The Washington Post. Maryam holds a BA in International Studies from Bryn Mawr College and is currently based in Philadelphia.

MERRIT JONES, GTL ALUMNI VOLUNTEER

Merrit Jones is a second-year studying at UNC-CH and Duke through the Robertson Scholarship Program. She serves as the Executive Director of Student Voice, a national student-led nonprofit organization that is working to make sure students have a more powerful voice in order to combat the systemic inequity in education. She joined the production team as a 2017 GTL Alumni. She is passionate about storytelling, policy, and youth empowerment. 

MICHAEL STEVENSON, FACILITATOR

I am a creative consultant, designer, thought leader and yoga teacher from Houston, TX. My interest have led me to experiences in community development at a church, directing a non-profit, product and experience design at an outdoor company, marketing strategy at a creative agency, barista and cafe consultant for social impact driven coffee companies. I create engaging visual environments to help others feel and connect to their thinking mind and the collective consciousness of pushing humanity forward. I look to break barriers for entry for people of color in the South in spaces where there is not representation or leadership.

SEANNE FARMER, PRODUCER

As a small child, Seanne wanted to be a backup singer for Tina Turner.  The timing didn’t work out on that…but it did lead to pursuing a degree in Acting/Directing with extended studies in Film & Post Production.  She is an Emmy nominated Producer, Creative Director/Production Supervisor, Show Caller, and has spent the majority of her lifetime on a bus or plane traveling the world with concert artists Bette Midler, Cher, Beyonce, Cirque du Soleil, (and a few others she can barely remember until late night storytelling sessions).  In her downtime, she can be found jumping in with foundations producing events that put good into the world.  She is absolutely in awe of all of the GTL’s, and hasn’t even met you yet!

TIM CLOW, PRODUCER

Timothy is from Albany New York and now lives in both Brooklyn and Saratoga with his husband and four dogs. He received his BFA in Theatre Design and Technology from Adelphi University. His work includes several years of production on fashion shows, Musical Theatre and Opera.  This is his first Just Peace Summit and can’t wait to meet all of these incredible teens.

TOM BARRITT, SPEAKER

Tom Barritt is a veteran communications training instructor and a sought after speaker and facilitator, with more than two decades of experience. He directs Ketchum’s network of communications trainers and creates and facilitates customized training workshops to help clients effectively deliver messages in a variety of forums. Mr. Barritt has clients preparing for interviews on major news broadcasts, including Nightline, ABC News Primetime, Dateline NBC, Good Morning America, 60 Minutes and Today, as well as print interviews and satellite media tours. He has counseled CEOs, senior executives and spokespeople for numerous corporations and associations.

TREVIS BELLE, GTL ALUMNI VOLUNTEER

Trevis hails from the beautiful twin island federation of St. Kitts & Nevis in the Caribbean and is currently pursuing a Bachelors of Arts in Communications at the Florida International University. Apart from working with his non-profit MADE St. Kitts, which focuses on raising awareness about the importance of volunteerism, Trevis is the Vice President of the FIU Caribbean Students Association and aids in lobbying for Caribbean students on campus to the higher administration. Trevis also serves as a Resident Assistant too! Oh, did we forget to mention he is also a 2016 GTL?! He favors traveling and binge watching episodes of The Office and Parks & Recreation. One of Trevis' major life achievement is receiving the 2016 Queen's Young Leader Award from Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II! He also enjoys listening to Soca, Reggae and Calypso music.

VICKI SHENK, PRODUCER

Vicki is from Cincinnati Ohio yet now lives between NYC and Las Vegas. She got to dance on lunch tables at the School for the Creative and Performing Arts then received her BFA in Stage Management from the Conservatory of Theatre Art from Webster University.  She ran away with the circus for 14 years with Cirque du Soleil.  She got to see the world thanks to her time with Cirque. She now focuses on doing production work for events from fashion shows, food and wine festivals to corporate meetings. She is so excited to be a part of the the Just Peace Summit and can't wait to meet everyone.

WENDY JOONG, SPEAKER

Bringing together data-driven strategy and breakthrough creative, Wendy Joong has nearly 20 years of experience ideating and implementing strategic, integrated PR & marketing communications initiatives.  A winner of multiple industry awards, Wendy has delivered successful campaigns for clients in various industries such as retail, consumer products, food & beverage and financial services, including top brands such as IKEA, Chase, Philips Personal Health and Hasbro.  

 Wendy graduated from Columbia University and has a passion for television, baseball, and all things pop culture.